Advanced Facilities Services​, Inc.

The Benchmark of Facilities Excellence!

The comprehensive AFS grounds and landscape maintenance program was designed by industry leaders specifically for educational settings. Priorities of the program are:

• Ensuring the safety of students, athletes, staff and visitors
• Maintaining organic landscape health and aesthetics
• Maintaining impervious cover condition and appearance
• Creating aesthetic appeal that reflects the quality of education
  
• A focus on continuous improvement and respect for the environment

Mowing and Turf Care

AFS ensures that all lawns have a neat, manicured appearance. Actions typically include the following: 

• Line trimming (weed eating)
• Mechanical edging of walks, curbs and driveways
• Lawn fertilization
• Aeration
• Irrigation where available and maintenance of systems
• Recycling, mulching or removal of clippings
• Appropriate practice or avoidance of wild or prairie areas

Complete Organic Care

While lawns comprise the largest area of most campuses, AFS employs many other processes that are designed to maintain the health and attractiveness of the entire outdoor environment:

• Soil testing to determine nutrient and pH needs
• Fertilization programs by turf and plant type and location
• Irrigation where available and maintenance of systems
• Perennial/ornamental grass management
• Tree care that accounts for plant health, appearance and safety
• Integrated pest management (insect/disease/weed control)
• Shrub and hedge care for both aesthetics and safety
• Ground covers maintenance in accordance with design intent
• Provide daily policing and litter removal (also before mowing)
• Seasonal processes like leaf removal or mulching

Impervious Areas and Other Features

Maintenance of impervious surfaces and non-organic landscape features so that their condition not only enhances their intended practical use, but also the appearance of the campus. 

• Drains and grates
• Garage/lot/street cleaning
• Lighting features
• Fencing and barriers
• Retaining walls/stone or brick work
• Water features in the landscape
• Retention/detention ponds
• Outdoor seating and gathering areas
• Signage

Inclement Weather Plans and Operations

AFS works with campus administration to develop and implement inclement weather plans, including: hurricane, tornado, heavy rains and flooding, snow and ice. All plans include efforts to reduce plant/tree damage and turf loss (i.e. damage from de-icing products applied to walks and roads), and for cleanup as necessary after an event. 

Safety in the Landscape

Teams are mindful of safety issues like trimming of bushes that pose hiding places, trees that hang low, branches that are loose or damaged, holes in the turf, impervious cover in disrepair.

Conservation and Sustainability

AFS works with our clients to consider practices that enhance conservation and sustainability efforts, like replacement of ground covers and turf with xeriscape or more drought tolerant materials, rainwater harvesting, and composting.