By Monty Siekerman
Mark Bricker, ONU/Sodexo grounds manager, tends a giant pot of annuals that add a splash of color to the Presser Hall entrance.

New this year are several pairs of large pots of flowers, which can be spotted at the walkway entrance between Hill and Dicke, between Wilson and Tilton, and Presser.

Mark, who has been at ONU for about a year, and his grounds crew tend the 342-acre campus that grows in beauty each year, now vying for one of the most beautiful campuses in Ohio.

The men and women of the grounds department care for many acres of lawn, sports fields, and trees that are added each year (although about 20 had to be taken out recently due to the storm sewer project).

As the growing season gets underway, visitors find a multitude of spring bulbs in bloom, followed by beds of annuals for summer, which give way to autumn color found in trees, large and small.

Mark and his crew are in charge of snow and ice removal, as well, but we won't mention that quite yet.