The House & Grounds Committee, like everyone else, had their plans for the spring change dramatically due to the spread of COVID-19. With nearly all students gone, and no brothers residing at 600 Preston Place, many of our plans were put on hold.
Once school was cancelled and President Ryan asked all students to return home, the undergraduate leadership and H&G committee prepared the house to be locked down for the next few months. The undergrads arranged for a professional cleaning service to come by after everyone had left to ensure they left the house in good condition. The committee followed up and made sure everything was locked up and done correctly with the assumption that the house may be empty for quite a while.
Landscaping and grounds upkeep is always a joint effort between alumni and undergrads, and with the undergrads now gone, the alumni are now having a professional groundskeeper come by every two weeks to maintain the outside. We have delayed our previous plan to add stone/rocks to the back side of the house until the undergrads can return due to the multiple tons of stone required to cover the space. This plan will help prevent overgrowth in the future and help ease the burden of maintaining the property.
We are still moving forward with improving a leak in the old part of the basement. The committee has received multiple quotes on the project and hopes to make progress over the break in time for a hopeful return to school in the fall.
We will continue to have regular check-ins on the house in case anything is needed before students can return to Charlottesville.