Hi! I'm Kenny Lewis, the Property Manager for Lake Williamson Christian Center. My job is to oversee all maintenance, construction, housekeeping, landscaping, and well...property issues! We like to joke that my title is 'Do a little of everything' Manager! A lot of what my team and I do is behind the scenes to the guests at Lake Williamson, and the jobs we do aren't always obvious to most visitors. However, some of the feats we accomplish each week are worth talking about and many of our guests are always asking questions to know a little more about the inner workings of Lake Williamson.
Today's behind the scenes look is about... grass! Yes, the grass at Lake Williamson is what we are discussing today. Did you know Lake Williamson campus spans over 430 acres? Well we are responsible for landscaping about 125 of those acres. I wish it was just one giant field to mow but it's not. We mow around buildings, poles, fences and oddly shaped obstacles like:
• Wacky Basketball
• Softball Diamond
• Mini Golf & Disc Golf
• Obstacle Course
• Team Building Tower
• Sand Volleyball
• Playground
• Gazebos
• Benches & The Quiet/Meditation Areas
• Flower Beds & Trees
• Sidewalks
• Guests' Activities & Parked Golf Carts
Well you get the idea...mowing isn't easy! It actually takes 2 guys that are full-time mowers, nothing but 5 days a week mowing non-stop to manage the jungle out here. We also have 2-3 guys that weed whip throughout the week to keep the edges & detailed landscaping maintained.
Probably, the funniest story involving the mowers happened with one of our volunteers. He was mowing too close to the lake on an incline and as you can imagine started to slide in. With the moss on the bank, the mower tires didn't stand a chance and spun out faster than a banana peel on Mario's raceway. We got the mower out with little damage but to top off the story, when we asked the volunteer what had happened he joked, "Well, Jesus walked on the water and I was just mowing him a path".
Don't forget to get your mowers ready for the season! Change the oil, clean air filters, check spark plugs, sharpen and balance the blade, and clean out grass/dirt from under the deck. After all, a man is as only as good as tools, right?!