Tony Morehouse Promoted to Leads Grounds Guru
Tony Morehouse isn’t shy about sharing that his childhood had some serious bumps.
“My childhood was a little bit rough,” said the 2015 Rifle High School graduate, but school felt like a safe and welcoming place.
“When I would come to school in the mornings and see how green the grass was and that the parking lot was clean, it made me feel welcomed and that they wanted me there,” he explained. “It made me feel like someone cared that I was there and made the school look nice for me; that they were really doing this for me. I hope I can start someone elses’ day off right by seeing great grounds when they come to school.”
Morehouse was just named Garfield Re-2 School District’s Lead Grounds. It is a position that he has been working toward since high school.
Morehouse began with Garfield Re-2 as a summer helper in high school for John Wynia’s in grounds for 3 summers. He became a substitute custodian and quickly worked into a permanent position before returning to grounds and maintenance.
When Wynia left his position earlier this year, Morehouse applied for the Lead Grounds position.
“I wanted to keep consistency and honor the knowledge that our team has,” said Morehouse. “ I wanted to help grow and support them and lead them down the right path.”
This summer the grounds team has replaced or repaired about 800 sprinkler heads, repaired six water line breaks, and rewired entire irrigation systems - that’s on top of regular grounds maintenance.
“The grounds team is not just guys with mowers and weed eaters,” explained Morehouse. “They have a lot of skills that people don’t know about when you see them on a mower.”
Facilities Director John Oldham is excited to see what Morehouse will bring to the grounds team.
“I’m very proud to see a Garfield Re-2 grown employee work his way up from summer helper to become a leader in the district,” said Oldham.
Moorehouse said it is a little like coming home.
“It’s exciting because when I started, I was the kid with the weed eater. When I got the grounds job, I became the dude in the truck, and that was awesome. It feels weird being in the leadership position,” he explained. “But grounds is what makes me happy. It’s where my family is, and it’s where I can show off my work. Nothing makes me happier than when the sidewalks are edged, my grass is at the perfect level, and it looks like a golf course, and the parking lot is clean.”