Rouages: “Keeping sports facilities in the best possible condition”
Henri Boutier is a technical agent and gardener at the university's physical education and sports department. At the Faculty of Pharmacy, he maintains the green spaces and keeps the sports facilities in good working order. He tells us about his work this month in the video series Rouages produced by the University of Montpellier.
It is under a slightly gray sky that we meet Henri Boutier at the university's physical education and sports department located on the Faculty of Pharmacy campus. At this early hour, calm reigns over the tennis and padel courts that surround the small building where seven staff members work every day to offer UM students and staff a wide range of free sports activities. "We are a small group and we work in a really good atmosphere," says the employee in charge of green spaces and sports facilities cheerfully.
Pruning, cutting, maintaining, and repairing
The pharmacy campus is one of four sports sites that welcome more than 10,000 students enrolled in SUAPS throughout the year:"There is the university sports center, also known as La Motte Rouge, located just behind the Triolet campus, and the university sports palace located on the Veyrassi and Richter campuses," lists Henri Boutier, whose duties are linked to the "pharmacy" site. And at the forefront of these duties is the maintenance of green spaces: lawns, palm trees, hedges, etc. Henri prunes, trims, mows, "and with the area we have, that's a lot of work!" He acquired his expertise working with the team of gardeners at the Jardin des Plantes. "That was my first job when I joined the University of Montpellier about ten years ago. It was a real little paradise where it was a pleasure to learn," recalls this former construction professional who has now changed careers.
Although Henri Boutier has green fingers, he hasn't given up his job as a maintenance worker. "My job is to keep the sports facilities in the best possible condition so that people can play in good conditions,"explains the agent. Cleaning and blowing the tennis courts, maintaining and repairing the nets, "the padel courts require specific maintenance because they are synthetic surfaces covered with sand, which must be regularly leveled and swept. Sometimes we also have to replace the padel court windows, which can break quite easily." The large synthetic soccer field also requires his full attention: "I have a small tractor with a trailer that brushes the field and loosens the soil. This can take a whole day and has to be repeated every two weeks."
Logistics and versatility
When Henri Boutier is not outdoors, he continues his work in front of his computer or on the phone: "There is a lot of equipment to order for the maintenance and repair of these structures, so I am the one who liaises with the companies and receives the deliveries... " It's a versatile job that also requires good listening skills and a certain amount of diplomacy. "The SUAPS offers both free sports activities and classes, so you have to be attentive to the needs of all the teachers to ensure that everyone gets along and that the classes run as smoothly as possible," says the agent, who truly appreciates the collective aspect of his work: "I work independently on my assignments, as I am the only technical agent on site, but I am in constant contact with the entire administrative team and the sports instructors. We form a group that serves the common interest, and I really enjoy that," he concludes with a broad smile.