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8.3.B. PRSR 05-11-2005ITEM # 8.3.B. t~ver MEMORANDUM TO: Parks and Recreation Commision FROM: Bill Maertz, Director of Parks and Recreation DATE: May 5, 2005 SUBJECT: Relocation of Downtown Gazebo Item The downtown gazebo is scheduled for demolition as part of the downtown redevelopment project. The City's Economic development director has approached Parks and Recreation staff as to whether there is interest in moving the gazebo into a city pazk. The gazebo is not a historic structure, it is less than ten years old. Summary There are several issues. L Is there an appropriate site for the gazebo? 2. Can it be moved without damaging it? 3. Should park dedication funds be used to move the gazebo? Staff has identified a spot near the volleyball courts at Orono Pazk where the gazebo would be useful. Staff is not convinced that the structure will be able to be moved intact. Staff is working on estimates to move the structure. Staff estimates that it will cost between $5,000 and $7,000 to move the gazebo and install it on a new concrete foundation. Action Requested The Commission is being asked to make a recommendation the City Council as to whether the gazebo should be installed in a city park utilizing money from the pazk dedication fund. Printer version: Gardens grow with the flow INFORMATION startribune.com Last update: April 26, 2005 at 1:25 PM Gardens grow with the flow Sarah McCann Staz Tribune Published Apri127, 2005 Rain gazdens aze an environmental strategy with solid roots in the north metro. Page 1 of 3 Close window Mother Nature, conservationists and city officials say they adore the landscaping design, which is a natural, inexpensive way to cleanup water that flows into streams, rivers and lakes. Maplewood helped pioneer the method in Minnesota and continues to be flooded with callers from across the country looking for resources. Rain gardens aze made by creating a dip in land or the side of a curb and arranging native plants inside the slope. The gazdens collect rainwater, soak it up within about two days and return the moisture to the ground. Developed azeas with buildings, paved roads and pazking lots don't let rain back into the ground. Instead, water that drops on those hazd surfaces collects everything in its path -- fertilizer, oil, pet waste, soap, pesticides, litter -- and it all heads into the waters Minnesotans aze so proud of. "A lot of people think [stormwater] goes to water treatment," said Virginia Gaynor, a rain gazden horticulturist for Maplewood. "It doesn't. It goes duectly to lakes and streams." One problem is the phosphorus found in grass clippings. A little bit of the mineral leads to a lot of algae in water. "Homeowners with these beautifully manicured green lawns right up to the edge complain about why the lake is so green," said Dawn Dubats, environmental educational coordinator for the Rice Creek Watershed District. They're contributing to algae with their lawns, she said. Native plants help with many pollution problems because they have long roots measuring up to 16 inches, Dubats said. Typical lawn plant roots are only a few inches long. Native root systems can tolerate more water, filter it and keep more of it in the land. North-metro gardens Birchwood Village was concerned about pollution and erosion because of bad water systems, so this spring officials aze putting in their third rain gazden. "We're trying to eradicate some of the problems that happened in the past and take a look at our water and what we can do on a real grass-roots level to take caze of it," said Cynthia Tomlinson, co-chair of the parks and open space committee in Birchwood Village. Vadnais Heights, Centerville, Mounds View and Fridley all have rain gardens in their city limits. http://wwwstartribune.com/dynamic/story.php?template=print_a&story=5368357 4/26/2005 Printer version: Gazdens grow with the flow Page 2 of 3 Developing cities should jump on the opportunity to include rain gazdens in their plans, said Fred Rozumalski, a landscape azchitect for Barr Engineering. "To do it from the onset is going to save a lot of money and be more effective," he said. "Especially up there in the north metro where there's a ton of development going on, it's a good idea." Maplewood realized the effectiveness in 1996 when the city, along with the University of Minnesota and the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District, did a rain garden pilot project. It turned out that the two-block stretch of street with the native landscaping had little to no runoff. Now every time Maplewood does street reconstruction, rain gardens aze included. The city constructs them and provides the plants. All that homeowners have to do is plant and maintain the gardens. About one-third of the residents, including Lynne Cooper, have opted for the new landscaping on a portion of their land. Cooper was so fond of rain gazdens that she wanted one that was 70 feet by 20 feet large, enough to fill about half of her front lawn. "It made the neighborhood a nicer place to be," she said of the rain gazden project. "It's more attractive, and there's more vaziety instead of just having flat front yards with maybe a tree or two," she said. While Cooper created her own yard plan, Maplewood provides seven design options that residents can choose from. Even though the landscaping is easy and contained, it's important to do your reseazch, said Chris Cavett, assistant city engineer for Maplewood. This yeaz the Rice Creek Watershed District is helping make it easy. The district last week launched a program called One Stop Shopping to Restore Your Yazd and Shore, which provides resources to homeowners. Education on how to design the gazdens and how effective they aze is the reason rain gazdens have taken off in the past few yeazs, said Doug Mensing, a senior ecologist with Applied Ecological Services, a consulting firm. Also, state and federal requirements have pushed people towazd the natural investment, Cavett said. That might be part of the reason cities such as Washington, D.C., and Portland are blossoming with rain gazdens. "It seems kind of ironic that we grade the ground so efficiently to drain and then put irrigation systems in," Cavett said. "This is just kind of getting back to nature. It's what occurs with Mother Nature." •FOR MORE INFORMATION For more information on the Rice Creek Watershed District's One-Stop Shopping to Restore Your Yazd and Shore Program, go to Landscape Alternatives in Roseville, Lebens Floral at Old Town Market in Hugo, Linder's Gazden Center in St. Paul, Rice Creek Gazdens in Blaine or www.ricecreek.ore. Or go to www.ci.manlewood.mn.us. On the right side is a public works box. Click on Maplewood http://www.startribune.com/dynamic/story.php?template~rint_a&story=5368357 4/26/2005 Printer version: Gazdens grow with the flow Page 3 of 3 Stormwater Management. Then click on Rainwater Gazdens. • WIIAT IS A RAIN GARDEN? A rain garden is a scooped-out piece of land that is filled with many native plants. The plants often have roots up to 16 inches long, whereas typical lawn plants often have much shorter roots. The rain gazden and the native plants keep more of the water in the land, filter it and stop pollutants from flowing into streams, rivers and lakes. Contact the writer at 612-673-7512 or smccann(astartribune.com. ©_.Copyright 2005 Staz Tribune. All rights reserved. http://www.startribune.com/dynamic/story.php?template~rint_a&story=5368357 4/26/2005