Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Receives Several State Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

CONTACT:
Brad Meyer
brad.meyer@ci.stpaul.mn.us
651-266-6377 (o)    
May 9, 2014                                                         

 

Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Receives Several State Awards

Saint Paul, MN - The American Society of Landscape Architects Minnesota Chapter (ALSA-MN) announced their prestigious 2014 Awards this past week and several Saint Paul Parks and Recreation projects and staff received critical acclaim.

“These awards recognize the vision, dedication, and hard work our Parks and Recreation Department staff devote to designing parks and green spaces that make Saint Paul more livable,” said Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hahm.  “As we heard last night from Gil Penalosa at the 20th annual Great River Gathering event, to have successful and vibrant cities, you must design and plan for not only 8 year olds, but 80 year olds as well. We’ve still got plenty of work to do on this, but we're well on our way, and these awards help recognize that.”

The Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Design and Construction Division received an Analysis and Planning Merit Award for the Great River Passage Master Plan. The Master Plan outlines Saint Paul’s plans to make its Mississippi Riverfront area more accessible, sustainable, and natural.  

Don Ganje, Senior Landscape Architect at Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, received the Theodore Wirth Award for Excellence in Parks. Ganje received the award for leading the planning and design of many Saint Paul Parks including Mears Park, Raspberry Island, Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, Como Park’s 30 year restoration process, and the Great River Passage Master Plan.  He is also a Fellow at the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Landscape Architect Ellen Stewart received the prestigious Lob Pine Award, the highest honor given out by the ASLA-MN, for demonstrating exemplary leadership and mentorship in the landscape architecture community over the past 15 years.

Saint Paul Parks and Recreation’s Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and the Great River Passage Master Plan tied for the all-new People’s Choice Award. For the first time in history, attendees of the ASLA-MN Awards Banquet had the opportunity to vote for the project of their choice from a pool of 28 submissions.

ASLA-MN is the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, which represents professionals in the landscape architecture profession throughout the state of Minnesota through advocacy, education, communication, and fellowship. To view a complete list of projects that received 2014 awards, visit http://asla-mn.org/2014-awards

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* Photos of award ceremony available upon request

 About Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation is a nationally accredited and gold medal award-winning organization that manages more than 170 parks and open spaces, AZA-accredited Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, 24 city-operated recreation centers, more than 100 miles of trails, an indoor and two outdoor aquatic facilities, a public beach, a variety of premium sports facilities, municipal golf courses, and Great River Passage – which is the new identity for all proposed public development along Saint Paul’s more than 17 miles of Mississippi riverfront. For more information about Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, visit www.stpaul.gov/parks.