Boston Flora

Tag: Horace Cleveland

  • Tuesday, May 23, 10:30 am – Eco-tour of Roger Williams Park: Artful Stormwater Solutions

    Designed by renowned landscape architect Horace Cleveland in 1878, the historic Roger Williams Park (RWP) is located in the southern part of Providence, Rhode Island and contains approximately 435 acres of landscaped areas, including the Roger Williams Park Zoo. The original plan included many of the curvilinear roads that follow the natural landscape and the large lakes and strategically placed man-made structures that still exist today. Unfortunately, like many of the historic parks designed in that era, the water quality of the ponds is severely degraded and suffering from impacts associated with the development of dense urban areas that drain into the ponds. On Tuesday, May 23 at 10:30 am, Brian Kuchar RLA, P.E. from the Horsley Witten Group, Inc (HW) and Brian Byrnes, the Deputy Superintendent for the Providence Department of Parks and Recreation (PDPR), will lead a tour of the on-going innovative stormwater management work being completed in Roger William Park.

    In 2011, the City of Providence received funding from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 to improve the water quality and biodiversity conditions of the RWP Ponds. The PPRD collaborated with the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP) and sub-consultants to develop a comprehensive Water Quality Master Plan to address pond nutrient pollution in the ponds of Roger Williams Park. Since its inception, this project has been a true collaboration between federal, state and local agencies, non-profits, design consultants and contractors and highlight the benefits of public/private partnerships. As part of the project, six innovative stormwater practices were designed, permitted and constructed within the Park’s historic landscape. Practices include a grass surface sand filter, vegetated wet swale, a staged bioswale, with both wet and dry swale practices, a bioretention area, and road replacement with pedestrian shoreline walk with bioswales.

    The tour will visit four of the six sites and will:

    – Outline the challenges of working within a historic landscape
    – Describe each of the six innovative stormwater practices
    – Discuss lessons learned for design and construction based upon two-years of operation and maintenance an – Explain the revolving park maintenance program to adapt to 21st century realities
    – Provide details of the creation of the Rhode Island Park Conservancy to assist with the planning and funding of park-wide Improvement projects.

    Brian Kuchar, RLA, P.E., LEED accredited professional, Horsley Witten Group, Inc. has over 17 years of experience in the combined fields of landscape architecture and environmental engineering including: site planning, green infrastructure, ecological restoration, stormwater management, and land management planning. Brian has been employed in both the public and private sector and has experience with a broad range of projects including institutional, commercial and residential land development, multi use paths, park design, and ecological restoration. He has also served as an adjunct professor in the Landscape Architecture Department at the University of Rhode Island. Brian served as the Project Manager for this Project.

    Brian Byrnes, CPSI, Deputy Superintendent – Providence Department of Parks and Recreation, holds a degree in Urban Planning from the University of Rhode Island. Brian has over 30 years of experience as a contractor for site work and landscape construction in Rhode Island. Throughout his career, he has participated in the construction of over 100 storm water retrofits and drainage projects. As Deputy Superintendent, his main responsibility is to oversee design and construction projects throughout the Parks system, focusing on engaging the community and creatively using resources to make unique and sustainable community spaces. Brian brings a unique perspective to this presentation. Prior to joining Providence Parks, Brian served as a contractor project manager and oversaw the construction of four of the five stormwater practices built within the park in 2013.

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance tour is $23 for ELA members, $33 for nonmembers. See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/eco-tour-roger-williams-park-artful-stormwater-solutions/#sthash.v7Pne2iI.dpuf

  • Tuesday, September 20, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Urban Sustainability: Roger Williams Park Botanical Center and Beyond

    Join Ecological Landscaping Association and URI Research Associate Kate Venturini on Tuesday, September 20, from 10 – 12:30, for a unique insider tour of the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center complex in Providence, Rhode Island, an urban oasis nestled in the heart of the 427-acre park designed by Horace Cleveland in 1878.  Through a partnership between the URI Outreach Center and the Providence Parks Department, the Botanical Center complex is being transformed both inside and out as a model for sustainable urban horticulture.  Located on an island surrounded by man made ponds, the complex features a newly designed and installed rain garden to capture greenhouse roof runoff, Rhode Island’s largest community garden, the future site of a permaculture food forest, extensive outdoor display gardens featuring native and sustainable plants, and the largest public indoor display gardens in New England (approximately 12,000 square feet of greenhouses.)  Join Kate as she shares her insight into the successful planning and management of indoor and outdoor showcases, illustrating the latest and greatest urban horticultural and agricultural practices.  For more information, email ela.info@comcast.net, or call 617-436-5838.  $20 for ELA members, $25 for non-members.  The address of Roger Williams Park is 1000 Elmwood Avenue in Providence.

  • Tuesday, June 28, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Urban Sustainability: Roger Williams Park Botanical Center and Beyond

    Join the Ecological Landscaping Association and University of Rhode Island Research Associate Kate Venturini for a unique insider tour of the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center complex in Providence, Rhode Island, an urban oasis nestled in the heart of the 427 acre park designed by Horace Cleveland in 1878.  Through a partnership between the URI Outreach Center and the Providence Parks Department, the Botanical Center complex is being transformed both inside and out as a model for sustainable urban horticulture.  Located on an island surrounded by man-made ponds, the complex features a newly designed and installed rain garden to capture greenhouse roof runoff, Rhode Island’s largest community garden, the future site of a permaculture food forest, extensive outdoor display gardens featuring native and sustainable plants, and the largest public indoor display gardens in New England.  This Tuesday, June 28 tour will cost $20 if you are an ELA member or $25 for non-members.  Please call 617-436-5838 to register, or visit https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1008073.