M I K E M A R E K

M A R E K L A N D S C A P I N G , L L C

MILWAUKEE'S BEST PRACTICAL

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE LESSONS

CASE STUDIES: JOHNSON’S PARK soil amendments THREE BRIDGES PARK

JOHNSON’S PARK PROCESS

PLANS, CHOICES, TRAINING, LITERATURE

Meetings

Examples

Presentations

Post construction meetings, site visits, maintenance

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PLANNING, EXECUTION, MAINTENANCE, FRUSTRATION!

JOHNSON’S PARK Planning, execution, maintenance, success!

LESSONS LEARNED

“It looked different than what I had expected”

“I was left with no guidance…no advice on how to

maintain.”

“I wanted to see flowers. I only saw

grasses and weeds.”

LESSONS LEARNED

Guidance: Availability for routine Consulting & Maintenance

during planning.

Offer very customized solutions based on homeowner

maintenance capacity and input (Bike, Chevy, or Cadillac).

Simplicity: Fewer Gardens, Less Variety of Plants, More Flowers,

More trees!

Quality Over Quantity: Use Rooted Plants (plugs) Instead of Seed, build all costs and maintenance into budget and plan individual projects, and aggregate projects accordingly. Budget carefully, especially during grant writing.

Support: Keep design and construction expertise on call for 2 years for customer support. Schedule site visits 3x per season. Maintain continuity of support.

SOIL AMENDMENTS ACTIVATED COMPOST

On a per acre basis, every 1% of soil organic matter will

hold approximately 16,500 gallons (2206 cf) of water in the

top 12 inches of soil. (Breedlove, 2006)

SOIL AMENDMENTS SOIL PROPERTIES & THE SOIL FOOD WEB

SOIL AMENDMENTS MILORGANITE

SOIL AMENDMENTS- COMPOST

• Improves water holding

capacity

• Reduces water consumption by

as much as 50%

• Reduces nutrient leaching

• Aides in the proliferation of

beneficial soil microorganisms

• Reduces the need for fertilizers

and pesticides

SOIL AMENDMENTS Adding a 1/2” of compost to a one acre field (35%

soil organic carbon)

• 23,822 gallons of water can be retained

• A 1” rainstorm would be retained

• 894,831 Gallons per year (33” precip) (texas instruments 2014)

Don’t Believe the Hype!

Clay does infiltrate water… 1” in 1.3 days (1-2 days).

SOIL AMENDMENTS

THREE BRIDGES PARK

photo by Adam Ryan Morris

©2014 Menomonee Valley Partners

THREE BRIDGES PARK THREE BRIDGES PARK

photo by Adam Ryan Morris

THREE BRIDGES PARK BEFORE CONSTRUCTION

THREE BRIDGES PARK CONSTRUCTION

THREE BRIDGES PARK THREE BRIDGES PARK

LESSONS LEARNED

photo by Adam Ryan Morris

IS THIS COMPOST?

LESSONS LEARNED

• If the DOT can change,

anyone can

• Keep design/specs close at

hand (ask questions if you don’t understand)

• Maintain connection with design team through maintenance

• Trust, but verify… Tell

someone when something is wrong, don’t just think it.

LESSONS LEARNED

• Don't turn your back if

you are in charge

• Do get pictures before

over-reacting

• Don't leave a dog in

charge of your

children, no matter

how good the dog

• Everyone learns if a

mistake is clearly

identified and

communicated

IT'S NOT SIMPLE BUT WHEN WE ALL WORK TOGETHER

IT WORKS

SUCCESS

• Did you know that the Menomonee River has been named one

of the countries top fisheries by Field & Stream magazine?

“If people are going to have a meaningful relationship with nature, it’s going to be, for the most part, in cities. That means it’s either the end of meaningful nature, or the beginning of a new kind of city.” Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods