ASLA UTAH OCTOBER 2022 NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING EVENTS

LuckyDog Recreation - Lunch & Learn November 3rd, 11:30am ASLA UT Offices 280 S 400 W REGISTER HERE

LAEP Speaker Series: Friday, Nov. 4 2022, 3:30pm Brad Howe, SCAPE Adapting to Change ZOOM LINK: CLICK HERE

LAEP Speaker Series: Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, 3:30pm Daniella Hirschfeld, Uncharted Waters: Creating Climate Capacity AGGIE CAST LINK: CLICK HERE

ASLA National Conference on Landscape Architecture November 11-14, 2022, San Francisco, CA REGISTER HERE

Victor Stanley On-Demand LA CES™ Education Sessions:
SEE CLASS SCHEDULE & REGISTER HERE

ASLA Presidents Message

Adam Castor, ASLA Utah President

Greetings ASLA Utah. I hope everyone is having a wonderful fall season. It always seems to go way too fast but it is nice to see the mountains layered in snow. Another thing that seems to have gone by too fast is my term as chapter president. In a few weeks we will transition in new committee members and Jake Powell will take the wheel as chapter president. My role will become that of past-president and I will be focusing most of my chapter efforts on planning next year’s annual conference. I am excited about this next phase of the presidency and about working with the new committees on what lies ahead for our chapter. If you weren’t able to hear Jake’s lunch-time introduction speech at this year’s conference, trust me when I say that he will do a great job as president and the chapter is headed in a good direction.

In a couple of weeks I will be traveling to San Francisco along with Bryce Ward ASLA UT Trustee, Jake Powell ASLA Pres. Elect, and Jenny Sonntag, Ex. Dir., for the ASLA National Chapter Presidents Committee and Board of Trustees meetings. These meetings bring chapter presidents, trustees, and executive directors together with executive committee members of ASLA to discuss everything from strategic planning, advocacy, and licensure to finances, website updates, and membership services. The common thread weaved into pretty much all of the presentations and discussions is how can ASLA and its chapters serve our membership better. ASLA presents and provides a ton of information over a day and a half of meetings, but the conversations with other chapter leaders on where they have had success, what they have struggled with, ideas on retaining existing members and growing new membership, opportunities to advocate for landscape architecture as a licensed profession…these conversations provide so many opportunities to learn about other chapters and I am looking forward to coming back with more ideas on how ASLA Utah can better serve its membership.

The past couple of months have been busy, the September and October calendars both packed full of fun events. The executive and subcommittee members have all made huge contributions to a very successful in-person Annual Conference, a Park(ing) Day event inspired by elementary school kids’ artwork, our virtual Advocacy Day with elected officials and representatives, and a site tour of the new Millcreek Commons project. Not to forget our Annual Awards Event last weekend celebrating of this year’s award winners, complete with good food and drinks, music, and plenty of socializing. Thank you all so much for making it all happen!

In the past few newsletters, I have highlighted several opportunities to become involved in the chapter, either as a subcommittee chair or member, or as part of a committee that we are developing. We are still looking for volunteers for our chapter strategic planning committee as well as our chapter climate action committee. I expect that we will be hearing more information on creating these committees during the CPC and BOT meetings in November, but if you have any interest in joining please reach out to me or Bryce Ward.

In closing, I would like to give a special thank you to Lucky Dog Recreation and the Berliner crew for the amazing opportunity to travel to Berlin, Germany for a tour of Berliner’s manufacturing facility and several city parks boasting their play equipment. I met up with Rhetta McIff, Jon Ruedas, Mike Wonenberg, and Mark McGrath before joining about thirty other landscape architects and sales reps from across the country for two days of education on all things Berliner, a city tour and afternoon trip to Karl’s strawberry-themed amusement park, and lots of time for socializing.

One of the highlights for me was the sketch presentation given by Karl Kohler, founder of Berliner. With a very thick German accent and while sketching on an iPad, Karl explained and illustrated the scientific calculations and ratios behind the design and shapes of Berliner’s play structures and rope components. It was a fascinating presentation that made the evolution of basic shapes and ropes into unique and complex play structures very clear to visualize and understand. I am also pretty sure that the local kids and their parents were wondering what the hell was going on when, at each of the parks we visited, fifty or so adults came flowing out of a huge tour bus and started taking photos, climbing all over the play equipment, and lining up for trips down the slides. It’s no wonder why each park we visited was so populated with kids and adults at play. In addition to the educational experience and physical interaction with Berliner’s play equipment, I was able to spend four additional days exploring Berlin and its vast expanse of historical buildings, sites and monuments, landmarks, remnants of the Berlin wall, and city parks. It truly is an amazing city and culture to experience. Thank you Lucky Dog and Berliner!

An Update and An Opinion: House Bill 282 - Water Wise Landscaping Amendment

Thomas Eddington, VP of Advocacy

HB282 was passed by the Utah State Legislature and signed by the Governor on March 23, 2022. The bill is generally written to promote water-wise landscaping and attempts to define the many components of this landscaping methodology that many of us utilize on a regular basis.

The bill goes on to describe the new limitations of regulatory authority for cities/counties and HOAs throughout the state specifically noting the following for HOAs: An association may not enact or enforce a governing document that prohibits, or has the effect of prohibiting, a lot owner of a detached dwelling from incorporating water wise landscaping on the property owner's property. This provision seems to imply that property owners have the right to remove water consumptive lawn/turf and replace it with native vegetation. This is a welcome opportunity for property owners and landscape architects alike; however, some of the allowances for water wise landscaping and/or materials include "mulch" which HB282 defines as “material such as rock, bark, wood chips, or other materials left loose and applied to the soil.” While the bill goeson to say that HOAs [as well as cities/counties] can “restrict[s] or clarify[y]ies the use of mulches considered detrimental to the association's (or city/county’s) operations,” this leaves interpretation open to the property owner to assume gravel or rock, with no native or water wise exotic plantings, is an appropriate landscape treatment. Furthermore, it is unclear what constitutes a detrimental condition to an association or a city/county. This should be clarified pursuant to future updates to HB282.

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As landscape architects, we understand the implications of too much concrete pavement or asphalt or rock or gravel on a property – most importantly, each material negatively impacts the micro-climate and increases temperatures exacerbating the urban heat island effect. Additionally, unless the property is located in a desert region such as southern Utah or Nevada where it is the vernacular landscape, the introduction of extensive gravel or rock to a property can alter or destroy the character of a property where it is appears out of place.

Certainly, gravel and rock are inexpensive and can help reduce irrigation costs for a property owner but the impacts to the local community can be disruptive. There is indeed a difference between ‘xeriscaping’ and what many landscape architects describe as ‘zero-scaping’ (e.g., unlimited hardscape or gravel/rock). Landscape architects should play a greater role in the preparation of future House Bills and/or their updates.

HB282 can be reviewed here: https://le.utah.gov/~2022/bills/static/HB0282.html