Wanted: Top municipal grounds for recognition
The Green Star Awards program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence. The program complements other national landscape award programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction by saluting the grounds superintendent and staff responsible for maintaining a well-manicured landscape year-round.
In all, grounds management professionals can select from 15 categories: small sites; residential landscapes; public works sites; shopping areas; hospitals or institutions; government buildings or complexes; cemeteries or memorial parks; industrial, commercial sites or office parks; parks, recreation areas or playgrounds; multiple sites under management companies; condominium or apartment complexes; hotel, motel or resorts; amusement parks, theme parks or zoos; athletic fields, professional fields or golf courses; and grounds maintained by schools, universities, colleges or at urban sites.
Last year’s Green Star winner in the public works category was the city of Milwaukee for its landscaped boulevards in downtown areas. The city’s forestry section maintains 120 miles or 475 acres of irrigated and landscaped boulevards, which date back to the 1920s. The grounds program was commended for its role in beautifying the city, as well as for connecting residents and neighborhoods to enhance the quality of life.
Entry details
The deadline for entries is Friday, August 1. Just fill out the entry form and submit the payment and entry to the PGMS office. The cost is $150 for PGMS members and $225 for others. For a reduced rate of $275, nonmembers may join PGMS and enter the contest. There is no limit to the number of categories an organization may enter. Only digital photographs are accepted, along with brief descriptions of each program.
Each winning entry will be honored at the 2008 Awards Banquet in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, October 25, at the conclusion of the Society’s 2008 School of Grounds Management at the GIE+EXPO (to be held October 22-25 at Louisville’s Galt House and Kentucky Exposition Center).
For additional information about the awards, including an official entry form, qualifications, a full explanation of categories and a list of past award winners, visit http://www.pgms.org/.
