VA-ASLA E-News                                                  August 2015
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In This Newsletter 

 
Upcoming Events

VA ASLA Fall Conference and Awards Event
September 18-19, 2015
Blacksburg, VA
New Job Listings
Naval Facilities Engineering Command

Don't Forget to Vote!

Click here to vote for the next Board Members of VA ASLA 
2014-2015 Virginia ASLA Executive Committee
President
Lynn Crump, ASLA
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation

President-Elect
Missy Benson, ASLA
Playworld Systems

Past President
Jimmy Shepherd, ASLA
Shepherd Studio, PLC

Secretary
Mike Fox, ASLA
WPL

Treasurer
Chris Hale, ASLA
3north

Trustee
LuGay Lanier, FASLA
The Timmons Group

Member-at-Large
Karen Kennedy, Associate ASLA
Rieley and Associates, PC

Member-at-Large
Charles Rapp, ASLA
Town of Culpeper

Legislative Representative
William "Billy" Almond, FASLA
WPL

Legislative Representative
Robert McGinnis, FASLA
OCULUS

HALS Liaison
Liz Sargent, ASLA
Liz Sargent HLA

Contact Information

 

Tony Doucet

Virginia Chapter, ASLA

2415 Westwood Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230
804-523-2901

[email protected]

Chapter Sponsor

 

 
Image Credit: Chris Hale
Conference"Facilitating Change
in the Designed Environment"
VA ASLA Fall Conference
September 18-19, 2015


 

Dear Friends,

 

Our 2015 Fall Conference will be in Blacksburg, Virginia September 18-19.  We look forward to seeing you all on campus!

 

Our theme is Facilitating Change in the Designed Environment. 


Join us Friday afternoon, September 18th for a choice of three local educational tours. Our tour guides include Dale Huff, Matt Gart and Kinsey O'Shea. Or choose the Campus Sketch Session with urban sketcher Richard Alomar. A student portfolio review will also be offered Friday afternoon. Tours and events will be followed by a Friday evening presentation by Peter O'Shea. Several events offered on Friday are free of charge, yet, registration prior to the conference is required to attend. See link below to register.  


 

Our educational sessions continue Saturday morning in Cowgill Hall. Speakers include: Jason Soileau, Jack Carman, Jennifer Wampler, Janit Llewellyn-Allen, Scott Crafton, Dean Bork and Buddy Hall. On-site registration, breakfast and lunch will also be located in Cowgill Hall in our exhibitor hall. As always, please thank our sponsors!


 

Our VA ASLA 2015 Professional and Student Awards Banquet will wrap up our conference Saturday night. See below for the winning entries! Details about our conference can be found on our registration form.


 

Thank you,

 

Missy Benson

VA ASLA President-Elect
CommitteesawardsVA ASLA 2015 Professional and Student Awards


 

Thank you to all who participated in the 2015 Awards Program. We received more than 45 submissions and are pleased to announce the winners. Our VA ASLA Awards Program celebrates the wonderful role that landscape architects and landscape architecture fills in making beautiful, functional, healthy landscapes for people around the commonwealth, the country and the globe. The awards represent a range of practice types and scales, as well as budgets.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Awards Program Recognition Banquet to be held on Saturday, September 19th on the Virginia Tech campus. As part of the Annual Meeting, each winning project will be exhibited in Cowgill Hall Thursday night, September 17th through Monday the 21st.

You can register for either the Annual Meeting, the Awards Banquet or both here:  Click here to register.

 

GENERAL DESIGN

Honor

Boy Scouts of America Summit Bechtel National Scouting Reserve

      Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Seven Ponds Farm

Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

U.S. Consulate Monterrey, Mexico

      Rhodeside & Harwell, Incorporated

Merit

A Dallas Drive: From Highway to Neighborhood (student)

      Matt Hill, BLA student Virginia Tech

College Avenue Promenade

      Land Planning and Design Associates

Kellam High School - Virginia Beach, Virginia

      WPL Site Design

New Cabell Hall Courtyard Transformation: The University of Virginia

O'Shea Wilson Siteworks

Transient Wounded Warrior Lodge & Parking Garage

      Clark Nexsen

Commendation

Ashby Ponds Retirement Community

      LSG Landscape Architecture Inc.

Transforming the Urban Edge: VCU Honors College

      O'Shea Wilson Siteworks

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN

Merit

Ellenbrook

      quinn craughwell landscape architects, pllc

Commendation

The Fringe House

      quinn craughwell landscape architects, pllc

PLANNING AND ANALYSIS

Honor

Memorial Park Master Plan

      Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

 

Merit

Blue Ridge Parkway System-wide Historic Resource Survey

      Liz Sargent HLA

Cedar Hill Cemetery Preservation Plan

      JMA, a CCRG Company

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Master Plan

      Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

MODERN/HISTORY: Re-inhabiting the Rice House

      O'Shea Wilson Siteworks

COMMUNICATION

Honor

"Landscapes of Longevity" Documentary Film (student)

      Asa Eslocker and Harriett Jameson, MLA students

University of Virginia 

Merit

Social Security Administration National Support Center A- Educational Poster Series

      Timmons Group

RESEARCH

Merit

Grounding Root System Architecture (student)

      Gwendolyn McGinn, MLA student at University of Virginia

Commendation

Assessing urban vacant land ecosystem services: Urban vacant land as green infrastructure in the City of Roanoke, Virginia (student)

      Gunwoo Kim, PhD, student at Virginia Tech

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Merit

Richmond Riverfront Viewshed Study

      Virginia Chapter ASLA
SevenThe Seven Elements of a Healthy Park System (from ChangeLabSolutions.org)

 

Parks bring numerous social, environmental, and health benefits to a community. Every person in every neighborhood should be able to enjoy these benefits. Unfortunately, too many cities, counties, and neighborhoods are "park poor," lacking adequate parks and green spaces. The residents of these places don't have access to safe open spaces where they can play, exercise, and unwind after a long day.

Recognizing the important role parks play, many communities are now looking for ways to expand, improve, and maintain their parks systems. The Complete Parks Playbook can help jurisdictions assess a community's parks system - the local or regional network of parks, green spaces, and open spaces - and determine areas in need of improvement as well as policy levers that can facilitate those improvements. This introductory resource can help decision makers and advocates develop a safe and accessible parks system that is integrated into a community's built environment, hosts activities and programs, and addresses residents' needs.


 

The Complete Parks Playbook provides an overview of the seven elements of a complete parks system. Each section focuses on an element, and includes both a successful community example of that element and a list of valuable resources. The companion white paper, Local Agency Strategies for Funding the Development and Maintenance of Parks and Recreation Facilities in California, provides details on the most promising mechanisms and tools for funding a complete parks system.


 

Contact us to learn how your community can assess, improve, and expand your local parks system. For other strategies to help residents be more physically active, check out our resources for creating active, accessible communities and our shared use publications.


 

Do you have a favorite park in your community? Share a photo on Twitter or Facebook, tag us, and tell everyone what makes it the #BestParkEver!
 

ChangeLab Solutions creates healthier communities for all through better laws and policies. Our solutions address all aspects of a just, vital and thriving community, like food, housing, child care, schools, transportation, public safety, jobs, and the environment. Learn how we accomplish this, and contact us to start making change in your community.
CrewCrew Richmond Nominations

 

Join CREW Richmond in celebrating 25 years of excellence in commercial real estate!  On Wednesday, November 4, 2015, CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Richmond will host a 25th Anniversary reception in the ballroom of the newly renovated Richmond Hilton.  The highlight of the evening will be the introduction of the "Top 25 Women to Watch." These women are leaders who are making a significant impact on commercial real estate in the greater Richmond area and are shaping the future of commercial real estate.  Nominations are now open for the "Top 25"- please complete the attached nomination form and submit it today!!  Nominations must be submitted by August 19th for consideration.


 

Use this form to submit any nominations.

Please contact [email protected] with questions.
LondonAcross the Pond
VA-ASLA Past President Jimmy Shepherd meets with Paul Lincoln of the Landscape Institute in London, England to discuss World Landscape Architecture Month.

SupportSupport the Land and Water Conservation Fund

 

In the past, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has been a major source of funds to acquire land for the A.T. Recently, LWCF funds have been used to purchase the Campbell tract (NBATC) and the Rocky Fork Tract in the Cherokee NF (TN). Historically, the LWCF was used to purchase much of the land now owned by the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. If you want to get a broader view of the use of LWCF go to  http://wilderness.org/mapping-land-and-water-conservation-fund-lwcf
 

Now, Congress is considering terminating LWCF.


 Background


 LWCF is entirely funded by revenues from the depletion of one natural resource - offshore oil and gas - to support the conservation of another precious resource - our land and water. Every year, $900 million in royalties paid by energy companies drilling for oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are supposed to be put into this fund.


 LWCF provides funds to create and protect national parks, areas around rivers and lakes, national forests, and national wildlife refuges from development, and to provide matching grants for state and local parks and recreation projects. Most years, much of the money has been diverted to other uses. And now, some in Congress want to allow that authorization to expire.


 What you can do


 Sign the petition to fully reauthorize the LWCF: http://lwcfcoalition.org/take-action.html

 

Write your Senators and Representative. Three bills are in consideration:


 Two in the U.S. Senate -

  • S.338 would permanently reauthorize the LWCF, but not at full value.
  • S.890 would permanently reauthorize the LWCF at full $900 million annually.

One in the U.S. House -

  • H.R. 1814 is companion to S.890 and would permanently and fully reauthorize the LWCF.

Senator Time Kaine is a co-sponsor of S.338. Neither Kaine nor Mark Warner are co-sponsors of S.890. Three Virginia representatives have co-sponsored H.R. 1814-Don Beyer VA-8, Gerry Connolly VA-11, and Bobby Scott VA-3. Please tell your Senators and Representative to support S.890 (Senate) and H.R. 1814 (House). Tell them that the LWCF needs to be reauthorized for the Appalachian Trail and any other park, forest, river, or wildlife refuge that is important to you.


 Thank you for your support and for being a part of an Appalachian Trail Club.


 

Trudy Phillips


 Chair, Southwest and Central Virginia Regional Partnership Committee