October 2022 Public Lands Newsletter
Happy Halloween from Public Lands!
Happy Halloween!

We had a spooktacular time at the Monster Block Party on Friday, October 28th at the Regional Athletic Complex!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us!
Public Lands Prepares for Upcoming Winter Season
With the temperatures dropping and snow beginning to fall, Public Lands is currently preparing for the upcoming winter.

Parks Division crews are currently in the process of winterizing sprinkler systems across the City and are on track to have them fully winterized by the middle of November.

Crews are also preparing for winter by planning for leaf pick up and preparing snow plow equipment.
Public Lands Celebrates West Side's 1,000th Tree Planting of the Year
On Wednesday, October 26th, the Urban Forestry Division partnered with Mayor Erin Mendenhall, City Council Chair Dan Dugan, and students from Meadowlark Elementary School to plant the 1,000th west side tree of the year.
Park Rangers Add Foothills Trail System to Visited Areas
In October, the Park Rangers added the Foothills trail system to the many areas they're present throughout the City.

Our Foothills Rangers will serve as friendly, uniformed stewards promoting voluntary compliance through educating trail users of trail policies and etiquette.

The next time you're in the Foothills, be sure to stop by and say hello!
Allen Park Cultural Landscape Report
The City is in the final stages of completing the Allen Park Cultural Landscape report.

Public Lands, Engineering, and the Planning Division have been working with consultant IO Landarch since 2020 to complete this document, which includes a comprehensive site history of Allen Park, analysis of existing conditions, analysis and evaluation of elements of the site that retain historic integrity, and treatment and management recommendations for historically and culturally sensitive site improvements in the future.

The “Site History” chapter has been available to the public for a few months, and Public Lands is now very excited to have released a final draft to the public, available on our website and at the link below.

The Cultural Landscape Report will provide Public Lands staff, including operations managers, planners, and groundskeepers recommendations for site care, maintenance and capital improvements that will preserve, and potentially even enhance, the historic integrity of the site.

In addition, if the City chooses to pursue Historic Landmarking of Allen Park and/or its features at the national or local level, the CLR provides recommendations and information needed to complete this process. The completion of this document is the first step and one of the guiding documents that will be utilized in the development of the Adaptive Reuse and Management Plan. 
Downtown Neighborhood to Receive New Park
The Gateway Triangle project was recently funded to plan a new park in the downtown community.

Found at 45 South 500 West, This park will be centrally located in the downtown neighborhood, serving a diversity of communities including nearby Gateway residents, Frontrunner commuters, and recreators along the Folsom Trail.

This space is also located near the Union Pacific mainline and the site of the former Grant Tower which served as a critical railroad control point.

The Gateway Triangle project will also support the expansion of the existing Gateway Community Garden as well as the addition of other park amenities. 

Public Lands is currently conducting public engagement for this project through an online survey and various tabling events.
Fairmont Stream Access and Beautification Project

The Fairmont Stream Access and Beautification project is nearing completion!

This project will improve this amazing park amenity through stabilizing the stream's banks, enhancing biodiversity through wetland plantings, and increasing stream access for park visitors.

Check out the site below to learn more.
Mary's Spring Wetland Restoration

The Trails & Natural Lands team has been busy with another round of plantings at Mary’s Spring down in Parley’s Historic Nature Park.

Historically, the wetland was larger, but trail construction, diverted runoff, and culverts have all altered its natural spread.

SLC has been restoring this space based on vegetation surveys of less impacted springs in Parley’s Canyon in hopes that wildlife will return to this spring.