supportive of the project . Some staff members were more accustomed to their donated money going toward a new piece of equipment or renovation of a service area . They couldn ’ t see supporting “ plants and trees .”
“ When we got done , people were so amazed that I actually had calls saying , ‘ I didn ’ t support this , and I was wrong . This is amazing ,’ ” Giles said . “ This so far exceeded anybody ’ s expectations . It ’ s a gorgeous spot , and it really is a healing spot .”
Feedback from users
Giles said the garden is being widely used for meetings , hospital receptions , lunch gatherings , or simply for personal reflection . Someday the hospital plans to hold Mass in the garden .
Marlene Luther , an administrative assistant at the hospital , eats lunch in the garden most days during the summer .
“ I think it ’ s a great spot to just go have lunch , step away from the desk for a little while , and get some fresh air ,” said Luther , who contributed to the garden ’ s funding . “ Colleagues seem to be relaxed and calm when they ’ re having lunch or taking their 15-minute breaks .” She ’ s seen families and patients use the space too .
“ I just think it ’ s wonderful ,” she said . “ If you ’ re a patient or visitor , the healing garden gives you a place to get away from the stressful situation that may be going on inside . It is truly a place for healing .”
Garden space brings renewed life to treatment facility ’ s outdoor area
After Ayres Associates helped St . Joseph ’ s Hospital transform its bare front lawn into a blooming healing garden , a new idea began to blossom within hospital staff . Perhaps the clients at the nearby L . E . Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center ( LEP ) could benefit from a healing landscape . The change of scenery might bring much-needed perspective to patients undergoing substance abuse or mental health treatment , the Colleague Task Force thought .
“ As they started talking about the garden at the hospital , what we heard was that we really need to have a garden at LEP ,” said Tom Fuchs , director of the treatment center . “ We heard that not only from the LEP colleagues but also from the hospital colleagues who said , ‘ You know , that ’ s a place that really needs healing .’ LEP works with a lot of broken people , a lot of broken families , a lot of broken lives .”
The hospital retained Ayres Associates to design the garden at the treatment center , located in a separate facility adjacent to the hospital . The hospital ’ s Development Office spearheaded a second campaign , and plans for another garden quickly took root .
Again using hospital employee input , Ayres Associates ’ landscape architect Phil Johnson designed a 100-foot-wide-by-70-foot-long garden space that leads to several acres . Once a simple lawn area , it now includes a labyrinth , quarter-mile walking path , bench swing , shelter and bridge over a pond , wood fencing , disc golf course , moon gate , and more . Johnson said he considers the moon gate – a circular structure that acts as a passageway to the labyrinth , walking path , and disc golf course – to be “ unique as a focal point .”
“ We use that to kind of bring people from one space to the other ,” Johnson said .
The additions replace a largely vacant outdoor break space that offered little more than a concrete picnic bench and rarely used volleyball and basketball courts . The design plans were completed in summer 2011 , and construction began in 2012 . Construction was largely completed in 2012 , with a dedication and blessing event held on Sept . 8 , 2012 .
Feedback has been “ remarkable ,” Fuchs said . Patients , families , and staff are using it . He has even seen outpatient counselors conduct sessions with clients while walking on the trail . “ We ’ re just thrilled with it . It ’ s been an inviting , welcoming addition ,” he said .
“ I see what used to be one family out at a concrete picnic table really kind of in some deep emotional stress . … I now see them walking around , and their children are smelling the flowers ,” he said . “ It ’ s just a more engaging environment out there . It ’ s not a big mud hole . It ’ s a beautiful facility , and it ’ s part of the facility .”
Fuchs noted that the improvements were long overdue because the exterior of the building had been unchanged since 1976 . “ It makes good sense to have an exterior environment that matches your interior environment ,” he said . “ If you think about recovery , it ’ s about transitioning your exterior environment and reconciling that with your interior environment . It ’ s about work on the inside and the outside .”
Bobbi Giles , director of development at St . Joseph ’ s Hospital , said the gardens “ have been a terrific addition for both places .”
“ They have given the whole hospital a face-lift ,” she said .
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Steve Dantoin, an engineering technician with the
Brown County Public Works-Highway Department,
said the well-written emails reduced the number of
complaints and questions the County would normally
get on a project this complex. “As far as coordination
and letting businesses know what was going on, Ayres
really did a good job of making sure these businesses
had access and were informed every step of the way,”
he said.
Dantoin, who designed the permanent traffic
signals for the project and represented the County
during construction, said he received few complaints
about the project, including none from the Packers.
“I think (the team) was pleased with how the project
went,” he said.
Two lanes in each direction were open to traffic
before the first regular season Packers game. Craig
Schuh, a municipal engineer for Ayres Associates
who oversaw construction, said much of the credit for
completing the project on time goes to the contractors:
Dorner, Inc., of Luxemburg, Wisconsin (sewer and
water construction) and Vinton Construction Co. of
Manitowoc, Wisconsin (roadway construction).
“It was fast and furious, but we had two very
conscientious contractors,” Schuh said. “With this
high-profile project, they worked together well and
were committed to getting this done before the start of
the Packers season.”
Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy was pleased
with how the project was handled. “The Green Bay
Packers would like to thank Ayres Associates for their
efforts in the redesign of Oneida Street, a prominent
throughway to Lambeau Field,” Murphy said. “Their
adherence to a strict construction timeline resulted in
the project being done in time for the Packers’ season,
which allowed our fans full access to the stadium using
their regular routes.”
8│TRENDS
A project this size and scope is bound to have
complications. “There were all kinds of unexpected
surprises that were the end of the world when they
happened,” Liebman said. “Then the next day we would
solve that, and we’re all good to go until the next thing
pops up. Overall, I thought the project went really,
really well.”
One early surprise was the discovery of a water
main under an old bridge, Martin said. Although this
caused a couple days’ delay, the unusually mild March
in 2012 created great conditions for getting the project
back on track. “With the early start we were able to
get, we never really hit a point where we were worried
about not completing (on time),” Martin said. “With the
late winter we’ve had this year, we’re glad we did the
project last year.”
The project included signal analysis and
preparation of signal timing parameters for seven major
intersections, along with temporary traffic signals
during construction. A bridge over Dutchman Creek
also was rehabilitated with staged construction.
Ayres Associates provided a public involvement
program and, based on those results, completed
preliminary and final designs, assisted with bidding and
negotiations, and provided construction administration
and observation. Because of the size and complexity
of the project and special expertise required, nearly 60
Ayres Associates staff members provided services on
the project to help make it a success.
Several public involvement workshops and
meetings were conducted with adjacent property
owners, concerned residents, and elected officials to
receive input on and build consensus for the access
management plans and street configuration. This effort
included small group meetings with specific property
owners and significant stakeholders, including the
Packers.
Consensus-building efforts and context-sensitive
solutions were keys to the success of this high-profile
urban reconstruction project, Martin said. Contextsensitive designs recognize that streets are more than
just traffic highways; they are public corridors and a
community resource designed to provide safe travel
by all users – pedestrians, bicyclists, people with
disabilities, public transit, autos, and trucks.
The total cost for the infrastructure and roadway
reconstruction of Oneida Street was more than
$7.7 million, a long-term investment that will benefit
residents, businesses, and those attending Packers
games well into the future.
� �We received a lot of positive comments – from the
public to the businesses,” Martin said.
Above: This series of photos, taken from the State Highway 172
overpass, shows the progression, from left to right, of the staged
construction of Oneida Street. This view looks south toward
Hansen Road. Below: The completed Oneida Street is shown
from the Highway 172 overpass, looking north.
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