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“Native landscaping”
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About this talk
Our group plans to complete the other "bookend" for our primary entrance/exit and develop native landscaping at the southbound I-380 exit onto Kirkwood Blvd SW. This location is harder for crews to access, but has more local visibility, including thousands per month who regularly pass it as they head to Iowa City. Materials include the actual trees, shrubs and plants we will be installing. All of these native plants are considered low maintenance and salt resistant by IDOT. We hope to solicit community support for future landscaping projects at various locations along Interstate 380 and a number of other green improvements in the metro area. A similar private-public partnership has helped to beautify the roadsides of both Des Moines and Davenport in recent years.
Community Impact: Developing a polished, coherent look at both ends of Interstate 380 projects an image of sophistication and sense of place, even to those who just spend 20 minutes passing through Cedar Rapids. We believe that by giving visitors a sight of beautiful native plants and flower, even at 60 mph, we create a positive impression of Cedar Rapids and generate a desire to know the city better. Because so many of our most influential visitors (including presidential candidates, decision makers for business relocation, etc.) arrive by air and I-380 is the primary conduit from the Eastern Iowa Airport, this proposed planting offers a strong first impression of Cedar Rapids. For those of us who call CR home, it reinforces the idea that we deserve beauty in our lives. I know that I'm looking forward to passing this new planting every day when I drive in to my Kirkwood classes. Our landscape architect, Diane Hoefer, is a landscape architect major at Kirkwood who submitted this design for her honors project last year. She worked closely with Eric Shepley of Hall & Hall Engineers, who donated his services for the demonstration project in Hiawatha.
Bio
English and Public Relations instructor at both Kirkwood and Mt. Mercy, LaDawn Edwards has taken on pro bono PR clients that represent her favorite causes for nearly 20 years. A recent student project raising funds for the CR Public Library Foundation led to joining EYE-380, a highway beautification group that had just completed a demonstration project in Hiawatha at the southbound entrance to Interstate 380 at Boyson RD.
How to get involved with this idea
