Happy new year PGASLA!  I'm sure this is going to be another year of small economic growth in all industry sectors and a challenging one for landscape architects especially emerging professionals.  However, PGASLA is working hard to provide professional resources for all members.  Good luck to all of you whether it's business development, career advancement or job placement in Missouri or Kansas.

2012 is going to be a busy year for PGASLA.  Behind us already was our First Fridays event in the Crossroads Arts District that we co-hosted with the Kessler Society of Kansas City.  See photos from that event here: January 2012 First Fridays.  Upcoming events include Kansas City Design Week (Feb. 29 - March 7), a Wichita Final Friday event (March 30), National Landscape Architecture Month and Frederick Law Olmsted birthday celebration, and the 2012 ASLA Central States Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.  I hope all of you plan to attend because it is going to be a doozy!  In fact, I just posted the conference Call for Entries here: Call for Entries.  The central states committee is working on a dedicated website for the Central States Conference to be utilized in perpetuity.  It will be launched in a few weeks.

With regards to the ASLA 2012 Professional & Student Awards, there are a few deadlines rapidly approaching.  See below.  Go to www.asla.org for more information.

Entry forms and payment must be received by:

• Friday, February 3, 2012, for Professional Awards
• Friday, April 27, 2012, for Student Awards

Submission binders must be received by:

• Friday, February 17, 2012, for Professional Awards
• Friday, May 11, 2012, for Student Awards

The Professional Awards Jury will review all submissions March 16–18, 2012. The Student Awards Jury will review all submissions June 15–17, 2012.  PGASLA's own Jim Schuessler is on the professional jury this year.  Entrants will be notified of the results shortly following the jury meetings. The awards will be announced to the media following notification of and coordination with the recipients.  Recipients will be honored at the awards presentation ceremony at the 2012 ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO, September 28–October 1, 2012.

Finally, if you are interested in attending any of the events for Kansas City Design Week, you can register at the following site: www.kcdesignweek.org.  The event at Liberty Memorial on March 7th is a PGASLA event.  So mark your calendars!  See below for more information.

Tod Hueser, PLA, ASLA

2011-2012 PGASLA President

P.S.  I'm sure you have read about the P.L.A. designation, here and elsewhere, encouraged by ASLA.  I would like to hear what you think.  Drop me a note with your thoughts.  I want to hear what you think. 

January 11, 2012

Here’s the latest fromWashington D.C.:

Government Affairs

• Big victory for Complete Streets in the Senate!  The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unanimously passed an amendment authored by Senator Mark Begich (AK) to the highway safety bill that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish a national Complete Streets policy.  States that have already adopted an adequate policy would be exempt from the federal standard.  ASLA activated the Advocacy Network to target members in Commerce Committee states.  Over 400 ASLA members successfully urged their senators to support the amendment. This is the first time that Complete Streets language has been adopted in a major piece of federal legislation.

• Lots of good news to wrap up the year in Washington.  Despite overall cuts in the Interior and Environment Fiscal Year 2012 spending package, the House and Senate agreed on, and the president signed, a budget bill that included a slight increase for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The bill includes $186.7 million for the federal side of LWCF, or $21.2 million more than the $164.9 million received in fiscal year 2011. The state side of the LWCF received $45 million up from $40 million in fiscal year 2011.  In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities received funding for 2012, despite efforts to eliminate the program.

•  Last week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee both held hearings on water and stormwater issues.  ASLA continues to explore opportunities both in the Obama administration and in Congress to promote the work of landscape architects in implementing green infrastructure and low-impact development solutions to the nation’s stormwater and water quality challenges. In addition, ASLA members were asked by the EPA to weigh in with their technical expertise via a brief survey seeking data on impervious surface cover and stormwater management. Click here to read more about EPA’s request.  Completed surveys should be returned to Kevin O’Hara  byJanuary 20, 2012.

Governance and Administration

• The 2012 slate of candidates for ASLA office was recently announced.  More information on each candidate will be provided in LAND in coming months, and voting will take place at the Board of Trustees Mid-year Meeting on May 11-12, 2012.  The candidates include: 

President-Elect

Mark Allen Focht, FASLA

Vaughn B. Rinner, ASLA

Vice President, Finance

David L. Lycke, FASLA

Richard H. Powell, ASLA

Vice President, Membership

Shawn T. Kelly, FASLA

Steven N. Rodie, ASLA

Vice President, Professional Practice

Hunter L. Beckham, ASLA

Annette P. Wilkus, ASLA

Public Relations and Communications

• Interviews for a new ASLA Public Relations Manager continue, with three candidates currently on callback. They will meet again with Director Terry Poltrack as well as the remaining Public Relations and Communications staff and will also take writing tests.

Publishing and Resource Development

• The call for nominations for ASLA 2012 Honors is now open. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 2, 2012.  Nominations may be made by an individual ASLA professional member or a chapter and are very simple to assemble.  For more information, please contact Honors and Awards Coordinator Carolyn Mitchell.

•  The Annual Meeting Education Advisory Committee met December 10 at headquarters to kick off the annual call for presentations for the 2012 meeting.  Led by President Susan Hatchell, FASLA, the committee came up with over 60 potential programs, including working titles and speakers, around topics identified by ASLA members as being of high interest.  Committee members will develop these and submit them through the review process.  An email was sent to all available emails in the ASLA database (approximately 40,000) promoting the online call for presentations. The deadline for submissions is January 20, 2012.

Member and Chapter Services

• ASLA Membership currently stands at 15,722.

• The newly created LA student Facebook page and redesigned student webpage was announced to the student and student affiliate members via email (2,768 email addresses). Prior to the email announcement, the Facebook page had 37 “likes” and now at print we have 279 “likes.” Please take a moment to “like” the LARCH page.

That’s it for now!

Rick Howell, ASLA, PLA, LEED ap

Prairie Gateway Chapter Trustee 

Please click here for the latest PGASLA News

LA’s In The News – The Plain News is looking for information on what PGASLA’s Landscape Architects are doing and when they are in the news.  If you or your firm has been in the news please forward the information to Tod Hueser at tod.hueser@jocogov.org

ASLA Membership – ASLA National is offering a monthly installment option for payments of membership to ASLA.  When your membership renewal is due and if you are interested in this option please contact national to get the details.

PGASLA is on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Land8Lounge.  Please join us for local professional and event discussions.

http://land8lounge.com/group/pgaslaprairiegatewaychapterofasla

The Daniel Urban Kiley Teaching Fellowship

The Daniel Urban Kiley Teaching Fellowship will be awarded annually to an emerging designer whose work articulates the potential for landscape as a medium of design in the public realm. The Kiley Fellow will be appointed Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for the 2012-13 academic year. While the Kiley Fellowship will be awarded competitively on an annual basis, successful Fellows are eligible to have their academic appointments renewed for a second year at the rank of Lecturer, dependent upon review of their teaching, research and creative practice.

This initiative is intended to recognize and foster emerging design educators whose work embodies the potential for landscape as a medium of design in the public realm. The Daniel Urban Kiley Fellowship builds upon the history of pedagogic innovation at the GSD as well as the century of leadership in landscape education within the Department of Landscape Architecture.

Deadline for receipt of applications: March 1, 2012

For details and more information, please visit Kiley Teaching Fellowship or send an email to: kileyfellowship@gsd.harvard.edu.

There are several efforts that PGASLA is currently involved in Kansas and Missouri. I mentioned in the November 2011 Newsletter that KSBTP (Board) organized a committee to examine potential revisions to the current Statutes and Rules & Regulations.  The Board's process has involved revising the statutes first then the rules & regulations later.  Since then, representatives from PGASLA have attended several meetings with other allied organizations to discuss and offer proposed revisions.  We have a draft revision for the definition of landscape architecture below.  Last year, Korey Schulz mentioned in a newsletter that we were filing a complaint in Missouri regarding the phone companies' yellow pages.  Please read below.  This year, PGASLA is working with the St. Louis chapter to update the Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) section in RSMo to include Landscape Architects.  That information can be seen below also.

KANSAS

Article 70

BOARD OF TECHNICAL PROFESSIONS

74-7003.  Definitions. 

(j) “Landscape architecture, practice of” means providing, or offering to provide, landscape architectural services as may be required in connection with the design and development of land areas for preservation, enhancement, and public and private use, in accordance with the ideals of human use and enjoyment.  Professional landscape architectural services include the preparation, review, and analysis of master plans and reports for land use and development; preparation of site development and land enhancement plans; preparation of urban design plans; design of outdoor living and use spaces, design of the components of outdoor spaces, including land forms, paved surfaces, walls, pools, and non-habitable structures; the development of sustainable designs and technology; the production of construction documents including layout and materials plans, grading and drainage plans, erosion and sediment control plans, irrigation plans, planting plans, construction details, and specifications; and preparation of cost analysis data.  Professional landscape architectural services also include: programming; planning; pre-design and schematic design; preparing and/or providing designs, drawings, specifications and other technical submissions; administration of contracts for construction; coordination of elements of technical submissions prepared by, but not limited to, consulting engineers, architects and land surveyors; representation of Owner as the Owner’s Agent throughout the design and construction process; observation of construction to confirm compliance with construction documents; providing landscape architectural consulting, investigations, evaluations and research; teaching of landscape architecture in a college or university offering an approved landscape architecture curriculum of four years or more; and those other professional landscape architectural services as may be necessary for the rendering of, or offering to render, landscape architectural services which have the purpose of protecting the health, safety, property, and welfare of the public.

Please note that the above revised definition is a draft.  Further revisions are expected, however, we are making progress.  Several words and phrases have been added to reinforce our services and responsibilities.

MISSOURI

Landscape Architecture Online Advertising

The PGASLA chapter is working with the St. Louis ASLA chapter and MALA on researching the continuing increase of online advertisements of Landscape Architecture services within the phone companies yellow pages.  When searching for Landscape Architectural services hundreds and sometimes thousands of search results can be found, when in fact there are only 348 Registered Landscape Architects and 85 Landscape Architecture Corporations in the State of Missouri. 

PGASLA, the ST. Louis ASLA Chapter and MALA have moved forward with sending complaints to the Missouri State Board of Technical Professions naming the phone companies (AT&T).  Websites (current formulations) are advertising companies as Landscape Architects when in fact they may not be registered Landscape Architects or Landscape Architect Corporations.  To date, the board is still investigating.  PGASLA will keep members updated when determinations are made regarding this matter.

Update to the Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) section in RSMo 

PGASLA is working with the St. Louis chapter to update the Qualifications Based Selection (QBS) section in RSMo (sections 8.285 to 8.291)to include Landscape Architects.  Currently, landscape architecture definition and services are not recognized.  The Missouri chapters are currently working with MALA to resolve this issue.  PGASLA will keep members updated.

If you have any questions, concerns or additional information please contact Tod Hueser at tod.hueser@jocogov.org.

WASHINGTON D.C.

Next week, ASLA is expecting some critical activity on the surface transportation bill in the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee.  ASLA is expecting the House to introduce a 5-year reauthorization surface transportation bill that does NOT include any bicycle/pedestrian programs, including completely eliminating the Transportation Enhancements (TE) and Safe Routes To Schools (SRTS) programs.  The House T&I Committee will likely begin mark-up of the bill next Wednesday or Thursday, when amendments to the bill may be offered.

Currently, ASLA is working with allied organizations and members of Congress on a possible amendment to include TE and SRTS in the bill. If there is such an amendment, ASLA will activate the Advocacy Network to ask ASLA members to contact their legislators to support the amendment. We will need all ASLA members to weigh-in with their legislators that sit on the T&I Committee and we need your help to get the word out to your chapter members and encourage them to respond to the alert. 

Once more details about the bill and any amendments become available, ASLA will forward.  In the meantime, the ASLA Transportation Federal Advocacy webpage includes a wealth of background information and issues briefs on these issues.  If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact Roxanne Blackwell at rblackwell@asla.org or 202-216-2334.

P L A T I N U M   L E V E L   S P O N S O R

G O L D   L E V E L   S P O N S O R

S I L V E R   L E V E L   S P O N S O R S

B R O N Z E   L E V E L   S P O N S O R S

The Central States 2012 Conference and the 2012 Kansas City Design Week event planning has begun.  If you are interested in helping out please let us know at president@pgasla.org.  We are also looking for a dedicated soul to chair the LINKS Committee.  Please contact us if you wish to lead that effort.

The schedule and activities planning for Design Week 2012 has begun to take shape.  Please consider volunteering or actively participating in these exciting events.  We need all of the landscape architects we can get!  Information and registration can happen at this site: www.kcdesignweek.org.

KC Design Battle
presented by Cut & Paste and KCDW
Leap Day Kick-off!
Wednesday, February 29
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
VOX Theater

Bringing Ink and Wood to Life
Hatch Show Print’s Letterpress Heritage
Thursday, March 1
Noon – 1:30 p.m. 
Kansas City Design Center

Pecha Kucha Night
Thursday, March 1
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
8:20 p.m. start time
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Adobe Muse Workshop
Friday, March 3
8:00 a.m. –  11:00 a.m.
Kansas City Design Center

Jeremy Madl/MAD
Friday, March 2
Noon - 1:00 p.m.
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art

Design Superheroes
First Friday, March 2
6:00 p.m. –  8:30 p.m.
AIGA KC/AIA Space

Design Futures: 
High School Edition 
Saturday, March 3
10:00 a.m. – Noon
Plaza Library

The Big 10: Ellen Lupton Examines a 
Defining Decade in Graphic Design
Saturday, March 3
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Tour of West Bottoms
With architectural historian Cydney Millstein
Sunday, March 4
1:30 p.m. –   4:30 p.m.
West Bottoms

Philippe Barriere: 
Architect and author of Resolution 
Monday, March 5
Noon –  1:30 p.m.
AIGA KC/AIA Space

Toby Israel: Using Design Psychology 
to Create Ideal Places 
Tuesday, March 6
11:30 a.m. –  1:30 p.m.
JCCC

James Moore: The Future of Cities 
and the Cities of the Future
Tuesday, March 6
5:30 p.m. –   7:00 p.m.
AIGA KC/AIA Space

and finally............................................................................................

Memorial Design PGASLA Event ! !

Wednesday, March 7
12:00 p.m. –   1:30 p.m.
World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial

This event will focus on memorial designs in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest that are in the design stages or recently completed: The Hyatt Skywalk Memorial, Overland Park 911 Memorial, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial.  The designers of these public spaces will provide insight into the process of completing the design and what they learned along the way.  This will be a panel discussion.

If you are interested in participating in the planning or volunteering for the PGASLA event or one of the other events please contact Erica Young eyoung@HNTB.com or Korey Schulz  kschulz@ohhkc.com for more information.

Within the new PGASLA website there is a member area where you can register for events, see the chapter roster and view past history of your attendance at events.  To log-in each member will need to use there ASLA number and a temporary password (eggplant).  Once logged in members will need to change their password.  If you have any questions please contact info@pgasla.org

Febuary 2012:  The 2012 Kansas City Design Week, LINKS lunches, the Wichita "Final Fridays" event, planning for the ASLA Central States Conference and much more.