Botanical Garden of the Piedmont
Botanical Garden of the Piedmont (formerly McIntire Botanical Garden) is a non-profit organization that is seeking to build a botanical garden in the north end of of McIntire Park East. [1]
After years of negotiations, the group entered into a memorandum of agreement with the city of Charlottesville in late September 2015. [2]
In May 2018, the group selected Boston-based Mikyoung Kim Design and Charlottesville-based Waterstreet Studios to create a design for the park, based on community feedback. [3] [4] [5] The resulting Schematic Plan for the Garden received a National Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects for SIte Analysis and Planning. [6]
The organization is currently fundraising to turn the conceptual plans into construction documents. [7]
Board of Directors
- Consi Palmer, President
- Jay Townsend, Vice President
- Jude Garzolini, Secretary
- Brion Friedman Treasurer
- Margaret Murray Bloom
- Jack Bocock
- Deborah Bell Burks
- Julia Green
- Miller Hunter
- Kelley MacDougall
- Adair Maynard
- Bill Sanderson
- Rodney Shirley [9]
- Christina Teague
- Keith Woodward
Staff
Jill Trischman-Marks, Executive Director
Whitney Zhang, Executive Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator
Bruce Gaitling-Austin, Educational Coordinator
Jay Jackson, Director of Advancement
Shannon Higginbotham, Director of Annual Giving and Communications
Cathy Boyd, Donor Relations Manager
Patrick Morrissey, Landscape Manager
Former Board Members
- Helen Flamini, Founder
- Carol Carter, Former President
- Joan Swanberg, Former President
- Linda Seaman, Former President
- Dorothy Tompkins, Former President
- Peter McIntosh, Former President
- Carolyn Achenbach
- Diego Anderson, Vice President
- Donna Arehart
- Ruth Barnett
- Stefan Bechtel
- Paul Beyer
- Sallie Brown
- C. Colston Burrell
- Blake Caravati
- Ted Coates
- Virginia Daugherty, Secretary
- Kristin Davis
- Mike Farruggio
- Cindy Hamady
- Carol Innes
- Karen Lilleleht
- Jim Malloy
- John Matthews
- Katy McCune
- Steve McLean
- Miette Michie
- Janet Miller
- Susan Randall Murphy
- Laura Peet
- Lesley Sewell
- Anita Showers, Vice-President
- Michael Terry
- Jill Trishman-Marks, Current Executive Director
- Maggie Tucker
- Peggy Van Yahres
- Diane Weber
- David White
- Roxanne White
- Sandy Wilcox
Planning Process
The nonprofit group was founded in 2008 to advocate for a botanical garden within the city limits. At the time, the future of a McIntire Park transformed by what would become the John Warner Parkway was undetermined, and the group lobbied for the western half to become a garden that would preserve the area's natural beauty. [10] To get there, the group had to convince City Council to consider removing the golf course. As the roadway neared completion, the city's parks and recreation department began a master planning process to determine what would happen next.
In October 2011, the group showed a preliminary concept designed by landscape architect Kennon Williams that envisioned using the entire western half of the park and included the existing wading pool. [11]
City Council adopted a master plan for the eastern side of the park on September 3, 2012 after an extensive planning process which included the cessation of the golf course by the end of 2016. While the plan called for a botanical garden or natural area in the northern section, it did not initially specify that Botanical Garden of the Piedmont would be involved. At that meeting, City Councilor Dave Norris indicated the group should be selected as the official partner. [12]
Draft Memorandum of Understanding
On January 27th, 2015 city parks staff drafted a memorandum of understanding which would guide the formal relationship between McIntire Botanical Garden and the City of Charlottesville. The agreement was signed in September 2015.
File:MBG DRAFT MOU - MCINTIRE PARK January 2015.pdf
Other botanical garden proposals
Charlottesville Botanical Garden was a competing non-profit organization with similar goals. At a McIntire Botanical Garden meeting held Aug. 28 2008, Lonnie Murray, a representative of that group, said he would be willing to merge the two groups. [13]
References
- ↑ Web. City makes botanical garden partnership official, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, September 16, 2013, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. Memorandum of Agreement between McIntire Botanical Garden and City of Charlottesville, McIntire Botanical Garden an the City of Charlottesville, September 29, 2015, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. Boston and Charlottesville firms to design McIntire Botanical Garden, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, May 3, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. McIntire Botanical Garden Selects Landscape Architects for Garden's Design, McIntire Botanical Garden, Press Release, WVIR NBC29, May 3, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. Plans for McIntire Botanical Garden Released, Staff Reports, News Article, WVIR NBC29, December 17, 2018, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ McIntire Botanical Garden: Masterplan for Resiliency and Healing | 2019 ASLA Professional Awards
- ↑ Web. [1], Nolan Stout, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, February 17, 2019, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. McIntire Botanical Garden seeks community support, Nolan Stout, News Article, Daily Progress
- ↑ Web. Officers, Board, Volunteers, McIntire Botanical Garden, retrieved April 18, 2014.
- ↑ Web. Botanical garden supporters see future in McIntire Park, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, August 29, 2009, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. City’s central park seen as home for botanical garden, Brian Wheeler, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, October 22, 2011, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. Golf to leave McIntire sooner; Recreational fields still at issue, Sean Tubbs, News Article, September 4, 2012, retrieved May 20, 2019.
- ↑ Web. Botanical garden supporters see future in McIntire Park, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Tomorrow, August 29, 2009, retrieved February 9, 2015.