During its remodel of Aldrich Arena in Maplewood, Minnesota, Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, in partnership with Ramsey County Parks and Recreation, hired Barr to assist with the large-scale redesign of the entire parking lot to incorporate stormwater-quality improvement features. The project involved a space-efficient redesign of the asphalt parking lot to maximize stall counts while reducing overall impervious surface. In a more site-specific sense, the project benefits the parking lot through a substantial addition of trees and other diverse plantings, improved landscape aesthetics, and changed traffic patterns for safer pedestrian access.
Large rain gardens were strategically placed throughout and surrounding the parking lot, allowing for runoff capture and filtration. Approximately an acre of rain gardens borders the parking lot and captures runoff from nearly all the parking lot area. The rain gardens will have a beneficial effect on stormwater quality and quantity, helping the watershed district and county reach their goals for Wakefield Lake.