Finberg Demonstrates QUALITY Work in City Hall Planting Project

Edina City Hall is hub of local government and represents one of the most important landmarks in the community. Whether it’s the employees who call the building their workplace, residents voting early or attending City Council meetings or numerous others from around the metro just passing by, the location and shared reliance on City Hall makes it a very busy site.  

The heavy traffic also presents an opportunity to showcase landscaping and environmental efforts that highlight the commitment to making the heart of the City stand out. In early June, Parks Planner Rachel Finberg did just that through a project aimed at restoring the plants and grasses outside City Hall.

For her ability to plan, develop and execute an employee event that adheres to the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) all while making City Hall a more beautiful place, Finberg was awarded the Values VIP award for the month of June.

Although the planting event took place in May, the process of improving City Hall’s landscape started a year ago in the summer of 2023.

During this time, a large construction project took place on Eden Avenue as road upgrades unfolded and new roundabouts were installed. Consequentially, much of the south side of the City Hall property was torn up, including a section of land which hosted a number of plants.

As the City’s Parks Planner, Finberg’s main priorities include overseeing new developments in the Edina park system and managing Capital Improvement Plan projects pertaining to park upgrades.

“Because of my background, and knowledge of environmental design and construction management, I was contacted by the Engineering Department to start planning the layout of the project and get everything ready for planting,” said Finberg. 

But with the summer ending, her quest to reinvigorate the land outside City Hall was still needed more time. “It didn’t make sense to try and rush through the planting late in the year, so we agreed to take the fall and winter to research and prepare for the project to take place in the summer of 2024,” Finberg said.

One of the key aspects of the plan was to create a more diverse selection of plants and grass – cutting down on the use of turfgrass. More specifically, Finberg was tasked with finding plants that are native to Minnesota, hearty enough to survive the harsh winter months and attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

CAP strategy “GS2” strives to increase the pollinator supportiveness of lawns and grasslands in Edina and achieve a 10% (250 acre) turf replacement with native or climate adaptive grasses and wildflowers by 2030.

After careful research, Finberg came back with 24 different species of plants and grasses that met the criteria.

With her thorough research and preparation complete, it was time to put the plants in the ground. However, with 800 plugs to plant, Finberg knew extra help would be needed.

As a solution, Finberg worked with the Wellness Committee Coordinator Cassi McMayer to find potential volunteers.

“Rachel contacted me to see if the Wellness Committee would have an interest in helping coordinate an outdoor planting event … She was flexible with timing and brought all the supplies we needed. The project was so organized and everyone who participated mentioned how fun it was!” said McMayer.

“Our department likes to do team-building activities and serve the community. The planting project allowed us to do both,” said Communications Director Jennifer Bennerotte, whose department was the first to participate in the planting. “It is rewarding to come to work each day and see the plants thriving while knowing we had a tiny part of it.”

About 30 volunteers from six different City departments stepped up to help during three time slots totaling around four hours of work taking place over the course of one week – significantly less time than anticipated.

“I think the City Hall planting was a great opportunity to showcase the beauty and benefit of native flowers and pollinators,” said Finberg. “A huge thank-you goes out to all who volunteered – without your support, the planting event would have taken weeks to complete.”

As an environmental project invested in the City’s future, all who participated in the project can enjoy the “flowers of their labor” for years to come, as Finberg puts it.