Spring is in sight!

This has been a February that the Grounds Crew would like to forget. Extremely bitter cold temperatures, heavy snows, and ice storms has slowed us down but not stopped us completely. We have several trees damaged by the ice and we will have to wait for warmer temperatures to see if we lost many plants due to sub-zero temperatures. The Grounds Crew is also responsible for snow removal and spent many long nights clearing parking lots for safe passage for all of the staff.

We have covered and uncovered our pave stone courtyard on a daily basis, many times shoveling the snow off just to get to our plastic covering. The pave stone courtyard base has finally been completed and we will begin building the walls that wrap around it. This will be a nice formal courtyard with a fountain placed in the center and will be a great place for our guests to relax.

Three of the four picnic pavilions have been erected and soon the concrete floors and retaining wall construction will begin. It is amazing to see so many projects going on at once both inside and out. The outdoor projects include picnic pavilions, pergola construction, piers for a large gazebo that sits out on the lake, new parking lot, café decking, grand plaza level, grand staircase with waterfall, outdoor restrooms, electric, data, camera installation and many more!

Everyone is tired of the cold and with just a couple of days of warm weather we are beginning to see signs of spring. The crocus are just about to bloom and the 20,000 daffodils are starting to emerge from the ground. It’s funny how just a little bit of green showing can get a cold, tired gardener’s heart rejuvenated. Spring is in sight and it can’t come soon enough!

Thanks again for joining us. We appreciate all of your prayers and support for the museum.