by Dennis Dalman
The City of Sartell has tentatively agreed to a contract with Damon Farber Landscape Architects, Minneapolis, to landscape the three roundabouts on Pinecone Road and to create city “branding” effects on the roundabouts.
The city council tentatively approved the roughly $25,000 contract at its Feb. 8 meeting, but final approval is pending until the company submits its design plans.
According to Sartell City Administrator Mary Degiovanni, one reason for contracting with Damon Farber is so the company can set an aesthetic “branding” standard for future city landscaping projects. “Branding,” in recent years, is a trendy name for placing things within a city that give the city a unique “personality,” such as logos, signs and other items.
Another reason for the contract is Damon Farber has worked on the Lake Francis landscaping development that will be established this spring by the lake (holding pond) and by the Chateau Waters senior-citizen apartment complex in south Sartell, near where the community center will be constructed.
Since it was founded in 1981, Damon Farber has done hundreds of projects throughout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest involving landscaping, urban designs and other aesthetic-and-practical features.