Events

Visit the WASLA Event Calendar for more information on events.

In This Issue...

1. President's Remarks
2. 2018-2019 WASLA Board of Directors Election Results Are In!
3. Deadline Quickly Approaching for Professional Awards Submissions!
4. UW Mentors for 2018-2019 School Year
5. LARE Prep Session with Corson Learning
6. Remembering Rich Haag
7. L&I Prevailing Wage Rates for Landscapers to Increase
8. WASLA Jobs
9. Job Portals
10. Support Endowed Scholarships

Newsletter Editor

Coreen Schmidt

WASLA Executive Committee

President
Laura Thompson, ASLA

President-elect
Tim Slazinik, ASLA

Trustee
Marieke Lacasse, ASLA

Treasurer
Dean Koonts, ASLA

Secretary
Janelle Lotzgesell, ASLA

Member at Large
Derrick Eberle, ASLA

Member at Large, W. WA
Lucas Vannice, ASLA

Member at Large, E. WA
Steele Fitzloff, ASLA

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President's Remarks
Laura Thompson

Ciao, WASLA newsletter readers! I'm back in the saddle after three magical weeks touring northern Italy, Croatia, and Greece. I already miss my morning cappuccinos and chocolate croissants; my afternoon margherita pizza and gelato; and of course, the delectable wine.  Although I can't recreate every sip or bite of Mediterranean cuisine, I'll always have the lovely memories of the region to draw back on as stimulus for my work and visions of the Italian lifestyle to inspire my own. Each town we passed through was uniquely charming in its very own way, but to spare you all from the minutia of my often-lengthy story-telling, I'll insert an image and a short caption per each. As the say, a picture itself is worth a thousand words!

 Como & Brunate

A quick ride up the Funicular grants you these breathtaking views of the lake and rugged mountains. Golden sunbeams seem to drench this dramatic landscape in a way unique to this region alone.

Bellagio

Shop-lined, terraced streets flow out into bustling boulevards which are lined by shady trees. Several restaurants and cafés had patio dining space completely under the cover of intertwined wisteria or lush branches of trees.

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2018-2019 WASLA Board of Directors Election Results Are In!

Dear WASLA members, 

2018-2019 WASLA Board of Directors Election Results are in!

Voting closed and we are proud to present the newly elected members of WASLA's Board of Directors:

• Dean Koonts, Treasurer, term ends fall 2020.
• Maren McBride, Secretary, term ends fall 2020.
• Steele Fitzloff, Eastern Washington Member-at-Large, term ends fall 2019.
• Lucas Vannice, Western Washington Member-at-Large, term ends fall 2019.
• Rebecca Wahlstrom, State-wide Washington Member-at-Large, term ends fall 2019.

TREASURER Dean Koonts, ASLA
BIO STATEMENT

In his 18 year career, Dean's experience has involved the tracking of budgets, invoicing, and expense reimbursable management as Prime and Subconsultant. Dean's record of volunteerism in numerous WASLA activities includes serving as the Secretary-Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the 2015/2016 term, as Treasurer for the 2017/2018 term, on the WASLA conference committee in 2007, at Landscape Architecture Professional Awareness Day events, and serving on the jury panel for the University of Washington's WASLA student awards and ASLA national student awards for more than six years. Since 2008, he has been a professional mentor to numerous, talented landscape architecture students, as shadow-day mentor at University of Oregon, Eugene, ASLA Oregon Student Chapter and subsequently for the University of Washington WASLA Student Chapter.

SECRETARY Maren McBride, ASLA
BIO STATEMENT

Since joining the profession, Maren has taken on a variety of roles in ASLA and design-oriented organizations and has served as President of the UC Davis ASLA Student Chapter, as Associate Representative (Emerging Professionals) on Council with the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects, Board Member and Outreach Co-Chair for Women in Design Denver and in leadership positions with ASLA Colorado including Communications/Social Media Director and as President-Elect. Although new to Seattle, she is excited to hit the ground running as Secretary for WASLA and looks forward to connecting with members and allied professionals in Seattle and throughout Washington.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE EASTERN WASHINGTON Steele Fitzloff, ASLA
BIO STATEMENT

Steele began his design career in Spokane, Washington, after having graduated from Washington State University. Steele is currently a part of the landscape architecture team at Bernardo Wills Architects PC.  Steele has worked on a wide variety of projects in both the public and private realm, and he has a particular interest in K-12 schools, higher education facilities, parks, and sports complex type projects.

His interest in these projects generally stems from Steele's passion for the outdoors and sports. Following this passion has allowed Steele to be a part of many unique experiences and volunteer opportunities, and in particular, working with youth via coaching and mentoring.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE WESTERN WASHINGTON Lucas Vannice, ASLA
BIO STATEMENT

Lucas has been volunteering with WASLA for over six years. Starting as a student at Washington State University, he was involved in the Student Chapter by serving one year as PR & Communications representative and one year as Student Chapter President. As President, he attended ASLA Advocacy Day in Washington D.C., which provided him with a deep understanding of the critical role ASLA plays in advocating for the profession to state and federal elected officials. Following graduation, he began serving as Chair of the WASLA PR & Awareness Committee. In nearly three years as Chair, the committee grew from three to ten regular volunteers who helped coordinate and oversee the WASLA newsletter, social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), participation in the Seattle Design Festival, World Landscape Architecture Month, and K-12 outreach.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE STATEWIDE Rebecca Wahlstrom, ASLA
BIO STATEMENT

When she lived in Portland, Oregon, Rebecca served on the ASLA Oregon Board as the Public Awareness Representative for three years and helped for two years before that with the ASLA website and communications.  During her time as Public Awareness Rep, she attended conferences on behalf of  ASLA Oregon and learned a great deal about how to convey a clear message to the general public.

2018-19 Board of Directors New Slate (starts October 22nd)

Tim Slazinik, ASLA,  President - term ends 2021
Laura Thompson, ASLA, Past-President - term ends 2020
Marieke Lacasse, ASLA, Trustee - term ends 2020
Dean W. Koonts, ASLA, Treasurer - term ends 2020
Maren McBride, ASLA, Secretary - term ends 2020
Steele Fitzloff, ASLA, Member-at-Large - term ends 2019
Rebecca Wahlstrom, ASLA, Member-at-Large - term ends 2019
Lucas Vannice, ASLA, Member-at-Large - term ends 2019

Congratulations and we look forward to working with the newly elected directors!

Deadline Quickly Approaching for Professional Awards Submissions!

Submissions are due by 5pm Friday, August 31, 2018 for the 2018 WASLA Professional Awards. Visit our website for more information about categories, submission process, and to meet the 2018 jury members.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Platinum Sponsor

Western Hemlock Sponsors

 American Goldfinch Sponsors

Olympic Marmot Sponsors

UW Mentors for 2018-2019 School Year

Dear WASLA Members,

We are beginning to plan for the 2018 - 2019 Student Mentorship Program which will kick off in October 2018.  We will be looking for 40-70 professionals to mentor students - either singly or in a small group of 2-3 students.  Please indicate in the notes which you would prefer.

Here is a link to fill out your information:  Professional Mentors

We ask for a monthly commitment of 2-4 hours and suggest that you include some of the following activities:

• Attend Mentor/Mentee Mixer at UW to kick off the program
• Take student to coffee or lunch to plan the course for the year
• Office Visit
• Desk Crits
• Attend UW Reviews/Crits
• Project field visit (if applicable)

Thank you for your interest in the UW/WASLA Mentorship Program - your involvement enriches the student's time at UW and gives then another perspective from which to learn and grow into successful, professional landscape architects.

Thank you in advance for your participation.  Please contact me at [email protected] with any questions regarding the program.

Best regards,

LARE Prep Session with Corson Learning

The WASLA Student + Emerging Professionals Committee will be hosting an LARE Preparatory Session in Seattle, WA for Section 1: Project and Construction Management and Section 4: Grading, Drainage and Construction Documents. Cheryl Corson of Corson Learning will be leading the prep sessions. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day for the participants.

Save the Dates!

Section 1: Friday, November 2nd

Section 4: Saturday, November 3rd

Location: Seattle, WA

Early-bird registration is now open, and there is limited space available for each day.

Thank you to our sponsors Victor Stanley, Redfin, and Pacific Lighting Systems.

Remembering Rich Haag

A Few Reasons I Think of Rich Haag as My Father

By Grant R. Jones, FASLA
August 6, 2018
Coyote Springs Farm

Richard Haag, my mentor, was the first Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington, in1961. Rich was my design teacher from 1959 to 1961. He was my boss from 1962-1965 at RHA (Richard Haag Associates). He became a close friend, colleague, and lifelong supporter of my work after I founded Jones & Jones Architects and Landscape Architects. After many years of his always being there for me, I to regard him as my father. His passing on May 9^th brought forth a number of memories.

The following are excerpts from my unpublished book on landscape design, ecological planning and stewardship:

LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF THE EARTH.

So it was, zipping along the Alaskan Way Viaduct past the five-block-long Pike Place Farmer's Market perched on the hill above Seattle's waterfront, that I watched the railing posts pulsing and the street ends flashing into gaps to the market; and I wondered: what if the long linear courses and passageways of the crowded brightly, burlesque-lit produce market could emanate similar zen after-images of essential color and reconstituted textural pattern for a brisk steady walker passing through with an aesthetic experience being the primary focus of his or her mind? Maybe even a state of aesthetic clarity could be reached similar to the trances into nothingness enjoyed by experienced practitioners of Zen.

A new faculty member from San Francisco named Rich Haag (via the University of Illinois and Harvard Graduate School of Design) asked us to do a design plan that would employ a sequential notation system like Larry Halprin was experimenting with in San Francisco where he was using a choreographic technique like a musical score. We decided to use the Pike Place Farmer's Market as our living laboratory. Ilze and I formed a triad with Mike Kabush. Ilze would do the watercolors; Mike would do the continuous linear plan of the Market's stalls along the passageways of our experiment; and I would write the Lao-Tze inspired prose poem exploring the meaning of it all: inside the moment of universal truth.

Haag, who we still didn't know too well, asked: "How would we bring the faculty design jury to the market?" Well, we would build a machine and bring the market to them, into the basement studio of old Architecture Hall. Ilze's father, who had designed the turning wheels for the revolving Space Needle Restaurant at the Seattle's World Fair, built the two steel, floor and ceiling socket bearings.

So, draped from a perimeter ring supported by sixteen radiating poles six-feet long, cantilevered from an axle clasped to the upper section of a pointed steel pipe, spinning freely in ball-bearing sockets mounted solidly to the ceiling and the floor of the basement slab, were separate continuous scrolls over thirty-six feet in length which could be installed and then spun by turning a bicycle wheel clasped to the spinning pipe's lower mid-section. I gingerly spun the bicycle wheel ever more vigorously as the design faculty, who had crowded inside the creaking contraption, were now standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a ring around my torso and facing outward like birds perched on the axle of a roulette wheel, watched the figures that spun by until they became a pulsing blur. It was a huge success. They were amazed by the kinaesthetic phenomena. We swapped out the first scroll and rehung another, three in all, until huffing and gasping for air, the faculty had experienced the full spectrum of mutations-first the textures, then the patterns, and finally the colors.

Walking inside the Market Arcade and driving outside along the Alaskan Way Viaduct zipping beside it, we had made an evolutionary step. Personally, I had experienced the cerebral discomfort of taking a risk as well as the pleasure of adapting and growing within it. By challenging the faculty to experience parallel kinaesthesias, moving inside landmark cityscapes along elevated freeways and flowing through cultural landscapes inside public markets, by laminating the faculty between flows in architectural, cinematic, poetic, musical and meditational notation systems, we learned the powers of analogy. From then on for us it would feel natural to walk the line between forms and disciplines, to intermingle systems, to search for parallels. The challenge I would explore from here on would become living inside the question-the answer will show itself.

Rich Haag, the strange, funny and altogether different man who had shunted Ilze and I out of Old Architecture Hall into the corridors of the Pike Place Farmer's Market, by coming on a regular basis into the architecture studio to listen to us and help teach us, had changed our pathways. He was not a building architect, but called himself instead a landscape architect. I had heard about this profession. But architects told us that all landscape architects did was plant shrubs around buildings. Haag had corrected that narrow outlook by showing us that landscape architects designed with all of nature in mind. The whole landscape was their medium. They laid out parks and designed the roads within them, new communities, and school campuses, gardens, designed even zoos. After graduation I worked for Rich for three years, learning the tools of this holistic earth-based trade.

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L&I Prevailing Wage Rates for Landscapers to Increase

To all-I thought you'd appreciate a heads up on this.

Two key Labor and Industries-established prevailing wage rates for landscapers will be going up dramatically effective 8/31/18. While the example shown below is Spokane County, the rate increase is generally similar in all jurisdictions in the State.

Landscape laborer rates and operator rates are increasing by more than three hundred percent. This will have obvious impact on project costing moving ahead, and we will be reviewing all of our project probable costs as a result.    

Please reach out to the WASLA Office  if you have questions on this.

 WASLA Jobs

Project Manager / Senior Landscape Architect- GCH Planning & Landscape Architecture

Associate - Project Manager - Alta Planning + Design

Landscape Construction Project Manager - Nussbaum Group

UW Internship/Practicum Portal
WSU Job Board

Support Endowed Scholarships

Ken Struckmeyer Student Scholarship Endowment Fund
Kenichi Nakano Endowed Scholarship Fund for Landscape Architecture

Washington Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects 
[email protected] | (360) 867-8820 | www.wasla.org

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