[R.O. 1998 § 550.430; Ord. No. 2802 §1, 7-17-2012]
A. The City of St. Ann has seven (7) parks
totaling nearly one hundred fifty (150) acres of land, and over four
(4) miles of biking, hiking and jogging trails.
B. The City of St. Ann has responsibility
for the development and maintenance of recreational areas and green
space within the City, including neighborhood and regional parks,
bike and walking paths, trees, public facility landscaping and public
street right-of-way landscaping. The City promotes an interconnected
system of open space and trails that facilitates active and passive
recreational opportunities for the community.
C. The creation and design of parks and open
space can assist in management of stormwater by providing green infrastructure
and a means of absorbing rainwater, slowing its release into streams,
storing, filtering and slowing stormwater runoff down and thus preventing
or reducing flash flooding downstream. Local governments have an opportunity
to use their park lands to benefit the environment and to demonstrate
best practices for stormwater management.
D. Maintenance activities include mowing of
grassy areas, pruning trees, removing fallen limbs, mulching, emptying
trash receptacles, trail maintenance (repairing asphalt bike path
and walking trails), routine cleaning of park restrooms, and parking
lot maintenance.
[R.O. 1998 § 550.440; Ord. No. 2802 §1, 7-17-2012]
Tiemeyer Park — Ashby Road
St. Ann Park — Ashby Road
Vatterott Field — Ashby Road
Buder Park — Breckenridge Avenue
Schaeffer Park — Wright Avenue
Livingston/Wright Park — Wright
Avenue
Maryridge Park — Westridge
Avenue
These parks are interlaced throughout
the community and are maintained by the Parks Department and/or Public
Services.
[R.O. 1998 § 550.450; Ord. No. 2802 §1, 7-17-2012]
The Director of Parks and Recreation
has authority over all parks. Parks are actively managed by the Superintendent
of Parks Operations.
[R.O. 1998 § 550.460; Ord. No. 2802 §1, 7-17-2012]
The following materials and quantities
are typically kept on hand for landscaping and park maintenance operations.
Material
|
Maximum Quantity Kept On Hand
|
For Use Within
|
Storage Location
|
Comments
|
---|
Mulch Pile
|
100 yd3
|
6 months
|
Asphalt pad
|
Stored as needed
|
Fertilizer
|
25 bags
|
6 months
|
Garage
|
Park Maint.
|
Herbicide
|
10 gallons
|
6 months
|
Garage
|
Park Maint.
|
Rock
|
100 tons
|
1 year
|
|
Park Maint.
|
[R.O. 1998 § 550.470; Ord. No. 2802 §1, 7-17-2012]
Wastes generated by landscaping and
park maintenance operations are as follows:
Waste
|
Maximum Storage Capacity
|
Storage Location
|
Method Of Disposal
|
Contractor
|
Frequency
|
---|
Wood, brush
|
20 yd3
|
Yard waste center
|
Chip into mulch
|
In-house
|
6 months
|
Leaves, Grass
|
10 yd3
|
Yard waste center
|
Compost into mulch
|
In-house
|
6 months
|
[R.O. 1998 § 550.480; Ord. No. 2802 §1, 7-17-2012]
A. Park Design And Siting.
1.
Creating undeveloped, natural open
space and preserving established trees and other natural vegetation,
particularly around natural drainage areas, such as creeks, is recommended.
Tree buffers and tall grass filters around streams improve water quality,
slow runoff and prevent erosion. A minimum buffer width of fifty (50)
feet is recommended.
2.
Avoid site development and placing
facilities in the floodplain.
3.
Design park sites to preserve natural
resources such as wetlands and existing natural draining areas, minimizing
their loss and maintaining existing trees and a riparian corridor
next to creeks to the degree possible. Minimize creek crossings, and
place them only after consideration of the stream features to enable
natural flow.
4.
Design landscaping that uses native
vegetation to reduce the need for irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide.
Select plants appropriate for site conditions for sun, moisture, and
soil type.
5.
Utilize low-impact development to minimize impervious surfaces, see Article
V.
6.
In designing stormwater drainage
facilities, use the following BMPs to improve the water quality of
site drainage and slow the release of water to streams: wet detention
ponds, micro-detention basins, wetlands, rain gardens, vegetative
filter strips and riparian buffers along streams, structural filter
systems, pervious pavement and green (vegetated) roofs. The use of
swales instead of curbs along roads and parking lots is beneficial
to filter pollutants and reduce the volume and rate of stormwater
flow. Fact sheets on stormwater management practices are available
from the Stormwater Manager's Resource Center at the following website:
http://www.stormwatercenter.net
B. Community Programs.
1.
Sponsor activities and annual events
that involve the general public, schools, watershed groups, stream
teams, etc., providing hands-on activities that promote water quality
in their adopted parks and greenways. Typical activities include:
field trips, cleanups, educational programs, restoration projects,
stream monitoring, storm drain marking, and trail projects.
2.
Organize or participate in reforestation
programs, planting native trees to buffer streams, create shade, and
beautify parks. Support community volunteer group efforts in these
programs.
3.
Require pet owners to pick up and
properly dispose of pet waste in parks. Provide pet waste scoop dispensers
and signage in parks to notify visitors of the requirement.
4.
Control wild geese populations near
lakes with "no feeding the geese" signs and ordinances. Other techniques
to control populations include habitat modification by increasing
shoreline vegetation height, scare tactics or relocation.
C. Park/Landscape Maintenance.
1.
Remove litter and debris regularly.
2.
Properly dispose of yard waste, for
example, by composting. Do not dump yard waste into creeks.
3.
Minimize mowing of open space sites,
depending on site objectives.
4.
Mow grass higher and leave grass
clippings on the lawn to retain moisture and provide nutrients.
5.
Remove exotic invasive vegetation
and replace with native plantings as resources are available.
6.
Perform soil tests to determine the
optimum fertilizer application rate.
7.
Apply fertilizer only in cool weather,
preferably fall. Avoid application before a rain, and do not apply
fertilizer at rates higher than indicated in/on label instructions.
Apply slow release fertilizers such as methylene urea, IDBU or resin-coated
fertilizer.
8.
When disturbing land, such as clearing
vegetation and destroying the root zone, employ BMPs for erosion and
sediment control. For details concerning these BMPs, see the SWPPP
link on the following web page: www.stlouisco.com/plan/land_disturbance.html.
9.
All construction or maintenance activities
that excavate in or discharge any dredge or fill material into a "water
of the United States," which includes ditches, creeks, rivers, lakes,
ponds and wetlands, requires a Corps of Engineers 404 permit and a
MDNR 401 water quality certification. Examples of activities that
require a permit include: placing culverts in creeks, constructing
outfalls, and stream restoration activities. See Appendix 5-F1 for a summary of permit requirements.
D. Integrated Pest Management.
1.
Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
techniques to minimize the use of pesticides. Pesticide application
should be timed carefully and combined with other pest management
practices. Pests and their development stage should be identified
accurately and pesticide applications made only when necessary, using
the least amount needed and the least toxic product for adequate pest
control.
2.
Use mechanical controls to keep pests
in check, such as species specific, pheromone based traps. Remove
pests by hand. Eliminate conditions favorable to pests and place barriers
to control pests and weeds.
3.
Use natural, biological controls,
when feasible, including natural enemies of pests, such as: predators,
parasites, pathogens, pheromones, and juvenile hormones.
4.
Reduce the risk of West Nile Virus
by reducing stagnant water (mosquito breeding grounds) caused by cans,
containers and tires present in litter and junk piles. Keeping stormwater
drainage gutters and drains clean will also reduce conditions suitable
for mosquito breeding. Refer to MU Extension IPM Guides at: http://ipm.missouri.edu/ipmresources.htm.
5.
Minimize the use of herbicides through
an integrated pest management techniques for weed control. This includes
practices that keep plants healthy, such as selecting disease- and
pest-resistant varieties and maintaining good growing conditions.
For turf grass, prevention of weed infestation begins with practices
to promote healthy grass through proper planting, watering, fertilizing,
mowing, aerification, and thatch
control. Refer to MU Extension Publication IPM1009: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/mx399.
E. Pesticide/Herbicide Use.
1.
When pesticide or herbicide use is
required, select pesticides carefully, avoiding highly water soluble
and very environmentally stable products to minimize potential for
leaching from soils into waterways. Environmentally friendly products
readily degrade in the environment and/or bind to soil particles.
2.
Consider the vulnerability of the
area in which pesticides are applied, avoiding areas with streams,
ponds, sinkholes or wells. Sinkholes are an environmentally sensitive
area because they allow surface water to reach groundwater quickly
with little natural soil filtering.
3.
Apply pesticides when the target
pest is at its most vulnerable life stage, and use site specific rather
than wholesale application.
4.
Read pesticide labels carefully for
information and restrictions about the rate, timing, and placement
of the pesticide in that container.
5.
Calibrate equipment to apply at the
proper rate. Apply when the threat of rain is low to avoid wasting
material and washing pesticide into the waterways.
6.
Carefully calculate how much pesticide
concentrate is needed to treat the specific site with the equipment
being used, to eliminate disposal of excess spray mix.
7.
Store pesticides in their original
containers in a cool, well-ventilated building with a concrete floor.
Handle pesticides carefully to avoid spills.
8.
Dispose of pesticide waste properly,
following label instructions.
[R.O. 1998 § 550.490; Ord. No. 2802 §1, 7-17-2012]
All employees directly involved in
the design, construction and maintenance of landscaping, trails, green
spaces and parks will be trained on the BMPs in this Article. Affected
employees will likely be: facility engineers, park management, equipment
operators, gardeners, laborers, and contract operations providing
these services.