SALEM, OR, November 22, 2010 – DeSantis Landscapes is proud to announce it has been awarded a Grand Award for its work at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center (Kroc Center) in the 2010 Annual Environmental Improvement Awards Program sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET).
The Kroc Center is a 92,000 sq. ft, multi-functional facility located on a ten-acre site in Salem, Oregon. It is on target to receive LEED-Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and was made possible by a large donation from the estate of Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald’s founder, Ray Kroc. Similar centers are being built all over the nation to serve communities that have the greatest need.
Some of the landscape highlights include a 52-zone centrally controlled irrigation system; the Entry Water Feature consisting of 4 boulders weighing 25-40 tons each and designed to mimic a Northwest forest; bioswales throughout the site to slow and filter stormwater before it enters the sewer system; a Prayer Garden with decomposed granite surface, surrounding trellis, and a mortared stack water feature; and nearly 100,000 sq. ft. of lawn area and 35,000 plants and trees.
“It was a real honor to be involved in the Kroc Center project,” says Dean DeSantis, President of DeSantis Landscapes, “we’ve been in business for 36 years in Salem and to see a project of this caliber come to our hometown it was very special.”
Major Donna Ames, the Executive Director of the Kroc Center commented, “The team from DeSantis Landscapes showed why they are the premier landscape company in Oregon. They were professional, talented and just a great partner to have involved in this project. It doesn’t surprise me at all that they’ve earned a national award for their work!”
PLANET’s Environmental Improvement Awards Program reflects the association’s commitment to creating and preserving the beauty of our landscape. The program is designed to reward independent landscape, lawn care, and interior plant scaping professionals who execute superior projects. PLANET strives to increase public awareness of environmental improvement through contracted landscaping, lawn care, and interior plant scaping and encourages the consistent use of quality materials and workmanship.
About DeSantis Landscapes: DeSantis Landscapes is a family-owned, nationally recognized landscape design, build and maintenance company with offices in Salem and Oregon City. The company’s award-winning services have been enjoyed by clients throughout the Willamette Valley and beyond since 1974. Its landscape projects range from commercial properties to large private estates, to the most intimate residential gardens. In all cases, DeSantis creates balanced environments of extraordinary beauty and functionality.