Compromise Language for HB3182

On January 25th, a meeting was held to discuss changes to the current language of this bill. As a result of this meeting the following compromise language was accepted by Laura Kuhn of the APLDNE and Heidi Kost-Gross of NELDHA.

The language:

“Nothing contained in the foregoing as amended shall be construed as constituting regulation and/or oversight of any designated firms or identified professional services. The amended sections shall apply to the procurement of services and the allocation of said services by agencies of the Commonwealth identified herein.”

Although this language does not specifically address the landscape design profession, The Underground has accepted this language based on its acceptance by APLD and NELDHA.

Thank you to Susan Tuttle and The Massachusetts Horticultural Society

We would like to express our sincere thanks to Susan Tuttle for making arrangements for our January program to be held at The Massachusetts Horticultural Society's Elm Bank. Susan has helped our organization over several years and has been a supporter of The Underground as a steering member-at-large and now as our newly elected secretary. She continues to volunteer at programs by helping with registration, setup and numerous other tasks.

We also would like to thank The Massachusetts Horticultural Society for providing their wonderful facilities for our program "Landscape Contractor and Designer Relations".

Landscape Contractor and Designer Relations

The "Landscape Contractor and Designer Relations" program showed you how you could improve your relationships with your contractor or designer. This program discussed the major components for an ideal designer - contractor relationship. Attendees were asked to come to this program prepared to ask questions of our panelists.

Our guest panelists included:
Jay Bearfield, Liquid Landscape Designs, Carlisle, MA
Carolyn Carleton, Outdoor Design, Inc., Southborough, MA
Ed Coykendall, Landscape Artisans, Shirley, MA

Landscape professionals, in their quest to build and design things, sometimes fall short in building relationships. Designers and contractors can find themselves competing for control and the good favor of a project owner. Although some rivalry is expected, we know that too much tension can turn what should be a collaborative relationship into an adverse one – perhaps delaying a project or driving up its costs. Why do contractors and designers clash in some cases, but not in others? Can conflict be avoided? Or, is a little tug-of-war important to building the best project possible for the client? This program explored the answers to these questions and more.

Our panel of landscape contractors discussed the issues that have faced them in working with designers and architects. They answered questions that you had about specific areas of concern – from pricing to change orders to the importance of having a designer on the job or having very specific drawings. They also suggested ways in which we can work more effectively together to produce jobs with fewer change orders and better quality for our clients. Program participants of learned how they could build better relationships.

Jay Bearfield - Is an Internationally Certified Pond Contractor, and owner & lead designer of Liquid Landscape Designs of Carlisle MA. Liquid Landscape Designs, Inc. is a New England-based company that specializes in the residential and commercial aquatic-landscape (aquascape) industry. www.liquidlandscapedesigns.com

Carolyn Carleton - Is the owner of Outdoor Design Inc. of Southborough, MA. In business since 1987, Outdoor Design Inc. has a team of skilled craftsmen, professional masons, site developers, and planting specialists to ensure the highest quality workmanship possible. They perform both residential and commercial property installations throughout New England. www.outdoordesigninc.com

Ed Coykendall - Is the owner of Landscape Artisans of Shirley, MA. In business since 2001, Landscape Artisans specializes in the construction of artisan quality residential landscapes. Their team creates custom landscapes by crafting various media including manufactured pavers, walls, natural stone, wood and plant materials. Their projects deliver high value by turning the clients relationship to the outdoors all within their budget - creating distinctive expressions on the land. Bachelors of Landscape Architecture, Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professional, International Concrete Paver Institute Certified Installer.