Making the Greenways What Greenways Should Be, Together

Ben Grossman, Vice President of Greenway Operations

With 135 miles (and counting) of greenways interconnecting our St. Louis region, keeping those spaces clean, functional, and accessible for our community is a significant undertaking which involves non-stop collaboration between municipalities, counties, private stakeholders, and hundreds of individuals. While our main charge is to build the network of greenways, hundreds of partners take on the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the greenways once they’re built. As Vice President of Greenway Operations at Great Rivers Greenway, it’s the job of my team to direct this incredible orchestra and ensure greenway users can have the same high-quality experience each time they visit the network. We work collaboratively with our partners day in and day out to make good on our promise to the community; to provide a space everyone can feel comfortable enjoying.

Planning For Success

Because the greenways cross back and forth over neighborhood, ward, city and county jurisdictions from the Chain of Rocks Park to Meramec Greenway to the Main Streets of St. Charles and beyond, a major element of our role is working with different partners during the greenway planning process to understand what parts of the long-term care they have the capacity to undertake and where GRG may need to step in to support. Two of the most significant tools we’ve developed to support our partners are the cost and care guidelines, detailing the forecasted capital and physical upkeep commitments greenways will require over time to maintain the quality our community has come to expect.

These guidelines were developed with input from the entire agency and select partners to establish standards of what the community deserves. You expect the grass to be mowed, the plants to be in good health, and litter to be in the trash can. By setting that standard, we can develop a baseline of what the cost is to consistently meet this standard of care and the hours a week, a month, a year required to achieve it. As a maintenance plan, it provides a timetable to know when elements are reaching the expected end of their lifespan, a roadmap to the regular maintenance schedule, and more for groups less versed in the long-term operational needs of a greenway.

Additionally, we have developed proprietary computer software that allows us to leverage and share data over time to produce more accurate forecasts on the capital and labor costs to come. In turn, it helps us better inform new and existing partners about future needs and maintenance trends.

Communal Knowledge

Another way we work to support our partner groups is through training sessions hosted throughout the year. We can share our expertise or bring in other experts on subjects such as stormwater management, native plant care, rain garden design, and more depending on the season and needs of our partners. These workshops, which rarely have open seats, help empower our partners to operate their portions of greenways more independently as well as apply their learnings to other areas in their jurisdictions. Just like the greenway network is a resource for the community, my team and I are a resource for our partners. Hundreds of people have participated in our training sessions since we began offering them more than six years ago and we are excited to keep them going.

Network Building

For most in the community, the total mileage of greenways constructed or longest consecutive stretches aren’t top of mind. They are a testament to this agency’s progress since its founding in 2000, but from a holistic stance, they are a measuring stick as we work to establish the network as active transportation choices. We hope that as more greenways are opened with a broader reach, residents and visitors will begin to see the greenways as an alternative to cars in short-distance travel situations.

To be relied upon as a part of community members’ daily lives, GRG needs to affirm confidence that greenways will be consistently accessible. To support this, we have developed a first-of-its-kind inspection program to evaluate the structural integrity of pedestrian bridges on a regular and ongoing basis. The process was developed in partnership with a local engineering firm and several partner agencies. The ongoing inspections have in large part been conducted annually by professional volunteers who have donated their time and expertise to ensure that the nearly 90 pedestrian bridges in the GRG network are fit for their daily visitors. This is another way we’ve taken some of the load from our partners who do day-to-day operations and maintenance.

Be a Part of Something Great

The care and maintenance of our beautiful greenways is something the entire regional community can take pride in and be a part of. There are so many ways to get involved and help care for our greenways including trash/graffiti clean ups, invasive species removal, tree planting, mulching, and so much more. Financial giving through the Great Rivers Greenway Foundation is another great way for individuals and organizations alike to get involved but the most important thing you as a resident can do is to get out and enjoy a greenway. Experience the network for yourself and take advantage of the programming available in your area. The greenways are for everyone, and we hope you find the ones you like best. You can find a map of all the existing greenways and those still to come on our website linked here.