Putting Green planting trees

Ceremony symbolizes breaking ground for environmental park

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- "When Dr. (Laurel) Gamm first told me about her idea for an environmental mini-golf park, I thought it was the most preposterous idea I'd ever heard. Now, today, five years later, we're now breaking ground for that 'most preposterous idea,'" Mayor Joel Albrecht said, during a ceremony on the site of the future Putting Green Environmental Adventure Park Saturday.

As a light rain fell, the Original German Band of New Ulm, 15 members strong, played, a group of consisting of Putting Green, Inc. Executive Director Laurel Gamm, youth, board members and Chamber of Commerce Welcome Committee members put the finishing touches on the planting of three trees to symbolize breaking ground for the project's first nine holes.

"The best part is there will be work going on this site starting this week. That's really exciting," Gamm told the small crowd that had gathered at the site to celebrate the event.

In the background, there were the basket and the hot-air balloon itself for which a raffle was held to see who would win a ride in it. However, the weather limited the event to a demonstration of filling the balloon with hot air.

The three trees planted Saturday are all native to Minnesota, Catherine Fouchi, Putting Green, Inc. chair, said. She identified the trees as being a nannyberry, red maple and highbush cranberry.

One of the onlookers was Gary Hittle of Waconia, the landscape architect who is overseeing the park's landscaping.

"It's everything the mayor said it was. When I first came on board, it was a wonderful, crazy idea, and now it's all come together," Hittle said, with a touch of wonderment in his voice.

"I've never seen anything as enthusiastic as Laurel is. She's made it all happen."

For now, all the organization's efforts are being focused on getting the first nine environmental-learning holes up and running, Gamm said. Putting Green's headquarters has been moved to the first floor of the Grand Hotel where some of the elements of the future environmental center can be displayed.