SLR wins ACEC-NH Silver Engineering Excellence Award for development of Patricia T. Russell Park in Keene, NH

SLR has been honored by the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Hampshire (ACEC-NH) with a Silver Engineering Excellence Award in Water Resources for our work performed at the Patricia T. Russell Park in Keene, NH.

We are grateful for the opportunity to showcase so many of our extraordinary practices working together (landscape architecture, water resources engineering, civil and structural engineering) to create a new and exciting greenspace for the townspeople of Keene, NH to appreciate.

About 2024 ACEC-NH Engineering Excellence Award Winner Patricia T. Russell Park

In 2020, the city hired SLR to transform the 6-acre Russell Park (formerly Carpenter Street Field) into a community destination. Design priorities included: creating accessible and equitable opportunities for residents of all ages and abilities, incorporating fundamental ideas that aim to reduce obesity, lower blood pressure, increase physical activity, create multigenerational play and social engagement, and reduce crime and juvenile delinquency through program opportunities. SLR’s plan focused on the three pillars set forth by the National Recreation and Parks Association: health and wellness; environment; and conservation; and incorporated four key components of New Hampshire’s State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP): connectivity to the outdoors; consistent stewardship and conservation; economic vitality; and education, ethics and benefits.

SLR designed a robust outreach process to engage a wide spectrum of local voices in Keene, NH to ensure that the new park met the needs of the community.

The design team designed passive and active spaces throughout the park to accommodate a range of users with ADA accessible sidewalks and multi-aged accessible playgrounds.

In addition to the park and trails, SLR also addressed stormwater issues in the area, preventing the park (which sits almost entirely on a 100-year floodplain) from being inundated with water during heavy rainfall. The team designed rainwater infiltration gardens for the parking lots to capture and treat sheet flow from the asphalt and implemented a wetland protection and restoration measures to prevent the nearby water source, Beaver Brooke from excessive erosion and being subject to additional pollution sources.

The park was completed in November 2023 and now will provide the townspeople of Keene, NH a community recreation for decades to come.

To learn more about the Patricia T. Russell Park, click here.