Need Ideas to Spruce Up Outdoor Grounds

RTR

Well-known Member
This is sort of tractor related as in I use State Rest Areas when traveling across state lines. Now I ve been tasked at work with managing them. I know a lot of you use them too and I m looking for a low-cost or Zero-cost ideas of sprucing up our grounds to appeal to the public and make it look a little nicer. Our budget really only allows for necessities and it s hard to get much extra. I noticed a little bird house that needs repair and that is along the lines I m looking for. Forgive me if this doesn t belong in this forum, as I didn t know where to put it. We really need an off topic forum/general discussion. So fellow Americans, what would you like to see???
 

Pictures.......
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This would be Alabama. Along I-59, which sees more traffic across country than most routes.
 
(quoted from post at 05:54:53 06/05/19)We really need an off topic forum/general discussion.

Isn't that what the Talers forum is for? It may be called Tractor Tales, but has (OT) in parenthesis, which I take to mean including off-topic, or non-tractor related.
 
Something that often bothers me at government run operations is the lack of attention to little details and maintenance
projects.

Make sure things are in order. Signs straight. Trash cans straight. Light poles straight. Squeeky doors oiled. Wall
displays well organized & up to date and not all faded out. Broken branches cleaned up. Screens repaired. Paint touched
up. Loose door nobs properly repaired. Edge the sidewalks.

I've seen so many displays, exhibits, and someone's great idea at the time fall into disrepair, easily making the place look run
down.

Areas where people cut corners on sidewalks and grass can't grow, suggest filling in these areas with concrete, or, place a bush
or big rock to prevent the short cutting.

All of these don't take much money, just initiative to do.

Thanks for taking this on !
 
As long as it's mowed and well-lit, with clean restrooms... I think that's all that matters.

Outdoor trash cans and picnic tables are nice for some folks - but the few times in my life that I've been on a long road trip, I guess we typically ate a sandwich and some fruit while heading down the road.

To me, a rest area is primarily at "pit stop". LOL
Maybe a quick walk around just to stretch the legs... otherwise, a five minute stop - then hit the road.

For the pretty factor - one could plant some native wild flowers at the edges of the mowed area.
 
SDE .... you're right but I saw a tractor road tour at a roadside rest stop once so RTR is on topic (this time anyways) ..... ha! Seriously though, I wonder why more don't visit the Tales forum. I've started going there, not necessarily for the off topic reason, and there is a LOT of good stuff there, and mostly the same guys for the most part.
 
Take one of the states worn out tractors and park it so the public can touch and see a real tractor. Not just see one on a screen.
 
CLEAN restroom?s count for a whole lot in my
book.as stated; well mowed lawns and no trash on
the ground anywhere. Small gravel looks good in
high traffic areas where people cut across the
grassy areas
 
(quoted from post at 18:49:25 06/05/19) SDE .... you're right but I saw a tractor road tour at a roadside rest stop once so RTR is on topic (this time anyways) ..... ha! Seriously though, I wonder why more don't visit the Tales forum. I've started going there, not necessarily for the off topic reason, and there is a LOT of good stuff there, and mostly the same guys for the most part.

I've not seen that but have seen a classic car "show" once.
 
(quoted from post at 18:58:54 06/05/19) CLEAN restroom?s count for a whole lot in my
book.as stated; well mowed lawns and no trash on
the ground anywhere. Small gravel looks good in
high traffic areas where people cut across the
grassy areas

Thats a good idea, but unfortunately our people would be slinging the small gravel all over the place and on patrons. We need to find some good help as in some retirees that care about taking care of grounds.
 
All of the others that other posters have put in....YES! Early spring in SJ the
Atlantic City Expressway and the Garden State Parkway have a couple of small
tractors with rototillers mounted. About every mile or so they till a bed maybe
three or four passes wide. Then they broadcast wild flower mix of maybe four or
five different typess of wildflowers. Coriopsis comes up first, Blackeyed
Susan, then wild field poppys, and there are a couple of smaller ones that I
don't recognize. Some other beds have a mix of Daffodils in them. Some times
they let the flowers come back the next year by themselves, but they usually
till them up yearly. No mowing till late fall. Beautiful splashes of color
along your drive. The photo shows an under pass where they just threw a bunch
of seed down the embankment. This area looks pretty good.
cvphoto25380.jpg

area was all torn up four years ago and is almost impossible to mow.
 
Well, I see worn grass,(sandy soil?) move in some soil and replant a section or two at a time. Rope it off to keep foot traffic off until it gets established, A few flowering crab apple trees add a lot as do Dogwood trees and Magnolia. Personally, I'd try to stick with native shrubbery. For the sake of upkeep, stay away from such things as forsythia or any bushy shrubbery which only becomes a magnet for windblown trash. The help never seems willing to go "foraging" deep into those things for trash. Simple flower gardens, small in size, 6x12 or so along the paths serve to break up the area some. The pictures show large areas of sameness. That being said, make sure whatever you put keeps interference with mowing to a minimum... no line trimming if possible. Something as simple as a small tree, nothing that will grow too tall, or a medium sized rock serves as a focal point within the garden and will not interfere with mowing.
I worked for 34 years in the State Parks and Forests and like you, had to deal with such things. There are a lot of good books on landscape design available for municipal lands. Worth getting. Keep it simple and keep it simple to maintain. MY 2 cents.
Cal
 
Pressure wash the walkways and trash cans. Maybe paint something on the trash cans. Throw out some wildflower seeds. It can be black oil sunflowers. The ones used in birdfeeders. As mentioned have maintanance crew pay attention and work on loose door handles, blown light bulbs, broken faucets, etc. Little bit of music would be nice. Maybe a tv screen with weather radar.
 
Take one of the states worn out tractors and park it...

Jacksun65,

There actually is an old Farmall (if I remember correctly) on steel displayed at a rest stop in Texas.

It's really rough and rusty, but mostly all there. It's an indoor display, lots of other early farming photos, tools, etc.

Well done and maintained.
 
If there are vending machines, make sure they work, or disable the ones that don't!

Some rest stops have them, and they are notorious for taking your money. It's almost like it's intentional, as there is no recourse, no one there to do refunds.
 
(quoted from post at 19:34:43 06/05/19) Pressure wash the walkways and trash cans. Maybe paint something on the trash cans. Throw out some wildflower seeds. It can be black oil sunflowers. The ones used in birdfeeders. As mentioned have maintanance crew pay attention and work on loose door handles, blown light bulbs, broken faucets, etc. Little bit of music would be nice. Maybe a tv screen with weather radar.

We actually tried the TV with weather feed but the satellite provider would just give us news and weather channels. We had it cut off when all of the workers were found watching tv throughout the day. Ha
 
We actually tried the TV with weather feed but the satellite provider would just give us news and weather channels. We had it cut off when all of the workers were found watching tv throughout the day. Ha

* correction: They would not give us just those channels.
 
Some towns have planted large "Prairie Flower gardens" and smaller "Water gardens" to reduce maintenance costs, especially in hard to mow areas. They are generally well accepted.
 
There are some on here that will pick your posting apart if a tractor is not mentioned, not me. So from now on I will post this type subject when sitting on my farmall H .
 
What about an internet feed of
local/regional weather and traffic? Then
nobody would be watching TV...

I would agree on clean. In my area less
grass would be ideal since we don't get
summer rain. I like shade, whether that
is a tree or roof, gives a nice place to
eat lunch, let the dog stretch all the
legs. Maybe a small dog park? They are
popular in my area. Good vending
machines.
 

Just drive around with a shovel and
bucket and dig flowering weeds.
I like to use spider wart, Tiger lilies ,
iron weed.

There are flowering weeds that love
shade.

You may want to use a tractor to move
dirt, make raised flower beds.
 
How about a dog walk area and have bags available, and a trash can to put them in. Maybe a fenced
area for the dogs to run in, one area for big dogs, and another for small dogs.
 
Ornamental grasses really look nice wherever they are planted. Miscanthus root stock is sterile, so it is not invasive, and makes an
excellent natural wall or border along the property perimeter. It's perennial and gets very tall.
 
If you have room sign off a particular area for dogs to do their business. From your pics I see nothing wrong for a rest area. Keep the bathrooms clean and the litter picked up,maintain the pamphlet rack,just generally keep things spruced up.
We use rest areas 20 minutes to half hour max, don't need to be an utopian garden spot.

Big thing is "POLICE THE TRUCKER BOMBS", you know the plastic soda bottles with the yellow liquid that they like to toss out of the cab as an afterthought!
 
I would just say enough lighting to find your way to the rest room at night and sign enough to know where they are and then to have the doors unlocked so you can get in to use them and enough light to see when you do get in. Other than enough parking. See semis parked along the ramps all the time as not enough parking. and parking for small trucks with trailers of under 30' in length. Automobile area not long enough and truck drivers don't want you parking in the area they need. And room to mamuver to get in or out of the parking spots. To me those are the important reasons for the rest areas to begine with. A nice pig map showing the area around and where you are at.
 

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