Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Mickman Brothers Landscape Designer wins HGTV Landscapers' Challenge!
Anne Marie is featured on the 'Poster of Professionals' for Dakota County Technical Institute's Landscape Design Program from which she graduated in 1988. She has earned the respect and business from her many clients by listening to their ideas and guiding them through the landscape construction process.
Anne Marie has received accolades and recognition from numerous fronts, including earning an MNLA Merit Award, having one of her projects featured on 'Rebecca's Garden' as well as being selected for HGTV's Landscape Challenge show on the HGTV Network in 2006.
Pictures from the HGTV Landscaper's Challenge
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Mickman Brothers installs Target Field irrigation for the Minnesota Twins
A green haven under an open sky
Originally Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2010 by ABC Newspapers |
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
A Minnesota Twins outfielder sprints, then dives to catch a fly ball.
He slides on the grass carpet more real than the Twins have seen at home for almost 30 years. He triumphantly pushes up and hops to his feet, the ball in hand. The crowd, shading their eyes against the sun, go wild when they see that the home team got the out.
This is one of many images Minnesota Twins fans will see this year when the
club moves to Target Field. A Ham Lake company is playing a major role
in keeping the field a vivid green.
Mickman Brothers was the contractor for Target Field irrigation system,
which ultimately cost about $80,000, according to Jeff Sutter, a
Mickman Brothers employee for over 25 years who supervised the
irrigation project.
In its over 30 years of installing irrigation systems for residential
and commercial properties and athletic fields, Mickman Brothers has
worked on larger projects, but nothing as high profile as Target Field,
Sutter said.
“It’s just been a really proud thing to be a part of that whole stadium,” he said.
The system will do more than provide water for the field. Recycled
water will be used to wash seats in the lower half of the first level
of the stadium.
According to Sutter, a cistern under the field will collect water
drainage after it has been treated by a filtration system. This stored
water can be pumped to the whole perimeter of the field.
From here, Sutter said Target Field maintenance crews could hook up to
the system with hoses and wash the lower-level seats. Other seats would
be washed using water from a different system.
Getting it done
Sutter began working on this project during the spring of 2008 after
Georgia-based Fields, Inc. notified Mickman Brothers that it had won
the bid.
The system was installed over a two-month period from late June to late
August 2009 on top of a couple of inches of sand sub-grade and the
field drainage system, according to Sutter.
Placed above the irrigation system was a four-inch layer of pea gravel.
Above this is heat system tubing that will help the grass roots grow at
an optimal rate. Above the heating system is 10 inches of root zone
material, which Sutter said includes 93 percent sand and 7 percent
peat. The Colorado sod is placed on top.
Three days after the irrigation system was in place and the sod was
installed, Sutter said the field started to be watered. The pipes were
drained Dec. 1, 2009 and the system was winterized.
After remaining dormant during the winter, the tarp was taken off and the irrigation system was turned on by Sutter March 12.
Once the tarp was removed, Sutter slowly turned the control valves in a
Target Field control room to gradually fill the pipes with water. As
the pipes filled up, he turned up the pressure to normal operation.
Although the system is up and running, Sutter will not be a stranger to
Target Field’s groundskeeper. He will stop by when the system needs to
be drained before winter and filled before spring.
The groundskeeper is in charge of ongoing maintenance and turning the sprinklers on and off during the season.
Sutter said if they want any modifications done to the system to make
it easier to operate, Mickman Brothers will make the changes.
Entering Target Field
While Sutter had seen the artist renderings of Target Field, nothing
could compare with seeing the structure in person and he said the
public will be very impressed.
“It’s going to be overwhelming when you set foot in there,” he said.
The first game at Target Field will be played by the University of
Minnesota baseball team against Louisiana Tech tomorrow (Saturday,
March 27) at 1:05 p.m. Tickets can only be purchased at Target Field on
the day of the game.
Sutter plans to attend the first pre-season game the Minnesota Twins
play at Target Field Friday, April 2 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
This game starts at 5:10 p.m. and a Saturday, April 3 exhibition game
against the Cardinals starts at 1:10 p.m.
The regular season home opener against the Boston Red Sox is Monday, April 12 at 3:10 p.m.
Copyright 2010 ABC Newspapers
Mickman Brothers taking part in Tree Planting Initiative
Mickman Brothers Conservation Efforts
Posted on April 17, 2008 by abcnewspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
Mickman Brothers of Ham Lake will contribute to the planting of over 45,000 tree seedlings this spring through partnerships with Cub Foods and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
John Mickman, president of Mickman Brothers, told ABC Newspapers that if the company he and his brother Chris Mickman own did not give away these seedlings, nobody else might do it.
“There’s always some kind of reason not to do these kind of things,” John Mickman said. “But as everybody knows, in recent years, our governmental agencies have gotten severe cutbacks in their budgets and much of this work that had been carried out in past years is no longer happening.”
According to John Mickman, his family business will pay for 100 percent of the cost for the DNR to plant 25,000 evergreen trees this spring in Minnesota state parks and state forests in northern Minnesota and at Sand Dunes State Forest in Zimmerman, Minn.
On Saturday, April 19, all Cub Foods will host a kids scavenger hunt from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Once they solve clues on the environment, recycling or food, kids will be led to tree seedlings that they and their parents can plant.
Mickman Brothers and Cub Foods split the cost of 20,000 Black Hills spruce seedlings that will be given away at Cub Foods’ 76 store locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. There are 56 stores in the Twin Cities alone, according to Cub Foods spokeswoman LeeAnn Jorgenson.
This give away honors Earth Day, Jorgenson said, which is next Tuesday, April 22.
John Mickman said Cub Foods has been a loyal customer over the last decade. Mickman Brothers manufactures Christmas wreaths, holiday door swags, centerpieces and garland for Cub Foods.
From April 21-27, Mickman Brothers will give away a total of 500 Black Hills spruce seedlings at its garden center in Ham Lake, which is located on the southwest corner of Highway 65 and Andover Boulevard.
John Mickman said they will give away 50 seedling packages from Monday, April 21 through Friday, April 25 and then give away 125 seedling packages on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27. All seedlings will be given away on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The give away at Mickman Brothers honors Arbor Day on April 25.
John Mickman said he is looking forward to helping the DNR plant the evergreen trees this spring. He has planted trees each year since he was 10 years old. His father in 1960 purchased 500 acres to turn into a Christmas tree farm near Lake George in Oak Grove and the family business expanded to other farms throughout the area.
When Mickman was a young man, he was a commercial fisherman in Alaska where he saw the devastation of the shrimp and king crab fisheries. This peaked his interest in environmental conservation in general.
“When one sees something like that personally, especially when you’re a young person, it makes a big impact,” he said.
Copyright 2008 ABC Newspapers
Wilson Fifth-Graders Learn Natural and Historic Lessons
Wilson fifth-graders learn natural and historic lessons
Originally Posted Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:58 pm by ABC Newspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
If only trees could talk. They would have some amazing stories to tell. For about a week, students at Wilson Elementary in Anoka walked by and touched a dead stump of a red oak tree that had lived through two world wars, women’s suffrage when women got the right to vote, man landing on the moon, 9/11 and much more.
On a Thursday morning last week (Sept. 16), almost 100 fifth-graders witnessed the planting of a tree that is about as old as they are while they heard about the important role they play in the environment and how more people are needed to plant them.
Twenty years from now, the Sienna Glen Maple will be fully grown at 50 to 60 feet tall, said John Mickman, who co-founded Mickman Brothers in Ham Lake with his brother Chris.
Principal Diane Henning said whenever the kids come back to visit, they will feel like they were a part of something.
“It will help them to have ownership because they’ll be here when it’s happening,” Henning said. “It’s helping them understand that they’re part of the community.
Elementary students from all over the state of Minnesota took some ownership in the planet on the same day. Volunteers from 70 companies associated with the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association visited elementary schools to encourage the youth to plant trees.
This specific initiative is new and called Green for Life. It received the attention of the governor’s office. Gov. Tim Pawlenty drafted a proclamation specifically for this statewide effort.
Besides encouraging environmental friendliness, this was an effort to excite kids about the horticulture industry.
“We felt that at this age none of the kids have a clear idea what they want to be when they grow up,” said John Mickman, who mentioned that two kids came up to him after his presentation and said they wanted to work at Mickman Brothers when they grow up.
Students were not merely bystanders for the 45-minute planting and presentation. While the maple tree was planted, John Mickman talked about all the ways trees help people. They make the air easier to breathe because they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and clean polluted air. The root systems help stabilize soils, which helps with erosion concerns. Trees also serve as a wind break and more appealing noise barrier for humans.
John Mickman has worked closely with over 90 students at Wilson Elementary for the past year ever since the now retired fourth grade teacher Janet Vratkovich contacted Mickman after reading the Mickman Brothers newsletter. The students have visited the Ham Lake businesses garden center and Mickman has taught the students a lot about the industry.
The students, who are now fifth-graders, did not forget John Mickman over summer vacation. When he came to the school last Thursday, they yelled out his name and happily greeted him.
Copyright 2010 ABC Newspapers
Mickman Brothers working on Target Field Irrigation System
Posted on March 25, 2009 by abcnewspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
A handful of Mickman Brothers employees will be installing the
irrigation system at the new Minnesota Twins ballpark this summer.
Around the time the 2008 major league baseball season started, Georgia-based Fields, Inc. informed the Ham Lake company that it won the irrigation bid. The contract amount is presently $59,980, according to Jeff Sutter, project manager for the Target Field irrigation project.
Irrigating athletic fields is nothing new for Mickman Brothers. The company has worked on irrigation systems for residential and commercial properties and athletic fields for over 30 years.
Sutter has 25 years of experience with Mickman Brothers. Mike Kaupp, the superintendent for the Target Field project that will include three other Mickman Brothers workers, has worked for Mickman Brothers for 15 years.
Sutter said Mickman Brothers has installed irrigation systems for Eagan High School, Rogers High School, the Anoka-Hennepin School District and the Elk River School District. It worked on the first phase of the National Sports Center project in Blaine, installing irrigation systems for the stadium and some of the surrounding soccer fields.
“It’s really an honor,” Sutter said of working on Target Field, which is set to open for the 2010 baseball season.
“We always told ourselves it’s one baseball field,” Sutter said. “It’s not as large of a project, but it is a major league baseball field. It’s about as high of a profile project as you can have.”
Trenches will not be dug for the irrigation pipes, Sutter said. Instead, the pipes will be placed on a sub-grade, 10-inches of soil will be placed on top of this and then the grass for the field, which was grown off-site last summer, will be placed on top of the soil.
A heating system to keep the roots growing at an optimal rate before next winter and a drainage system will be installed in coordination with the irrigation system, Sutter said.
There will be no pressurized pipes under the field because of the way the irrigation system is designed, Sutter said.
Typically control valves are buried in the field in valve boxes. At Target Field, the control valves will be located within an irrigation room inside the stadium. Servicing the valves will be much easier because they will not be buried, Sutter said.
A technology called smart irrigation controllers can measure rain, high winds and low temperatures to determine when a field or yard needs to be irrigated. This encourages water conservation because people are not always around to monitor their sprinklers or they may under-water or over-water their grass.
“It’s the future of irrigation,” Sutter said.
Smart irrigation controllers technology has been around for many years, but the expense was high enough that initially it was found on larger projects such as golf courses. It has become more common for housing projects, city parks and businesses because it is more affordable than it was in the past, Sutter said.
Target Field’s irrigation system will not include this technology, however, because a groundskeeper will be responsible for monitoring the irrigation system, Sutter said.
Copyright 2009 ABC Newspapers
by Eric Hagen
Staff writer
A handful of Mickman Brothers employees will be installing the
irrigation system at the new Minnesota Twins ballpark this summer.
Around the time the 2008 major league baseball season started, Georgia-based Fields, Inc. informed the Ham Lake company that it won the irrigation bid. The contract amount is presently $59,980, according to Jeff Sutter, project manager for the Target Field irrigation project.
Irrigating athletic fields is nothing new for Mickman Brothers. The company has worked on irrigation systems for residential and commercial properties and athletic fields for over 30 years.
Sutter has 25 years of experience with Mickman Brothers. Mike Kaupp, the superintendent for the Target Field project that will include three other Mickman Brothers workers, has worked for Mickman Brothers for 15 years.
Sutter said Mickman Brothers has installed irrigation systems for Eagan High School, Rogers High School, the Anoka-Hennepin School District and the Elk River School District. It worked on the first phase of the National Sports Center project in Blaine, installing irrigation systems for the stadium and some of the surrounding soccer fields.
“It’s really an honor,” Sutter said of working on Target Field, which is set to open for the 2010 baseball season.
“We always told ourselves it’s one baseball field,” Sutter said. “It’s not as large of a project, but it is a major league baseball field. It’s about as high of a profile project as you can have.”
Trenches will not be dug for the irrigation pipes, Sutter said. Instead, the pipes will be placed on a sub-grade, 10-inches of soil will be placed on top of this and then the grass for the field, which was grown off-site last summer, will be placed on top of the soil.
A heating system to keep the roots growing at an optimal rate before next winter and a drainage system will be installed in coordination with the irrigation system, Sutter said.
There will be no pressurized pipes under the field because of the way the irrigation system is designed, Sutter said.
Typically control valves are buried in the field in valve boxes. At Target Field, the control valves will be located within an irrigation room inside the stadium. Servicing the valves will be much easier because they will not be buried, Sutter said.
A technology called smart irrigation controllers can measure rain, high winds and low temperatures to determine when a field or yard needs to be irrigated. This encourages water conservation because people are not always around to monitor their sprinklers or they may under-water or over-water their grass.
“It’s the future of irrigation,” Sutter said.
Smart irrigation controllers technology has been around for many years, but the expense was high enough that initially it was found on larger projects such as golf courses. It has become more common for housing projects, city parks and businesses because it is more affordable than it was in the past, Sutter said.
Target Field’s irrigation system will not include this technology, however, because a groundskeeper will be responsible for monitoring the irrigation system, Sutter said.
Copyright 2009 ABC Newspapers
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