Fiscal Note
No appropriation required.
Title
Commending Nancy Ragland for her service to the City of Madison as Director of Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
Body
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland began her permanent career of public service with the City of Madison parks on January 1, 1976; and
WHEREAS, for a number of years, Nancy Ragland was a Landscape Architect in park planning and during this time she worked to make parking lots more environmentally friendly with appropriate landscaping; and
WHEREAS, while a park planner, Nancy Ragland was able to design some of the early Olbrich gardens, including the old Rose Garden, the Rock Garden, and the Herb Garden; and
WHEREAS, on May 4, 1987, Nancy Ragland became the manager of the Olbrich Botanical Center and Gardens, and now after 30 years with the City of Madison she is retiring and it is appropriate to recognize her many public accomplishments; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland has successfully cherished the legacy and dream of Michael Olbrich, who secured the lands for the Gardens, as a place where all are welcomed to this wonderful public park and garden for their enjoyment; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland has built partnerships with the many garden clubs and societies that make fruitful use of the Botanical Center and has built further partnerships with area businesses, community, and neighborhood groups; and
WHEREAS, during Nancy Ragland's leadership, membership in the Olbrich Botanical Society has grown to 5,000, and partnerships she built were key to the growth and sustenance of the Gardens; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland looked to the future of the gardens with the campaign for the Bolz Conservatory and new Botanical Center and opened them in 1991; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland's then helped build the Sunken Garden, the new Perennial Garden, the Wildflower Garden, and the Donors Arbor; and
WHEREAS, the long-term future of the Gardens was secured with the acquisition of the Garver Building and lands, thereby doubling the acreage for the Gardens; and
WHEREAS, a new partnership with the University of Wisconsin and the City of Madison resulted in the creation of the Thai Pavilion and Garden; and
WHEREAS, most recently, Nancy Ragland saw the completion of the new, innovative Rose Garden, and the creation of the Olbrich Foundation during her tenure provided for the long-term stewardship of the Gardens; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland always saw that the Gardens were more than beauty and that they were indeed a teaching resource, and she encouraged professional development for the staff so their learning became a shared knowledge for the community; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland nourished the education program, which in the last year had over 4,600 students participating, and remembering her own student days as a park intern, she developed an intern program for Olbrich, which enriches the gardens and provides talent for the future; and
WHEREAS, the quarter million annual attendees at the Gardens come to an experience that offers many rewards; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland has always ensured the Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Bolz Conservatory were locally treasured, and her leadership has meant that they also have been nationally recognized -- from Horticulture Magazine's listing of 10 gardens that inspire, to inclusion in Anne Cunningham's Crystal Palaces, and HGTV's Flower Gardening: Bring Home the Secrets of Great Gardens, accolades have almost become commonplace; and
WHEREAS, this was capped in 2005 when the American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta named Olbrich its Garden of Excellence; and
WHEREAS, Nancy Ragland is among the first to recognize the efforts of her staff and the 700 volunteers in these accomplishments, but her leadership guides the effort and makes it all work for the citizens of Madison and the many regional and national visitors;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE MAYOR AND COMMON COUNCIL do hereby offer, on behalf of the City of Madison and her many admirers, great thanks and appreciation for the public service of Nancy Ragland and her special nourishing of the Olbrich Botanical Gardens on the occasion of her retirement and wish her well in her planned future as a volunteer for the Gardens.