Our June 2026 Update

Happy Summer!

We're excited to share a few highlights of our efforts this past month to beautify downtown Rochester.

One of the more exciting projects was landscaping both sides of the St. Paul entrance to the Transit Center. This was an idea we've been pursuing for several years, and we finally partnered with RTS to make it reality.

Despite several obstacles, including severe winds, we were able to plant a variety of carefully chosen native perennials that will return every year to warmly greet tens of thousands of riders.

And if all goes well, the plan is to do the same at the Clinton entrance next year!

Click the image for more pics from this project

Continuing the theme of planting hardy, sustainable flowers, we took the same approach with last week's expansion of the Midge Thomas Community Garden at the entrance to St. Joseph's Park.

Thanks to a generous donation of perennials from The Garden Factory, we were able to DOUBLE the footprint of the original garden in honor of Midge's "Heavenly 100th".

As you can see in the before-and-after picture below, these two gardens now form a dramatic entrance into the park and have helped transform the corner of Clinton and Pleasant.

Less than one year ago, the idea to build a garden in honor of Midge's 99th birthday was still just a dream. We hadn't officially identified a location, and weren't yet sure how it would be funded. We certainly didn't envision the possibility of TWO gardens at one of downtown's more challenging intersections.

But thanks in large part to the incredible generosity of KD The Boulder Company, who donated the installation of both raised boulder beds, these gardens now stand as a lasting tribute to Midge, as well as a symbol of revitalization and rebirth for downtown's St. Joseph's Park Neighborhood.

The Midge Thomas Community Garden Gardens!

And speaking of neighborhoods, we've made our first foray into The St. Paul Quarter, where we repurposed 6 concrete planters recently decommissioned by the City.

The planters, over 1,000 pounds each, were destined for the scrap heap. However, in the spirit of collaboration, the Department of Environmental Services graciously agreed to recover and move the planters to their new homes, where we will care for them moving forward.

The planters have gone over so well that we're now looking at placing 4 more along this vital and vibrant stretch of St. Paul between Andrews and the Inner Loop 🤞🏻

Click the image for more pics from this project

So it was truly a successful and rewarding June, as we pursued our mission to bring vibrancy to every corner of downtown.

Many thanks to our supporters who have donated plants, joined us in litter cleanups, helped water or weed our seven(!) gardens and 53 planters, or otherwise donated their time, talent or treasure.

You have inspired us to keep driving forward with even more gusto! 😎

A look at a few more of this month's projects

Well that's it for now. We appreciate you checking out what we've been up to.

We've got even more beautification projects lined up for July, so follow along on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

In the meantime, remember... Every day is an opportunity to make our city just a little bit better.

Gratefully,

-Mike & Tina Gilbert

Please consider becoming a Downtown ROCstar by supporting our efforts with a tax-deductible gift. Every dollar is invested directly into placemaking projects that enhance our center city.