To the Agness family and friends and all the Landscape Architecture friends and acquaintances at St. Paul Parks & Recreation,
I’m saddened to hear the news that Tim Agness passed Dec. 20th.
As a beginning level landscape designer at Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, 1979 to 1982, Tim Agness was my direct supervisor for 2 ½ years. Under Tim's supervision, I completed Upper and Lower Hidden Falls Parks, some preliminary work at Harriet Island and three neighborhood parks. Much of this work is still intact.
I have many memories of Tim, the most dramatic was each morning when he walked in I said “Good Morning!” and he always said “What’s so good about it!” in his best scrooge voice. He just smiled. Two years after I left St. Paul, he said he had a hernia operation and that he had the hernia the whole time I worked there. Go figure. He had a powerful personality and some of us were a bit scared of him.
As a Landscape Architect, his understanding of professional practice was unmatched. He taught me everything to know about specification writing, contract writing, contract administration, behavior when dealing with contractors and consultants, even down to the correct language such as; the Contractor “Shall”and the Owner “Will”. He explained why language was so important. What you could say and what you should not say to a contractor. Never suggest how a contractor should do construction, in the specs., on the drawings, in field discussions, etc., as that was their responsibility to figure out. When submittals came in he would explain what to look for, what not to approve and why. Invoices from the contractor came in with percentage completion, volume of materials, etc., and he reviewed and taught me how to determine if their invoicing actually matched where they were in the process. I know this professional practice knowledge is hard to come by when projects move so quickly and there are no budgets to cover the education necessary to pass on this level of knowledge, but Tim had a way of conveying his knowledge briefly and to the point, so I could learn and still be efficient. This was one of the most important things Tim passed on to me, and I’ve quoted him through the years to young Landscape Architecture stall that have come and gone through MPA Design.
For years after I left St. Paul Parks & Rec., I meet up with Tim at ASLA Annual Conferences and we talked over the early days when we worked together. I let him know the impact he had on me, how it made passing the LA exam in MN and CA easier. I believe others who worked with him also benefited from his knowledge.
He was a good friend and mentor, and I’m lucky to have known him.
David W. Nelson ASLA, LEED AP
Principal
MPA Design
San Francisco
David Nelson - Monday December 23, 2019 via Condolence Message