GILFORD, N.H.—Belknap Landscape Co. (BLC) continues a commitment to water quality protection and employee education by achieving an Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) certification. With more than 1,100 members, ICPI provides a broad range of technical, marketing, educational, government relations and communications activities for the interlocking concrete pavement industry.
As an ICPI Member company, BLC continues an active role in the protection of Lakes Region water quality, in this case, by encouraging the use of water-filtering “permeable” interlocking concrete pavements as an environmentally friendly Green technology, providing substantial reductions in polluted stormwater runoff.
“With Lakes Region water quality fueling the economic engine of our region, water quality protection cannot be understated,” says BLC Marketing Manager Dale Squires. “BLC provides site-specific, eco-friendly landcare services, including recommending permeable or porous pavers over nonporous surfaces to provide natural filtration of stormwater before it reaches our streams, lakes and especially drinking water sources. Petrochemicals from vehicles and sediments are naturally filtered by the underlying soils as the water flows through small gaps around each paver, removing containments. That can’t happen with traditional asphalt and concrete pavements. Further, permeable pavers provide a solution to impervious surface restrictions resulting from the NH Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act, often allowing builders, remodelers and property owners to comply with the Act and still build functional water-quality-friendly waterfront homes.”
Permeable paver manufacturer Belgard Hardscapes sponsored the classes resulting in the Certification. Squires identified two instrumental employees within the BLC Construction Division, Operations Manager Mark Smith and Masonry Supervisor Rich DuBreuil as critical to the ICPI Certification accomplishment.
“Mark and Rich well exceeded the minimum installation experience requirements, studied the course material and traveled to the classes, achieving exemplary test scores,” he reports. “The ICPI Certification demonstrates to Lakes Region property owners that Belknap Landscape is a true Certified Permeable Paver Installer.”
