Pain in the Grass

A Minneapolis city inspector noticed the grass around a local YWCA looked a lot higher than the 8-inch maximum allowed by city code. But that inspector didn't notice a large sign saying the grass was a man-made prairie full of native species created as a teaching device. The firm he hired to mow the lawn didn't see the sign, reading "Why Don't We Mow?" in large letters, either. In approximately 15 minutes, five years worth of work, for which the YWCA had a city permit, was chopped to shreds. The city inspector's office said they sent out notices before cutting the grass, but those notices were sent to a nearby school, not the YWCA. A landscape architect says the prairie may have to be reseeded.