The patch of grass in front of the Cranbrook Curling Centre was still green this July, but its location in the middle of Cranbrook’s largest parking lot, lining the sidewalk of a building that gets little summer traffic, loaned it a somewhat pathetic appearance.

The space cried out for a low maintenance but attractive solution that would look great no matter the season.

Local company Treadstone Eco Solutions offered an alternative that’s new to western Canada but old hat in most of the world.  They suggested the space be updated with the installation of a Stabilized surface and decorative rock work.

Stabilizer is an eco-friendly alternative to asphalt, concrete, or in this case, a patchy lawn.  A soil binder derived from rapidly renewable organic materials, Stabilizer has been in use for over thirty years in the USA and Eastern Canada.

It is mixed with crushed rock then watered and compacted.  The resulting surface is more natural than asphalt or concrete but harder than gravel.  It’s solid enough for wheelchair and bicycle traffic, decorative enough for hardscaping a landscape project and strong enough for a driveway.

It’s all natural, permeable and doesn’t hold heat.  This makes it ideal for public spaces that get a lot of foot traffic.

Westrim Contracting installed the Stabilized surface and did the rock work for this project.  The curling club plans to have flowers planted out front and the place looking top notch prior to the Grand Slam of Curling this November.