Landscaping crews race against weather to restore Liberty Memorial’s lawn

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - You may have noticed that, after hosting hundreds of thousands of people for the NFL Draft, the lawn at Liberty Memorial has looked downtrodden in places.

The landmark is just over two weeks away from hosting a large crowd once again for Celebration at the Station.

Maintaining that lawn is a labor of love for Chris Johnson, the landscaper who has been working on the property for more than a decade.

Johnson owns CMJ Lawn and Landscaping, which has had a busy spring keeping up with maintenance on the north and south lawns.

After the Super Bowl parade and celebration, Johnson’s teams worked quickly to reseed and restore the turf before the NFL Draft.

“We worked our tails off for 37 days, rolled out of here six hours before the Draft started,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the NFL crews in Kansas City were careful to minimize damage during the setup. But, there are still holes to fill and bare patches left from risers, ramps, tents and the immense foot traffic. On Friday, he and his workers were hurrying to reseed several spots before the rain moved in.

“Mother Nature plays a huge role in this,” he said.

Visitors at the memorial noticed the work he and his crews had been doing.

“It’s a good problem to have because of what the Draft did for the city,” said Corey Pitts, who was walking through the grounds with his friends.

After Memorial Day, Johnson and his workers will hit the sod again. That time, it’ll be to renew the grass in time for Fourth of July celebrations.

“It’s a special honor to provide the work for the museum and for Kansas City,” Johnson said.

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