Robert Piram fondly remembered

Longtime Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Director Robert "Bob" Piram is fondly remembered as a leader who loved new ideas.

Among those who praise him for his expansion of the city's recreational and environmental programs, we at Great River Greening are indebted to him as one of original members of the steering committee that started the Greening project in 1995 and helped to incorporate the nonprofit in 1999. Piram was also a critic of practices that did not protect water quality, and he served on the board of the Capitol Region Watershed District when he retired. Piram died on September 14, 2013 at age 74, and we celebrate all that he did for parks and open space.