Kerr Landscaping and Maintenance Inc. of Altoona was honored during Hardscape North America’s award ceremony at the Kentucky Exposition Center for the Best Commercial Retaining Wall.

“I am very humbled, it is pretty amazing, we competed against people from all over the United States and Canada,” said Richard Kerr Jr., Kerr president. “We’ve done big projects like the retaining wall at Logan Towne Center, but nothing to this magnitude. We have been in business for 35 years. This is the biggest award we have won. To have a little town like Altoona to be recognized on a national level is pretty amazing.”

“The Garden of the Empty Tomb,” is the latest addition to the Alto-Reste Park and has been recognized as the first cremation park in Pennsylvania.

The original plan called for temporary walls that would be removed and reinstalled in different phases over the next 15 to 20 year, according to a post on Kerr’s Facebook page. The final product ended up being more cost-effective in the long term.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Kerr Landscaping President Richard Kerr Jr. (left) and Alto-Reste general manager Geoff Behrens stand in “The Garden of the Empty Tomb” with Kerr’s award for Best Commercial Retaining Wall.

The application for the award was submitted by Gerry Garcia, business consultant for project and construction strategy for Rosetta Hardscapes, which partnered with R.I. Lampus to provide the Outcropping wall material.

“I knew the Kerr installation at Alto-Reste had to be a top priority, I was ecstatic to hear Kerr be named the winner,” Garcia said. “I am very honored to have played a very small role in seeing this project evolve from a conceptual plan to its current state and to have the project recognized as the best in the industry. Seeing the Kerr team’s jubilation after receiving the award was inspirational and a testament to their pride in their work and efforts.”

“The Garden of the Empty Tomb project is an excellent example of a precast concrete retaining wall. The design harmonizes beautifully with the site, and the selected colors, curves, and wall endings are truly well-executed. Kerr’s work has brought this remarkable project to life, perfectly aligning with the site’s characteristics and requirements,” said Gabriela Mariscal, one of the judges.

The project was the idea of Geoff Behrens, Alto-Reste general manager.

He said he started doing research for the project in 2016. Construction began in early 2019, was delayed by COVID, and completed in October 2020.

“It is a garden designed for those who choose cremation. We saw a need, cremations have grown over the last 25 years. Cremation customers wanted something different and unique to them,” Behrens said. “The goal was to have this look like Jesus’ tomb — there is a stone rolled away — and to make the wall look like ancient Israel. We went back and forth on options. Rich gave it the feel of the empty tomb Jesus was laid in.”

Behrens said there are 12 monoliths, which symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel, and columbariums in the 325-foot-long wall where people can be laid to rest. He said there are 572 spaces in the initial phase on one acre. The foundation is down for the next phase, which will add an additional 300 spaces.

“When we get to the end, there will be about 2,500 spaces and we will build another retaining wall behind it down the road. The time frame depends on the need. The plans are in place to do it,” Behrens said.

Behrens is ecstatic about the project.

“It is absolutely gorgeous, it is the biggest thing I will ever do here,” he said. “We have sold about 30 percent of the available spaces in the garden. It has been received extremely well. It cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to build.”

R.I. Lampus Company is the manufacturer of the material, which was purchased through Ollinger Brothers Inc., Behrens said.

Garcia said the Outcropping wall system product line is the foundation of Rosetta Hardscapes.

“The Outcropping Wall system is truly unique, with a well-balanced combination of replicating natural stone’s beauty and the installation efficiencies of precast concrete products. Unlike many precast retaining wall systems, the Outcropping Wall system comprises 12 unique shapes that range in block heights and lengths,” Garcia said. “When the wall system was first created, the texture of each block was taken directly off natural stone pieces, and the master molds were meticulously crafted by hand. Its large scale and irregular shapes provide the impression of large natural stones while it can be installed safely in about half the time of a natural stone wall.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.