“The way water is handled in towns shows more than the mere technical ingenuity of its ci zens, it refl ects myth and religion and shows the spiritual cons tu on of people living in a water culture.” - Herbert Dreiseitl ng Hill Elementary Rainwater Design New Waterscapes: planning, building 1 and designing with water. Spor i Index

Project Loca on Index i Project Narrative 1 Spor ng Hill Elementary School, Mechanicsburg, Existing Site Hydrology 2 PA Plan Of Proposed Design Areas 3 Hydrologic Areas 4 Process 5.6.7 Dates/ me period pro bono service has been Vegetation + Materials 8.9 Rainwater Area /A/ Front Entry 10.11 provided June 2009 - May 2010 Rainwater Area /B/ Parking Island Garden 12.13 Rainwater Area /C/ Soccer Field Swale 14.15 Rainwater Area /D/ Rainwater Gardens 16.17.18.19 Project Type Rainwater Area /E/ Detention Basin Garden 20.21 Stormwater Management Concept Plan Initial Critique 22

Project Statement This project creates a vision for local stakeholders of a be er approach to handling rainwater in their community: an approach focused on amenity, educa on, and cleaning the watershed. The design concept for the project is unique because it integrates research gathered from an in-depth qualita ve community survey. By engaging the local community in mee ngs and research, the design team hopes the community is compelled to take full ownership of the design proposal. 1 Project Narra ve

Context The purpose of the project is to propose This document was created as a service to Spor ng Hill Elementary School is located in a new stormwater management concept, the Spor ng Hill community. It is intended Mechanisburg, PA, and is part of the Cumberland including design retrofi ts, to replace the exis ng to provide a set of guidelines that create a Valley School District. The school accommodates stormwater management. The specifi c goals of stormwater vision for the site. This document approximately 480 students grades K-5, and the stormwater concept and retrofi ts are to: is a supplement to a larger set of concept and over 30 teachers. The students have access to • Capitalize on the educa on poten al of design development drawings. The inten on of play areas, playground equipment, and adjacent the site by inspiring young water stewards the drawing set is two-fold. First, it is intended sports fi elds. The majority of the site comprises • Implement strategies that improve the to graphically introduce the community to the turf grass fi elds that are graded to direct quality and reduce the quan ty of runoff newly developed stormwater concept for the stormwater runoff into an underground network • Incorporate the community in the design site: providing a guiding vision for the future of of pipes. All of the site’s stormwater travels to process to facilitate community ownership the school’s stormwater management. Second, a large deten on basin where it is held before The dura on of the project has spanned from the the drawings are intended to be passed along to being released downstream. summer of 2009 through the 2010 school year. local contractors who can more fully develop the Over the course of that me, the three involved technical set of construc on documents. Background par es have held mul ple community focus The Spor ng Hill Elementary Rainwater Design groups, conducted a web based survey to gather Future Issues was ini ated by joint eff orts from the Alliance community input, and developed numerous Once the concept drawings have been accepted for the Chesapeake Bay in Camp Hill, PA, the conceptual designs to address the goals of the by the community stakeholders, and the administra on and faculty at the elementary project and the concerns of the community. The construc on documents are produced, the school, and Pennsylvania State University design process incorporated a year’s worth of Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay will con nue professors Eliza Pennypacker and Stuart Echols. itera ve brainstorming - public process - design to pursue funding sources to ensure that the - public process - redesign - redefi ne - design - project is implemented. public process - etc.

Existing detention basin on the site is typical of stormwater management in the region. The basin is highly visible from the school’s entry, and from the adjacent highway. 2 Exis ng Site Hydrology

C E B A D

Direction of stormwater runoff

Existing catch basin

A. Front Entry: Runoff from the school’s C. Soccer Field Swale: Water is conveyed adjacent soccer fi eld is graded to direct storm- roof travels directly from downspouts to the through this swale from the west side of the site water toward the depressions. Once the runoff municipal storm sewer. to the deten on basin on the east side of the site enters the catch basin it is directed to the (area E). deten on basin (area E). B. Parking Island: Runoff from the adjacent parking area is directed to catch basins located D. Stormwater Catch Basins: This area of the E. Deten on Basin: All of the stormwater from along the curbs of the parking island. site consists of three separate depressions with the site ends up in the deten on basin before a catch basin located at the low point. The traveling downstream. 3 Plan Of Proposed Design Areas

C E B A D

Designed areas

A. Front Entry: The downspouts at the front door C. Soccer Field Swale: The fl ow of runoff through E. Deten on Basin Garden: propose that a are to be disconnected from the municipal storm the swale is to be slowed by a series of plan ngs. series of check dams be installed near the sewer. Sea ng would also be added for game viewing. headwall, and the area be planted. These measures are intended to slow down and B. Parking Island Garden: The curbs along the D. Rain Gardens: The curb along the asphalt is disperse the water that enters the deten on parking island are to be cut, and the landscape to be cut, allowing runoff to enter the landscape basin. area within be depressed, allowing runoff from area. Addi onally, exis ng catch basins in the the parking lot to infi ltrate. landscape area need to be raised. 4 Hydrologic Areas

Selec on Criteria Visual Importance The fi ve hydrologic areas were iden fi ed to be One of the major themes of the fi ve proposed addressed using the site grading, drainage, and demonstra on areas is to have the form of stormwater construc on drawings. They were the design accentuate the pathway of the selected for the important roles they contribute stormwater runoff , making it visible and easy to to the exis ng stormwater system. These interpret. By making the stormwater trail visible, proposed areas currently receive large amounts educa onal opportuni es are created that of runoff in storm events. In addi on, all fi ve of can be incorporated into the community and the design areas are highly visible to students classroom curriculum. and visitors at the elementary school. This combina on of hydrologic func on and visibility Educa onal Opportuni es makes them excellent candidates for stormwater The stormwater concept a empts to accentuate management demonstra on. the pathway that stormwater runoff travels across the site. Understanding the way that Hydrologic Importance water moves can increase awareness of The proposed stormwater management areas management issues, and can help to emphasize incorporate best management prac ces (BMPs) the importance of trea ng runoff before sending that are designed to slow down and treat runoff . it downstream. Highligh ng and celebra ng the This goal is accomplished by: movement of water on the site is a microcosm of • Capturing and trea ng the fi rst 1” of how water moves throughout the watershed. By rainfall Allowing infi ltra on and sediment celebra ng the water trail, students can become removal by slowing the fl ow of runoff more aware that the rainwater falling on their • Using the site’s vegeta on to remove school will eventually travel to the Chesapeake water and pollutants from the stormwater Bay. The strategy to capture and treat the fi rst 1” of runoff will result in treatment of approximately 80% of the precipita on events in the region. 5 Process

Community Involvement Integra ng Research and Design This project was facilitated by the Alliance for In addi on to the input gathered from the the Chesapeake Bay (ACB) in Camp Hill, PA. The community focus groups, a web based survey ACB is interested in stormwater demonstra on was conducted by the design team. The goal of projects throughout the region, and the Spor ng the survey was to see what design characteris cs Hill Elementary project has developed from an of stormwater management the community opportunity that was ini ated by the ACB. found to be appealing and unappealing. Par cipants in the survey viewed a series of In addi on to the ACB, administrators, faculty, photographs of stormwater management and staff at Spor ng Hill Elementary school facili es from across the United States. The have been involved in community focus groups. images of aesthe c stormwater facili es were These focus groups have resulted in valuable selected from a compila on of award winning input from community stakeholders which has ar ul stormwater designs. been incorporated into the design. Watershed management is largely a social issue, and by integra ng input from the community, the design team hopes that the community will take ownership of the project. When this is the case, the end result will be more valuable to the municipality, the students and parents, and the school district. This should ul mately help the long term sustainability and maintenance of the installa on. 6 Process

Research Findings In total, 75 respondents took the survey from June - September 2009, this process resulted in approximately 1800 open-ended survey responses concerning the appealing and unappealing characteris cs of stormwater management facili es. The fi ndings were then coded by the design team, and integrated into the design of the Spor ng Hill stormwater concept. The twelve most-grounded appealing and unappealing characteris cs revealed by the survey are displayed here.

Visually Appealing Visually Unappealing Vegetation (198) (71) Concrete Use of Stone or Rock (171) (51) Material Choice Natural Appearance (76) (40) Aesthetic Concerns Artistic (69) (36) Planting Design Planting Design (61) (35) Safety Concerns Visible Water Trail (57) (33) Vegetation Contrast of Form or Material (46) (33) Concrete Weirs Curvilinear Lines (43) (30) Maintenance Walls for Retention or Runnels (42) (27) Linear-Right Angles Paving Stones (38) (26) Planter Box/Detention Areas Color (38) (25) Grates Planter Box/Detention Areas (36) (25) Unorganized/Random

The images above right are samples from the original web based survey used to compile data on stormwater aesthetics. Directly to the right are the results of that web based survey. The results have been ethnographically coded. 7

Design Development Sketches Conclusion The sketches demonstrate the evolu on of It is our inten on that the Spor ng the design for the rain garden area. Ini al Hill demonstra on areas will inspire explora ons inves gated the curvilinear manner students, parents, local merchants, and in which water naturally moves. This fl uid mo on became the founda on for the design and municipal offi cials to install management educa onal concept. As the designs evolved, strategies such as disconnected grading and topography considera ons were downspouts and rain gardens at their refi ned, and design characteris cs from the web own houses and businesses. To facilitate based survey were incorporated. this, the materials and stormwater management techniques that are iden fi ed in this report are designed to be transferable to the local community. All fi ve of the proposed design areas incorporate materials and stormwater management strategies that are meant to diff use from the site into the fabric of the community. In addi on to implemen ng the same strategies, the materials pale e is accessible to the local community. Materials such as porous pavers, local cut stones, and the selected plant species, are all readily available to the community. When the design strategies and materials used on the site begin to appear throughout the community, local ci zens will take ownership of the design. This could also serve as an eff ec ve conduit to increasing watershed awareness in the area.

Above are process sketches showing the development of the rain garden. To the far right is a more fi nalized sketch of the same rain garden. 8 Vegeta on + Materials

Incorpora ng Survey Findings The most appealing stormwater characteris c iden fi ed by the web based survey was vegeta on. Therefore, plant species selec on must be given careful considera on. In addi on to looking beau ful, plan ngs need to perform well in the presence of the fl uctua ng water levels typical of stormwater management facili es. Of the many “take-home messages” incorporated into this design, the plan ngs are the most transferable and a ainable to the local community.

Cornus sericea Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Arctic Fire’ Goldsturm Red osier dogwood

Porous paving stone Festuca glauca Echinacea purpurea Blue fescue ‘Kim’s knee-high’ Purple conefl ower

Cut stone seating edges

Sedum ternatum Heliopsis helianthoides Aesthetic Vegetation Woodland stonecrop Oxeye sunfl ower 9

Carpinus caroliniana Betula nigra American hornbeam River birch

Liatris spicata Astilbe Asclepias tuberosa ‘Kobold’ False goat’s beard Butterfl y milkweed Blazing star

Aster novae-angliae Heuchera americana Monarda didyma ‘Purple Dome’ American alumroot Scarlet beebalm New England aster

Lobelia siphilitica Matteuccia pennsylvanica Hemerocallis Blue cardinal fl ower Ostrich fern ‘Stella de oro’ Daylily 10 Rainwater Area /A/ Front Entry

What is it? Importance in design concept? Disconnec ng a downspout means allowing The front entry of the school is considered the the rainwater in the downspout to fl ow across “top of the watershed” in the design concept. the landscape before entering the stormwater It is here at the front door where the school’s management system. A disconnected down- environmental stewardship is put on display. spout is an easy way to fi lter stormwater runoff By disconnec ng the downspout, Spor ng Hill before it enters the municipal storm system. elementary is displaying their commitment to cleaning the watershed and educa ng students How does it work? about the watershed in the process. All visitors Water pours from the downspout over the bird to the school will be greeted by the bird bath bath as depicted in the image below. The water sculpture and any bird wildlife that might be then infi ltrates through the gravel basin, before a racted to it. The sculpture, and disconnected eventually reaching the exis ng storm drain. downspout, are low risk stormwater approaches This process allows removal of some pollutants. that have the poten al to make a large design and environmental statement. A B Cut stone bird bath C

Disconnected downspout

8” River cobble stones

Cut stone edge D E

This diagram shows the fl ow of water through the entire site and how section A is to act as the visually and conceptual headwater for the entire project. Impermeable liner Existing storm drain A Gravel drainage 11

What can I lean from it? The demonstra on of disconnec ng downspouts is an easy prac ce that should diff use to house-holds throughout the community. This BMP represents a take home idea that parents, students, and business owners can transfer to their houses and commercial proper es. In addi on to ar s c demonstra on, disconnected downspouts can be used for rainwater collec on and reuse.

Wildlife That Would Benefi t

American Robin Song Sparrow Barn Swallow Northern Cardinal

Killdeer Blue Jay Chickadee Eastern Bluebird

source: www.identify.whatbird.com A simulation of the sculpture and disconnected downspout at the school’s front entry. 12 Rainwater Area /B/ Parking Island Garden

What is it? How does it work? The bio-reten on area would be very eff ec ve The parking island garden is a proposed bio- As the plan view below illustrates, runoff from at capturing and trea ng the fi rst 1” of reten on area where stormwater runoff from the parking lot would be allowed to enter the precipita on in storm events. This captured the parking lot would be directed. The parking parking island garden by introducing curb cuts “fi rst fl ush” represents approximately 80% of all island is currently a mounded turf area that sits to the exis ng curb. In addi on to curb cuts, the precipita on events throughout the year. In above the fi nished eleva on of the parking lot, the island would have to be dug out to create a addi on, the parking island garden is sensi ve to doing nothing for stormwater management on depression in the parking lot. This depression the exis ng u li es in the island such as ligh ng the site. The proposed garden would be another would create a basin where stormwater could and the fl ag pole. These site elements will easily demonstra on area in close proximity to the be held un l it evaporated. Large amounts of be preserved in the parking island. front door. Special plan ngs would highlight the stormwater would be designed to overfl ow the water trail in the area and make the island more depression, and be safely handled by the exis ng aesthe cally pleasing. In addi on, stormwater catch basins in the area. runoff would be treated as it infi ltrates through the island’s soils and plan ngs.

Cornus sericea ‘Arctic Fire’ Raised drop inlet Festuca glauca Existing fl agpole 8” River cobble stones

Raised drop inlet

Curb cuts Existing lighting Sedum ternatum

B 13

Importance in design concept? What can I learn from it? The parking island garden does contribute The educa onal value of this parking island rain hydrologically to the stormwater management garden is in part its high visibility. The intent is on site by fi ltering and evapotranspiring runoff ; that this highly visible loca on will help inspire however, the real value of the parking island other parking lots in the area to have their garden is how visible it is at the entry to the stormwater managed through bioreten on. school. Similar to the disconnected downspout This project will serve as demonstra on for and sculpture at the front entry, the parking bioreten on techniques, and hopefully local island has a high visual awareness component. governments and commercial developers will see Parents who drop off their kids at the school the hydrologic and aesthe c benefi ts of this type drive through the parking lot every day. This of stormwater bmp. visibility makes the loca on ideal for stormwater demonstra on where hydrologic func on and aesthe c go hand in hand. The parking island garden also sets the precedent for some of the materials that occur repe vely throughout the design. Some of these recuring materials that help reiterate a riverine theme throughout the design include: river cobble stones arranged in a curvilinear manner, and Cornus sericea.

The detail to the left shows a typical bioretention system. The images above demonstrate how a catch basin can be retrofi tted for bioretention and what that system looks like during rainfall. This type of retrofi t is typical of what would be done in the parking island garden. 14 Rainwater Area /C/ Soccer Field Swale

What is it? How does it work? Addi onally, the use of plants and structural A swale is a landscape feature that carries water The soccer fi eld swale does several things: features helps fi lter the sediments and pollutants towards a receiving water body. Swales can be • Conveyance from the water. The sea ng structures suggested natural landscape features, or can be man-made. • Filters conveyed water along the slope serve as slope reinforcement. The swale along the soccer fi eld is a man-made • Slope reinforcement And fi nally, in low-fl ow rain events, the plants feature that conveys the exis ng drainage from • Provides sea ng for events and drainage system help slow the fl ow. the adjacent areas to the lower deten on basin. • Slow fl ow (small rain events) Finally, the combina on of plant and structural The design for the soccier fi eld swale introduces • Aesthe c materials serve the aesthe c preferences of the vegeta on, stone features, and an underdrain This swale con nues as a conveyance public. system. Swales with vegeta on and other mechanism, without signifi cantly aff ec ng the features are referred to as bioswales. rate of fl ow through the swale for larger storms.

8” River cobble stones Cut stone slab edges Boulders

Cornus sericea ‘Arctic Fire’ Festuca glauca Sedum ternatum Though the design continues in length, these lines indicate that the drawing has been cropped to only show a portion of the total design. Raised stone slab seating

C 15

Importance in design concept? What can I learn from it? The soccer fi eld swale is one of the primary Poten al educa onal opportuni es related water trails that contributes to the deten on to the soccer swale include revealing how the basin; the swale receives inputs from several water moves across the site, and the impacts adjacent areas. Due to the swale’s loca on, the of that water. For example, public input noted water trail is highly visible to the public. The that debris and trash might collect in the design. hillside above the swale represents an addi onal This debris collec on provides an excellent opportunity to provide sea ng for spor ng opportunity to teach the students about the events while stabilizing the slope. value of a watershed without trash in the streams and rivers.

Image of the existing swale area, after receiving 2” of precipitation Proposed Soccer Field Swale Detail on January 25, 2010.

Festuca glauca Cornus sericea ‘Arctic Fire’

Landscape edge 8” stone slabs 8” River cobble stones

Geotextile fabric

Compacted fi nes

Impermeable liner

Perforated drain pipe

Dirty compacted 2B stone 16 Rainwater Area /D/ Rainwater Garden

What is it? Importance in design concept? The rainwater gardens are a visual expression This proposed area is important from both a Curb cut Cut sitting stones of the stormwater trail, which u lize exis ng hydrological and educa onal perspec ve. The Stone edging stormwater catch basins to make an aesthe c rainwater gardens are located in between the statement about runoff collec on. The school playground (the asphalt area), and the Pervious pavers rainwater gardens collect runoff from the soccer fi elds. This loca on means that students Pollinator adjacent landscape and asphalt areas, and allow come into contact with this transi on space rain garden that water to infi ltrate into the soils and be on a daily basis. Therefore, it is important evapotranspired by the garden’s plan ngs. In that the stormwater concept in the gardens be addi on to managing stormwater, the rainwater heavily accentuated visually. To achieve this gardens provide an aesthe c experience for materials and design characteris cs iden fi ed students and visitors at the elementary school. by the web-based survey were incorporated The design incorporates sea ng where weekend into the stormwater design. The plan ngs spectators can view soccer games while trees in the rainwater gardens are all aesthe cally provide the area with shading. pleasing species, but they are also comprised Shade of plant selec ons that are well-adapted to the rain garden How does it work? fl uctua ng water levels of rainwater gardens. The curvilinear lines of the design remind The rainwater gardens are constructed around Existing tree three exis ng stormwater drop inlets, located students of the way that water moves through at the center of each garden. The surrounding the landscape. The pathway that stormwater Curb cut landscape is already contoured to direct runoff travels is highlighted visually by the stone edging. to each drop inlet. These drop inlets will be This is an inten onal design strategy that visually raised 4” above the fi nished eleva on of the links the curb cuts with the raised drop inlets landscape to allow water in the gardens to in the middle of each garden. Stone edging is infi ltrate the soils. In addi on, the curb between used to highlight the water trail. The edging the asphalt and garden areas will be cut to allow travels from each curb cut and takes a curvilinear addi onal water from the asphalt to enter. path to the raised drop inlet. There the water The soils in the rainwater gardens will be lled disappears into the inlet, only to re-emerge and broken up to promote infi ltra on. The downstream in the deten on basin garden. Perennial rainwater gardens will capture and treat the This design strategy highlights the connec on rain garden fi rst 1” of rainfall from all precipita on events. between the water traveling from the asphalt This means that approximately 80% of all storm to the drop inlet, and serves as lesson about events in the area will be managed within the stormwater management and the importance of rainwater gardens. Runoff that is not handled trea ng runoff on site. Curb cut by the rainwater gardens will enter the exis ng infrastructure through the raised drop inlets and will be sent to the deten on basin garden. 17

What can I learn from it? This combina on of plants contains tradi onal The planted areas within the rainwater gardens species that community members will recognize, are largely intended to be demonstra on areas and that are well-adapted to the context of for stormwater speci c plan ngs. Each area stormwater management. contains take-home lessons for students and Another integral lesson that the rainwater community members who want to install rain gardens provide is the importance of watershed gardens at their homes. The northern garden is cleanup and stewardship eff orts. This will be the pollinator garden; there, plant species were resonate with students as they help to maintain selected for aesthe cs, insects, and bu er ies. the rain gardens. Inevitably, these depressions The middle garden is the shade garden. There in the landscape will gather li er and debris. plants were selected to demonstrate stormwater Involving the students in the weekly cleanup Above is the current rainwater garden area. management on shady sites. The southern-most would serve a valuable maintenance lesson. Below is the proposed rain garden area looking south at the garden is the showy garden. pollinator garden and curb cut.

D dis in allthree gardens, eachgarden hasitsown While there are somematerials that are present di The rain garden are issubdividedinto three Rainwater Subgarden Plan 18 labeled CC), and perennial gardenare vegetative speciesintended. The trees locatedinthe shade and respective subgardens.It alsohighlightsthe locationand typeof The diagram totheright breaks therainwater gardeninto its garden op crea examples to theirspeci rainwater garden designandapplythese They can thentake homeexamples ofsuccessful ff erent gardens: • Showy Perennial Showy Garden • • Shade Garden • Pollinator Garden nct character andplan Rainwater Area /D/Rainwater Garden ng thesesubgardens, di ons are exhibited to general public. Betula nigra Carpinus caroliniana (River birchlabeled BN). fi c desires/situa ng pale ff erent rainwater (American hornbeam ng Diagram e. By ons.

Perennial Garden Shade Garden Pollinator Garden RFG BN MD RFG CC HH LSK AT HSO A HA LS MP AN EP Existing tree RFG CC CC 19

RFG HSO MD AT

Rudbeckia fulgida Hemerocallis Monarda didyma Asclepias tuberosa Goldsturm ‘Stella de oro’ Scarlet beebalm Butterfl y milkweed Daylily

HA MP A LS

Heuchera americana Matteuccia pennsylvanica Astilbe Lobelia siphilitica American alumroot Ostrich fern False goat’s beard Blue cardinal fl ower

HH AN RFG EP LSK

Heliopsis helianthoides Aster novae-angliae Rudbeckia fulgida Echinacea purpurea Liatris spicata Oxeye sunfl ower ‘Purple Dome’ Goldsturm ‘Kim’s knee-high’ ‘Kobold’ New England aster Purple conefl ower Blazing star 20 Rainwater Area /E/ Deten on Basin Garden

What is it? How does it work? Importance in design concept? The deten on garden is primarily a biodeten on The deten on garden fi lters the water by This garden is important for several reasons. system that is visually reminiscent of a river providing a series of check dams intended to First, it is the terminus of the drainage system delta area. The proposed basin performs the drop the sediment out of the runoff . The main on the site. This causes a substan al amount tradi onal func on of detaining water from water trail comprised of large cobbles further of water to fl ow into and through the basin. storm events, but in addi on this system uses allows sediment to con nue to se le out. The The design exposes this fl owing water, and plants and structural design to con nue the plants in the basin are aesthe cally pleasing, and accentuates it through aesthe c community water fi ltering process. also func on as pollutant-uptake mechanisms. design preferences.

Stone edging

Existing trees

Sedum ternatum Festuca glauca

Echinacea purpurea

Stone check dams Cornus sericea ‘Arctic Fire’ Existing head wall

8” River cobble stones

Rudbeckia goldsturm E 21

The loca on is also of community interest for The image to the right illustrates the stone check dams near the headwall. The check environmental educa on opportuni es. This is dams slow the fl ow of runoff and help to primarily because of its high visibility near the disperse low fl ows into the garden. In low fl ow events, the design acts as a fl ow- entrance to the school but also due to: splitter, dispersing the main fl ow outwards • Terminus of the site’s water from the headwall (blue arrows). This prevents the water from quickly reaching • Water trail the stormwater pipes and overburdening • Environmental educa on opportunity local streams. These pathways allow the water to spread through the area, and into • Visually/physically accessibility the surrounding plantings.

What can I learn from it? The design of the Delta Garden off ers educa onal opportuni es for: • Ecology (plan ng) • Water quality improvement (pervious paving, check dams for sediment se ling, plants for pollutant uptake) • Garbage collector lesson (clean watershed cirriculum)

The perspective to the right demonstrates the proposed detention basin garden. The image below is the same detention basin without the proposed design. 22 Ini al Cri que

Community Group Input Where to go from here? The design team’s goal of involving the The designs presented here are s ll considered community in the design process was conceptual. A third community mee ng has accomplished on the project. The preliminary been held and the feedback incorporated design concepts were driven by the fi rst into this report. Provided that funding is community mee ng, and the web based available, one or several of the designs will be survey. At a second mee ng, each designed selected for construc on documenta on and area was shown to a group of community implementa on. members, including the school principal, an art teacher, an ecology teacher, and a maintenance An amazing opportunity exists with these representa ve. In general, there was a consensus designs. Local community groups, such as among community members that each design the Boy Scouts, have enlisted rain gardens as had signifi cant educa onal poten al, and also viable projects for Eagle Scout a ainment. This was successful from an aesthe c and material project presents several opportuni es, within perspec ve. each proposed area, for Boy Scouts to provide a signifi cant community and environmental The principal and art teacher both enjoyed service. the possibili es for school lessons centered on the designs, such as plant communi es, insect Thus far, very li le monitoring and ecology, water quality, and trash removal. documenta on exists for projects of this nature. Integra on with the school curriculum The community group had ini al concerns about provides opportuni es for students to act as the maintenance, but the maintenance personnel monitoring body, and to adapt the designs into was suppor ve of the design and helped to the future. For example, plants chosen represent alleviate concerns. The school staff even a small sample of alterna ves. Over me, these expressed interest in the possibility of having plan ng arrangements can be re-designed by students maintain certain areas as class lessons students. This will also help sustain the designs and projects. and hopefully ins ll a water culture.

The enthusiasm from the community off ers hope that the community will and has already begun to take ownership of these designed areas. Community ownership will help foster a local water culture in the community, and help sustain the momentum towards a stormwater management system that benefi ts the community and the environment.