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St. Paul's Rain Gardens
When St. Paul's Chapter was faced with the
necessity of repaving our parking lot, Dean Bascom urged us to give
some real thought to dealing with the issue of water and run-off.
We had seen the effects of recent flooding and St. Paul's clergy and
members had taken part in Central Iowa's 2008 Flood Recovery. It
seemed appropriate, then, to ask ourselves if we couldn't do
something better than just cover the surface with asphalt again.
Gradually, we came to a vision of a project that could be better for
God's earth, for the people living downstream from Des Moines, and
for the community of people who cross our grounds every day.
A small group of interested and knowledgeable parishioners gathered
information about possible features and funding sources, and soon
with the inspired design of RDG landscape architect Doug Adamson and
a $100,000 I-JOBS matching grant from the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources, the vision began to come to life. The project
will include rain gardens, a strip of pervious asphalt, a labyrinth
pathway with a permeable surface, and water features that teach good
water practices.
Included in the design is an outdoor Diocesan chapel that will
recognize every parish in the Diocese. Our hope is that when
visitors from the Diocese are in Des Moines for meetings or on
private business, they will enjoy the gardens and the quiet pathway,
use the chapel, and read the signs that teach about water issues and
practices.
Additional funding comes from The Polk County Soil and Water
Conservation District, Trees Forever, and private donors. The
project has been selected as a national Fish and Wildlife Foundation
demonstration site because of its unique urban setting.
One of our goals as a cathedral is to reach out to the community and
this project has provided a perfect opportunity. We are forming an
exciting partnership with the PACE/Juvenile Justice Center, located
next door; the Downtown School, currently at Capital Square and Keck
Center; and the Oakridge Community, located north of Iowa Methodist
hospital. An additional grant from the DNR's Resource Enhancement
and Protection (REAP ) has been made for hands-on conservation
education. This will fund visits by children and youth to
participate with architects in planning. They will be able to watch
the construction installation, learn about water and study native
plants right here in the city. The youth from PACE have
already begun to help with clean-up of the gardens and grounds. We
hope to provide volunteer service opportunities for employees of
neighboring Principal. And someday, the city might consider
making green up-dates to the alley between Pleasant and High
Streets.
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