June 1, 2009
Stormwater Committee Meeting
Attendees
Ann Hoffnar
Diane Cameron
Kit Gage
Ed Murtagh
Elaine Lamirande
Laura Rothlisberger
Eliza Reed
Jim Fary
Rain Garden Update
Two raingarden digs under the Takoma Foundation grant will be starting this week. 6 Casa de Maryland workers will be helping. Diane Cameron, Wendy Bell, and Kit Gage will be overseeing the projects.
We are down to our last $100 for Casa workers from the original grants. DEP has a contract with a landscaping company to do digs through the summer. They have offered this contract instead of Casa until a contract with Casa is signed. A Rainscapes implementation meeting in June is scheduled. No word from DEP on the date.
Ed Murtagh recommended documenting how many yards are visited, advice given, such as terracing and downspout diversion, trees installations, rain barrels, even if a raingarden is not the outcome of the consultation. It would also be good to give out homeowner stormwater good practice literature.
The Sierra Landing condos in the Wheaton near University Blvd (Blueridge Ave. and Amherst Ave.) are interested in installing raingardens and having a presentation on stormwater practices. Ed would like to see the homeowners involved in implementing any resulting project there, and would like Jenny Reed to do a conceptual master plan first for the site (paid through a DEP raingarden rebate?). It is important to organize neighborhoods and to build a sustained commitment to improved stormwater practices.
Community Garden Update
The Sligo Overlook community garden off New Hampshire Ave. is up and running. There was a welcome meeting which Valerie Ervin attended. 23 gardens were laid out. We are waiting to hear about the grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust that we applied for to do stormwater practices on the community garden site. An Eagle Scout troop can do the planting if the grant comes through.
Stormwater Partners Update
Ed Murtagh discussed the need to expand our effort beyond Sligo Creek to down county. If we are going to meet our goal of expanding “green collar” jobs in the County, we will need to look beyond the Sligo watershed. This would be a good collaboration project with the other watershed groups. We need to get people involved in what we are doing here because the general public is unaware of the stormwater issues. This will help our advocacy efforts in the long run.
liza