Rain to Flood Scottish Rite—In a Good Way
A new rain garden represents one of many to come in town in advance of the April 21 Green Festival.
In advance of the April 21 Collingswood Green Festival, the borough will debut a working rain garden at the Scottish Rite Auditorium Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.
Similar demonstrations will be a feature of the Green Festival, but the rain garden at the Scottish Rite is part of a larger beautification project underway at the site.
“The idea is to show how useful and stunning rain gardens can be,” said Commissioner Joan Leonard in a statement. “We’re proud to be showing off such a great feature at the Scottish Rite.”
A rain garden is a landscaping strategy designed to collect and manage stormwater runoff. When properly designed, it channels water away from areas where it can flood or damage a property and into places where it can be reabsorbed naturally into the ground.
Improperly managed stormwater can overburden storm drains, flood unwanted areas, or carry pollutants to inland waterways, like creeks and streams. A rain garden can cut back on the negative impact of stormwater by as much as 30 percent.
The rain garden installed at the Scottish Rite theater will include local plants. The work will be completed by Brickman Landscaping of Cherry Hill.
Editor's note, March 28: View a photo gallery of the project at "Rise of a Rain Garden."
Christina Caruso
1:28 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012
I would like to know who paid for this "rain garden"?
Geoff DiMasi
7:27 am on Thursday, March 29, 2012
The next article lists that the rain garden was paid for by a grant from Rutgers University:
http://collingswood.patch.com/articles/rise-of-a-rain-garden#photo-9435101
Porterincollingswood
3:50 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012
The theater drives a lot of revenue.
Look on its site for rental fees (meetings, weddings, book signings), it isn't cheap and all services carry an itemized cost. And the concert tix I have paid for were in excess of $50.
Christina Caruso
4:36 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012
IN the artical it states that Colls borough will be debuting it, just wanted to know if any tax money went there or if it was prvt funding?
Porterincollingswood
4:44 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012
My understanding is that the borough has a very low $ lease as it was Masonic Temple (?) at one point. So it is borough-administered, which is why they are involved. Seems like one of those Knight Park things, where we run it and 'kinda' own it but 'technically' don't own it.
Perhaps a long-time resident can clarify.
Scott J. Ferguson
10:45 pm on Monday, March 26, 2012
Why not use a Landscaping Co. from town here like Latch Bros. Colls Grads (both) Born & Bread. Whats up with a Co. from Cherry Hill?
Geoff DiMasi
11:10 pm on Tuesday, March 27, 2012
This sounds like a fantastic project. This is a great way to attract positive attention to our town while simultaneously having a positive impact on our water quality. Projects like this make Collingswood a great place to live and increase the value of our town. Great work to everyone involved.