| 03/31/2007 |
| Rattlesnake Master coming to rain garden |
| By: Jeff Raasch |
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Within six weeks, residents can see Hairy Grama, Rattlesnake Master and Scurfy Pea just outside the Ames Public Library. They might sound like rock bands, but don't get the wrong idea. The names belong to some of the 125 various species of grasses and plantings that will be found in a rain garden that will be installed on the library's southwest corner. Planting of the 7,000-square-foot garden was scheduled to take place today, with volunteers from Iowa State University's Veishea Community Service Day, but Library Director Art Weeks said the event has been postponed. It has been too wet for the public works department to do grading for the site, which would precede the planting, Weeks said. He expects the rain garden to be fully installed by mid-May at the latest. "We do have to get a volunteer corps to do the fine work, since we lost the opportunity for the Veishea group," Weeks said. The library acquired and demolished the property at 215 Fifth St. last fall. Long-term, the site will be used to expand the library. At the earliest, Weeks said that could be three years away, and it's more likely that it's closer to five years from now. In the meantime, he said they wanted to put it to use. "There is no such thing as a vacant lot; it's going to be something," Weeks said. "If you don't plan what that something is going to be, it's going to be broken bottles, trash and activities that you may not want happening there. "We wanted to be more proactive about things." Plantings within rain gardens reduce run-off and filter rainwater. They also return water vapor to the atmosphere through transpiration. A depression basin intended to collect rainwater will be constructed in the middle of the Ames rain garden. It will act as a funnel, collecting run-off from the exterior of the site and from the alley and parking lot to the west. A speed bump will be installed in the alley to channel water toward the basin. A sun mural will be painted on the library walls adjacent to the garden. A kiosk that describes the purpose of the rain garden and the plants that are used will be placed near the entry to the garden, at the southeast corner of the site. Small groups can be accommodated inside the garden, on a central turf. Jennifer Welch, an urban conservationist with the Urban Resources and Borderland Alliance Network in Ankeny, said the popularity of rain gardens is growing "by leaps and bounds," as communities face new regulations for managing stormwater. "Rain gardens are something that are being used very effectively to intercept the run-off, in order that the pollutants stay put, in a place where they're not really pollutants, as opposed to being pollutants in water," Welch said. Weeks said the rain garden would require very little maintenance. He said the basin will drain rather quickly and shouldn't be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Weeks said $5,000 has been budgeted for the project. He said the library is seeking grant support to offset the cost. "We think it is very important, not only for the city, but for the city of Ames," Weeks said. The City Council allocated $8,000 for the city to install two public rain gardens in the College Creek watershed and another $5,000 to start a new program that would provide residents with small grants to plant rain gardens on cul de sacs in Ames. City Manager Steve Schainker said ISU is a partner in the program and will provide expertise for the installations. The program wouldn't start until the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. "I think in the future, you're going to see a lot more use of vegetation and things like rain gardens to keep the water in the landscape a little longer," Welch said. "It's kind of silly that we're using our streams as a storm sewer and throwing the water away when we really need it our landscape."
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