June 10, 2013
Contact: Cari Simson
Urban Systems Design
206-234-5102
–South Park – Seattle
Roadside Rain Gardens improve roadway safety AND water quality
South Park neighbors and project partners will host a ribbon cutting and rain garden festival on Saturday June 15th from 10am to 12pm, to celebrate the completion of the South Southern Greenstreet, which improves a neighborhood intersection for pedestrians and cyclists – and the Duwamish River.
The streets were narrowed by 8 feet, and four beautifully planted roadside natural drainage swales were installed to capture ~185,000 gallons of annual roadway runoff before reaching the stormdrains, which flow untreated directly to the Duwamish River.
The ceremony will include an action-packed ribbon-cutting at 11am, with the help of residents of all ages and abilities who will walk, bike, stroll, scoot, roll, or skate through the intersection to officially open the street to people. After the ribbon-cutting, the public will be able to take a rain garden tour and learn more about King County’s new RainWise rain garden rebates and grants available in many neighborhoods across Seattle, including South Park.
Polluted runoff, which contains oil, grease, heavy metals, and other chemicals, is the #1 source of toxins reaching Puget Sound. “The South Park “Greenstreet” roadside rain gardens are a beautiful solution, and will prevent an estimated 185,000 gallons of polluted runoff from reaching the Duwamish River and Puget Sound each year,” said project coordinator, Cari Simson.
The four adjacent homeowners supported the project from the beginning and worked tirelessly alongside the project partners to complete the project. The project is funded through a grant from King County Wastewater / WRIA-9, and the McNeill family Plumb Level and Square Fund. Project partners include South Park Area Redevelopment Committee, LDP Engineering, Green Tech Excavation, Go Natives! Nursery, Brian Gerich / UW Masters of Landscape Architecture Design Lab, and Urban Systems Design.
Event address: 1057 South Southern Street Seattle, WA 98108
Date: Saturday June 15th from 10am-12pm
Free and open to the public
VISUAL OPPORTUNITIES: The ribbon-cutting ceremony (11am) will include local neighbors moving through the intersection in various modes of non-motorized transportation to break the ribbon. Spokespeople from the neighborhood and the above organizations will be available throughout the event
More information including photos of the construction process is on the project’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SouthParkGreenStreet
Cari Simson
206-234-5102
