Our Rain Garden is Here!

If you happen to be on Apollo 13, “We’ve got a problem…” is not a phrase you want to hear. Same goes if you’re tearing up a giant chunk of parking lot for a rain garden. But recently our rain garden project came to a halt when our contractor said that exact thing. Our parking lot had three layers of underground asphalt and concrete — some as deep as five feet! “We’ve never seen something like this,” they said. (Another phrase you don’t want to hear.)

The only way to make sure the native prairie plantings would grow was to remove every single layer, which would add about $228,000 to the project. This seemed like an impossible amount, but then, as he has done throughout Woodland’s history, God miraculously provided!

First, the Ramsey-Washington Watershed District unexpectedly agreed to share the increased cost, giving us an additional $100,000. (This was twice the amount our contacts originally anticipated the organization would even consider giving!) Then due to higher offerings and less spending than forecasted, we ended our fiscal year in June with a bigger surplus than expected,  which meant we could afford the additional $128,000 needed for the rain garden project, and still have money set aside for the Building Improvement Fund. (We’re saving money to replace our BIG roof in the coming years. 😳)

Those are significant numbers, but this is also a great financial investment for us, because in the long run we will be able to spend less on maintenance for the parking lot. We estimate the project will save about $38,000 per year on repairs, snow removal and lot sweeping. Also, for years we’ve had moisture and frost heaving issues on the north end. All that buried concrete and asphalt was likely causing water to drain back toward the building, so we’re hopeful those issues will be resolved now!

Once work resumed on the rain garden, they repaved the asphalt for the tiny home display area, seeded the prairie and planted the rain garden and trees. The plants are still small, and the prairie grasses haven’t sprouted yet, but the rain garden installation is now done! However, you’ll still need to wait a little longer to get a closer look because the area is blocked off with the ongoing Today’s Harvest construction.

You may remember that Today’s Harvest is our newest on-site partner: a free food market being added to the North End of the building. Already they have cut and framed exterior doors, put up walls in the unfinished space and installed refrigeration units. The plan is to open in late October or early November. Stay tuned!