Rain Garden Project
March 2019
Planning Grant ($10,000) received for purposes of Existing Conditions, Concept Plan, and Technical Drawings
December 2020
Received the Good Steward Hennepin County Grant, for help with conveyance near the window wells. $6900
March 15, 2021
UBC Receives Rain Garden Grant from MWMO
April 2021
Adult Forum Presentation
May 2021
Presentation to Creation Collaboration
July 22, 2021
Planning meeting date with WMWO and Garden Team
Early August 2021
Work on rooflet/awnings and downspouts by BA Roofing (preliminary to raingarden installation)
August 5, 12, 15
Plant giveaways to partners and the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood
August 11-October 2021
Installation start date - installation done by Metro Blooms and planting by Helping Hand Companies
Early September 2021
Garden Progress & Update
September 19, 2021
Garden Dedication
October 17, 2021
Garden Tour
Spring 2022
Songs About Water; Garden Tour and singing with the Twin Cities Shape Note Singers
Residents of the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood were invited to celebrate with Partners and members of UBC at the Garden Dedication on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, at 11:30, as well as to participate in a Garden Tour on Sunday, October 17 at noon.
Raingardens have a variety of benefits including slowing stormwater runoff and increasing infiltration, improving habitat for pollinators, and decreasing sediment and phosphorus, which are pollutants to streams, lakes, and rivers. An estimated 133,000 gallons will be filtered annually.
Funded by an Action Grant from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization and a Good Steward Grant from Hennepin County, the raingarden installation brings together six local partner organizations, which have agreed to receive stormwater education. Partners include the following: University Lutheran Church of Hope, First Congregational UCC, St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center, Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, Twin Cities Shape Note Singers, and Gaia Democratic School. This project was designed and installed by Metro Blooms, with planting by Helping Hand Companies.
Additional information and photos of the project can be found here
RAIN GARDEN GRANT
UBC has received a grant to improve water flow from our building, filtering it naturally into the ground instead of flowing to the storm sewers (and our basement). This grant from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) is the culmination of many months of hard work by Barb Patterson (a Water Steward and Sacred Harp singer), the UBC garden team, and several others.
The project will install rain gardens, channel drains, and enhance native plantings on our little Dinkytown corner oasis. It will also have educational signs that can encourage people to be better environmental stewards. We are awaiting word on a companion grant from Hennepin County to help us divert water away from the window well area behind the swing. We’ll begin the physical work on this project in the coming months.
This will be an educational and land stewardship partnership with UBC, the Twin Cities Sacred Harp Community, GAIA Democratic School, St. Lawrence Catholic Church, First Congregational Church, University Lutheran Church of Hope and the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association.
We look forward to taking a more active part in stormwater management and encouraging others to be better stewards of the earth we share.
mwmo.org
2522 Marshall Street NE
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418-3329
612-746-4970
Early September update:
The Rain Garden project is well under way! The Garden Team and other volunteers dug up many beloved iris, hostas, peonies, daylilies, snake grass and spring bulbs. These plants were re-homed to members of the UBC community, First Congregational Church members, parents of Gaia Democratic School students, and other interested community members. Metro Blooms completed the excavation and construction of the four new rain gardens plus the sloped garden on Friday August 20th.
Helping Hand began planting the gardens on August 25. The new design includes a seating area under the crabapple trees that will be home to two new benches donated by UBC members. A decorative channel grate is being designed and donated by the members of the Sacred Harp community. The construction of the "eyebrows" over the window wells below the sanctuary is nearly complete, and downspouts have been rerouted. Take a look at the tiles--they match the roof perfectly! The project is expected to be completed well before the dedication ceremony scheduled for after the church service on Sunday September 19th.
Songs about Water: A Celebration of Water in the Shape Note Tradition
Sunday, May 1, 5:30-7:30pm at University Baptist Church
We will sing from two books: Denson and Shenandoah Harmony, and songs that are water-related are requested. A tour of the UBC raingardens will be given at the break. Guests are welcome. No experience necessary, and books will be provided. Covid masking will be announced closer to the date in accord with current conditions. We will sing outdoors, and under the portico if it rains. Please dress for the weather.
This event is an educational component of the University Baptist Church Raingardens project, supported in part by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. You will have the opportunity to appreciate the lovely functional channel drain, crafted by the Chicago Fire Arts Center, that conveys stormwater to the main raingarden. This corten steel channel drain was a gift to University Baptist Church from our shape note community, and is finished with cut-out shaped notes.
Yours in Song,
Barb Patterson
MN Water Steward (volunteer for water)
