Stormwater Management Never Looked So Good
Berkeley Heights Environmental Commission
What is elegant, leafy, sports a gorgeous architectural design, prevents flooding by putting stormwater back into the ground, and provides tennis players, pickleball players, and all others who pass by with a great place to take a break or just relax? The Columbia Park Gathering Place Project in Lower Columbia Park, of course.
The finished project, a stormwater management project, consists of a brick retaining wall that doubles as a seating area, has a deck that’s home to 2 picnic tables, hosts 8 native shrubs in a planting bed, and is adjacent to two new, swamp-friendly trees. Not only do the shrubs assist in capturing stormwater, but the trees serve as large sponges of sorts, given that their roots slurp up stormwater runoff and absorb groundwater. The project will capture stormwater runoff, flooding from the creek that flows into the Passaic River and provide visitors with a beautifully landscaped facility near the bike/walking trail, children’s playground, and other park amenities.
“This project aims to both educate the public about stormwater management while demonstrating that sustainable design can be both functional and stunningly beautiful,” said Berkeley Heights Environmental Commission (BHEC) Co-Chair Kim Diamond. “The simplicity of the structure is quite an amazing achievement for all that it does from a sustainability, aesthetic, and practical use perspective. Come check it out!”
In addition to serving park visitors, the project is envisioned as serving as an “outdoor classroom” for science teachers and students from Columbia Middle School, located adjacent to the park. With the project’s two picnic tables in addition to the planting bed seating area, the ample seating will provide teachers with an “outdoor classroom,” similar to the outdoor classroom adjacent to the parking lot at Governor Livingston High School.
The project, a collaboration between the BHEC and the Berkeley Heights Recreation Department, was made possible in part by a 2020 Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) Open Space Stewardship Grant. Local landscaper Joe Franchino jlfranchino@comcast.net of JLFranchino played a critical role in the Project’s initial stages of development, while the Berkeley Heights Department of Public Works (DPW) provided additional assistance to bring the project to completion.
For more information regarding the project, please visit the Environmental Commission’s website at:
https://www.berkeleyheights.gov/1471/Columbia-Park-Gathering-Place-Project.
