Stormwater Committee Minutes
November 1, 2006

ATTENDEES

Ann Hoffnar
Ed Murtagh
Beth Chaisson
Kathy Michels (by phone)
Jenny Reed
Diane Cameron

Beth's Presentation

Beth shared a PowerPoint presentation developed by staffers at the City of Bowie (in PG County) to describe LID projects they had hoped to build with grants. The projects would have been excellent examples of LID. Some of the projects were modified and built. But some didn't make it off the drawing board. Beth told us her staff, which had planned the projects and applied for the grants, found that the missing link was buy-in from other departments.

Discussion of Meetings and Events

November 4 there will be a community meeting at Ridgecrest Elementary School in Hyattsville in the Takoma Branch sub-watershed. Takoma Branch is in the PG section of Sligo Creek. The attendees will discuss the LID/trash reduction initiative to be funded by a grant to COG. Friends of Sligo Creek will be represented at the meeting. We are hoping to be involved in the planning and implementation. John Galli of COG will chair the meeting and describe potential projects the grant can support. Litter is the major focus, but some money will be allocated for LID features including a "green" street. Brent Bolin, board member and chair of the Outreach Committee, will give a short presentation about Friends of Sligo Creek at the meeting.

We discussed our participation at Northwood High School. Our goal is to be able to showcase the LID practices and help the students learn at the same time. Several FoSC members are actively involved with the Northwood LID initiative. Other groups and entities include Neighbors of Northwest Branch, the Audubon Society, and Brookside Gardens. Ed, Jenny, Leah Haygood, Diane, Beth, and representatives from the PTSA, NNWB, and neighborhood associations have been working with Jill Coutts, the science teacher with the Environmental Science Magnet at Northwood.

Ed gave us an update on past and future meetings and events at Northwood. He reported on an October 14th raingarden workday, while Jenny and Diane reported on the October 30 coordination meeting. Upcoming: there will be a meeting November 4 on landscape plans for the front of the building and a workday is tentatively scheduled for November 11. We are hoping be ready to schedule a meeting with Principal Johnson at which we are to present a concept landscaping plan on the week of November 13.

Ed briefly discussed the October 26th Council hearing on MCPS Stormwater management. We have no news yet on Council decisions or directives.

Diane told us that the Drainage bill drafted to update the MC Department of Permitting Services manual passed. It is a good first step, influenced by the Stormwater Coalition.

Ed updated us on the MC Department of Environmental Protection stormwater charrett. The new Rainscapes Coordinator has not yet been selected, but they are going ahead with a charrett and are now advertising for a facilitator. DEP will eventually hire a Rainscapes Coordinator who will manage the LID projects created with the $1.3 million granted by the MC Council.

Raingardens: Most of the grant money from CBT for the Forest Park raingarden has been spent and the unspent portion returned to CBT. The garden is bedded down for the winter and the final report has been sent. There is still work to be done at Eastern Middle School.

A potential project is emerging in the Woodland Community, which is near the Wheaton Stormwater Ponds. Ed and Jenny are working with Dorothy Jachim, who is trying to get her homeowners association interested in doing a woodland restoration project. It would involve vine removal, reforestation and perhaps some raingardens. Friends of Sligo Creek would assist-not lead. Jenny is writing a proposal for the property manager.

Outreach

Alessandra, Ed, and Clair Garman revised the stormwater pages on our website. Congratulations. The website is awesome and it is user-friendly.

On the Sligo Stormwater Tour, Alison and Ed are doing well, they have completed about half the tour booklet. They have many uses, one of which is to describe and explain the importance of the sites any future tour we devise.

Notes prepared by Ann Hoffnar and Ed Murtagh.