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Earth Day came and across Williamsport efforts are under way to see that the future design of the vast park system and an alley downtown offer users aspects of green
infrastructure, making the city more beautiful and environmentally-friendly.
These elements can include a rain garden planted with native variety of flowers and plants, pavement with openings that allow rainwater to move through it to an underlying reservoir, planting tree saplings -- as they will for Arbor Day on Friday -- construction of cisterns and vegetated swales, according to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which has individuals working closely with Mayor Derek Slaughter.
Green is the color of life
It's the chlorophyll in the leaves, grass -- yes, that must be mowed weekly or bi-weekly -- and plant life that provides oxygen and carbon dioxide exchanges making it possible to breathe and for life to continue.
But green also is the color preceding city infrastructure.
These kinds of green or environmentally friendly designs are envisioned as part of the City of Williamsport's Comprehensive Recreation, Park and Open Space Plan.
Recently, Slaughter, who is working to add more of these concepts as a means of improving the city parks and giving the city a leg up on its plan to reduce stormwater runoff pollution -- received permission from City Council to have the city cover $75,000 in local matching funds for what's known as a "C2P2 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources," a considerable new step toward seeing the overall plan becomes a reality.
"The Comprehensive Recreation, Park and Open Space Plan is a key component as we continue to move the city forward and make improvements throughout Williamsport," Slaughter said.
Slaughter continued: "Investments into our recreational, parks and open spaces to include green infrastructure projects will enhance the quality of life for citizens while also beautifying our city," he said.
"I look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to update our comprehensive plan," he said.
The local match may come from the use of American Rescue Plan funds or another funding mechanism with the department covering the same amount as the local match.
Meanwhile, Teresa Sparacino, a consultant with Delta Development Group, said she is working on behalf of the city to obtain the C2P2 grant, which might be awarded in the late fall.
In Harrisburg, for example, that city initiated the program in five of its parks in just over 18 months once the comprehensive plan was in place, Sparacino said to council recently.
The green infrastructure is proposed in other locations of the city, not only parks.
The design is a part of what has been proposed along Willow Street.
Willow Street is a rather nondescript alley between East Third and East Fourth streets in the city's Old City section. Its eastern terminus is Basin Street and it leads to Market Street on the west, an ideal connector route for students, staff and others heading to and from downtown west of Market Street and in the Old City section of the East Third Street Gateway Redevelopment project area.
The redesign will be accomplished using a combination of about $1 million in federal transit dollars and slightly less than $170,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds, Sander said.
According to Sander street redesigned as a pedestrian bicycle path, while being shared by vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians. Rain gardens might be added as beautification and pervious surface areas that allow rain water to slip into drainage systems rather than find itself puddling or ponding might be a part of the plan.
Beyond Earth Week, in several weeks the administration is planning to meet with groups of people that have ideas of how green infrastructure can be used in neighborhoods that are economically disadvantaged and emails have been arriving with plans to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sander said.