Isabella Schmidt, Lauren Costello and Ben Caligiuri

Abstract:

In the past, Siena College had two functional rain gardens on campus. The first was constructed near the Ben Kuhn House on Turchi Road and the second was built in between Connors Park and Plassmann Hall. While the first rain garden did not last, the second one still exists but was not properly maintained in recent years due to lack of manpower and motivation. Rain gardens have the ability to redirect the flow of rainwater directly into the ground below, reducing the possibility of flooding. Also, they often contain native plants that attract pollinators. With these positive results in mind, we propose a reconstruction and revitalization of the Connors Park rain garden, including a long term maintenance plan to ensure the project’s lasting success. Not only will this project attract necessary pollinators and mitigate flooding to the baseball field, but it will also have an aesthetic value to the campus and those who visit.