Riverside Park

LID Type: Rain Garden

Use: Civic

Installer: The MET School

Designer/Developer: Kurt Van Dexter and Joel Boodon (Providence Parks Department)

Install Date: Spring 2010

Address: Aleppo Street

Town: Providence

Zip Code: 02909

County: Providence

Contact:

Kurt Van Dexter

Landscape Architect, Providence Parks Department

asclepiask@aol.com

Riverside Park was established in 2008, a brownfield remediation effort as part of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway Project. The Red Shed Bike Shop, a mobile storage unit that provides classes, repairs, rentals, group rides, and volunteer opportunities is an integral component of both the park and the greenway. However, during the spring of 2009, the shop experienced flooding after a significant rain event. As a result, the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) developed the concept of a community rain garden with Providence Parks Department landscape architect Kurt Van Dexter.

As an educator at the nearby MET School, Kurt used the concept as a real life hands-on project for his Landscape Architecture class. With his guidance, the students researched and designed the rain garden for Riverside Park. During the spring of 2010, with the help of WRWC volunteers and funding from the United Way of Rhode Island, the students constructed the garden, which collects and infiltrates stormwater, allowing the Red Shed Bike Shop to remain dry even during large storm events.

Kurt’s colleague, Parks Department landscape architect Joel Boodon, designed and oversaw the installation of a similar system that directs, carries, and infiltrates stormwater runoff throughout Riverside Park.

Address: Aleppo Street, Providence, RI 02909