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Rain garden blooms in Pleasant Township
(by Dedra Cordle, Staff Writer - October 15, 2009)
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| Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle |
| Representatives from Franklin County and Pleasant Township unveil the new rain garden in the township. Here, township trustees Keith Goldhardt and Nancy Hunter dedicate the garden. |
October has been designated as the National Community Planning Month by the American Planning Association (APA) and this year's theme was community sustainability.
According to the APA, community sustainability focuses on how planners are working to make their communities healthier and more sustainable for current and future generations.
To celebrate the month, as well as the theme, community leaders got together before the Oct. 13 Pleasant Township Board of Trustees meeting to unveil the first rain garden for the area.
"We're hoping that people will take a look at it and want to put one in their own backyards," said Chairman Keith Goldhardt.
Jennifer Fish, director of the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District explained that rain gardens, which are depressed areas that allow rain runoff to pond and percolate back into the soil, "provide a great deal of benefits as they take water runoff and put it into a sustainable place."
In the case of the Pleasant Township rain garden, it collects water from the fire department's rooftop and transfers the pure water to the storm drain, and eventually ends up in the Darby Watershed.
"It's a very good filtration system," said Goldhardt.
Goldhardt added it only took two weeks to construct the rain garden and it has already been serving its purpose.
Jeff Karn, the superintendent for the Pleasant Township Road Department remarked during the meeting, "It soaked into the mulch, soaked into the ground and did what it was supposed to do" after a heavy rainfall.
H1N1 precautions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended certain groups of people get the H1N1 vaccine, and among those groups were healthcare and emergency medical services personnel.
At the meeting, Pleasant Township Fire Chief Jay Noojin announced that all firefighters in his department would be receiving the vaccination within the next two weeks.
Noojin also said that department personnel would be wearing either paper masks or half facepiece respirators when responding to households where flu-like symptoms are suspected.
Levy funding controversy
Recently, questions have been raised by residents in regards to the distribution of literature and signage that show support for Issue 41 and Issue 42, the two fire replacement levies that will be on the Nov. 3 ballot.
"We have been asked a couple of times (about this) and there is some confusion about the money being spent," said John Beard, the union president for the Pleasant Township Fire Department.
Beard explained the union has paid for the flyers, as well as the signage, and money has not been taken out of township funds to pay for their purchase.
In related news, Beard said that residents are welcome to come to the firehouse at 9 a.m. on Oct. 24 for a special meeting where they will be passing out literature of support for the 1.57-mill and the 1.0-mill fire replacement levies.
The fire department is located at 5373 Norton Road.
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