When people walk through the heart of downtown St. Catharines, Lindsay Taylor (BA \u201919) hopes they\u2019ll see potential for a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n
Next week, the Brock University Earth Sciences master\u2019s student will host a public event to officially open rain gardens developed through a community-based research project and unveil an art installation meant to continue community conversations.<\/p>\n
The outdoor ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place\u00a0Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 10 to 11 a.m. on the west side of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC), 250 St. Paul St.<\/p>\n
Rain gardens offer a green approach to reducing urban flooding issues \u2014 a challenge Niagara knows all too well in recent years. The shallow, vegetated depressions are designed to capture stormwater runoff, giving water more time and space to infiltrate into the soil rather than immediately entering the storm sewer system.<\/p>\n
Through Taylor\u2019s master\u2019s research and a wealth of community support, rain gardens have been developed on City of St. Catharines property, including the PAC, as well as at Silver Spire Church, also downtown.<\/p>\n
Paired with the PAC rain garden will be Potential<\/em>, an outdoor art installation created by Taylor in collaboration with volunteers from Brock\u2019s Department of Earth Sciences Landscape Hydrology and Restoration Group<\/a>, Niagara Green Herons and Taylor\u2019s husband, Dorian Cannon. The art installation uses a recovered root ball and\u00a0a\u00a0painted soil profile to\u00a0uncover the hidden layers beneath the surface of a rain garden.<\/p>\n \u201cThe artwork is more than a visual addition to the project,\u201d Taylor says. \u201cIt is an important component, a public touchpoint, for us.\u201d<\/p>\n