Project will demonstrate way to make use of rain water

BY MICHAEL BOOTH
Corvallis GAZETTE-TIMES

People interested in learning more about “green” roofing will have a public display at their disposal after the Corvallis Green Building Task Group completes a small, functional roof at Starker Arts Park in Corvallis.

On Saturday morning, a handful of volunteers from the group, part of the Sustainability Coalition, finished the first of three phases in the project, which aims to have the 25 square foot roof contain the first quarter-inch of rainfall, filter the excess and store it in a 400 -to 500-gallon concrete cistern.

The last phase would be to create a nearby “rain garden” that uses the overflow from the cistern to water plants.

Erin Shroll, a graduate research assistant in Oregon State University’s horticulture program, stood on a ladder Saturday above the approximately 8-foot-high structure and planted four types of native succulents on the roof.

“There are a lot of people interested in green building,” said Jason Yaich of the 7th Generation Building Guild. “They can help with managing storm water, moderate the inside climate and help insulate.”

Dave Eckert, a member of the task group, said the Starker Arts Park project is the first such roof in Corvallis on public property that provides public access and educational information.

“Storm water runoff is a big problem in the local community,” Eckert said. “This shows people how they can deal with storm water on their own property.”

Eckert said the amount of interest in classes about green roofs at the First Alternative Natural Foods Co-op has been overwhelming, and he believes the Starker Arts Park project will collect the same amount of interest, along with hundreds of gallons of rainwater per year.

“We hope it will create a huge amount of word of mouth,” Eckert said. “If five to 10 people go to the park or a class, chances are they will be thinking oh, that’s not so difficult and tell their neighbors about it.”