Volunteer Day with FedEx Ground

On Friday, June 2, we kicked off our second demonstration project for the GTECH Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GTECH GSI) initiative in the high-priority O-27 sewershed. The goal of the demonstration projects for GTECH GSI is to capture stormwater before it reaches our overworked combined sewer system, while also providing a welcoming green space that meets community needs. For this particular project, we are partnering with Riverview Manor, a senior living facility in the Brighton Heights neighborhood of the Northside. The facility has a large existing garden that staff and residents wanted to see spruced up into a peaceful space that could attract more native wildlife. They also have a large pavilion with exposed downspouts that were an ideal spot to divert roof water into large stormwater planters.

To get started on this endeavor, we brought the PGH Mobile Toolbox and enlisted the help of 15 volunteers from the FedEx Ground corporate office. This is our third year working with the willing and (very!) able FedEx Ground volunteers and they did not fail to impress us again with their precision and willingness to get dirty and work hard. Residents from Riverview Manor enjoyed watching our group as we dug and laid pathways, planted trees and native flowers, removed weeds, tilled the future wildlife meadow, and built the complex stormwater planters. Thank you, FedEx Ground!