HOLY CROSS PARISH STORMWATER IMPROVEMENTS

In January 2022 the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) awarded Holy Cross Parish a Stormwater Management Improvement Program (SMIP) grant. This grant award will fund improvements to manage the stormwater runoff from the buildings and hard surfaces of the Holy Cross Campus. Construction is scheduled to begin this spring and summer, with site preparation beginning on May 1, and the heavier construction between mid-June and mid-August.

A Little History about our Grant Award

Our journey began in 2018 with the award of a separate grant from the Community Design Collaborative (CDC) of Philadelphia to Holy Cross.  In 2019, we conducted 3 meetings to gather input from over 40 members and neighbors of Holy Cross along with Holy Cross school students, teachers, and staff from Independent Mission Schools (IMS).  In 2020, our CDC design team completed the conceptual design plan for the Holy Cross Campus entitled “Conceptual Design for a Campus Sustainability Master Plan”.

One of the many improvements conceptualized in the sustainability master plan was the design of stormwater management projects with the following goals:

• Maximize our stormwater capture onsite to benefit our natural environment and help to relieve current area flooding conditions.
• Decrease our stormwater management charges by up to 80%. (Current charges = $933/Month).
• Improve and increase our campus green space for the benefit and beauty of the community and the school children.
• Provide ongoing education and a living classroom to the school children and community on the benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI).
• Provide the impetus and support for future improvements to the Holy Cross campus.

Going Forward with the Construction

The following improvements will be constructed this spring and summer:

• Two (2) subsurface stormwater infiltration basins. These basins will manage most of the stormwater runoff from Holy Cross’s parking lots and driveways. Once completed, the parking lot and driveways above the basins will be repaved, and you’ll hardly be able to tell they are there.
• One (1) large rain garden, in the existing paved area behind the school and convent. This rain garden will bring some greenery to this part of the campus, manage runoff from some of the parking lot, and help to establish a more orderly traffic flow in the parking lot.
• Four (4) smaller rain gardens will manage runoff from existing rooftops.
• Along with the above improvements, you will see some additional new curbs, landscaped areas, and painted striping that will make the campus look green, refreshed, and more orderly.

Congratulations to all who participated in this project! Please pardon our appearance and any inconveniences as these improvements are constructed.

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PROJECT TIMELINE

4.29.2024 thru 5.3.2024
Soft Mobilization; Survey; Stake-Out; BSW site Deliveries.

5.6.2024 thru 5.16.2024
Construct RG-3, RG-4, RG-5, RG-7

5.17.2024 thru 6.28.2024
Construct IT-2

7.1.2024 thru 7.17.2024
Construct IT-1

7.18.2024 thru 7.23.2024
Construct RG-6

7.24.2024 thru 8.2.2024
Perform Asphalt and Concrete Work

8.5.2024 thru 8.16.2024
Request Final Inspections; Construction De-Mobilization and Closeout.