Dewberry Leads Baltimore?EUR??,,????'???s School Greening Project

Gardens, Grass to Replace Asphalt at Seven City Schools

Gilmor Elementary School students planting a tree. Seated from left: 6th graders Parquita Hicks, and Raven Capel, and Jivon Brown (standing).

The Baltimore office of Dewberry, a national engineering and architectural firm, is leading a project to replace several acres of asphalt at seven city schools with lawns and gardens, providing an opportunity for students to study the environment, while assuring the schools meet regulatory requirements to reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality.

Dewberry?EUR??,,????'???s team is working with Baltimore?EUR??,,????'???s Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks and Recreation on the pilot program, which is being funded in part through a community legacy grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Dewberry assisted the city in obtaining the grant, which will help cover the cost of removing asphalt, installing playground equipment, and planting trees, lawns, and gardens. Many of the gardens and play areas will be designed by students.

At Gilmor Elementary School, the first school to be renovated, nearly one-half acre of asphalt has been removed. City officials joined students and faculty for a tree planting ceremony at the school in June. Construction is also underway at nearby Bentalou Elementary School. Other schools will include Harlem Park Elementary School, Harlem Park Middle School, Hilton Elementary School, Calverton Middle School, and West Baltimore Middle School.

?EUR??,,????'??Students are learning about the everyday aspects of pollution and water quality through this project,?EUR??,,????'?? says Chuck McCulloch, Dewberry project manager. ?EUR??,,????'??They?EUR??,,????'???re able to see how stormwater runoff can impact the Chesapeake Bay.?EUR??,,????'??

In addition to Dewberry, consultants on the project include Progressive Engineering of Columbia, and the landscape architecture firm of Chesapeake Environmental Management of Bel Aire.

Dewberry is a 1,600-person professional services firm specializing in planning, engineering, architecture, geodigital and environmental services, and program management. Established in 1956, the firm has 29 offices nationwide, with headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. For more information, visit www.dewberry.com.