HomeMy Public PortalAboutExhibit MSD 37E-8 - Rochester, MN Rain Gardens Grant ProgramRealize Rain Gardens Rochester
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Agreement & Application Page 12018 Residential ApplicationKeeping it Clean in Rochester
Introduction:
The City of Rochester is providing a 50% cost-share grant up to a maximum of $750 per project for a limited
number of residential demonstration rain gardens. A rain garden that is funded by this grant must be a
tool that will help others learn about rain gardens and encourage people to create their own rain garden.
Therefore, grant recipients must agree to these educational efforts:
1. Place a Realize Rain Gardens Rochester sign in the rain garden.
2. Attend a Rain Garden Party Host Training and Host a Rain Garden Party for your friends, families,
or neighbors.
3. Register your rain garden and submit photos for the City’s Realize Rain Gardens Rochester website.
4. Allow the site to be published on the Realize Rain Gardens Rochester location map and allow the public
to view your rain garden.
5. Serve as a community resource to promote rain gardens, pollution prevention activities, and other
events.
6. The project will be registered as a demonstration and education site and will be easily accessible
for viewing by the public. The public will be able to recognize the rain garden as a registered site by
the placement of a Realize Rain Gardens Rochester sign and its presence on the Realize Rain Gardens
Rochester location map. The participant must agree to publicity, either by the City or by local media
outlets. All publications, publicity, and methods or techniques developed as part of the project shall
become the property of the City for use at its discretion.
Applications and Project Awards:
Applications will be accepted January 1 - May 1, 2018 for projects to be installed in the 2018 growing
season. Applicants will be asked to identify their likely planting period. Applications will consist of a
completed Application Documents and signed Agreement Form. A signed Agreement does not guarantee
a grant award. If selected, you will receive a Grant Award Letter. It is the responsibility of the applicant to
keep copies of all submitted documents on file. Incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.
Please be sure to provide all the information requested and write legibly. If you have questions, contact
the Rochester Public Works Department at 507-328-2440 or stormwater@rochestermn.gov.
Proposals post-marked or delivered to the Public Works office on or before May 1 will be reviewed
together and ranked according to the criteria listed below. Cost-share grants will be awarded to the
highest ranked projects. The number of awards given is dependent upon available funding; a combined
total of 7 residential, community, and school rain garden grants are anticipated for 2018. The recipients of
the Residential Cost-Share Grant will be notified by the end of May.
Applicants must maintain the project for a minimum period of five (5) years. Cost-share grant recipients
must also authorize access by City staff to inspect the project and submit photos of pre-project conditions,
construction activities, post-construction conditions, and annually thereafter for five years to document
the on-going success of the project.
Realize Rain Gardens Rochester
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Eligibility and Ranking Criteria:
The following criteria are the minimum eligibility standards and must be met for the application to
be considered:
1. The proposed project is within Rochester’s city limits on a residential parcel owned by a Rochester
citizen.
2. The project is not a best management practice that is required as a condition of development or to
satisfy other regulatory requirements.
3. The budget and rain garden plan are reasonable and the rain garden will be installed the growing
season immediately following the award notice.
4. The project proposer enters into an Agreement with the City to maintain the project for five years and
other listed terms.
5. The project will reduce stormwater runoff by a quantifiable amount, thereby improving water quality.
6. Hardy perennial plants will dominate the planting. Natives or their cultivars originating within 200
miles of Rochester are recommended.
7. The project will be registered as a demonstration and education site and will be easily accessible
for viewing by the public. The public will be able to recognize the rain garden as a registered site by
the placement of a Realize Rain Gardens Rochester sign and its presence on the Realize Rain Gardens
Rochester location map. The participant must agree to publicity, either by the City or by local media
outlets. All publications, publicity, and methods or techniques developed as part of the project shall
become the property of the City for use at its discretion.
A selection committee consisting of Realize Rain Gardens Rochester assistants will review the applications
and select the grant recipients each year. The following criteria (not listed in any order of priority) will be
utilized by this committee to evaluate the applications:
1. Proximity to impaired waters
2. Ability to help address localized flooding issues
3. Amount of impervious surface area treated by the rain garden
4. Proximity to existing demonstration rain gardens and distribution throughout the City
5. Visibility and effectiveness for rain garden promotion
6. Neighborhood demographics
7. Creativity of design and application of appropriate design basics
8. Diversity of plant species and degree to which native plants and their cultivars are used
9. Presence or absence of other stormwater treatment best management practices serving the location
10. Cost per square foot
11. Length of time expected to stay at residence
12. Other unique features as presented by the applicant
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Eligible Expenses:
This cost-share program will reimburse up to 50% of project expenses up to a maximum of $750.
The following items are eligible costs:
1. Native perennial plants, seeds, or live stakes (initial planting only) or native cultivars
2. Shredded wood mulch
3. Soil amendments that increase infiltration capacity
4. Materials to connect the impervious area runoff to the rain garden
5. Labor and equipment rental costs
Do not start construction of your project until receipt of a Grant Award Letter from the City. COST SHARE
FUNDING IS A REIMBURSEMENT for documented costs occurring AFTER the notification of grant
award. After all program requirements have been met and approved, including a site visit to verify project
completion and success, a request for reimbursement may be made.
The reimbursement request must include:
• Receipts for materials and services purchased
• An itemized list of donated materials and their value needs to be provided
• The number of hours of labor (documented in the activity log)
Before the reimbursement is granted, participants must have submitted a completed Realize Rain Gardens
Rochester Registration Form. All reimbursement requests for projects completed within a fiscal year must
be submitted no later than December 31 of that year. Reimbursement requests are typically processed
within 30 days of receipt. Costs incurred before the project was approved will not be reimbursed.
Realize Rain Gardens Rochester
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Application Guidelines:
Please write legibly on all forms. Please submit pages 4 – 10. Hard copy submission materials must be no
larger than 8.5” x 11” in size and single sided. Digital applications are accepted. Pictures may be submitted
digitally on a CD or as a hard copy no larger than 8.5” x 11” in size. Remember to keep a copy for your files.
Please submit your complete application to:
stormwater@rochestermn.gov
OR
Rochester Public Works Department
201 4th Street SE, Room 108
Rochester, MN 55904
Re: RRR Cost-Share Grant Application
1. Name of applicant
2. Applicant’s address
3. Applicant’s daytime phone number Email
4. Proposed installation start date (can be approximate)
5. How did you hear about the Cost-Share Grant program?
6. Explain why you think your site would be a good location for a demonstration rain garden (including
any current water issues on your property) and why you should receive a 50% cost share grant to help
install it.
7. My rain garden is (check one):
☐ Contractor-designed ☐ Self-designed
8. Rain gardens need weeding, watering, and mulching to preserve their health and function. At a
minimum, you will need to cut or pull dead vegetation each spring and weed it 2 to 3 times per
growing season. Check which box indicates your maintenance plan:
☐ Contracted Maintenance ☐ Self-maintained
Realize Rain Gardens Rochester
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9. Does the proposed location meet the following criteria? (Check box if yes.)
☐ Garden is at least 10’ from buildings, including those on neighboring properties
☐ Garden is not over buried utilities (electric, phone, cable, storm sewer, sanitary sewer, water)
☐ Garden is not over septic system
☐ Slope < 12% (12’ rise over 100’ distance)
10. The size of a rain garden depends on how much space is available on your grounds and how
much water you can capture. Learn how to calculate the size of a rain garden by practicing with
“Conducting a Percolation Test” and “Calculating the Size of a Rain Garden” (Supplemental Document
Pages 4-8).
What impervious areas do you plan to capture water from? (Check all that apply.)
Drainage Area Area in square feet
☐ House roof - describe which portion(s):
☐ Garage roof - describe which portion(s)
☐ Driveway (only the portion that slopes to rain garden):
☐ Patio
☐ Other (please describe):
Total Drainage Area
11. Rain garden area and depth should be based upon the size of the drainage area you intend to serve
(see #10) and the infiltration rate of the site. The depth of a rain garden should equal the number of
inches per day that will infiltrate based on your percolation test. (Supplemental Document Pages 4-8)
• Percolation test results: ______ inches per hour.
• Rain garden depth: ______ inches (same as “x” in percolation test results)
• Rain garden area: ______ ft2
If the infiltration rate is less than 2 inches per hour, it is recommended that you amend your soil with a mixture of 75%
sand and 25% compost and/or increase the depth of your garden.
1 inch
“y” hours
“x” inches
24 hours=“x” = percolation result
“y” = time in your test
drainage area
percolation rate = rain garden size (ft2)
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12. Check how you plan to excavate the soil and what you will do with the excess soil.
Excavation Method Soil Use
☐ Shovel ☐ Use for berm around garden
☐ Mini-backhoe ☐ Use or store elsewhere on site
☐ Haul off site ☐ Other:
13. Estimate the number of plants you intend to purchase for your rain garden using the spacing
guidelines noted below. Native plant species or their cultivars that originate within 200 miles of
Rochester are recommended. See the Native Flowers, Shrubs and Trees for Yards, Rain Gardens &
Shorelines pages for suggested species (Supplemental Document Pages 10-15). Feel free to attach additional
pages for your plant estimates.
Spacing Guidelines
Plugs 12”-15” spacing (therefore, ~100 plants/100 square feet of garden)
2”- 4” Pots 15”-18” spacing (therefore, ~56 plants/100 square feet of garden)
6”+ Pots Spacing depends on species
Shrubs Spacing depends on species
Plant Species Number of Plants Price Each Price Total
Grand Total =
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14. Sketch your proposed rain garden plan below (or attach a separate sheet) giving approximate
dimensions, showing its relationship to your home and street, property lines, and noting the plant
types you plan to use in each area.* Sketches must include the distance from all buildings, including
those on neighboring properties that are within 100 feet of the proposed rain garden. For examples
see “Sample Rain Garden Plans” (Supplemental Document Page 9). Be sure to avoid planting within utility
and drainage easements and road right-of-way areas. *The number of plants of each species is
estimated in #13.
Realize Rain Gardens Rochester
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15. Estimate labor costs using the table below.
Planning
Locating site, garden design and percolation test $100.00 reimbursable costs
Garden construction
Time Estimate (in hours) = (rain garden size
in ft2 x 3 minutes per ft2) divided by 60 minutes
Sod Removal
Soil excavation
Soil amendment
Planting
Mulching
Weeding
Other:
Total Hours =
Labor Cost = x $50/hour + $100 = $
(Total # of hours) Construction Labor Planning Allotment Total Labor Estimate
16. My rain garden will be installed by (check one): ☐ Me ☐ A Contractor
17. Materials Estimates: please estimate the materials costs using both tables below.
Material Unit Costs Size (ft2)Cost per ft2 Multiplier Total
Soil amendment, if
needed (compost, sand,
and peat moss mixture)
$0.15 per ft2 at a
depth of 1 inch
$Depth of
amendment in
inches =
$
Shredded hardwood
mulch
$0.25 per ft2 $1.0 $
Material Subtotal A =$
Method for Water to Enter the Garden
(Check those that apply)
Materials and Amount
(Give size and quantity)
Cost
☐ Extended downspout $
☐ Buried or overland pipe or drain tile $
☐ Across lawn N/A $
☐ Vegetated swale $
☐ Dry creek (rock, no plastic liner) $
☐ Stone or concrete spillway $
☐ Other(list):$
Material Subtotal B =$
Total Materials (Subtotal A + Subtotal B) =
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18. Cost Totals: Please add all materials totals to determine the cost of your rain garden per square foot.
Cost Totals Total
Plant Materials $
Labor (Planning and Construction)$
Materials $
Total Cost $
Cost Per Square Foot*$
*Cost per square foot will be one criteria used to select grant recipients. Grant reimbursements will be based on
actual costs, as verified by receipts and log book record of labor and material expenditures, not to exceed per grant
request.
19. I, or representatives of my family, voluntarily attended the following classes in preparation for this
application:
☐ Rain Gardens 101 ☐ Rain Garden Grant Writing Workshop
This is highly recommended, but not required of applicants. Contact the Rochester Public Works Department
(507-328-2440) or visit www.rochesterstormwater.com for schedule of classes, locations, and times.
20. Check any other management practices currently being used to treat stormwater on your property:
☐ Rain Barrel ☐ Stormwater Pond ☐ Down Spout/Sump Diffuser ☐ Other (describe below)
Additional Resources
The “Supplemental Documents” contain a multitude of resources to help you plan, design, and maintain
your rain garden. These documents are included in the application packet and can also be found online at
www.rochesterstormwater.com/rrr.
• “How to Design and Install a Rain Garden.” A general step-by-step instructional document.
Supplemental Documents Page 1
• “Rain Garden Resources: Blue Thumb” A non-profit organization specializing in native gardens, rain gardens
and shoreline stabilization. Supplemental Documents Page 2
• “Rain Garden Resources: Websites” A list of websites about rain gardens. Supplemental Documents Page 3
• “Conducting a Percolation Test” Determining the infiltration rate for your site. Supplemental Documents Page 4
• “Calculating the Size of a Rain Garden.” A guide for sizing rain gardens and determining percolation rates.
Supplemental Documents Pages 5-8
• “Sample Rain Garden Plans.” Examples of garden designs and a side view of a rain garden.
Supplemental Documents Page 9
• “Native Flowers, Shrubs and Trees for Yards, Rain Gardens & Shorelines.” A list of recommended flowers and
grasses for Minnesota rain gardens courtesy of Blue Thumb. Supplemental Documents Pages 10-15
• “Rain Garden Preparation Checklist.” A step-by-step checklist of action items that grant recipients should use
to help insure successful completion of your rain garden project. Supplemental Documents Pages 16-17
• “SE MN Rain Garden Vendors.” A list of local companies that carry and/or deliver native plant stock appropriate
for rain gardens or that have experience designing and/or installing rain gardens. Supplemental Documents Page 18
Realize Rain Gardens Rochester
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Realize Rain Gardens Rochester Agreement
If I am awarded a Realize Rain Gardens Rochester cost-share grant, I hereby agree to:
1. Read and understand all the information provided in the cost-share grant documents.
2. Construct a rain garden according to the plans submitted in the Cost Share Grant Application and
approved as a grant award.
3. Avoid planting within utility and drainage easements; if a boulevard garden is desired, contact Public
Works prior to determine if the site is a feasible location.
4. Call Gopher State One-Call (1-800-252-1166) before I start digging.
5. Track labor and expenditures during rain garden construction.
6. Register my rain garden immediately after construction by submitting the Registration Form and
before, during and after project photos (preferably digital).
7. Place a Realize Rain Gardens Rochester sign in my rain garden as soon as it is completed.
8. Allow the site to be published on the Realize Rain Gardens Rochester location map and allow the public
to view my rain garden.
9. Host a Rain Garden Party or similar educational initiative prior to submitting the reimbursement
request.
10. Submit reimbursement requests by December 31 of the year the grant is awarded, providing all
receipts for materials and/or services.
11. Maintain the rain garden for a minimum of 5 years and submit photos of my rain garden annually for
5 years to the City.
12. Agree that all submittals and methods or techniques developed as part of the grant award shall
become the property of the City for use at its discretion, including but not limited to print and web
site publications, tour maps, and any or all program publicity.
Further, I understand that the City of Rochester will not authorize payment of the reimbursement request
unless full documentation is received and until all construction tasks are complete.
Except if arising from or out of the City of Rochester’s fault or negligence, I agree to indemnify and defend
the City of Rochester, and will hold harmless the City of Rochester, and assigns from any claims, expenses,
or damages including attorney’s fees, arising from my participation in this agreement.
I certify to the best of my knowledge that the information included in this application is true, complete,
and accurate and I agree with the terms listed above.
Applicant’s Signature
Applicant’s Name (Please print)
Date:
Date Received by the Rochester Public Works Department: