Bham News Article on CRS Annual Meeting

Developers honored for preservation
Projects include ways to capture, filter runoff

Thursday, January 25, 2007
DAWN KENT
News staff writer

Environmentalists and developers will come together tonight as the Cahaba River Society introduces an award for projects that have features designed to protect the river and its watershed.

At its annual meeting, the society will present the Blue-Green Design Innovation Award to businesses involved in two projects: The Shoppes at River Run in Mountain Brook and St. Vincent's One Nineteen Health and Wellness in Hoover.

"We want to show that these are practical and feasible measures," said Beth Stewart, the society's executive director. "We hope that more and more projects will begin to be built this way."

At St. Vincent's One Nineteen Health and Wellness, a technique called bioswales reduces stormwater pollution and flooding effects of parking lots. The bioswales use landscaped islands in parking lots to allow runoff to seep into the ground, filtering pollutants. The facility is near Lake Purdy.

St. Vincent's Health System and St. Vincent's One Nineteen Health and Wellness will receive the award, along with general contractors Brasfield and Gorrie and landscape architect Ross Land Design.

Bioswales also are in use at The Shoppes at River Run, on the banks of the Cahaba River. In addition, the development uses a Baysaver, a trademarked water filtration system, in the parking lot to catch and filter runoff.

Moss Properties, Stewart Perry Company Inc. and Ross Land Design will receive the award for the project.

Other awards presented at the meeting will recognize volunteer and public service efforts to protect the river and its watershed.

The meeting, which will be at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, is open to the public. Beginning at 5:30 p.m., there will be interactive displays of existing or upcoming developments with watershed-protective design. The 6:30 p.m. program will feature the awards and comments from Vestavia Hills Mayor Scotty McCallum and Trussville Mayor Gene Melton.

E-mail: dkent@bhamnews.com