A. Proposal Title: Storm Water Initiative Project (SIP): An Interdisciplinary Initiative and Experiential Learning Opportunity to Promote the Campus as a Living Laboratory B. Contact Information: Hannah K. Morgan 607-436-3312 Hannah.Morgan@oneonta.edu Sustainability Coordinator 202 Netzer Administration Building C. Department: Finance and Administration D. Amount Requested: $20,000 E. Project Summary: In July 2013, Oneonta experienced an extreme weather event which dumped over 4.69 inches of water in a 24 hour period and generated over 2.9 million gallons of runoff from impervious campus surfaces. SUNY Oneonta s campus consists of approximately 30% impervious surfaces, which creates a large runoff effect both on campus and within the Oneonta community. There are many short-term and potentially costly solutions to storm water management, but SUNY Oneonta has the opportunity to formulate an interdisciplinary, systematic, educational and mindful solution using the intellectual resources of the campus to solve this community-wide issue. This project will 1) support students and faculty with real-time instrumentation for the collection of flow data, 2) create a rain garden and bioretention structure with an appropriate aesthetic for our campus, and 3) assemble faculty from across the campus to develop a strategic plan to integrate storm water management into the campus culture.
Section I: Narrative A. Proposal significance and objectives: The proposal is significant because it addresses a current problem the Office of Facilities and the Maintenance Operations Center faces during extreme weather events and it provides an educational, interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunity for the campus community. While an outside engineering consultant could be hired to address the storm water runoff issue, it would cost tens of thousands of dollars and deprive the larger campus community of their input and sense of ownership. Our approach to the storm water problem on campus will break down the silos between the various disciplines and departments and promote interdisciplinary collaboration and research among faculty, staff and students. This semester, a forum was organized to gauge interest within the institution towards this broad community issue. Faculty and staff members from 13 different areas attended the event including: History, Geography, Philosophy, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Biology, Art, Economics, Environmental Science, Communication Arts, Sociology, Finance and Administration, Facilities and Sustainability. The enthusiasm and energy expressed during the forum solidified the momentum required to execute phase one of this multiyear research, planning, design and construction project. B. Contribution to the SP2010: Sustainability is one of the six pillars in the Strategic Plan. This project has the potential to integrate sustainable landscaping demonstration projects across campus including the installation of rain gardens (bioretention), permeable pavers and green roof applications in visible locations to educate the community on solutions to managing storm water runoff. Rain gardens are depressions or shallow bowls integrated into the landscape which are designed to hold and infiltrate water, utilizing soils with good percolation rates as well as native plants which are adapted and suitable for wet conditions. In some cases, these plants have the ability to filter and remove pollutants from storm water runoff (biological uptake). Permeable pavers are constructed with strong structural materials which are laid in a grid system and are filled with gravel or sod to promote the infiltration of storm water. Green roofs are vegetative layers on rooftops which absorb, filter and retain storm water to reduce the total volume and flow to storm water systems. These types of technologies have the potential to demonstrate to the student population various sustainable design applications viable for specific landscapes. In addition, this proposal supports the Student Engagement, Community Partnerships and Teaching, Learning and Scholarship pillars. This proposal optimizes student experience by engaging learning and student leadership by offering opportunities for students to participate in the installation of the sustainable landscaping design technologies. This proposal seeks to promote a collaborative partnership between the college and the City of Oneonta to mitigate the storm water runoff issue. In addition, this initiative creates numerous cross-disciplinary opportunities for coursework and research among the five schools. These pillars will be addressed in more detail in Section C.
C. Linkage to any of the following priorities: Experiential learning This collaborative interdisciplinary initiative creates numerous education opportunities for students across the disciplines including surveying the local community members on the effects of storm water towards their neighborhoods (sociology), designing landscapes and spaces which are both aesthetically and effectively capturing storm water runoff (art), tracking historical data of past extreme weather events (history), assessing the public opinion of the storm water management issue (communication arts), measuring the flow rate of storm water inside the manholes (environmental science) and identifying native species to plant within the rain gardens (biology). Curricular infusion of pillars This proposal directly infuses sustainability, student engagement and community partnerships into the curriculum by teaching students to engage in the participatory planning and design process and to be active citizens within the community, by promoting alliances between the city and college. Integrating and installing demonstration projects around the landscape engages the students by promoting a visible culture of sustainability across campus. Technology enhanced learning Students hired to monitor the flow rates within the storm drain system will utilize dynamic pressure or ultrasonic depth sensors and data loggers to measure and track the flow of storm water over an extended period of time. This information will be used to perform a comparative analysis of flow rates during extreme weather events. Public/private partnerships The City of Oneonta is affected and invested in the storm water management issues created by the location and design of our campus. As the project progresses, the storm water working group plans to collaborate with the city to design demonstration projects which optimize the retention of storm water runoff. D. Evidence that contributed to the decision to submit this request: It has been documented that the campus has experienced an increase in significant rainfall events which have overwhelmed the campus storm drain system. The campus is obligated to address these issues, as they have the potential to affect the surrounding community. E. How the activity will be assessed, using measurable, documented outcomes: The activity will be assessed by tracking: The number of student interns participating in the research project The number of hours students worked towards addressing the project The number of faculty members participating in the research project The number of departments involved in addressing the storm water management issue
The number of courses incorporating the project as part of the curriculum The flow rate data collected over an extended period of time The number of demonstration projects installed on campus The number of project updates communicated and broadcasted to the SUNY Oneonta community F. Implementation strategy and timeline: The tentative schedule of phase one includes: February 2014: Second Storm Water Management forum organized and project teams created. March-May 2014: Monthly project team discussions and organization. Involve the City of Oneonta. Students provide update at Student Research Expo (April). June 2014: Strategic plan created for Storm Water Initiative Project July 2014: Data collection begins (students) and presentation at Life of the Mind. April 2015: Rain garden installed and public presentation of overall project timed for Earth Day. G. Additional information: See Appendix B (Precipitation on Campus:Where Does it End Up?) Section II: Funding Request- $20,000 (see excel sheet) Student Labor: $2,000 (two students, $1,000 stipend) Faculty Stipend: $3,000 (two faculty members, $1,500 stipend) Instrumentation: $10,000 ( five flow rate sensors and five data loggers) Demonstration Projects: $5,000 (two rain gardens)
Section III: Consultation- See Appendix A Appendix A: Consultation The Chief Information Officer has reviewed this proposal and verified potential costs as it relates to technology: [ ] Yes [X] Not Applicable Comments: The Associate Vice President for Facilities has reviewed this proposal and verified potential costs as it relates to facilities: [X] Yes [] Not Applicable Comments: Tom Rathbone is aware of the Storm Water Management initiative and will be consulted as the project progresses. The Budget Director has reviewed this proposal and verified potential costs: [ ] Yes [X] Not Applicable Comments: The Senior Executive Employee Services Officer has reviewed this proposal and verified potential costs as it relates to human resources: [ ] Yes [X] Not Applicable Comments: Other consultation (be specific):
Appendix B: Precipitation on Campus - Where Does it End Up?
Proposal Title: Storm Water Initiative Project (SIP) Point Person and contact information Name: Hannah Morgan Campus Phone: 607-436-3312 Campus e-mail: hannah.morgan@oneonta.edu Department/Unit: Finance and Administration 2013-2014 StAR Proposal -- Budget Template* Budget Detail please enter whole dollars; enter fractions of positions in decimals (e.g. 1/2 time = 0.50) 1-time Costs by year Recurring Number of (ongoing) Positions Costs: Total 1-time Costs Use of Funds Description 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 Personnel Costs: Ongoing Salaries (PSR) $0 Temporary Salaries (Temp Service) $3,000 Student Employment (Student Temp Service) $2,000 Other Than Personnel Costs (OTPS) and Campus Recharges: Materials & Supplies $5,000 Travel (not related to Professional Development) $0 Contractual Services $0 Student Scholarships $0 Professional Development $0 General Equipment $10,000 Contracts related to Equipment Maintenance $0 Campus Storehouse $0 Campus Telephone $0 Campus Mail $0 Campus Print Shop $0 Capital Costs -- renovation $0 Capital Costs -- new construction $0 Total Costs: 0.00 $0 $0 $0 $0 $20,000 Other Funding Sources: New Funds (i.e. projected revenue generation) Projected Amount Available: Reallocation of funds from existing resources (include account number, funding source) Total Projected Other Funding Sources: $0 * Updated 12/2/2013