Welcome to the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission's bi-weekly roundup of news, trends, and events. To see previous edition of this newsletter,
click here
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- News From Around the Region
- A Better Way to Pave
- Native Planting and Rain Gardens Have Ripple Effects On Our Water
- Grants and Programs Available
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News From Around the Region
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Stay up to date with our roundup of planning and development news around the region.
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UW-Madison's Lot 34: Porous pavement (left side of photo) allows snowmelt to infiltrate, but traditional pavement (right side of photo) results in runoff.
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The use of permeable pavements is increasing nationally, as one of the many tools for improved stormwater management. Unlike traditional concrete and asphalt, porous asphalt, pervious concrete and permeable interlocking concrete pavers are designed to allow water to infiltrate through the pavement structure. Stormwater runoff carrying pollutants from urban surfaces is filtered while draining into layers of stone or filter media below the surface to infiltrate or to temporarily capture for future reuse.
Permeable pavements also reduce the concentration of urban pollutants both physically by trapping in the pavement or soil and chemically (bacterial and microbial break down).
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Yet, there are persistent misconceptions about these systems, in particular with regard to cold climate performance, cost, and longevity.
Permeable pavement infiltration is not negatively affected by freezing. It remains porous allowing snow melt to drain away where it might refreeze creating black ice conditions on conventional pavement. Research has shown that permeable pavement requires less deicing, as much as 75% less, throughout the winter season and provides better traction when compared to conventional pavements. It also is more resistant to frost heave than standard pavement as the open graded base does not allow water to freeze immediately below the pavement surface.
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Porous pavement does not cost significantly more than conventional pavement. On a yard-by-yard basis, the porous asphalt costs are approximately the same as conventional asphalt. The underlying stone or filter media is usually more expensive than a conventional compacted sub-base, but this cost difference is generally offset by the significant reduction in stormwater pipes and inlets.
When sited, designed and constructed properly, permeable pavement is able to perform as well as a conventional pavement. Even after twenty years, porous pavements show little if any cracking or pothole problems. Yearly vacuum maintenance has been sufficient in most cases to maintain the long-term porosity of the pavement. Locally, the USGS Wisconsin Water Science Center has been adding to our understanding of porous pavement by
researching its benefits on the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff.
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Native Planting and Rain Gardens Have Ripple Effects on Our Waters
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Convert some of your turf grass or pavement into a native garden this spring. Not only are native plants beautiful, but they provide important ecosystem services such as habitat for local wildlife and improved water quality. Native plants act as sponges helping rainwater to soak into the ground preventing stormwater runoff from draining into our lakes, rivers and streams.
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The Plant Dane Program provides Dane County residents access to native plants at the discounted price of $2.25/plant, about half the normal retail price. It is open to schools, non-profit organizations (lake and neighborhood associations, youth groups, faith centers, clubs, etc.), municipalities, and individual residents across Dane County.
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Grants and Programs Available!
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To promote collaborative planning, the Capital Area RPC highlights grants and programs available in communities around the region. Today, we're happy to highlight two programs from the City of Madison.
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The City of Madison SEED Grants are now open! The City of Madison 2018 Budget includes $50,000 in grant funds to be distributed by the Madison Food Policy Council.
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Emerging Opportunities Program
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The 2018 Emerging Opportunities Program guidelines and application are now available on the City of Madison Community Development Division
Funding Opportunities website
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Applications workshops are scheduled for
Monday, February 12, 2018 at 2:00
or
5:30 pm
. Please Click Here to
register
for a workshop.
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Events
Next RPC Commission meeting
March 8th, 2018 @ 6:15pm
City County Building Rm 351
210 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
Madison WI, 53703
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