Once a flooding nightmare, Sullivan Park is now an environmentally friendly wetland.
For its efforts, the city of Easton received the 2014 Green Park Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society.
Sullivan Park is situated midway up a steep slope near the intersection of Hamilton Street and Chestnut Terrace. For years, homes below the park incurred flooding, even during minor storms. Basements flooded, causing water damage in houses along Hamilton, West Lafayette and Coleman streets.
Four major floods from 2004 to 2008 spurred the Easton public works department to team up with Lafayette College to find a solution. David Brandes, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, challenged his students to develop an innovative solution to the problem.
They constructed a wetland and stormwater channel using native wetland plants to help contain water and eliminate runoff. Several grants funded the project, including one from the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.
Students planted native wetland grasses, trees and shrubs and received guidance from Len Smith, who works at Borton-Lawson, a professional engineering firm in Bethlehem. Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said that since the park was redesigned, the neighbors' flood complaints have ceased.
The annual Green Park Award recognizes excellence in the use of green and sustainable park practices in community parks.
"Any great project does not belong to one person," said Dave Hopkins, Easton's director of public works. "This was not an easy project."
A Red Sunset maple tree was planted next to a commemorative bronze plaque and the ceremony included speeches by Panto; state Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton; and Nathan Flood, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
"The Sullivan Park project is an excellent example for other communities that want to make their parks great assets to their residents," Flood said. "And it's a model we hope to see replicated over and over again throughout the commonwealth."
Sullivan Park has playground equipment and spots for picnicking. The wetlands have become a favorite spot for nature lovers who can see monarch butterflies and hummingbirds.
"This is a great day for Easton," Freeman said. "This is a well-deserved award for finding an environmentally friendly approach to solving the problem."