New Rain Garden and Outdoor Gym Unveiled

The City of Elk Grove unveiled its new Rain Garden Plaza Tuesday morning at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

The eco-friendly garden, which cost about $500,000, is aimed at educating community members of alternative earth-friendly gardening options. Most of the ground is permeable, running all of the rainwater collected to water the plants in the garden.

Most plants used in the garden are native to California and can survive the summer months without water as well as sitting in several inches of water during the winter months.

City officials said the rain garden was built so they could be “good neighbors.”

“[The site] was a weedy, vacant lot that was an eye sore,” said Christine Brainerd, City of Elk Grove public information officer. “Overall, we are very proud of the rain garden.”

The garden has informational plates to show visitors how they could implement the same gardening techniques at home.

“It’s designed to educate the community with earth-friendly landscaping,” Brainerd said. “It is a fun place for people to hang out and learn.”

The garden is the most comprehensive rain garden in the Sacramento region. Construction began in October and was just completed within the last week.

During the opening statements, Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper thanked the community for support and insight for the garden, including 11,000 local students who helped to decorate the tiles that line parts of the garden. Select students from and were also invited to attend.

“We had the whole community involved in the design,” Fernando Duchas, project manager for the City of Elk Grove, said. “We want home owners to come through and learn.”

The garden also has an area with outdoor exercise equipment to help promote a healthy lifestyle. The equipment includes an elliptical, a pull-up/dip machine and a squat press. The exercise area sits on a synthetic lawn.

The exercise gear is designed for outdoor use and longevity, and will be maintained by the city. Since this is the first garden and park of this kind in the area, city officials do not know the exact maintenance cost, but estimate it to be around $14,000 annually.

No pesticides and herbicides will be used at the garden, so all maintenance will need to be done manually by a park worker.

Duchas described the garden as a living museum.

Heather Korvink, a sixth-grade teacher at Joseph Kerr, said she felt fortunate that her class was selected to attend the event and that her students participated in the tile decorations.

“I think it’s important to know how the environment impacts them, and how they can impact the environment,” Korvink said.

She said she felt the city’s investment into the garden was well worth it.

“For a lifetime project that saves water and conserves energy, it’s absolutely worth it,” Korvink said.

The Rain Garden Plaza is located on Laguna Springs Drive, accross the street from . Click here to see photos of the new rain garden.