Trailside Center Rain Garden
9901 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131
The Trailside Center Rain Garden was added to south Kansas City as part of the 10,000 Rain Gardens Initiative, and on May 3, 2006, teenagers from Center Middle School learned about water quality while planting the rain garden located at the Trailside Center at 99th and Holmes.
Sponsored jointly by the Blue River Watershed Association, the Historical Society of New Santa Fe, and the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department, the rain garden will collect rain water from the rooftop of the KCMO firestation located adjacent to the Trailside Center. The garden was designed by Jim Schuessler of BNIM Architects.
As part of the garden project, students learned how rain gardens serve an important function by decreasing and filtering water that runs off of hard surfaces, thereby helping to prevent water pollution and flooding in urban streams and rivers. The Trailside Center Rain Garden serves as a buffer to Indian Creek, located less than 200 feet from the rain garden. Rain gardens also attract birds and butterfiles, and serve to beautify our outdoor landscape.
Blue River Watershed Association purchased the plants and coordinated the installation of the garden, as part of its mission to engage citizens in improving water quality in area rivers and streams. KCMO Parks and Recreation Department dug the depression where the plants were planted. The Trailside Center, a Kansas City community focus center is leased by the Historical Society of New Santa Fe.
