BARBARA DOMER: Valparaiso City Council District 3

Kudos to the Jessee Pifer neighbors who restored a rain garden on the neighborhood property (owned by Mike Gromer), on the north side of Hwy 130/Lincolnway, between Joliet Rd/Center St. & Yellowstone Rd. The neighbors gathered to celebrate the rain garden project, which was completed with the support of many neighbors and financial support from a Neighborhood Improvement Grant funded by the Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission. Special thanks to Jane & Marc Jones (and Jane’s sister Anne who designed the garden) and Mike Novotney, who all headed up the project and provided the brains and brawn along with neighborhood grant committee members (Jen Grawcock & others) and several neighbors who volunteered. A special thank you to the Brownie troupe who participated in planting. And a thank you to Maggie Clifton, for guidance on the administration of the funding and organizing the celebration and Mingyan Zhou for designing a new sign. Truly a collaboration! It is satisfying to know we have had a small hand restoring and improving a rain garden which filters runoff a from a parking lot to clean water which eventually flows into our precious Lake Michigan! We need more rain gardens in the city!