City of Athens / Athens-McMinn Family Y.M.C.A.
"Green" Parking Lot

The City of Athens and the Athens-McMinn Family Y.M.C.A., with grant funds provided by agencies of the State of Tennessee, have created one of the first "Green," or environmentally friendly developments in the City of Athens. This new parking facility incorporates many Low Impact Development practices and serves as an outdoor classroom for contractors, developers and students who seek better ways of developing. This parking lot was built without the need for storm drains, pipes or an on-site storm water detention pond.

Among the Low Impact Development practices implemented on this site are:

Presto GeoBlock II - This material is used in the driving lanes. GeoBlock II is a hollow-cell grid of recycled plastic through which grass grows. Visitors to the parking lot will drive on grass.

Pervious Concrete - This material is used in the parking stalls of the lot. Unlike normal concrete, this pervious material allows water to infiltrate the surface and percolate into the soil below.

Pervious Pavers - The entrances to the parking lot are paved with blocks composed of a pervious material. Like the concrete, water is able to infiltrate the blocks and percolate into the soil.

Rain Garden - Located centrally in the lot is a rain garden. This is a specially prepared area, containing native plants, that is designed to capture and hold water during a storm event. The water infiltrates into the rain garden and eventually into the soil below the site. The rain garden serves as a "Green" alternative to a storm water detention pond.

Living Roof - An informational kiosk is located in the rain garden which serves two purposes. The first is educational, it contains an informational sign providing information about this project. The second purpose is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a living roof. The roof of the kiosk contains a LiveRoof system, which uses Sedum plants rather than another traditional roofing system. The kiosk provides a nice shady spot to read and rest as a result.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS

Here is a collection of photographs that were taken during the construction phase:

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

These are the partners who contributed to the construction of this project:

The City of Athens, Tennessee
The City of Athens Public Works Department
The Athens-McMinn Family Y.M.C.A.
Earthscapes
East Tennessee Construction
EDI Design
Jenn Hill
Oldcastle Architectural
The Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
The Tennessee Department of Transportation
The Tennessee Stormwater Association

*The "Green" Parking Lot Is Now OPEN!
The official ribbon cutting for the new parking lot was held Wednesday, October 7, 2009.