SISKIYOU PASSAGE Design Update

To make our goals a reality we need to keep our plans simple, yet effective. The goals we set early in this process are to:
•   Calm traffic
•   Make art an integral part of this project
•   Mediate storm water
As we gather information, brainstorm design ideas, and realize our financial limitations, our plan is taking form. A few budget realities we’ve learned this past week:
•   To build a cob structure we will need the assistance of a master builder. Cost: $1500 plus materials.
•   At the minimum, the bedding of the rain garden will need a special compost mix 4 feet wide, 2 feet deep in the center for drainage. Cost: $60 square yd. (min. $800)
•   Cost of curb cuts, permits, plants, paint, rock, dumpster, etc., still unknown.
•   We can apply for a $300 CWSP grant for the first phase of the rain garden in the City Repair project but the larger grant (up to $10,000), does not kick in until after July 2010.
How can we get the most bang for our non-existent buck and still convey the idea of passage?
The Design group suggests the following approach:
Calm traffic and make art integral to project:
•   May 2010. Street painting. A compass conveys many of the passage ideas discussed earlier: a journey, trail, arrival/departure, and East/West cultural themes.
•   May 2010. Rock cairns along street. Begin at the intersection of Siskiyou & 77th, in the rain garden location and across the street at Raphael and Maria’s house. A rock cairn is a trail marker made of stones stacked one atop the other to mark a trail; they are place markers or sentinels along a passageway. When a traveler sees a cairn there is a sense of relief in knowing that you haven’t lost your way. Cairns are simple, elegant and easy to emulate. If we build two or three, others may copy and we may start a movement (remember Alice’s Restaurant?). 
•   May 2010. Community board. Needs to be kept simple. See accompanying illustrations.
    Project needs: A design, paint, good rocks and people power.
Mediate storm water:
•   May 2010. Clean the gutters of the streets (preferably both sides).
    Project needs: People power or small backhoe or front-end loader AND a place to put gravel.
•   Fall 2010. Build rain garden. This spring we draw up plans, plant list, get permits, apply for grant funding  and be ready to go either before or after July 1. If we don’t get the grant, we still have a beautiful street painting and clean gutters that partially drain the streets to the drains on 76th.
    Project needs: Grant writing, budgeting, and design skills .
Reflections.
A statement from one of our earlier discussions resonates. “The traveler learns from the journey along the passageway and the traveler leaves things behind along the passageway, changing the trail itself and changing the lives of the animate beings it interacts with (knowingly or not) along the way.”
Our collective journey over the past two months has touched each of us; we have learned from each other and our ideas continue to evolve. We change and the trail changes as we travel its length. Our discussions have generated excellent ideas and we should not limit this project to one space or to only one or two ideas. As time passes, we will plant, make, install, interact, post our writing, drawing, and announcements. If we stay true to our goals and keep the framework simple and flexible we will accomplish much in a brief time and we will keep the passage open to future growth.