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MainTAINING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TRAINING

Description:

This training is intended for supervisors and field staff responsible for maintaining green stormwater infrastructure projects.  Without appropriate operation and maintenance activities GSI projects will not continue to function properly and yield expected water quality and environmental benefits, meet legal standards, and protect the communities’ financial investment.  In this training with the Providence Stormwater Innovation Center, we will give an overview of GSI function and maintenance issues, how design and construction decisions affect future maintenance, lessons learned from the field and the importance of routine inspections and tracking changes over time.

Upcoming trainings are listed on our EVENTS page

Trainers:

Jamie Houle, Program Director, University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center

Brian Byrnes, Deputy Superintendent, City of Providence Parks Department

Scott Wheeler, Superintendent of Parks, Grounds and Forestry – City of Newport

Steve Ricci, Director of Field Operations, Groundwork Rhode Island

Jacob Gorke, Supervising River Ranger, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council

Eric Larson, Greenway Supervisor, Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council

Eric Beck, Supervising Engineer, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

Video Recording of our virtual 2020 training:  

Scott Wheeler
Superintendent of Parks, Grounds and Forestry - City of Newport
 
                           
 
 
 
 
 
  • 25 years of experience with the development and maintenance of the city's buildings, trees, parks, recreational facilities, athletic fields, cemeteries and related facilities.

  • Responsible for urban forestry program

  • Oversees capital improvement plan for the parks

  • ISA Certified and Licensed RI Arborist

  •  Chair – Portsmouth Tree Commission

  •  Rhode Island Director – NE Chapter International Society of    Arboriculture

James Houle

Director of the Stormwater Center – University of New Hampshire

  • Ph.D in Natural Resources and Environmental Science

  • Over twenty years of experience with water quality related issues in New England

  • Certified professional in storm water quality (CPSWQ) and a certified professional in erosion and sediment control (CPESC).

  • Directs and manages research projects at UNH Stormwater Center

  • Areas of expertise include diffusion of innovative stormwater management solutions, the design and implementation of innovative stormwater control measures including green infrastructure (GI), and low impact development (LID) strategies, planning and implementation, operation and maintenance, and water resource monitoring.

 

Brian Byrnes
Deputy Superintendent – Providence Parks Department

  • Degree in Urban Planning & Resource Development – URI

  •  Over 30 Years of Construction Experience

  • Certified Playground Safety Inspector

  •  National Storm Water Center - Certified Stormwater Inspector

  •  Started with Providence Parks in 2015

  •  Project Manager for Projects in (120) Providence Parks

  •  Supervisor of (130) Parks Department Personnel

 

 Steven Ricci

Director Of Field Operations – Groundwork Rhode Island

  • 18 years’ experience in the field of landscape maintenance and construction

  • Experience in rain garden installation, curb cut tree pits, bioswales, native planting designs, green infrastructure installation, and full landscape site construction

  • Director of the GroundCorp crew

  • Managed and planned GSI projects with Rhode Island housing, WBNA, One Builders, West Elmwood Housing Authority, Southside Landtrust, Pawtucket Foundation, City Of Providence, City Of Warwick, City Of Central Falls, and the City Of Pawtucket

  • Landscape Architecture and Community Planning degrees from URI

 

 

Eric Larson
River Rangers Program Manager - Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC)

  • Joined WRWC as the Invasive Plant Manager in June 2013.

  • Manager of the River Rangers program since 2019

  • Responsible for maintenance along the Fred Lippett Bike Path as well as the Woonasquatucket River,

  • Involved with the construction and maintenance of RIDOT funded green stormwater projects in the Woonasquatucket River watershed.

Jacob Gorke
River Ranger - Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC)

  • River Ranger for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) since 2018. 

  • Responsible for planting and maintaining green stormwater installations within the Woonasquatucket River Watershed. 

  • Serves as a co-leader for WRWC’s Urban Community Fish Monitoring Project- a study which gathers data on fish populations and assesses water quality in local watersheds.  

  • Currently attending school for environmental studies

 

Eric Beck
Administrator of Groundwater and Wetlands Protection in the Bureau of Environmental Protection, Office of Water Resources- Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management 

  • Twenty-nine years of experience developing and implementing a broad range of environmental regulatory programs involving permitting of municipal and private wastewater and storm water systems and activities that might impact groundwater or freshwater wetlands.

  • Involved in development and implementation of the RIPDES General Permit for Construction Stormwater, the Multi-Sector General Permit for Industrial Stormwater and the Small MS4 general permit.

  • Involved in the development and implementation of RI’s 2010 Storm Water Design Manual, and the 2014 Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook.

  • Responsible for the RI DEM’s Office of Water Permitting Programs and implementation of the RI Storm Water Design Manual, On-site Wastewater Treatment System Regulations, Freshwater Wetlands Regulations, Groundwater/Underground Injection Control Regulations, and Water Quality Regulations.

  • Graduated from Merrimack College with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Rhode Island. 

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