It was more than seven years ago when members of the St. Casimir Catholic Church congregation and community members first started discussing plans to adopt green infrastructure practices at the 132-year-old church.

The result of those discussions was a two-phase green infrastructure plan, two Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) green infrastructure grants, and the honor of being the first Cleveland Catholic Diocese church to begin installing green infrastructure on its campus.

The first phase was completed in 2018, and the second phase is now underway.

Back in 2016, with some urging and assistance from Mike Bramhall of Avon-based Bramhall Engineering, St. Casimir received a  $268.000 2016 NEORSD green infrastructure grant.

St. Casimir ChurchWith that, John Niedzialek, St. Casimir volunteer, and owner of the Casimir the weather predicting cat; several community partners in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood; and a group of other volunteers started implementing the green infrastructure plan.

The group completed phase I of the plan in 2018—implementing a variety of stormwater management practices, including installing permeable pavers in a parking lot to allow water from storm events to soak into the sandy ground at the church and creating bio-retention areas behind the church and convent to allow the roof water to collect into basins, as well as installing rain barrels (painted by students from adjacent Willson Elementary School.

Both the pavers and rain barrels allow rainwater to soak into the sandy soil instead of flowing into the storm drains and sewer system.

Now, Niedzialek and the St. Casimir team are expanding its green infrastructure footprint, installing permeable pavers in a second parking lot, as well as installing two roof systems on the church. The work is again made possible by a $250,000 2023 NEOSD green infrastructure grant.

“NEOSD gives these grants to do what they can to keep Lake Erie clean,” he says. “As much water as we can take out of our sewer system during rain events prevents beach closures.”

Niedzialek says both the permeable pavers and the systems to redirect roof water, combined with “tunnels” to store and channel the stormwater.

“The permeable pavers are so the water can now infiltrate through the ground and put less of a burden on the sewer system,” he explains. “Now we have to redirect the water from some of our buildings to go into the ground instead of going through the storm sewer pipes.”

Permeable pavers in a parking being laid down at St. Casimir ChurchSt. Casimir is once again working with Aaron Appell, project engineer and designer with Bramhall Engineering, Chris Hartman, stormwater technical specialist with NEORSD, and Northeast Ohio Trenching Service contractor John Giles.

“Phase One had several different green infrastructure installations—bioretention cells, permeable pavers, rain barrels, and infiltration trenches throughout the site,” Appell explains. “The focus of Phase II was more in-depth work to reroute rainwater runoff from roof areas that previously drained internal to the buildings that led to existing sewers but now the majority of the roof areas will go to new permeable pavers. Basically, it’s a near total disconnect from the sewer system that’s out there.”

Appell says Phase Two should be completed in the next two weeks.

Niedzialek says he is pleased by the example St. Casimir congregation is setting for the community, and in Northeast Ohio.

“We’re really happy because three years ago we were the first Catholic church in this diocese to do this, and now several more churches have done this,” Niedzialek says. “We’re trying to be active at St. Casimir—we may be small in numbers. But we’re big in heart. We’re doing what we can, and it shows in the community.”

Niedzialek and the entire St. Casimir congregation have a reputation for being a cheerleader for the St. Clair Superior neighborhood—working with the students at Wilson School next door, cleaning up trash and debris in the area, organizing regular food drives, and distributing holiday meals.