On Wednesday April 18th, Harrisonburg’s first ever day of giving, The Great Community Give will take place, and people from all over Harrisonburg will be showing their love to their favorite local nonprofits all day long. Check out their site here!

The Great Community Give has inspired us to talk about one of our favorite local nonprofits – ​Central Valley Habitat for Humanity. Since 1988, Central Valley Habitat has been providing the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area with affordable homes sold at no profit nor interest, and whose volunteers build the homes with homebuyers, not for them.  

Why Do We Support Central Valley Habitat?
Colman Engineering’s Principal, Gil Colman, has been involved with Central Valley Habitat since 2011 and currently serves as the Vice President on the Board of Directors. Gil also works with Habitat's Site and Building Committee, contributing his expertise and experience.  

Central Valley Habitat envisions a world where everyone has a decent place to live and understands that housing instability, i.e. struggling to afford rent, frequently moving homes or overcrowding in the home, often results in depression and hopelessness. By providing our communities with affordable housing, Habitat is creating happier and healthier children, families and neighborhoods – something we certainly can get behind!

Want to learn more about our local Habitat for Humanity? Check them out here!

Is your project in need of civil engineering services? If so, give us a call today! Our team is here to provide you with the high-quality civil engineering services your project deserves.

With spring officially underway, it won’t be long before Harrisonburg’s trees and flowers start to bloom – all we need are a few healthy rain showers! Heavy rains bring our green lawns and flower gardens back to life, but too much rain can become a problem if the earth becomes oversaturated and unable to drain. Fortunately, civil engineers have eco-friendly and cost-effective solutions for this problem: rain gardens and bioretention facilities. 

Rain gardens and bioretention facilities are depressions in the ground that collect runoff and use native plants and soils for treating and dispersing the water. Rain gardens are the smaller and less complicated of the two designs and can be found near driveways or under gutter drains. Bioretention facilities are the more complex and large-scale designs. In addition to having the most-efficient drainage and pollutant removal systems, bioretention facilities also promote healthy tree and plant growth. 

Mosquitoes are thought to live in rain gardens or bioretention facilities because of the collected water, but this is a common misunderstanding! Engineers specifically plan for water to be  absorbed and processed within 48 hours through an underdrain system of plant roots, soils and filters which prevents any prolonged pooling or stagnant water. 

Are you interested in having a beautiful rain garden or bioretention facility at your home or business? If so, give us a call! Our team is here to provide you with the high-quality civil engineering services your project deserves. Contact us to get started.