7 Devils Brewery "Beer" Garden - Coos Bay, OR

Description

This Ocean Friendly "Beer" Garden directs rainwater from a microbrewery's roof and patios into a garden created by removing two parking spaces!

Project collaborators:
- Surfrider-Coos Bay Chapter;
- 7 Devils Brewery Co.;
- David and Molly Ford - building owners;
- Sol Coast Consulting and Design - performed project coordination, construction, and community workday oversite.
- Mike Vaughn, local landscape designer & Coos Bay City Council member - contracted by Sol Coast to complete the design;
- Maria Cahill of Green Girl Land Development - sizing, hydraulic functions and modelling consultation.
- Those above, Surfrider-Coos Bay Chapter, and Coos Watershed Association (CWA) - brought out volunteers for the workday. CWA also provided tools.

* Site prep - Sol Coast took care of asphalt removal, soil de-compaction and amending, and downspout extention to the OFG. The native soils at this site are sand, so Sol Coast just needed to excavate down to that level for drainage and build up healthy, drainable soils from there. Composted soils were mixed in with native soils.

* Materials - In western Oregon, Rexius is a “go to” business for compost amendments that meet the specifications for healthy plants and drainage concerns. The plants were selected by a local landscape designer to blend a desired aesthetic with non-invasive, robust species that require little maintenance. They made sure to avoid invasive species. Sol Coast also coordinated tools.

* Workday outreach and coordination - Sol Coast timed construction activities with weather patterns to target a “go” date and put together a request for volunteers to the free Garden Assistance Party (GAP).

More info at the Surfrider OFG blog: http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/raise-a-glass-to-ocean-friendly-beer-garden