By: Selina Pedi-Smith, Pellere Foundation
Do you know how absolutely, soul-quenchingly satisfying it is to see a system you designed and built work as intended? I mean, really. It’s ridiculously fulfilling, even when it’s something small and simple.
Remember our driveway drainage issues? Well, our new drainage network got its first real test today.
Torrential downpours hit us, and I had the good fortune to be heading to an appointment just after the strongest rain had passed. It was still pouring – I got soaked in the short dash to the car – but one could see to drive, at least. And as I rolled my way down the driveway, I paused and craned my neck to see if any water was coming out of a drain pipe I had laid across the driveway. It’s connected to the main ditch, but is supposed to channel the heaviest stormwater flows back into the old creek bed that runs along the perimeter of our property. So, I paused, craned my neck, and I saw a joyous spout rushing out of the pipe and putting the first significant amount of water back into a natural creek that had been cut off for decades. The main ditch was still channeling water into a little catchment pond on the other side of the driveway, which was spilling over into its own natural creek bed. And I just…grinned from ear to ear, did a happy little dance in the seat, and was in the best possible mood for my appointment.
I suppose these little wins hit so hard because, well…so many things don’t go according to plan. And this time last year, I remember feeling completely gutted as plans we had spent years building seemed to disappear in a few pen strokes in an office far from here. At the time, it felt like everything had stopped. Of course, it hadn’t stopped completely. Yeah, the big funding stopped, and we’re still feeling the effects. The big timelines got pushed waaaaaay back. But the work itself? The work itself kept going, just…smaller. Less dramatic. Less visible. A lot slower.
Instead of tackling entire buildings, we tackled individual rooms and infrastructure. Instead of launching new major projects, we focused on maintenance, planning, cleanup, and all the little things that never make for exciting announcements. A year later, though, you look up and realize a drainage system works. A pond is larger. A building is cleaner, safer, and further along than it was before. Not finished. Not transformed. Just…further along. Which is why we’re opening the doors at 403 W 2nd Street on June 20th. 10-2.
If you’ve been curious about what we’ve managed to accomplish over the last year despite the setbacks, this is your chance to come see for yourself. Some of it is visible. Some of it isn’t. All of it matters. Because it seems like sometimes success looks exactly like you imagined it would – the water goes right where you planned. And sometimes…it looks like a building that’s still standing, a project that’s still moving, and progress that asks you to look a little closer.
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📝 Curious about how we’re building change from the ground up? Explore more stories, insights, and updates on our blog: riverrootsredevelopment.org/blog.
