Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3)

When we built our church in 2007, we commissioned an artist to create a stain glass window that honors the Potomac River which flows nearby.

Now our two Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) grants enable us to better retain our rainwater to give life to native plants and trees, and to manage the quality and quantity of stormwater that reaches the Potomac.

Thank you CBT!”

Colorful stained glass window with abstract blue, green, and red patterns. In front, a display of orange and yellow glass vases stands on a round white platform against the window’s light-filled backdrop.

Award #24048 in the amount of $39,850 for designing green infrastructure at St. Agnes Parish in Shepherdstown, W.Va. to improve stormwater treatment, including redirecting roof drainage and reconfiguring a stormwater pond. Through this grant we plan to:

  • Manage stormwater more effectively by redirecting the church southern roof drain.
  • Retrofit the feeder pond to bioretention.
  • Reconfigure the main pond discharge with level spreader.
  • Retrofit the main pond to bioretention.

Award #24037 the amount of $26,390 for greening the St. Agnes Catholic Church grounds through installation of 203 trees and shrubs to create an eco-friendly community environment and to manage stormwater. Through this grant we plan to:

  • Reduce Open Grass Areas:
    Convert the 7,200 square feet that is currently grass into areas that are a combination of native trees, shrubs, and grasses.The increased canopy from the trees will naturally reduce the stormwater runoff of the area and make it more attractive to both the community and wildlife.
  • Integrate Garden Spaces:
    This garden gives us the opportunity for training for those interested in learning to garden while helping with our homeless meal program. We see this as being a community supported garden that will create an accessible, welcoming space to grow and nurture food, reduce the carbon footprint, and promote a healthy community environment.
  • Support Pollinators: Throughout the planting process, we will create spaces that attract pollinators and other beneficial species. We can then use these spaces as a learning and pastoral opportunity for our Parish and others.

April 27, 2026
Chesapeake Bay Trust Track 3 Grant Update
Mason Dixon, our contractor for the work to be done on our church campus, has made so much progress on our project! We’ve seen a lot of digging and excavating of rock these past two weeks.

The downspouts from the west side of the church roof have been redirected to the upper pond. A bioswale on the west side of our campus to catch runoff is underway. Mason Dixon will also reconfigure the outlet structures on both the upper and main ponds to accommodate larger volumes of stormwater and to allow the water to be released more slowly.

The goal is to improve handling of stormwater on the St Agnes campus that impacts not only our neighbors who experience flooding in major rain events, but also the Chesapeake Bay.

We appreciate Mason Dixon’s commitment to causing as little disruption to activities at St Agnes as possible while they execute the necessary work. We anticipate the work being finished up in the next week or so.

In addition to the Track 3 grant from the Trust, we have received a matching grant contribution from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Thanks to these two grants, the parish is not using any of its own funds!

The grant committee has been working with our engineers, The Thrasher Group, as well as Josephine Saikali from Region 9 and John Reardon from the Diocese.

Construction site with dirt, rocks, and heavy machinery near a paved parking lot lined with green trees. A white building is partially visible in the background, surrounded by wooded areas and grassy landscape.

May 28, 2025
The Greening of St. Agnes
Since last autumn, the St. Agnes Landscape Committee and grant partners has been focused on our goal of making the St. Agnes landscape more inviting to the community as well as becoming more environmentally friendly. Our efforts have been concentrated on two areas.

If you park on the South (left) side parking lot, you may have noticed that a small forest of trees sprang up before the Memorial Day weekend. Not only that, but they are professionally staked and protected! The 38 trees recently planted were installed by Stadler nurseries and are part of the Community Greening Grant St. Agnes received last year from the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT). The trees are all native species and include a mix of oak, elm, red bud, dogwood, and others. These trees join the 26 trees and shrubs that are all fruit or nut bearing that were planted earlier this spring during the St. Agnes Day of Planting as part of the Commni Tree grant program. During that workday, the Landscape Committee volunteers also put in a pollinator garden next to the playground containing a mix of native flowers and grasses.

In the coming weeks we’ll finish this area by creating tree islands/groupings using mulch and compost, determining plans for watering and mowing, and doing some final cleanup from all the work that has been done.

And for those who park in the North (right) side lot, take a few moments to look at the area in the greenspace along the walkway to the Columbarium. It continues to evolve as well. Development of this area began last fall when the original grass was covered with carboard and then a layer of wood chips. Since then, a dry creek was created, five native trees planted, and most recently, we’ve planted a range of native grasses and shrubs.

Soon, we will put down a layer of mulch and create a path from the sidewalk that will also include a bench and table. Over time the trees will provide a shady, quiet area for everyone to enjoy. This area will act as an entryway to both the Columbarium and the Stations/Nature trail.

A flatbed trailer attached to a truck is loaded with several young trees and equipment, parked on a sunny street with greenery and trees in the background.
Two people plant young trees on a grassy lawn, surrounded by tree saplings, tools, buckets, and a wheelbarrow. Cars and trees are visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Young trees staked and planted in rows on a grassy hill in a park, surrounded by lush green trees under a clear blue sky.
A gently sloping grassy hill behind a building with a rocky path curving through a landscaped area containing young trees and small plants, surrounded by dense green trees under a clear blue sky.

December 12, 2024
The crew from Stadler Nursery arrived on Monday, December 7th with the first 5 trees—3 Eastern Redbuds, an Overcup Oak, and a Magnolia. These are the first of over 200 plants that St. Agnes will be installing in the coming months. Once finished, this area will provide a mediative space that leads to the Columbarium and the St. Agnes Stations of the Cross and walking path. In addition, with the other plants we have planned, the space will naturally provide improved absorption of rainwater and hopefully reduce the amount of water flowing downhill.

A small tree is planted in a mulched area beside a building, with several other young trees nearby. Bare branches and leafless trees surround the area under a clear blue sky.

November 7, 2024
Conquering “Mount Chipmore”
Fall work on the North side of the Church continued last weekend.

Over the last two months we have received over 20 cubic yards of chips from various tree companies. On Saturday, November 2, a group of parishioners brought pitchforks, and shovels to spread out the cardboard and flatten the large pile of chips. We snacked on leftover Halloween candy to boost our energy level for the day.

We will be planting the first trees from Stadler Nursery later this month. Ultimately, this area will be a mediative space that acts as a gateway to the Columbarium and the Stations of the Cross Nature Trail.

Three photos show people participating in an outdoor community cleanup: gathering tools, working in a wooded area with wheelbarrows, and clearing brush near a Stations of the Cross sign.

August, 2024
For our Track 4 grant, St. Agnes prepares the north side property for planting. In the area to the northwest of the church building, committee and parish members have begun this effort by placing cardboard down as weed block and covering that with donated wood chips. Planting will being this fall.

A large pile of wood chips sits on a tarp near a sidewalk and a green sign that reads “St. Agnes Columbarium Garden,” surrounded by trees and greenery.
A garden bed covered with wood chips and cardboard sits next to a sidewalk, bordered by grassy and wooded areas under a clear blue sky. Pink flags mark spots in the mulched area.
A large pile of mulch sits on the ground in front of a modern white building with many windows, surrounded by trees and grassy areas on a sunny day.

June 28, 2024
Read the Chesapeake Bay Trust Press Release about the Chesapeake Bay Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Grant Program announced on June 26, 2024. More information will be announced soon.

Watch the DC News Now video: West Virginia community pulls together to save the Chesapeake Bay

Program partners: United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 3, Chesapeake Bay Program, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust

This project had been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under assistance agreement 4I-95300301 or CB-96375501 to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP). The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA, nor does the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document.

Project funded by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: https://www.epa.gov/invest/investing-america-signage

Chesapeake Bay Trust logo with a blue heron, sun, water, and green shoreline graphic. Text reads “Chesapeake Bay Trust” and slogan “Empowering people. Restoring nature.”.
Text on a white background reads INVESTING IN AMERICA in bold blue letters, bordered by three thin red horizontal lines at the top and bottom.
The logo of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, featuring a blue and green stylized flower with a white circle above wavy lines, surrounded by the agencys name in blue text within a circular border.
Logo of the Chesapeake Bay Program featuring a flying bird, blue waves, green reeds, and a yellow sun in the background. Text below reads: Chesapeake Bay Program. Science. Restoration. Partnership.
A green circular logo with the lowercase letters dep in white, overlaying the silhouette of the state of West Virginia in a slightly lighter green shade.

Thank you, Chesapeake Bay Trust, for making this work possible!