Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, in partnership with the city of Salisbury and Salisbury University, has announced the completion of Salisbury University’s Presidential Citizens Capstone project, focusing on transforming an impervious surface into green space to mitigate urban stormwater runoff and beautify an area in the city.

Many parts of the city experience chronic flooding from urban runoff and rising sea levels, specifically the northeast side of Salisbury. To generate the greatest civic impact through Salisbury University’s bioremediation project, it was important that they found a nonprofit doing important work in the community, which at the same time also was impacted by flooding and urban runoff, thus BISM was selected.

BISM is a nonprofit whose mission is to educate, train, and employ blind individuals.

At its location on Old Ocean City Road, BISM employees focus on CAD/CAM cutting and sewing of textiles for military uniforms. This site specifically has a large amount of impervious surfacing causing an inordinate amount of urban runoff and flooding.

Recent SU graduate Charles Laird and seniors Bryce Machalek and Emma Tarquinio partnered with BISM for a bioremediation project – removing asphalt, and beautifying part of the property – which not only will help BISM’s bottom line, therefore helping its constituents, but also assist surrounding residents, businesses and the environment.

Their work was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting event last week.

Spearheading a collaborative effort with the city and regional nonprofit environmental leaders, the PCS scholars earned a nearly $5,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a grant from Lower Shore Land Trust, and a grant from ShoreCorps — SU’s AmeriCorps program — to focus on bioremediation in Salisbury to help protect the waters that run into the Chesapeake Bay.

Through the SU student team’s research and planning, the project resulted in the removal of 16,000 square feet of impervious surfacing at BISM, which was repurposed by a local pavement company to reduce waste. In-fill soil was added, the area was seeded with grass seed and white oaks were planted while rain barrels were installed to ensure rainwater from the roof helps to water the plants and grass.