Thomas,

A few places in Northeast Ohio you can turn to for technical assistance on rain barrels:

• Nature Center at Shaker Lakes runs a Laudable Lawns program and has in the past held rain barrel workshops.
• Jan Rybka at the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District coordinates rain garden workshops and helped produce a manual on rain gardens.
• Chuck Ackerman and his Gang Green group brought in a person with experience building a rain garden -- they're going to install one in Chuck's yard on the Near West Side in spring.
• Mandy Metcalf, program manager, Affordable Green Housing Center at Environmental Health Watch, held a few rain barrel building workshops when she was Cleveland EcoVillage project coordinator.

I can get you their emails if you can't find them through their work sites. Email me some pictures from your school project and we'll get it posted on this site. Hope that helps!