Congratulations to all of our hard workers on the garden project this year. Led by our resident landscaper, Tom Malover, we took on the very ambitious task of taming three city parcels (that's over 12,000 square feet!) at a very prominent site in the West Haven community. Eight neighborhood teenagers and some super volunteers during "sod day" were an essential part of our team. We're really happy with how things turned out and look forward to future improvements. Check out the hard work at Madison and Hoyne.
Here are some highlights of what we accomplished this year:
• We used a bobcat to level out the land
• We used a commercial roto-tiller to stir up the soil
• We removed an existing wooden 20'x20' flower bed
• We used a tile saw while mortaring a new flower bed and added new natural stone on the end caps
• We dug out 8" deep new curved walkways and laid out weed mats
• These new walkways will be filled with more than 500 cubic feet of recycled woodchips in mid-October
• Cleared the land of excess debris and waste with well over 50 contractor bags
• Added two new circular flowerbeds with stonework and plants
• Laid out 5,000 square feet of sod (grass)
A garden with history
The Mable Manning Garden was formerly the location of a mixed-used building. In the 1980s, the building was torn down and the site became a vacant lot. Fortunately, a few years later a local activist named Mable Manning decided to turn the grassy lot into a community garden. Nicknamed the "Flower Lady," Ms. Manning was part of the neighborhood's revitalization efforts. She maintained the garden for many years and gave flowers to residents in the community. In 1994, a branch of the Chicago Public Library was named in her honor and built across the street from the garden.
In recent years, the garden has become unruly due to poor maintenance and a lack of ownership. But thanks to our dedicated workers and volunteers, the Mable Manning Garden is beautiful again. Our goal is to transform the space into a reading oasis which compliments the library and improves the quality of life for all residents.
As we continue to enhance and beautify the garden, here are some of the things we have in mind as we look to next year:
• Community billboard to publicize event announcements
• Marquis garden sign in tribute of a community resident or residents
• More flowers, plants and even possibly vegetable beds
• Benches around the circular flower bed
• A plaque to recognize all of the hard workers' efforts on the garden
How to get involved:
As we move forward there are plenty of opportunities to get involved! We're in the process of forming a garden committee and there is still room available to join. We need YOUR help. The committee would volunteer just a few hours each month to keep the garden clean and beautiful. For more info on the garden and how to get involved, please contact Meghan Baer at mbaer@nearwestsidecdc.org or (312) 738-2280.
We look forward to seeing you in the garden!
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Trailer for Documentary, Urban Garden: Fighting for Life And Beauty, jsoko@earthlink.netby jsokolov11,101 views
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