Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Garden topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Garner Groves community garden reports 70+ beds, beehives and donations to food banks
Summary
Volunteers with Garner Groves told the Town Council the Thompson Road Park site has grown to more than 70 beds, a composting program, irrigation and nine active beehives; the group seeks to expand art and community programming.
Martin Petherbridge, speaking for Garner Groves, updated the Town Council on the community garden at Thompson Road Park on April 15, saying the project has grown from a grass field into a multi-use community garden with volunteer-maintained beds and programs.
The garden now contains “over 70 growing beds and rows,” Petherbridge said, and volunteers have installed an irrigation system, a composting process and nine beehives. He told the council the group donates “thousands of pounds of produce to local food banks” and runs classes for residents on topics that range from basic vegetable gardening to beekeeping and mushroom cultivation.
The presentation stressed community engagement. Petherbridge said the garden participates in town events including the Christmas parade and trick-or-treat in the park, and that organizers plan to add more fruit trees and public art over the next three years. He specifically thanked the town’s Parks & Recreation and Public Works departments for water and other support.
Mayor Buddy Gupton and several council members praised the volunteers. Mayor Pro Tem Tim Vance and Council member Grace Singleton each noted they had visited the site; Vance commended the garden’s food-bank donations and community workshops. Council members encouraged residents to visit and asked Petherbridge to bring participants forward for a photo later in the meeting.
Petherbridge closed by saying Garner Groves looks forward to continued cooperation with town staff and expanding community programming and art at Thompson Road Park.
