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UC Master Gardeners and town outline demonstration garden at Loomis Library, plan to plant in fall
Summary
UC Master Gardeners presented a detailed demonstration garden plan for the Loomis Library: 11,000 sq ft of turf removal, native and pollinator plantings, ADA-compliant paths, PCWA irrigation rebates and a fall planting timeline; the group is contracting infrastructure work and running a buy-a-brick fundraiser.
Karen Covey of the UC Master Gardeners told the Council that a memorandum of understanding between the University of California's Master Gardener program and the town guides a demonstration-garden project at the Loomis Library.
Covey said the detailed design is complete and the project calls for removing about 11,000 square feet of turf, installing native and pollinator-friendly plantings, adding a small orchard and an edible garden whose produce would be donated to a local food bank. She said the garden will be ADA-compliant and include interpretive signage for self-guided learning.
The Master Gardeners plan to contract a landscape firm to handle irrigation trenching, contouring and installation of decomposed-granite paths so the bulk of heavy work is done quickly (Covey said the goal is a 4–6 week construction window to minimize library disruption). PCWA will provide an irrigation rebate; Covey said the town would receive that rebate and the project concept assumes donating rebate funds back to the garden. The Xerces Society has committed a native-plant donation for fall planting, which Covey said is the preferred season for establishing those species.
Fundraising includes a "buy-a-brick" campaign (commemorative bricks), with proceeds shared between the Friends of the Library and the Master Gardeners. Covey invited council members to a planting event and said the group will coordinate publicity with PCWA and local media.
Next steps: Finalize plant selection (planned within two weeks of presentation), complete contractor procurement for infrastructure work and proceed toward fall planting and a fundraising rollout.
