In hope of getting its community garden up and running, the Flagler Village neighborhood was recently awarded $30,000 by the area’s community redevelopment agency.
The money targets a spot of church ground on Northeast Third Avenue, and community garden organizers also have their sights set on a June 12 fundraiser to help the project.
Months ago the First Lutheran Church, which sits on the southwest edge of the proposed site, donated the land’s use to a not-for-profit corporation headed by Flagler Village resident Chad Scott.
“It will be a way to get outdoors and engage the community,” Scott said. “A place where people can grow their own food. We want to host events and offer workshops on planting techniques and methods of farm-to-table cooking.”
The first phase of the project includes an entrance gate, decorative fencing, pavers and permeable gravel. The total cost for the project is $110,750, Scott said.
District 2 City Commissioner Dean Trantalis oversaw the transfer of the $30,000 from the Northwest-Progresso-Flagler Heights Community Redevelopment Area. The money, coming from boosts in tax collection in those neighborhoods, will allow the project to jump into Phase 2, which includes adding storage spaces, a workshop and stage area, and a community bulletin board.
Trantalis observed that the garden is another boost for the neighborhood, which is “witnessing significant development lately with projects such as The Pearl at Flagler Village.” Ground has just been broken for that mid-rise apartment development, which should be ready to rent next year.
“We’ve brought a lot of attention to Flagler Village with this project,” Scott said. “Now more people visit and want to live here. The neighborhood is working with developers, who are potentially going to station off-duty police officers here. There’s a lot of talk about improving the streets. The neighborhood is gaining momentum.”
If everything continues to go right, Scott said, the garden should be going full-tilt in a year and anyone stopping by will see that the hard ground has been divided into 69 fertile – and leaseable – plots. “Each plot will be 4 feet by 4 feet, unusual in a neighborhood where people have maybe a planter on a balcony ledge and no backyard.
“Now they can grow what they want,” he said. “Engage with this project, engage with their neighbors, maybe have a bit of fun. And on church grounds. The garden is like a different form of sanctuary, a sanctuary outside the church.”
Scott’s group is also staging a fundraiser, called A Moonlight Affair, from 7 to 10 p.m. June 12 at the garden’s site, 441 NE Third Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $35.
