Drake Landing residents are eager to dig in.
A group of resident volunteers gathered in the torrential rain Monday evening to mark the opening of their community garden, a project spearheaded by local garden enthusiasts with assistance from the Town.
"Making an urban space a little bit greener, I think, is a good thing," said garden co-ordinator Jason Weibel.
The garden of 22 raised beds was constructed in an underutilized portion of the Drake Landing soccer field parking lot. With beds lower in height and adequate spacing between them, the garden is accessible to everyone who uses it.
"The existing community garden isn't accessible in this way," said community wellness specialist Sian Anderson.
An existing garden on Okotoks' McRae Street is surrounded by gravel, she explained, which makes it difficult to navigate for a person using a wheelchair.
According to the Town, the Drake Landing garden is the first to be created through the Okotoks Neighbourhood Community Garden program, which aids residents in establishing community-led garden projects in existing parks and green spaces. Open to all residents, the program is guided by the principles of walkability, inclusivity and sustainability.
"The hope is that people can have gardening space close to where they live, get to know their neighbours, have that social connection where they live," she said. "And, it's walkable."
Weibel said he and a group of residents worked in tandem with Anderson and the Town to have their vision come to life. Now that the area is up and running, it's up to the locals to facilitate the flourish.
"They now create the community part of it," said Anderson.
She added the Town provided the base structure for the garden and the resident group will be responsible for ongoing maintenance. The Town also provided all the building materials as well as compost pick up and water connection.
Weibel, whose home backs onto the area, said he was inspired to get involved after seeing an ad from the Town for the new program. He felt like the parking lot was the perfect spot for a new garden, given that is seems underutilized.
"For probably the last two or three years, I look out here and all I see is a parking lot," he said. "There's never any cars in it — totally underutilized."
He added that he did some research prior to the proposal and found a similar garden in Vancouver.
Anderson said the garden will stay year-round but can be taken down at any time if it is no longer what the residents want.
"If at any time this doesn't meet the needs of the community, it could be removed and repurposed," she said.
All 22 plots have been claimed for the season.
For more information about the Town's community garden initiatives, visit okotoks.ca/community-gardens.
