Originally posted on thechronicalherald.ca as Demetreous Lane gets new community garden

By Suzanne Rent

A community garden was unveiled in Demetreous Lane on Friday, Aug. 3, after less than two weeks of work.

Rayleen Hill (BEDS ’04, MArch ’06) of RHAD Architects in Dartmouth was one of the designers of the project. While the community had a few planters for flowers, this new community garden has several elements that will appeal to anyone. The garden will include a path that winds in between two pergolas, planters for flowers and vegetables.

“This is rapid-fire construction,” Hill says. “It’s elevating what these community gardens can be.”

This is the second community garden project Hill has designed in Dartmouth. Six years ago, Hill partnered with the Rotary Club of Dartmouth and the Take Action Society on a community garden in an old tennis court behind Harbour View Elementary. That community garden now has a stage, a pergola, an outdoor classroom and harvest table and has been a huge success in the neighbourhood.

“If you’re in that garden, you can’t even see the backside of that garden; it’s so lush,” Hill says.

Hill says she approached the Rotary Club about working on another community garden project. The Rotary Club said the Take Action Society was interested in building a garden in Demetreous Lane this summer, so the project got underway.

The Rotary Club donated $10,000 and the project also won $1,000 from the Harry Kitz Fund from the School of Architecture at Dalhousie University. Coun. Sam Austin donated $1,000 and the project also received a number of private donations of plants from local businesses.

The back pergola will be an outdoor classroom and will include benches and stones. The front pergola will have benches and planter boxes. Another section of planter boxes have lower heights that will allow for better access for those with mobility issues. The path will have fine crusher dust and there are two spaces with soft woodchips where children can play.

A couple of hammocks were installed last minute and are a hit with the kids.

Amanda Crawley-Doherty, who volunteers with both the Demetreous Lane Tenants Association and the Take Action Society, spent the day of the unveiling planting vegetables in the garden.

“It’s functional and a nice outdoor space for activities,” she says. “This will allow us to have a viable, sustainable garden.”

She says the children in the neighbourhood have already gardened in the smaller planters that were here before.

“I do see the kids taking an active role,” Crawley-Doherty says. “They’ve been involved in the planting for two years. This will give them more motivation to continue.”

A licensed carpenter from Blueprint Construction led the building, while about 15 students from the School of Architecture at Dalhousie took part in the building, too.

Besides Hill’s firm, Jarsky Studio Ltd. (Matthew Jarsky – BEDS‘96, MArch’97)   and Habit Studio (Judyann Obersi – BEDS‘95, MArch’97 & Lorrie Rand – BEDS ’97) )  also took part in the design. Hill says the team met with children from the Take Action Society to get their input as well.

Barton Cutten, who’s the director of food capacity with the Take Action Society, says the team really maximized the space and included room to grow a lot of vegetables that will interest the children. He says they will learn about growing, from the planting stage to harvest.

“It has an educational component that’s just as important,” Cutten says.