Business & Tech
Geneva’s Community Garden to Promote Sustainable Living
Beginning in the spring, Geneva residents will have the opportunity to rent plots of land and grow their own produce in Geneva's Community Garden located in Prairie Green Preserves.
For the past few years, the has been working with the city of Geneva and Kane County Forest Preserve District to acquire land to build a community garden. In adherence with their efforts to create a more “green” community, Park District officials felt that adding a community garden would provide a great resource for residents.
Sheavoun Lambillotte, executive director at the Geneva Park District, says the function of a community garden is to “support local food production, promote sustainability, and encourage residents to get involved in making their community a healthier place to live.”
The city of St. Charles has two “residential” sites with more than 500 plots. Naperville and several other suburban cities have started community gardens, as well. The community garden in Geneva will be located west of the intersection of Bricher Road and Peck at the farm field there, which is part of Prairie Green Preserves.
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“We saw a need and an opportunity to start a community garden. The location selected is great because parking is available and it is an open area,” Lambilliotte said.
However, the land for the garden was by no means easy to come by.
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“This was a cooperative effort on behalf of three entities—the city, the Forest Preserve and the Park District,” Lambilliotte said. “It has been a very long and complex process to reach an intergovernmental agreement between these three entities.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 6, the city of Geneva will be approving annexation of the land that will become the community garden. The because it is not officially part of Geneva, and will have to extend water to the site.
Geneva’s community garden will have 125 plots in the coming year. Residents will be able to rent a 20-by-30-foot plot of land to claim as their own and they will be responsible for tending to their plot—including weeding, planting and watering.
More complete information about Geneva’s latest green initiative will be available in the winter issue of the Geneva Park District brochure.
