Community Garden Would Be ‘Source of Pride’

Fort Lee is only a grant away from having its own community green garden.

The borough, which earned Sustainable Jersey status in March, is currently waiting to hear whether it’s won a $10,000 Sustainable Jersey grant that would help it build a garden containing a 3-foot high "Hampton-style" fencing, stone pathways and 10 planting beds, according to NorthJersey.com.

The garden would become a “source of pride” for the community, according to Fort Lee’s grant proposal.

Essential to the project is a shared sense of ownership—plots located near the dog park and borough rec center tennis courts would likely be divided among different schools and community groups, according to Ila Kasofsky.

"It's going to be a great joint venture," she told the northjersey.com.

Fort Lee was awarded bronze certification from Sustainable Jersey as a result of ongoing efforts of the environmental and beautification committee to promote and participate in green programs.  

Sustainable Jersey, launched in 2009, seeks to help recognize municipalities striving to reduce their carbon footprint.

When the borough was first registered in 2011, Kasofsky told Patch that under the program municipalities want to go green, save money and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term. 

Municipalities must perform certain actions in order to gain certification and qualify for certain sustainable small grant programs.