grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden Opens In New Rochelle

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A group of dedicated community members have finally seen the fruits of their year long labor.  grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden (grow!LPCG) committee members Linda Tarrant-Reid, Camille Edwards-Thomas, Wendy Henry-Dodds, and Karen Hessel spearheaded the construction of a sustainable, organic legacy garden that is now a reality on the site of the former Lincoln Elementary School, which was at the center of a historic desegregation case in 1961.

On Sunday, July 29, community gardeners gathered at grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden in Lincoln Park for a meet and greet, to learn about the garden guidelines, and eat fresh produce. The orientation brought out community gardeners from Habitat for Humanity, Neil’s Café, Bethesda Baptist Church, Lincoln Towers, Communities for All Ages, St. Simon’s Church and St. Catherine A.M.E.Zion Church.  Community organizations lease 100 square foot raised beds for $50 a planting season which runs from April to November.  Grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden also has an environmental learning center that will sponsor workshops and presentations about healthy living,  

This spring, the grow! LPCG committee worked with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity led by director Jim Killoran; crews from New Rochelle Parks & Recreation guided by director of parks Anthony Tardibuono; and a team of New Rochelle residents who dug out the 5,000 square foot garden foot print, sifted soil, built raised beds and recruited community organizations to plant vegetables, herbs and fruits. 

The project was a county-wide effort with Habitat student volunteers from Chappaqua, Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Rye Neck and some students from around the country who are working with Habitat for the summer.

grow! LPCG is a public/private initiative with wide support from the City of New Rochelle.  William Zimmerman, commissioner of Parks & Recreation, an early supporter of grow! LPCG, won approval for the garden, located in Lincoln Park, from City Council last year.  Committee members worked tirelessly throughout the year hosting events, fundraising, recruiting gardeners, talking to garden experts and visiting community gardens throughout the region for tips on how to begin their own community garden.  grow! LPCG’s has received funding from individuals in the community, donations from local businesses and a grant from the Community for All Ages.

The fourteen, 100 square foot garden plots have been snapped up by community organizations, for $50/season, including St. Catherine A.M.E.Zion Church, St. Simon Episcopal Church, Center for Learning/Headstart, Bethesda Baptist Church, Habitat for Humanity, Neil’s Café, Community for All Ages, and Academic Pathways.  Councilmen Jared Rice (District 3) and Ivar Hyden (District 4) have donated season plot leases to the Joseph Evans Senior Apartments and the Remington Boys & Girls Club, respectively.

The idea for the garden grew out of Reflections of Change:  A 50-Year Retrospective of the Lincoln School Decision of 1961 commemoration.  The year long series of events, sponsored by the City School District of New Rochelle, informed, educated and inspired the community about a difficult period in New Rochelle’s history.  Linda Tarrant-Reid was the co-project manager with superintendent of schools Richard Organisciak and came up with the idea for a community garden to repurpose the land on the site of the former Lincoln Elementary School.  Ms. Tarrant-Reid, Ms. Edwards-Thomas, Ms. Henry-Dodds and Mrs. Hessel volunteered their time and talents and founded the Lincoln Park Conservancy to create programs like the organic garden along with an environmental learning center to educate the community about eco-living and healthy eating.

For information about the garden and environmental learning center, visit the garden’s page on Facebook at grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden/Lincoln Park Conservancy or send an email to: growlincolnpark@gmail.com.  You can also call 914.979.1657 to learn more about grow! LPCG’s programs.