An expansion of the Fernie Community Garden will be completed in June.
After acquiring a new, un-used slice of Prentice Park next to the existing Community Garden, work began last year to add more amenities to the area.
Additions to the garden include a community outdoor learning area featuring five covered spaces with seating, as well as new smaller plots and an expanded outdoor children’s area.
“People will be able to come in and use this space – it’s a nice circular space for groups to come and enjoy and sit outside,” said Dawn Deydey of the Community Garden.
“We learned from COVID that it’s nice to be able to have outdoor spaces t enjoy. With this there’s cover, but you can be outside and it’s in a community green space – the best of all worlds.”
Deydey said the intention of the area was to help schools and community groups bring people outside more.
The new garden plots will come online at a good time, with the North End Court affordable housing development next door due to open in coming months.
“We thought we would add some more plots to be able to provide more gardening space.”
Items yet to be completed are the addition of some landscaping and some water-capturing systems.
With the garden’s latest expansion wrapping up soon, there are more plans on the horizon that will be announced in coming months as part of a phase 2 expansion.
The $122,000 in funding for the first phase came through the Columbia Basin Trusts Food Access Funding, and the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative.
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scott.tibballs@thefreepress.ca
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