The Lorain County Community Action Agency is creating a People’s Garden in Elyria designed to provide green space, create a wildlife habitat and offer educational opportunities.
The garden plan is being created by Lorain landscape company, Brian-Kyles, said Jackie Boehnlein, CEO of the Lorain County Community Action Agency.
“We’re in the design phase right now,” Boehnlein said. “We’re estimating that it will take a few months but leave us unable to break ground until next year, and we’re figuring to actually start the installation early spring.”
The garden will be installed over the next year on six vacant parcels owned by the agency on Huron Street near Gateway Boulevard and the CSX railroad line.
Cost of the 2,500-square-foot project is estimated at $35,000 and will be paid for by the Community Action Agency’s Community Services Block Grant.
The People’s Garden is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and can be found throughout the country.
Gardens certified under the program may grow food, but also may provide homes for wildlife and pollinators.
The Community Action Agency’s garden will be designed as a way station or stopping point for migrating monarch butterflies, Boehnlein said.
The native plants will include varieties of milkweed that monarchs rely on to repopulate.
“We want to create a space and natural habitat that will benefit the environment, but also become a community resource,” she said. “I envision that we’ll have groups of individuals, of all ages and backgrounds, that will have the opportunity to just enjoy this space while learning more about the ecosystem around them.”
The project will include a rain garden, native bee and pollinator boxes, friendly fencing, benches and educational signage.
Signage will include information about giving safe harbor to monarchs and other pollinators as well as education about sustainable gardening practices.
“We would like to provide different workshops and learning opportunities, but we haven’t begun planning those just yet,” Boehnlein said. “Our first priority is to get the garden established.
“But, the long term plan is to partner with local gardening clubs, after school programs and other extensions of the community.”
For more information, visit lccaa.net.
