2021 Makeover Project
EMERSON AVENUE COMMUNITY GARDEN
Spring through Fall 2021
2021 Makeover Recipient: Emerson Avenue Community Garden
Built and maintained 100% by volunteers, the Emerson Avenue Community Garden offers a sustainable, organic green space for growth and enrichment. From toddlers attending StoryTime/Music sessions, to seniors showing up for tours, to scout troops using the garden for projects/activities, to families enjoying movie nights, students at WISH & STEAM who get a chance to get out of the classroom and get their hands in the dirt; to LMU, UCLA, OTIS, and USC students helping at the garden for service hours, to the folks who take advantage of the multitude of classes & workshops offered, the garden’s reach is incredibly wide, and deep.
Westchester Rotary Makes A Difference!
Beginning in the spring of 2021, Westchester Rotary broke ground on a large renovation project to make the Emerson Avenue Community Garden more easily accessible, more attractive, and more functional. Our club has contributed support, both financial and labor, in bringing this project to fruition.
The major improvements include:
- Replace the mulched pathways with concrete pavers in the straight paths and decomposed granite in the curved pathways -- both in the community and in the student gardens
- Install a new pedestrian entryway, with a more level walkway, just south of the spiral garden
- Repair the Cob bench (circular seating) under the pines
- Paint and refurbish the wire animals and the murals
- Repainting plot birdhouse mailboxes
Getting Our Hands Dirty
As of April 2021, the club accomplished over 500 volunteer hours at Emerson Avenue Community Garden! 2020-21 Club President Tom Johnstone noted, "We were able to fill two complete low boy dumpsters with mulch, rocks, and wood debris from the garden (thanks to Edgar, Eric and Tom, and EACG volunteers). We did an awesome job of painting all of the bird houses thanks to Lek, Edgar, Judy, Val, Emily and Frank. We cleared all of the plant overgrowth on the eastern fence adjacent to the Cob Circle Education Area (Tom, Eric and Warren) and we used Tori’s pickax to chop out a tree stump (Edgar, Eric and Tom). We cleared mulch on the east-west connecting paths throughout the garden thanks to Eric and Dexter. Warren and two plot holders from the garden mixed cement and installed a concrete pad for a garden shed in the student garden. Cindy spent an afternoon prepping the sculptures for a fresh coat of paint. Cheryl Wong and Warren worked on the plumbing so Ted Grose can come in this week and work his magic in making sure that there are no leaks in all of the hose bibs that we removed. And Emily brought pie! Both Renate and Ted stopped by to check in and provide encouragement! What an awesome weekend!!! Thanks to all of you!!!
The End Result- An Accessible and Beautiful Garden For All
The ribbon cutting for the reveal of the 2021 Makeover Project at Emerson Avenue Community Garden is slated for September 18, 2021 at the Westchester Arts and Music Festival. Westchester Rotarians are dedicated to creating an accessible and beautiful garden for our community.
Stay tuned for the 2023 Makeover Project!
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