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Urban Paradise Group Plants Test Plot
By Kelly Garrison
Features Editor
Plans to transform a park area into a garden sanctuary appear to be ripe enough for action, just months after being introduced to the community.
On Sunday, supporters joined resident Elliot Gonzales in breaking ground on a pilot project that he said would bring a multitude of drought-resistant and native plants to the park area near the Main Library. Ultimately, Gonzales said he hopes to gain the city’s support for a proposal to revamp the facility’s rooftop gardens and transform that part of Lincoln Park into a sustainable arts venue.
“I feel that as a community, we’re becoming more aware of our power — I hope we can pass this test and start getting the okay for working on individual sections of the rooftop,” he said.
The multi-sectioned test garden will feature edible and medicinal vegetation, along with a variety of seasonal plants. Gonzales said the focal point of the garden is an emphasis on drought-resistant plants.
“It will provide a good example for what people can do in their front yard during a water crisis,” he said.
Organizing the project, he explained, has been no small task.
After receiving approval in June from the city to start the pilot project, Gonzales rallied a team of volunteers, started hosting weekly meetings and collected plant donations from local venues, including Armstrong Gardens, Long Beach City College and El Dorado Nature Center. He also partnered with Long Beach Organic, which promotes sustainable organic gardening and local food production. If the city backs his overall plan, he would need to attain nonprofit status and vie for grants, he explained.
“We want this to be perfect, because it will represent what we’re going to do,” he said.
The section of the park on the library roof has suffered problems including water leakage through the rooftop, faulty plumbing and seismic nonconformities. An earlier vote by the Long Beach City Council kept the library open and restored $258,000 to its budget. Under that plan, the city would eventually close the facility and either rebuild it or build a new one.
Urban Paradise organizers said their plan would include fixing water leakage problems and would replace sand with lightweight mulch. In addition, the space — a 35- by 70-foot plot at the northeast corner of Ocean Boulevard and Pacific Avenue — would be home to works by local artists.
For more information about Urban Paradise, call 786-3874, e-mail oururbanparadise@gmail.com or visit www.oururbanparadise.blogspot.com.
On Sunday, supporters joined resident Elliot Gonzales in breaking ground on a pilot project that he said would bring a multitude of drought-resistant and native plants to the park area near the Main Library. Ultimately, Gonzales said he hopes to gain the city’s support for a proposal to revamp the facility’s rooftop gardens and transform that part of Lincoln Park into a sustainable arts venue.
“I feel that as a community, we’re becoming more aware of our power — I hope we can pass this test and start getting the okay for working on individual sections of the rooftop,” he said.
The multi-sectioned test garden will feature edible and medicinal vegetation, along with a variety of seasonal plants. Gonzales said the focal point of the garden is an emphasis on drought-resistant plants.
“It will provide a good example for what people can do in their front yard during a water crisis,” he said.
Organizing the project, he explained, has been no small task.
After receiving approval in June from the city to start the pilot project, Gonzales rallied a team of volunteers, started hosting weekly meetings and collected plant donations from local venues, including Armstrong Gardens, Long Beach City College and El Dorado Nature Center. He also partnered with Long Beach Organic, which promotes sustainable organic gardening and local food production. If the city backs his overall plan, he would need to attain nonprofit status and vie for grants, he explained.
“We want this to be perfect, because it will represent what we’re going to do,” he said.
The section of the park on the library roof has suffered problems including water leakage through the rooftop, faulty plumbing and seismic nonconformities. An earlier vote by the Long Beach City Council kept the library open and restored $258,000 to its budget. Under that plan, the city would eventually close the facility and either rebuild it or build a new one.
Urban Paradise organizers said their plan would include fixing water leakage problems and would replace sand with lightweight mulch. In addition, the space — a 35- by 70-foot plot at the northeast corner of Ocean Boulevard and Pacific Avenue — would be home to works by local artists.
For more information about Urban Paradise, call 786-3874, e-mail oururbanparadise@gmail.com or visit www.oururbanparadise.blogspot.com.
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LB Resident wrote on Nov 24, 2008 7:51 PM: