Community garden to grow in place of demolished building
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 12:17 PM
By Robert Vitale and Charlie Boss
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Gardens tended by neighborhood residents and Linden-McKinley STEM Academy students will grow from a "vacant and abandoned eyesore" on Cleveland Avenue, officials say.
Students from the school joined Mayor Michael B. Coleman and Columbus schools Superintendent Gene Harris at the demolition this morning of an 80-year-old building at 2455 Cleveland Ave. that had gone unclaimed from the city's land bank.
About $60,000 in federal money is paying for the demolition. It will take about a week to clean up the site, and officials hope the garden will be up and running this summer.
Coleman said the garden space will provide fresh, nutritious produce for Linden residents and learning experiences for young people. Ohio State University research scientist Ross MacDonald will help Linden-McKinley teachers develop a curriculum to accompany work in the garden.
The site will house additional community gardens, include greenhouse-style "hoop houses" to extend the growing season, and a learning laboratory for Linden-McKinley students.
The nearby New Harvest Caf already has established community gardens in the neighborhood and will be part of the new project as well, officials said.