Dirt's turning in Linda Vista as the first-ever community garden within a San Diego city park starts to take root. The groundbreaking ceremony, an event celebrating a greener future in public spaces, was marked by city bigwigs and community members this past weekend, according to the Times of San Diego.
With plans to fully bloom by spring 2024, Mayor Todd Gloria and Councilmember Raul Campillo were among those who rolled up their sleeves to ceremonially begin the project. "The groundbreaking of the Linda Vista Park Community Garden is a historic moment for the city of San Diego," Mayor Gloria was quoted as saying. In a statement shared on Facebook, Councilmember Campillo expressed his commitment to continue to beautify the park and enhance community involvement.
Set to turn an unused slice of Linda Vista Park into a green thumbs' paradise, the community garden will feature a greenhouse, 22 raised garden beds, and outdoor learning spaces. Campillo praised the initiative's potential to "garden and recreate with their community, grow fresh and nutritious produce, and enjoy an enhanced public park space," as he noted on his Facebook page.
The philanthropic punch behind this verdant venture comes from major donors, including Wendy Gillespie, and foundations such as the Walter J. and Betty C. Zable Foundation, and the Cushman Foundation at the Jewish Community Foundation. The Price Philanthropies Foundation, SDG&E, and the Matthews Foundation also significantly contributed to helping fund the nearly $500,000 project. According to the Times of San Diego, in-kind labor from the Southwestern Regional Council of Carpenters Local 619 is expected to significantly bolster construction efforts.
When spring 2024 arrives, Bayside Community Center is poised to manage the garden, rekindling a relationship with urban agriculture that was once housed on its own grounds from 2011 to 2017. Bayside’s executive director, Kim Heinle, told the Times of San Diego, "We cannot wait to welcome friends and neighbors to the Linda Vista Community Garden... while simultaneously addressing one of our neighborhood’s most pressing challenges: food insecurity."
