Need a dash of hope? The Friends of the Community Growing Center want to share with the broader community what has been happening around redesign for this city green space.

Hours of site mapping, community design meetings, and on-site education/planning days have all led to a vision for a sustainable future design. This planning should help expand the mission and reach of the Somerville Community Growing Center.

Envisioning a richer green space is a key element, that can serve as home to a diversity of trees, host longer opening hours for visitors, more educational urban agricultural programs & more! The public is invited to learn more on Friday, January 20th, 6-8pm at the Somerville Public Library at 79 Highland Ave.

The Somerville Community Growing Center, a quarter-acre site near Union Square, Somerville, was created 20 years ago as an “urban oasis” for environmental education and cultural performances.

Over the past two decades of active use, the Growing Center’s landscape has changed: trees have grown to shade the site, limiting where food can be traditionally grown; the lawn has been compacted by heavy use; and wooden structures are reaching the end of their natural life-span. This reality triggered a many phased redesign effort.

Funding from the City of Somerville’s Community Preservation Act made possible an 18-month design and planning process to address the needs of the 22 year old Growing Center to complement the current and future needs of the Somerville population. Eva Leung and Adam Davenport of Terra Cura, Inc have been working with the Friends group on a regenerative redesign of the Growing Center and will be presenting on the 20th about plans to:

• Increase the yield of food and highlight principles of sustainable urban agriculture at the Growing Center,
• Make community gathering areas more accessible and easier to maintain,
• And to improve water conservation throughout the site.

Please see the website at http://www.thegrowingcenter.org/redesign for the results of Phase 1 of the Somerville Community Growing Center’s Redesign process. Click here for the SCGC Redesign PDF Link! Please help to shape its future and come to the public meeting on January 20.

Contact: Lisa Brukilacchio, President, Friends of the Community Growing Center, 781-953-4826, https://www.facebook.com/events/1073308666131731/.