After several months of uncertainty, the Westlock Community Garden has found a new home at the Smithfield Lodge.
Administration from the Westlock Foundation, which operates the lodge, got in touch with the garden’s directors via e-mail last week to let them know a space had been found for them.
“It was wonderful,” said director Hetty Cameron. “When I saw that e-mail I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
The community garden has been in operating at the Pembina Lodge in Westlock for the past three years, but was forced to find a new home because of an expansion project scheduled to begin next month.
David Truckey, chair of the Westlock Foundation board, said the new site at the Smithfield Lodge will be a more permanent space for the garden and he anticipates it will be there 10 or more years.
He added the decision was not only a great benefit for the people who will use the garden, but for the residents of the Smithfield Lodge as well.
“What we found last year is a lot of (Pembina Lodge) residents would go out for their afternoon or evening walk and would spend time visiting with and enjoying the people who were gardening there. It’s really a nice community interaction between our residents and people that take on the garden,” he said.
“Unfortunately at Pembina they’re going to have a construction zone to watch,” he added. “For the Smithfield Lodge residents, they’ll have a new activity to partake in.”
Foundation CEO Marilyn Lannon said the decision is “pretty rewarding” to be able to offer a permanent space to the gardeners.
“I’m really excited about it. I’m just so optimistic about the people involved that they’ll do a good job, and that the garden will be something that will be here for a long time.”
The space at the Smithfield Lodge is a small space near the front entrance and parking lot of the building. Although it will be smaller than the previous space — 12 plots measuring 10 ft. by 15 ft. instead of 25 plots at 10 ft. by 20 ft. — Cameron said not all 18 gardeners from last year will return so space shortage may not be an issue.
She added this year the rules of the garden will be more strictly enforced — last year not everybody paid their membership and plot fees and not everybody cleaned up their garden plot at the end of the season, so this year the directors will more diligent about the rules.
Since the garden space is just a grassy area at this point, it will require a lot of effort to get prepared to grow.
“It’s going to be a lot of work,” Cameron said.
Fortunately, she said many community members, including some of the foundation staff, have come forward to help with rototilling the soil, moving the tool shed, and some other miscellaneous work that needs to be done.
Some time next month the garden’s directors expect to spend several days getting the garden and the plots prepared.
Anyone interested in a plot at the community garden, or interested in volunteering time to get the space set up, can contact Cameron at [email protected].
