Niles is moving forward with construction on its first ever community garden thanks in part to an $8,000 grant.
The village announced it received the grant from Commonwealth Edison and Openlands, a conservation organization focused on the Chicago region, late last month. The funds are part of the ComEd Green Region Program and are allocated to aid municipal efforts to protect and improve land, according to a press release from the village.
Assistant village manager, Hadley Skeffington-Vos, said the award is a 50/50 matching grant. She said sponsors and the village will need to contribute an additional $8,000 to fund construction of the garden. Whatever money isn’t generated through fundraising efforts will be supplied by the village, Skeffington-Vos said.
The community garden will occupy a site at 7087 N. Franks Ave., just south of the Niles Public Services building on top of the remains of a former playground at Jozwiak Park. The garden, dubbed Farm on Franks, will be managed by the village and maintained and improved by volunteers, according to the village website.
Skeffington-Vos said construction is expected to begin this summer and hopefully be completed by the fall. The idea for the project was born out of the village’s longterm 2030 planning process, she said.
“Once the village raises enough sponsorship to make Farm on Franks a reality, it will need plenty of volunteers to build 26 garden beds, install a deer fence and distribute soil/compost,” the village’s website states. Volunteers will also be needed next year to maintain the garden.
Twenty-four plots will be available for rental in January of next year, according to the village website. Two other plots will be maintained by volunteers; one will serve as a demonstration bed and the other as an inter-generational garden. The intent of the inter-generational garden is to provide seniors an opportunity to pass down botanical knowledge to younger generations. The plot will be three feet tall to ensure that volunteers don’t need to kneel down to do their work, and it will also feature a handicap accessible path, according to the website. The produce generated from the inter-generational plot will be donated to the Niles Food Pantry.
Anyone interested in renting a plot will be required to pay a $20 fee to help offset water and maintenance costs. Gardeners will also be required to follow a set of guidelines for maintaining their bed, according to the website.
Sponsors who contribute financing for the project will receive a variety of perks depending on the amount of money they provide. Those who provide $1,000 will see their company’s name on a construction phase banner, on the village’s website, in fliers and in fixed educational and site signage, in addition to Niles’ newsletter, according to the village’s website. The village is also looking for specific items from sponsors, including composting barrels, lumber for the beds, soil and compost, fencing material, plants for the inter-generational and demonstration plots, signage and a storage shed.
Businesses interested in sponsoring the community garden are encouraged to contact Skeffington-Vos by Aug. 31 to participate. For more information about the project and sponsorship, visit: https://www.vniles.com/910/Farm-on-Franks
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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