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- Feb 15, 2018

Community Preservation Act: Show Your Support, Write a Letter of Support

Friends and neighbors: The Somerville Community Growing Center (GC) is applying for a Conservation Preservation Act (CPA) grant from the city this year. The CPA18 grant is to help the GC complete the Restoration and Rehabilitation of the GC. It will pay for the materials and construction costs needed to rebuild the GC after 25 years of loving use. The GC is completely volunteer run, and all funds to support the operation of the GC (although it is a city-owned property) come from our own fundraising efforts. Therefore, it is imperative to receive CPA funding to update the space.

We are asking friends and supporters of the GC to write letters of support to the CPA Board. Please share anecdotes about the Growing Center - what it means to you personally. It’s a unique city space and we are working to keep it alive and healthy for the next 25 years. Some things regarding the CPA grant the you may want to highlight in your letter are as follows: We will rebuild and update aging pathways, steps and open areas to make the GC a safe and accessible recreational space for the whole community.

We will replace aging infrastructure such as the barn and greenhouse and also add storage units for garden tools in benches, etc. around the garden. The SHS voc/tech dept will be building the storage. We will replace aged plantings (some bushes and trees) with diverse plantings that better reflect our local eco-system.

We will install new fencing and change the pond to a rain garden - which may allow the GC to be open to the public in the future. To learn more about our application go to the city’s site at: https://goo.gl/zxSVRL Written comments are also being accepted through February 22; please email Kristen Stelljes at kstelljes@somervillema.gov. Thank you for supporting the Community Growing Center. We look forward to see you this season!