The Town of Vernon has received a $21,682 grant from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to transform a town-owned vacant lot at Maple and West Main streets into a Community Giving Garden.
“We are grateful for this grant, which provides matching funds to allow us to transform a vacant parcel into a park for children and adults to gather to relax and enjoy raised bed gardens, a little library, a storywalk reading trail and a variety of plantings,” Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne said. “This will beautify the neighborhood, will be accessible to all, and provide educational opportunities for young people and our vocational agriculture students.”
Storywalks are pathways where pages from a book are printed and placed in frames. Families can read aloud together while taking a walk.
The grant will cover about half of the cost of the project, which will also include pollinator gardens, butterfly bushes, bird houses, benches and a stone dust path that is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. The parcel is about four-tenths of an acre.
The Rockville Public Library will manage and update the storywalk reading trail, the little library and conduct reading programs, Library Director Jennifer Johnston-Marius said. “We’re excited about it.”
Vernon’s Planning Department applied for the grant through the state Urban Green and Community Garden Grant Program.
Other features of the Community Giving Garden will be herb and vegetable gardens. The plan is to distribute the items that are grown to families in Rockville through the Vernon Social Services Department.
The garden is within Vernon’s Cultural District and will add to the district’s cultural and historic assets.
Gov. Ned Lamont notified Mayor Champagne that the town was awarded the grant on June 30.