The ceremonial opening of the community gardens at the South End Neighborhood Greenhouse at 324 Mill Street was held on June 3rd. Loyola Development Corporation was instrumental in getting this lot approved for a greenhouse and community garden, which opened in March of 2012.
In 2010, Loyola approached the City of Waterbury & the Waterbury Development Corporation requesting that the City allow Loyola to install community gardens on the City owned property at 324 Mill Street. The City took the request one step further and suggested a greenhouse be developed on the property for the South End Residents. Loyola worked with the City & Waterbury Development Corporation to obtain approval from the Board of Aldermen for the installation of the greenhouse on the site and as part of one of our volunteer day events, cleared the site to make way for the development. The City then recruited Brass City Harvest to manage the greenhouse. The greenhouse was completed in March of 2012 and the beds for the community gardens were installed over the last couple of weeks.
On Sunday, neighborhood residents turned out to begin planting their gardens in the new planting beds. In attendance were South End Neighborhood residents, Victoria Encarnacion and her two children Josiah & Makaela, Gerry & Hilda Reyes, Susan Torres, Susan Pronovost & staff from Brass City Harvest, & Craig Russell, the Executive Director at Loyola Development Corporation.