Volunteers needed for Collingswood greenhouse
Collingswood is looking for volunteers to help build a greenhouse on a borough-owned plot of land off Route 130.
Construction of the greenhouse, which will be available to residents who want to grow their own plants, is expected to start by March 31 at a tract of land along Cattell Avenue between Dwight and Harrison avenues.
The borough has owned the land, purchased with a $4 million state grant, for about five years.
The tract once housed 13 flood-prone homes that were demolished before the state replaced the Collingswood Circle, where routes 130 and 30 meet, with a signal intersection.
Now that the $35 million project is complete, the borough is ready to put the land to good use.
"As part of the agreement, the land has to remain as open space," borough manager Bradford Stokes said.
Because the greenhouse will be built mostly by volunteers, Stokes said he expects it to cost less than $2,000.
"We're also going to plant trees and shrubs to help mitigate flooding in the area," Commissioner Joan Leonard said.
Leonard said the borough will plant about 50 native trees, shrubs and perennials "that like watery spaces" like the bald cypress and swamp white oak.
"The main goal is to prevent runoff," Leonard said. "It's a cross between a biofiltration natural system and a rain garden."
Biofiltration systems are swells filled with vegetation and rocks that slow down the water flow and direct it toward rain gardens, which are filled with plants that absorb most of the runoff.
"These are ways to help improve the water percolation into the earth instead of the water unnaturally being forced into our creeks and rivers and making it overflow," Leonard said.
Landscaping at the tract, which is roughly the size of a football field, is covered under the state grant.
The green space will also serve as a buffer between busy Route 130 and the backs of the homes that face Richey Avenue.
Residents will likely have to pay about $25 for space in the greenhouse, Leonard said.
"It'll be all organic, no pesticides allowed," Leonard said. "It'll be for Collingswood residents, but if we have room, we will accept people from neighboring communities."
The borough is still deciding what to do with a smaller tract of land across the street.
Stokes said that may become a practice soccer field.
The same group of volunteers is also planning a community garden in another borough-owned property nestled among Washington, Lincoln and East Collings avenues.
"You can plant seeds at the greenhouse and you can take that home or you can join the community garden and take your seedlings there," Leonard said.
The borough paid $400,000 for that plot, which housed a duplex and 50 storage garages, about two years ago, Stokes said.
"They were in bad shape and it was just a blight in the neighborhood," Stokes said.
The borough has converted the duplex into a single-family home, which it hopes to put on the market in about two weeks, Stokes said. The borough is asking nearly $300,000 for the home.
The remainder of the property is shaped irregularly and nestled between several homes, making it unsuitable for building.
"It's landlocked, so we can't really put a house there," Stokes said.
Instead, borough volunteers are turning it into a community garden.
About 50 Collingswood residents will be able to secure a 10-by-10 foot plot for $35, Leonard said. The spaces will be divided by wood chips, recycled from trees the borough cuts down or trims.
"We don't really have any open space, but we do have a lot of little pieces of land," Leonard said. "They have perfected (community gardens) in urban areas because they don't have the space. Collingswood does have more space, but I think it could work here."
Many Collingswood residents live in rowhomes with small yards and may be interested in more gardening space, Leonard said.
"We actually accomplished two things at that site," Stokes said.
"I think it's worth the dollars we ended up spending on it."
Reach Lavinia DeCastro at (856) 486-2652 or ldecastro@courierpostonline.com
lisaamurphy is discussing. 
lisaamurphy 6:15 am on March 4, 2010 Permalink |
do you have info on who to contact for interested volunteers?
thanks.