Park Construction and Community Garden Update, West Side Trees and More

This newsletter includes updates on park construction and the community garden, news about the West Side tree inventory project, and more!

WHO WE ARE: Green for the Greater Good is a group of neighbors working to transform the Rodney Reservoir into a beautiful nature-focused park for all to enjoy.

1. RODNEY RESERVOIR PARK CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

The park is almost done! The City is planning an opening event in October. Stay tuned!

2. COMMUNITY GARDEN ADVOCACY

Green for the Greater Good is advocating for the City to work with residents, gardeners, and  community-based organizations to build out the community garden–just as we built the original one–as soon as possible. 

Are you interested in helping? Sign up here.  Also, if you are interested in gardening at the site, you can sign up here. We will send out information to this list and through our social media channels as soon as information about the sign-up process is available. 

3. WEST SIDE STREET TREE INVENTORY PROJECT WITH UD PARTNERS

Wouldn’t it be great if the streets on the way to the park were cooler in the summer, making it easy to access from the surrounding neighborhoods? This summer, Green for the Greater Good took a step to make this a reality by partnering with students and professors from the University of Delaware to use the Healthy Trees, Healthy Cities tool to inventory and assess the health of street trees in the West Side. 

Kyle Dennis, a senior in the Environmental Studies program, with support from his professor,  Dr. Vaishnavi Tripuraneni, led the inventory and analyzed the results. We extend a big thank you to Kyle and Dr. Vaish and everyone in the Human Geography and Plant and Soil Science departments who participated in various aspects of the project, especially Dr. Tara Trammell who organized a training by her colleagues at the US Forest Service who created the HTHC process and tool, and Professor Anna Wik.

Do you have any thoughts about the value of street trees or the problems they cause? Do you have ideas about what can be done to make street trees a positive part of our community? Share your thoughts or sign up to get involved at this link. Stay tuned for chances to learn more about this summer’s inventory, tools, Kyle’s findings and next steps!

4. FREE PLANTS and FREE FARM STAND AT KNOW YOUR RIGHTS EVENT ON SEPT. 11 @ THE LACC

Please spread the word about a bilingual -English+ Spanish- event to inform people about workers’ rights in Delaware, sponsored by the Latin American Community Center and the Delaware Department of Labor’s Division of Industrial Affairs and other partners on Thursday, September, 11 from 6-8 PM at the LACC main building at 403 N. Van Buren. Green for the Greater Good and Bright Spot Farms will be there with information about the Rodney Reservoir Park and Community Garden, street trees, some plants and more! Bright Spot Farms will host a Free Farm Stand! More info and event registration, here.

GET MORE INVOLVED

Let’s keep working together to make sure our neighborhood is heard and the city continues to work with residents on the future of the Rodney Reservoir! Here are some more ways you can get involved:

Follow Green for the Greater Good on Facebook and Instagram @GreenfortheGreaterGood

Share posts on your own social media.

Visit the website for the latest news.

Join weekly Saturday meetings at 10 AM at the Church of The Holy City at 1118 N. Broom Street. Enter to the right of the main door and enter through the side door.