by Valerie McLean
In June, three new raised garden beds were constructed at the Kennedy School Community Garden by local boy scouts. Charlie McLean planned and oversaw the installation of the raised beds as his Eagle Scout project. Charlie McLean, age 16, is a member of Troop 107 which meets in the Wilshire United Methodist Church. Charlie is currently a Life Scout working on his final rank advancement to Eagle Scout. As part of the Eagle Scout preparation, each scout is required to plan and implement a project that benefits the community.
The raised garden beds are now part of the larger community garden operated by the City of Portland in a space behind the parking lot of the McMenamins Kennedy School. The garden beds are wheel chair accessible and will allow handicapped and elderly gardeners to tend their own vegetables and flowers without stooping over to ground level. Currently a local retirement home has requested one of the garden beds for use by their residents.
For a nominal yearly fee, community gardens provide access for neighbors to soil, water, and sunshine to grow a garden. If you are interested in finding out about the community garden, call 823-1612. And please stop by and see the garden growing. Congratulations to Charlie McLean on a successful project that benefits our neighborhood.