Fremont Community Garden

The Fremont Community Garden project site is at the northeast corner of 14th and Q Streets, adjacent to the Fremont Mews apartment development. Creation of the garden is a collaborative effort of the City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation Department, Rembold Properties (the developer of the Fremont Mews), neighborhood representatives and CADA. The Fremont Garden site was made available by a land donation from the State Department of General Services and financial contributions from CADA, Rembold Properties, Vice Mayor Rob Fong and other members of the Sacramento City Council, the Sacramento County Bar Association, Bill Maynard, Leonard Development Company, the California Restaurant Association, and many others. Design and consulting services have been provided by EEI and HLA Group. Soil Remediation was carried out by Ramcon Engineering and Environmental Services. Paul Kearney Construction, Inc. is the general contractor.

Status:
49 of the 50 available plots have been reserved by future gardeners. One ADA-accessible plot remains and is available to be reserved. For more information about reserving plots or adding your name to the waiting list, please contact Bill Maynard at 508-6025 or wmaynard@cityofsacramento.org.

CADA's soil remediation contractor, Ramcon Engineering and Environmental Services has completed excavation and disposal of contaminated soil at the site of Fremont Community Garden, located at the corner of 14th and Q Streets. Final grading has been completed and CADA's contractor, Kearney Construction, Inc., is installing the concrete paving, fencing, irrigation and bocce ball courts. The Fremont Community Garden Advisory Committee will lead a volunteer effort to finish construction of the garden. They will be installing plots, walkways, orchards, compost bins, garden art, and landscaping. To volunteer, please contact Bill Maynard at 508-6025 or wmaynard@cityofsacramento.org.

On November 8 at 11:30, CADA and the City of Sacramento will host a groundbreaking celebration at the Northeast corner of 14th and Q Streets, adjacent to the Fremont Mews apartments. The celebration is intended to celebrate the contributions of the individuals and companies who have donated funding or services to help make construction of the garden possible and to enlist the support of volunteers in completing the construction of the garden. If you have questions about the groundbreaking, please contact CADA project manager Marc de la Vergne at (916) 322-2114. To RSVP, please contact Jessica Rewers at 322-2114.

CADA's goal is to complete basic improvements to enable gardeners to begin gardening early in 2007. Once the garden has been completed and following a short trial period, ownership the site will be transferred to the City of Sacramento, where it will become part of the City's Community Garden Program, managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The History of the Garden:
During the mid-1960's, the property at 14th and Q Streets in downtown Sacramento was purchased by the state of California for the 1960 Capitol Area Plan. A community garden was established by local residents and workers on the site during the late 1960's. This garden was later known as the Ron Mandella Community Garden in honor of its founder. The property became designated for housing in 1978, though it remained undeveloped.

In 2001, the Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) decided to initiate residential development of the site. By then, the property had been used as a community garden for over 30 years. It was a central gathering point for gardeners, residents, children and state workers on their lunch hour. The announcement of the garden being converted to residential use became a difficult time for the entire community. This pitted those who wanted to keep the site as a garden against those who wanted it developed into housing.

The Compromise:
In 2002, CADA and the State Department of General Services committed to retain 100% of the community garden square footage. This was accomplished by acquiring a half city block near Southside Park. The land was developed for the new Southside Community Garden located at 5th and W Streets. This garden represented two-thirds of the original Mandella Garden space. Concurrently, CADA and the State set aside one third of the Mandella site to continue as a community garden, now called the Fremont Community Garden. The Southside Community Garden was donated to the City Parks and Recreation Department as will the new Fremont Community Garden upon completion.

The Vision:
The new Fremont Community Garden represents a model for urban gardening and design. It will be ADA accessible and will include ADA plots, as well as plots for children. There will be 2 bocce ball courts and nearly 50 garden plots. We will follow established organic gardening procedures to ensure a healthy environment and safe produce. This garden will be the hub of the community.

The Obstacles Facing the New Garden:
After analyzing the soil in 2002, it was found that the site needed to be remediated to remove toxics before it could be developed into a garden.

CADA has invested over $450,000 in soil remediation, including a $200,000 grant secured from the EPA. Beyond that, CADA has budgeted $44,000 for garden improvements. CADA is finalizing contributions from the City Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Developer of the Fremont Mews. Unfortunately, even with their combined help there is a significant deficit of funds to complete this garden.

The Advisory Committee:
In order to meet the funding deficit and develop the plan for the future garden, the Fremont Community Garden Advisory Committee was formed. "Growing communities together" through this new garden is our goal. With your help, we can resurrect this community garden space into a vibrant neighborhood gathering place as it once was in downtown Sacramento.

The Request for Help:
The garden needs your support to grow into our vision. We would like to request any contribution or material donation that you and/or your organization can spare. This is a tax deductible opportunity as we have an account with "Gifts to Share" http://www.giftstoshare.org/, a 501(c)3 managed through the City of Sacramento.

Thank you for your support.

The Fremont Community Garden Advisory Committee (FCGAC):

Ann Fleenor	Marc de la Vergne	Bill Maynard
Evan Smestad	Wayne Rembold