Maple Leaf Community Garden Accessibility Project
We are submitting this post to request assistance in evaluating our garden and pointing out how it could be made more accessible, and in line the the unique fairy design of the garden that was established when the park was build in 2006.
The Maple Leaf Community Garden on 539 NE 103rd is a park and community ppatch built on a hill in the rapidly urbanizing neighborhood of northgate. This hidden jewel is a small mecca to local residents, dog walkers, families and 24 ppatchers. In addition to the 24ppatch gardeners, A dedicated aging group of 15 gardeners from the Aljoya Senior Residence across the street oversees our giving garden, raising more than 250 pounds of food yearly for local food banks. Unfortunately, the garden plots are sited on a hill, up a steep driveway and across an ill maintained swale at the base of the garden. Access and gardening the plots is becoming increasingly difficult for our alijoya seniors unless grant funding can be secured to create tools, supports, surfaces and amenities that make it easier to garden without bending over, having balanced challenges, and annoying aging joints/backs in the process of watering, weeding and harvesting.
Gardeners have requested railings, raised beds, and better walking surfaces. Rather than just haul off and create these improvements on our own in a helter skelter fashion, the City has requested that a designer be brought in to create a cohesive design that could be followed next year with some grant assistance as needed.
We would love a partnership with the UW in creating a park for our aging gardeners and users that would make our aging garden more useable, but still as beautiful.
Thank you for your consideration
Alice Hanson,
Co-Leader, Maple Leaf Community Garden
We are a 501C3
206 393-7818
