Friendship Village Tempe, City of Tempe and Ryan Companies announce the completion of the Friendship Evergreen Community Garden at Ehrhardt Park. The new, one-acre community garden will provide the opportunity for Friendship Village residents and the surrounding neighborhood to grow food or plants in a communal setting.
Friendship Village Tempe signed a three-year lease with the city for 30,000 square feet within Ehrhardt park to build the garden. Friendship Village funded most of the project and also received donations.
“We are thankful to those that have donated on our community garden website, to Ryan Companies for contributing the lighting and to the Friendship Village Tempe Resident Foundation for providing the redwood lumber for the garden plots” said Cole Marvin, executive director, Friendship Village Tempe. “We are so excited to offer an outdoor, fun community activity that can bring people together in a healthy and safe way.”
Friendship Evergreen Community Garden was brought to life by Friendship Village Tempe’s leadership team and garden steering committee, neighborhood representatives, the City of Tempe and Ryan Companies. Ryan was involved from conception to completion, designing and building the new park attraction.
“Giving back to the community and supporting connection is what Ryan is all about,” said Beau Dromiack, southwest director of architecture, Ryan A+E, Inc. “This was a natural fit for our design-build team, and the project evolved into a passion for everyone that worked on it.”
The ground level plots are 4 feet by 10 feet and 18 inches high. The raised plots are 30 inches high and measure 4 feet by 8 feet or 4 feet by 10 feet. Each plot has a manual master-controlled irrigation system with the option of using a manual control valve instead.
The garden area also includes lockable sheds for personal storage and a composting station consisting of eight bins which can take in shredded newspaper, small branches, tree chippings, coffee grounds, kitchen organic waste and grass clippings.
“The City of Tempe has a vested interest in the health of its park systems and residents,” said Tempe Mayor Corey Woods. “We are elated that the garden is open – it is a great source of physical activity, recreation and civic pride for all that participate.”
Friendship Village has also employed a part time coordinator who will be responsible for supporting the gardeners and ongoing maintenance. For more information regarding the garden, please visit friendshipevergreen.com.
