Brook Run Park Getting ADA Gardening Beds

The changing of the seasons is bringing a new look to the greenhouse complex at Brook Run Park

Part of the new look is the installation of raised gardening beds that meet the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. An old wall of railroad ties beside the main greenhouse was torn down, courtesy of the city, and was replaced with a new wall of treated timbers that is slightly farther from the greenhouse than the original wall.

Relocating the wall is the first step in the ADA gardening project and creates an aisle wide enough to allow people in wheel chairs or those who use walkers to have access to the raised beds.

This phase of the multi-phase project was completed under the guidance of Dunwoody Parks and Recreation Manager Brent Walker

Next steps will involve creating the planting beds along the top of the wall and installing flooring for the path at the foot of the wall. Flooring will be chosen that will be easy for people in wheel chairs and on walkers to navigate.

Diana Wood, who manages the portion of the greenhouse that the Community Garden uses and oversees the ADA project, is considering two types of flooring systems. She said she found one at a dog show and wants to check out another that is being used at a Gwinnett County park in Loganville.

“Once I find out how much all this will cost, I will take the next step,” Diana said. “I will talk to the (Community Garden) Board and the city to see where the money will come from.”

In the meantime, she and other volunteers will remove stumps from bushes that were left in the areas where the beds will be installed along the top of the retaining wall.

Diana plans to use boards from the other garden projects to frame in the beds.

 "If you build it, they will come," she added.

When the project is finished, the planting beds will be available to anyone who needs access to a raised gardening area, Diana said. “We want people of all ages who want to play in the dirt or grow vegetables, herbs or flowers for their family and friends to use this area.

“It is a beautiful site to see.”

A second project that Brent and the Community Garden are working on is to get the small greenhouse in full operation this winter. The Parks and Recreation Department plans to use it to grow bring annuals for use in the different parks in Dunwoody as well as native plants for restoration purposes.

A number of decisions need to be made before that can happen. Those decisions include who will pay for the materials for the benches and build them, what types of plants will be grown in the greenhouse, whether those plants will be grown from seed, repairing the swamp cooler wall and testing all systems.

Brent said it’s possible the city could buy the materials for the benches and have volunteers from the groups that use the greenhouse build the benches. He emphasized, though, that details such as those must still be worked out.

The city’s agreement with the volunteer groups that use the main greenhouse is that they will maintain plants for the city while they are in the small greenhouse and waiting to be planted.

A third project that is under way is to beautify the grounds in the greenhouse area. This project involves three gardening groups – the Community Garden, the Dunwoody Garden Club and The Dunwoody Women's Club - Conservations Group – and the installation of three gardens.

Several work days have been scheduled to install the gardens. The first work day will be held Sept. 17 at 8:30 a.m. for volunteers from the Community Garden and the Dunwoody Garden Club. They will till the three gardens, weed and perform other grounds maintenance (rain date, Sept. 24). Those gardens are:

1. The pollinator garden. This garden will feature plants that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and will be sponsored by the Dunwoody Garden Club.

2. The three-berry garden. All of the berry plants (blackberry, raspberry and blueberry) will be donated and transplanted between the end of February and the first of March.

3. The shade garden. The Dunwoody Women's Club - Conservations Group will sponsor this garden and donate 30-plus plants. The garden will be located next to the barn, which is being converted into a classroom. The Community Garden Greenhouse Team will help with plant installation, which will take place on Oct. 27. A time has not yet been scheduled for this project.

If you are interested in volunteering, and are not a member of one of the above groups, contact Diana Wood for more information: dianawood480@mac.com.