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WORCESTER \u2013 Notwithstanding the natural beauty of the lake, parts of the Indian Lake neighborhood in north Worcester had become rather uninviting over the years.<\/p>\n West Boylston Drive was known <\/a>for an ugly, weed-ridden wall separating it from West Boylston Street. Nearby, Norton Drive was something like an old industrial wasteland.<\/p>\n So when Carl Gomes<\/a> developed plans for a Community Teaching Garden Literacy Project\u00a0on West Boylston Drive, some people may have been unable to see the good from the weeds.<\/p>\n But Gomes, a retired probation officer who lives on West Boylston Drive and is also the founder and president of the nonprofit Indian Lake Community Association, dug in.<\/p>\n Now the garden is in its sixth season as an educational and welcoming space that promotes food literacy, environmental stewardship and community engagement among residents of the Indian Lake neighborhood. The garden is a project of the Indian Lake Community Association. “We’d love to create a healthy, connected, beautiful community,” Gomes said of the association’s goals.<\/p>\n The next phase or step along the way was realized with an announcement June 24 that AARP has awarded the Indian Lake Community Association a $15,000 challenge grant for the Community Teaching Garden Literacy Project.<\/p>\n AARP says on its website, “High-visibility crosswalks, curb bump-outs, reflective signs and a street mural will be added near a neighborhood garden. These features will slow traffic and make crossings safer for older adults and other pedestrians.”<\/p>\n “We want to be an age-friendly community,” Gomes said.<\/p>\n More than\u00a05,100 applications\u00a0were submitted from communities across all 50 states for the AARP grants and 721 projects\u00a0were selected to receive funding.<\/p>\n “This grant represents far more than funding. It is an investment in community, creativity, education, environmental stewardship, healthy living and creating a more welcoming and age-friendly Worcester for everyone,” Gomes said.<\/p>\n Gomes and well-known local mural artist\u00a0Sharinna Travieso<\/a>\u00a0 were planning to meet with Worcester officials to begin the permitting process. That’s not quite as straightforward as it sounds as a previous mural plan hit red tape<\/a>.<\/p>\n Upcoming association meetings including with state officials will address other issues and more announcements may be upcoming soon.<\/p>\n Through it all Gomes is sure to remain energetic and upbeat. At a recent meeting with a reporter at the garden, no sooner had we sat down than Gomes was laying out garden design plans on a table and giving a fast and heartfelt history of the association and the garden project.<\/p>\n Indian Lake area resident Kenol Etienne shared in the enthusiasm as Gomes was talking. “It is wonderful,” Etienne said. “I’m crazy about plants and the environment, so this is really good.”<\/p>\n In front of a white wall that has replaced the old barrier wall on West Boylston Drive is a long stretch of grass that previously was more like debris. The Community Teaching Garden itself is about 300-feet long and 36-feet across. There are currently 20 small garden plots tended to by residents dotting the grass in front of a larger garden area and a shed. Twenty more are planned. There also two Blessing Boxes, about which more later.<\/p>\n The plans include the garden having a performance stage (“create an actual entertainment space,” Gomes said), demonstration kitchen, a free little library for book exchanges between residents a kiosk, murals, rotating sculptures, compost, greenhouse and a lot more, all ADA compliant.<\/p>\n “Everything we do is free,” Gomes added.<\/p>\n‘An age-friendly community’<\/strong><\/h2>\n
‘Crazy about plants and the environment’<\/strong><\/h2>\n