Community gardens are a tried-and-true means for promoting community pride, as well as a way to beautify public spaces. For years, the Rogers Park Metra station has projected an unkempt and neglected entryway into Rogers Park, despite being one of the most used stops on the Chicago-Kenosha North Line. That may change as residents of the immediate neighborhood join with the Rogers Park Garden Group to resurrect a community garden that was initiated, then abandoned at the station some years before (see photo).

The station, with entries on Lunt Ave and Greenleaf Ave, is surrounded on three sides by embankments that, despite the best efforts of neighborhood residents, are overgrown with weeds and regularly strewn with litter. An earlier community garden started by a local resident and business owner failed after the business closed, though many of the plants remain hidden beneath the overgrowth.

In 2007, at the invitation of Lakeside director and community resident Brian White, the Rogers Park Garden Group agreed to provide training and technical assistance to community residents to plan, plant, and maintain a community garden at the north end of the station along Greenleaf Ave. The site is just opposite the Greenleaf Art Center, where Lakeside has its offices. Residents were invited to participate and a core group of neighbors immediately joined the effort. It is hoped that over time, the riders who use the station regularly, which include residents from Rogers Park, West Ridge, and Evanston, will also join in, remaking the embankments into a source of pride. 

The current plans call for resident volunteers to begin working with the RPGG in March 2008. Planning and design will take place over March and April. Meetings will introduce the concept of community gardens, engage residents in designing the garden for the Metra site, and establish short- and long-term maintenance schedules. Planting is anticipated to begin in May, immediately following Mother's Day, the traditional start of planting season in this part of the country. Maintenance and enhancements to the garden will take place throughout the summer and into the fall to protect the considerable investment of time, energy, and materials. 

Volunteers are needed for all phases of the project. Donations of plants and materials will also be sought later in the spring. If you are interested in learning more about this project or in volunteering, please contact Brian White at (773) 209-8552.