The newly restored Willis Avenue Community Garden (Photo via Mott Haven Herald)
The Willis Avenue Community Garden, which reopened recently after a nine-month renovation, is getting mixed reviews from people in the neighborhood – especially those who remember the garden as it once was, reports Rania Berrada in Mott Haven Herald.
Santi Natal, 60, has been the Community Garden’s chair for nearly seven years.
“The renovation has taken away the authenticity and the soul of the community garden,” she said, adding: “Before, I had the impression to be in a small village of Puerto Rico every time I came here.”
One year ago, New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization, offered to renovate the park thanks to a Perlman Family Foundation’s donation. “They said, ‘we got money, we got donations.’ I only asked them to change the fence. Nine months after, one of my trees died and the kitchen was taken away. I can’t cook anymore,” Natal said.
The budget for the renovation and long-term maintenance of the community garden is $300,000. Although other community members complained that the old garden was “warmer,” there are a number of people who welcome the changes and the improvement.
Domingo Nuñez, 36, who has been living close to the park for six years, supported the project from the beginning. He said the new garden is cleaner, safer and greener.
“I feel more comfortable because the garden is more secure. Before the renovation, I couldn’t bring my son because we were not protected from the sunlight. There was no covered veranda,” he added.
For more reviews of the new restored garden, check out Mott Haven Herald.
