Partnership Between NBC, Matos and Enviro Group to Bring Community Farming to Olneyville

Partnership Between NBC, Matos and Enviro Group to Bring Community Farming to Olneyville

A major new initiative between the Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) and Southside Community Land Trust to bring community gardening and farming to Olneyville was announced on GoLocal LIVE on Monday.

The effort spearheaded by Councilwoman Sabina Matos and NBC Chairman Vincent Mesolella will help to transform a key parcel into a community farm. The initiative is being developed in conjunction with the Southside Community Land Trust, who provides technical assistance to urban farmers and community gardens across Rhode Island.

The partnership transforms the land — best known in the community as the former George’s Tire location on Valley Street into a significant community farm which is being organized by residents in the community.

 

 

Margaret DeVos, Executive Director, Southside Community Land Trust joined GoLocal LIVE in making the announcement. DeVos discussed how her organization is working in communities like Pawtucket and Central Falls and providing technical service across the state.

The parcel is on the banks of the Woonasquatucket River; to protect the water quality in the river, it’s best to avoid impervious surfaces, like asphalt that will cause run-off. Traditional farming would also introduce fertilizers, etc., but because urban farms and community gardens are built in raised beds, there is not the risk of fertilizing the river. Also, the raised beds mean that no great disturbance will be necessary to the existing ground.

According to NBC, “In 2014, the NBC completed construction of Phase II of the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project, which is designed to prevent storm-related sewage overflows from polluting the Woonasquatucket and Seekonk Rivers. The project involved constructing new large sewer pipes along the rivers to capture the dirty water and send it into the huge CSO tunnel built in 2008."  The tunnel system carries the dirty water to the Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Facility to be cleaned. The project has been a significant success: the Woonasquatucket is healthier than ever and Narragansett Bay is the cleanest it has been in over 100 years.