A newly redeveloped garden space will soon be opening in St. John’s.
Stella’s Circle, Kings Gate Condominiums, Mills & Wright Landscaping, and the Bonaventure Community Garden held a sod-turning ceremony today to celebrate the re-imagining of the shared urban green space.
The garden will make use of 37,000 square feet outside Kings Gate Condominiums for the redevelopment plan that includes refurbishing and updating the garden beds, leveling the ground to improve accessibility and install a pathway, and creating a large central gathering area.
Stella’s Circle and Kings Gate Condominiums have worked together on the garden for the past six years, with Stella’s Circle providing employment to around 40 participants annually, and therapeutic opportunities through this redevelopment. These programs will continue to develop the garden space.
Group facilitator with Stella’s Circle, Dominique Jean says the garden is often used as a starting point for those who have trouble entering the workforce for the first time.
He recounted a personal example of one of his former team leads who after leaving the garden project gained full-time employment with a living wage. He says she told him the garden “gave me my wings.”