San Antonio eyesores turning green
Deborah Knapp
KENS 5
Apr 21, 2009
Across San Antonio, 19 vacant lots are now Community Gardens. There are plans to build many more.
First Lady Linda Hardberger came up with the idea when her husband was running for Mayor four years ago. "When Philip was campaigning we went to lots of different parts of the city and we would see these empty lots grown over and trashed. I wanted to take these plots and turn them into gardens." Working with Green Spaces Alliances, Hardberger went to work and her efforts took root.
At the corner of Gramercy and Wilson in the Jefferson neighborhood a big empty lot is now home to two dozen gardens maintained by neighbors with room for more. "We've been able to see tremendous progress...not just getting plants in the ground, but to me, even more importantly, it's bringing neighbors together towards a common goal," said Jefferson resident Michael Soto who is the garden manager.
Giving people a connection to community is one of the goals Linda Hardberger wanted to achieve when she started the community Gardens three years ago.
Because the city was growing so much, people needed a connection with where they lived. The whole idea of greening up San Antonio really appealed to me. Then when you consider that we have a high diabetes rate, obesity is a problem and children don't get enough exercise outdoors and I thought this is going to solve all the problems, " she laughed. The gardens are paid for with private money and maintained by neighbors. She plans to continue working on community gardens even after her husband leaves office in May. "I want to expand them into the schools and I want them in the housing projects. That's my next big step. I'm going up to SAHA and see if we can get it in public housing."