Local green thumbs have an opportunity to have their own little mini-garden plot and at the same time brighten up the streetscape.
As part of its plan to build a protected bike lane on Sixth Ave. from Christopher St. to 13th St., the city’s Department of Transportation will install pedestrian islands between the bike and vehicle lanes that will make it safer to cross the street. These new islands also can house some mini-gardens — if there are people to take care of them.
Community Board 2 is seeking volunteer maintenance partners to plant and tend these tiny gardens, so that the islands can be more than just cement. Local residents, businesses or institutions are all welcome to take part in this effort, which will entail providing soil and planting flowers and then maintaining them.
The mini-plots’ size would be roughly 4 feet by 5 feet. Locations are planned at W. 10th St. south side, W. 11th St. north side, W. 12th St. north and south sides and W. 13th St. north side. W. 12th St. has already attracted one avid gardener’s interest, but the care of those mini-plots might possibly be shared.
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer Sixth Ave. mini-gardener at these locations is asked to contact Shirley Secunda at secunda@cb2manhattan.org by May 1.
There also will be similar opportunities to green new concrete islands from W. 14th St. to 33rd St. where the new protected bike lane will continue.
