Our Second or “Lower” terrace has been part-finished for some 18 months, while we pestered Walter Taylor Ward and BCC Parks to complete what they built back in 2020. What proved particularly frustrating was that no other grant source would permit their funds to be spent on an existing but incomplete project (even BCC’s own alternative Community Garden resources), while our longer term plans to raise a lot more cash to fund a Third or “Even Lower” Terrace could not go to other funding bodies because a built Third would automatically get in the way of the earthmoving machines needed to complete the Second. Add to that the regular, extraordinary increases in materials costs in 2022, and Council needing to rebuild the Taringa Community Garden in Perrin Park post floods first, has kept us “hanging on”, but effectively also stuck.
However, Cllr Mackay and BCC Parks informed us last week that the project to complete the Second Terrace has been approved at last, the works contract is set to be let and building is scheduled to commence sometime after February. Fingers crossed.
If you have been to the Garden lately you will have noticed that we have preparing the way for the building works. The original IBC water tank has been emptied and moved backwards to make room for our shed to come up in the world (to the Top Terrace level), after which the tank will become a rainwater harvesting resource fed by the shed roof. Meanwhile preparations for making new foundations for the old shed in its new location have begun. We’ve also formulated a cunning plan for a bit of community shed-raising (plus emptying and then restocking) to get our donated but needing gentle handling old shed up and over. Once the shed moves and Council complete the rebuild, the CG will have increased available space to install additional raised garden beds by roughly 50%.
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