Soon the North Seventh Street Community Garden in Fall River will be established, thanks to the efforts of Greater Fall River Re-creation and the Bank Street Neighborhood Association which recently acquired the property. Both organizations are working collaboratively with the assistance of other city non-profits and neighborhood groups along with local church and school representatives to create a full-service garden where children, elderly, and veterans can plant fruits and vegetables, enjoy butterfly bushes, and learn the skills necessary to grow seedlings into plants.
The garden will be on a site that once housed a badly deteriorated building that was known as a drug den where hypodermic needles were often found along with drug dealers and the homeless.
According to the city’s Community Development Agency the building was razed in November of 2012 due to it being a blight on the neighborhood for over a decade.
The following is information provided to Frcmedianews.org by Community Development Agency contact Brian Pearson.
“It (the property) negatively impacted property values, was attracting a criminal element and was placing a burden on municipal services and it was always a goal to turn the land into a community garden for residents to use.
The city put the demolition out to bid and the lowest bidder was AA Wrecking and the price was $11,870.00
The building was in extremely poor condition and had become a safety hazard. The city Building Inspector had written the following about the building: “Please be advised that I have inspected the property at 34 North Seventh Street and deem that the property is a slum and blighted property that is having a negative impact on the neighborhood. The property has been deemed a fire hazard and threat to public safety.”
Photo courtesy: The Community Development Agency
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