P-Patch Community Gardens

Hazel Heights

Fremont's newest public space is the result of serendipity. For decades, Don and Hazel Hurlbert lived in the house at 4204 Baker Ave. N.W., and gardened their extra corner lot. When widow Hazel died in December 2003, a group of neighbors with ideas and money, and thanks to the grace of the patient grand-nephew executor, were able to see that the lot was purchased by the P-Patch Trust. A conservation easement was recorded guaranteeing that the site will be used for "community garden and open space in perpetuity."

After acquisition was completed, with the help of the P-Patch Trust and the City P-Patch Program, a larger group of neighbors set up a steering committee. The committee applied for and obtained a "Small and Simple" grant from the City Department of Neighborhoods to prepare a plan for the site. In December 2005, after extensive outreach and a series of community meetings, a master plan for the Hazel Heights P-Patch was completed by Barker Landscape Architects.

Hazel Heights P-Patch has entered the next phase of its development: funding and construction. The steering committee successfully applied for a $100,000 neighborhood matching fund (NMF) grant from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods for permitting and construction of the basic elements of the master plan retaining wall and entry stairs, pull out from the alley, irrigation system. It is hoped that gardening can begin on the score of garden patches in 2008.

Please help make Hazel Heights more than an "empty lot." We need:

• Your name. Every neighbor and business who signs on in support makes it easier for us to obtain grants from the City of Seattle, King County, and foundations.
• Your contribution. No matter how small, commitments of money not only help bring us closer to making our budget, but also show larger funders the breadth and depth of our community support.
• Your time. Most important of all, we need your time and expertise. We need volunteers who can: find funders; manage projects; pour concrete; lay tiles; maintain the site; call other volunteers; bake cookies; etc. Your time and expertise help bring down our budget. And, if you are interested in gardening a patch on the site, your volunteer hours will make that happen more quickly.