WPC’s Community Conservation Program, Green Gardeners Team to Brighten and Enliven Uniontown’s Urban Environment
by Mark Wallace
Director, Community Conservation Technical Services
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has been intimately involved in the conservation of Fayette County’s remarkable natural assets. Ohiopyle State Park, Bear Run Nature Reserve, Forbes State Forest, Laurel Ridge State Park and several tracts of state game lands are WPC projects that have focused on Fayette’s remarkable natural heritage of mountains, streams and forests.
Recently WPC had an opportunity to assist in the enhancement of Fayette County’s urban environment as well. Last fall, WPC’s Community Conservation Technical Services Division was contacted by Green Gardeners, a local community organization active in Uniontown, Fayette County. The Uniontown group needed help in preparing an organized plan for future greenway enhancements of the downtown environment, and for maintaining existing projects. Green Gardeners began as an effort to plant trees along streets in downtown Uniontown, then broadened their efforts to adopt street planters, establish a community gateway garden site, and implement various other community green space projects. As the club’s responsibilities grew, the Civic Improvement Chair found the effort to design, order and schedule the planting of the downtown gardens to be a large and expanding commitment. At this point the idea of a partnership with WPC came to the forefront.
A partnership between WPC and Green Gardeners to enhance the downtown Uniontown environment was an ideal match. Green Gardeners won a $3,000 grant from the Community Foundation to address the ongoing challenges surrounding the club’s downtown greening initiatives.
The plan was presented in a three-phase approach. Phase one, site analysis, consisted of a detailed inventory and evaluation of current projects. The evaluation included a walking tour of downtown Uniontown with Green Gardener members and Community Conservation Technical Services staff to document site conditions and challenges. Phase two, development, included the preparation of a downtown streetscape plan. Technical Services staff evaluated the information gathered during the evaluation and developed a plan that included site analysis, recommendations, specifications and designs for the areas outlined in phase one. In phase three, installation and oversight, the Community Conservation Technical Services staff provided guidance for the community installation of the annual plant displays in May. Recommendations outlined in the plan will continue to be implemented throughout downtown Uniontown.
“The Conservancy’s recent presence through a community gateway garden in the downtown seemed to be a pleasant foreshadowing of how the club’s civic plantings could be enhanced to incorporate not only an entire cohesive downtown streetscape, but unite our efforts as a civic improvement club”, explains Doris Stone, Vice President Green Gardeners.
Greens Gardeners hope to encourage more and wider community participation in the planting and maintenance of the annual displays. “Community ownership and participation is imperative to the long term sustainability and success of all community greening initiatives,” says the Conservancy’s Mark E. Wallace.
WPC established the Community Conservation Technical Services Division in response to a growing number of requests for assistance from cities and boroughs all over western Pennsylvania. The Division is designed to work with diverse partners such as municipalities, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Areas of service include but are not limited to: concept development, planning, technical assistance, design, project management and maintenance.
“The Conservancy’s expertise in urban gardening provided the structure and design for implementing a streetscape plan which will enhance our downtown looks as well as provide a renewed focus for our club, allowing us to continue the traditions of Green Gardener which is to encourage civic planting and public interest in the conservation of natural resources” concludes Doris Stone, Vice President of Green Gardeners.
Green Gardeners have demonstrated that civic-minded community groups, volunteers and municipal partnerships can accomplish and maintain a wide variety of projects to enhance their urban environments. Greening initiatives like these help build a volunteer environmental spirit in the community. They also promote an appreciation of green space among urban residents who may not have had the opportunity to experience western Pennsylvania’s wilder and more remote natural areas.
