EFFINGHAM —
Plans for a community garden are flourishing now that a place for the garden has been found.
Property located behind Bob’s Discount Home Improvement, formerly Bob Salvage, will be used as a place for any member of the community to garden in thanks to the Passalacqua family.
The 15-acre property was once the home of Poss’s Produce and featured locally grown food.
“We raised a lot of what we sold at the store right there on the ground,” said Matt Passalacqua.
Passalacqua said after noticing land was being sought for the garden, the property seemed a perfect fit.
“It wasn’t being used for anything. We thought it would be a great use and service to the community,” he said.
The family believes a community garden would be a fitting tribute to the family patriarch, Larry Passalacqua, who owned the market and is now deceased.
“We thought Dad would have liked it,” Passalacqua said.
Passalacqua finds the timing of the garden appropriate considering the economic climate.
“Everybody has financial troubles and having a garden is one way to cut down on grocery costs,” he said.
The family is allowing Effingham Park District, which will operate the garden, free use of the property. The project is a joint venture between the district, University of Illinois Extension master gardeners and Effingham City Tourism Department.
Park District Director Jeff Althoff said the project will start small and consume no more than 5 acres the first year. He hopes to begin renting out plots next spring. Rent, he added, will be cheap, covering only the cost of maintaining the garden.
“Hopefully, it’ll be a big hit,” he said.
Passalacqua also hopes interest in the garden grows.
“It’s obviously something we believe in,” he said.
Local News
October 3, 2012
Site secured for community garden
- Local News
-
- Board moves forward with new track NEWTON -- Despite a tight budget going into next school year, Jasper County School District accepted a bid for a new track Monday. The district accepted in a 6-1 vote a bid from Midwest Track Builders of more than $91,000 for a new latex track for th
-
Street closure
The city of Effingham has announced the closing of North Pembroke Street from Park Hills Drive to North Avenue will continue today, May 15, to allow the installation of a new sewer line.
- Split board OKs fund to maintain TREC Effingham County Board agreed in a split vote Monday to create a maintenance fund for the multiuse trail west of Effingham. In a 5-3 vote, the board agreed to set aside $2,500 per year for trail maintenance. Chairman Jim Niemann said county officials
-
5 killed in I-70 van crash
A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times Monday, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said
-
Crowd turns out to dedicate VFW memorial
After months of design, construction and maintenance, the new memorial at Effingham VFW Post 1769 was dedicated during a ceremony Saturday. More than 100 people attended the dedication of the granite memorial with bricks commemorating past and presen
-
Drug Court gives grads second chance at life
Greg Evans has been arrested more times than he can remember, spent time in jail, and been a drug user for 25 years of his life. At the Effingham Area Drug Court Graduation Friday, he hoped to put all that behind him. "The only hope we have is here t
-
Illinois Senate approves medical marijuana bill
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn must decide if he will sign a measure allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes after the state Senate approved legislation on Friday.
- Effingham County Engineers set facts straight on fracking A pair of petroleum engineers originally from Altamont told an Effingham County Board committee Thursday that hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was much less dangerous than opponents make it appear. Fracking has been a point of contention in many st
- Yoder pleads not guilty to stabbing death A murder suspect pleaded not guilty Thursday to killing his roommate. Charles Douglas Yoder, who turned 52 Wednesday, entered his plea through Public Defender Lupita Thompson during a brief hearing Thursday in Effingham County Circuit Court. Yoder ha
-
Veteran returns to past war zone to celebrate triumph
When Marshall Taggart, 83, of Hazel Dell first went to South Korea in 1952, he didn’t think he was going to make it out alive.
- More Local News Headlines
