School Committee Greenlights Expansion of Community Garden

The Burlington School Committee has given the go-ahead to expand the community garden at Francis Wyman School.

Peter Coppola, who leads the volunteer efforts at what he called a community garden complex, described the garden complex as a diverse space. It includes volunteer plots for the food pantry, areas residents can rent, a school garden, a pollinator garden, a meadow, and a picnic spot.

"I don't think any other town in Massachusetts has a complex like that," he added.

Appearing before the Committee at their March 11 meeting alongside People Helping People's Pantry Manager, Julie Lewis, Coppola laid out the plans and rationale for the garden's expansion.

"We need to significantly increase the size of the volunteer garden," Coppola explained. More families are coming to the food pantry than ever before, he said, and even though the garden has increased yield for square foot, it is struggling to keep up with the demand.

The expansion will involve pushing back a hill behind the garden by 40 feet, while keeping a 25-foot buffer between the garden and nearby homes. This change is set to boost the garden's produce by over 1,100 pounds, bringing the expected total to nearly 5,200 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruits each year.

The Department of Public Works will handle the digging, and a local landscaping company has offered to remove trees for a significant discount.

School Superintendent Eric Conti voiced his support for the project.

"We've been partnering with community garden and Mr. Coppola for over 10 years," Conti said. "So I would support this request and ask the School Committee to approve the community garden expansion."

The committee unanimously agreed to the expansion, allowing work to start as soon as possible to get ready for the upcoming growing season.

Editor's note: A previous version of the story stated the tree removal was being offered for free. That part of the story has been updated to reflect a revised plan.