Save Twin Oaks Garden from becoming a Parking Lot for Powell Elementary School

North Twin Oaks Plot at 14th and Taylor St, NW

A reader passes on the following email about saving the Twin Oaks Garden:

“We are writing to alert you, as members of the community, to a situation affecting the Twin Oaks Community Garden at 14th and Taylor streets NW. As part of the impending large-scale renovation of neighboring Powell Elementary school, the north side of the garden is currently slated for demolition, to be replaced by a faculty parking lot.

This garden is a beautiful space operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and has been under cultivation for at least seven years by community gardeners, and used for DC’s summer youth programming long before that. Between the north and south sides of the garden, which is divided by Taylor Street, there are a total of 63 10’x15’ plots, five bee hives, three major compost operations, and numerous trees, many of which were just added by Casey Trees.

Twin Oaks gardeners and DPR were not included in the Powell renovation planning process, and only last month became aware of the threat to the garden. We’ve begun a dialogue with the DC Department of General Services (DGS), which is managing the project, to consider alternatives that can both meet the needs of the school and preserve this historic community garden.

Please join us for a public community meeting with DCPS, DGS and DPR to help save the garden and show support for urban agriculture in our community. We believe that with community input and innovation we can arrive at a solution that both improves the school’s facilities and preserves this long-standing green space.

When: Wednesday, June 25th; 6:00 p.m.
Where: Powell Elementary School auditorium, 1350 Upshur Street NW”