July 22, 2019 — The Gardens Project, a network of community gardens in Lake and Mendocino Counties, celebrated its 55th year and held a garden opening ceremony on Saturday night at the White Deer Lodge, where Black Bart Road meets up with Highway 101. The new garden is wheelchair accessible with raised beds, because there are plans to convert the old motel into 21 units of housing, some of it for senior citizens and palliative care patients.
The Alliance for Community Endeavors (ACE), a new non-profit organization, is working with the Golden Rule Church Association, which owns the Ridge property, to develop the plans. The project footprint includes the Fiesta Mexicana, a former Mexican restaurant, where ACE plans to have a commercial kitchen and an event space. A boarded-up gas station is being considered for a number of options, including an electric car charging station, a plant nursery, and a shop for locally made products.
We’ll take a tour of the property and hear from ACE board members about the plan, what it will take to bring it to fruition, and what’s been done so far.