By Michelle Metcalf
Community Outreach Librarian
A lovely new pergola is bringing smiles — and shade — to volunteers and visitors of the LibraryFarm on the grounds of Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) in Cicero.
Installed atop an existing platform that was built by a local Eagle Scout, the new pergola is an inviting place to sit and relax on the benches underneath, read, or just enjoy the breeze and the sounds of birds and other wildlife on the LibraryFarm.
The LibraryFarm itself is an organic learning garden that hosts growers in individual raised beds and open plots who share their ongoing organic learning with each other and with visitors. In addition, volunteers maintain separate gardens that provide approximately 200 pounds of fresh produce to local food pantries each year. The LibraryFarm also hosts a weekly summer Nature Camp for children, which is currently underway.
A grant received from Assemblyman Al Stirpe made the installation of the new pergola possible. The same grant also funded the installation of a rain garden on the LibraryFarm, which helps absorb excess water and provides a means for teaching about indigenous plants and sustainable landscaping. A new communications board will also be purchased with grant funds, welcoming visitors to the LibraryFarm and display information about the garden.
The new installations are the most recent in a series of improvements to the popular community garden. Raised beds, handicap accessible beds, and a water spigot have all been added to the LibraryFarm as it continues to grow.
The library plans to use the new shady space that the pergola provides for programs relating to gardening, agriculture, and sustainability. If you have ideas for a program or knowledge to share, contact NOPL Cicero at (315) 699-2032.
