Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #19-034
Thursday, June 27, 2019
DOT Contact: Scott Gastel/Brian Zumhagen (212) 839-4850
NYC DOT, International Rescue Committee, NYC Parks Greenthumb and Local Stakeholders Announce Launch of the “New Roots Gardens” in Woodside, Queens
Initiative on a BQE bridge structure will provide refugees and other immigrant groups access to green space and fresh, affordable healthy food
The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) today joined the International Rescue Committee (IRC), NYC Parks GreenThumb and local stakeholders to kick off “New Roots Gardens” on two sides of the 69th Street Bridge over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Woodside, Queens. The new community gardens will provide newly-arrived refugees, asylees and other immigrant populations with vibrant green spaces that build community and increase access to fresh, affordable and healthy food.
“By helping new groups of New Yorkers put down roots here in Woodside, this innovative garden project experiment on a bridge, which is the first of its kind for the agency, will add a new dimension to the City’s ongoing effort to create public space around our transportation infrastructure,” said DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia. “We thank the IRC and NYC Parks GreenThumb for partnering with us to make this inspiring vision grow.”
The “New Roots Gardens” under development on the bridge structure in Woodside is part of the Food and Agriculture Program the IRC established in 2011. The initiative, which allows IRC-assisted refugees and community members to grow their own produce, already includes the New Roots Community Farm at Grand Concourse and 153rd Street in the Bronx. The DOT Division of Bridges and the IRC inaugurated that project in 2012, in partnership with NYC Parks GreenThumb, the community garden arm of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
“We are thrilled to be working alongside refugees, immigrants and the local community to create a vibrant green space in Woodside, Queens,” said Avigail Ziv, Executive Director, IRC NY & NJ. “Building off our experience at the New Roots Community Farm in the Bronx, the IRC in New York recognizes the importance of safe spaces that support interpersonal connections, build community networks and provide access to fresh food.”
For over 75 years, the IRC in New York has worked with 28,000 refugees from more than 20 countries to help them recover from crisis, rebuild their lives and regain a sense of stability, safety, and self-respect. As part of the collaboration, DOT and the IRC have executed a license agreement allowing the IRC staff to work with local refugees, immigrants, and community groups to green and cultivate the site. The IRC also has an agreement with NYC Parks GreenThumb.
“We are proud to be a part of these efforts to plant the seed for a new community garden at the crossroads of one of the most ethnically diverse communities in the city,” said Deputy Director of NYC Parks GreenThumb Carlos Martinez. “NYC Parks GreenThumb is committed to increasing access to community gardens by providing material and technical support, particularly in neighborhoods that are under-resourced and where residents live further than walking distance to a public space.”
Queens Community Board 2 voted to approve the community gardens in 2018. The design is being finalized and will feature up to 10 vegetable beds and diverse native plant gardens. In the coming weeks, the IRC and its partners will build raised beds, select flowers and perennials to support pollinators, and plant a variety of vegetables for participants and the local community. The IRC also will host educational workshops and activities open to the public and will develop a curriculum for local students to learn about and engage in the new green space. The design, labor and gardening supplies, including the raised plant beds, topsoil and tools are being funded by the IRC and United Way’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program. Community members can get involved to support the project and harvest the bounty.
For more information about DOT, visit www1.nyc.gov. For details on the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots Program, go to www.rescue.org.