Project team

Lead: The Union Miles Green Team (UMGT).

Partners:  Union Miles Development Corp.; KNOWLEDGE Youth Organization; Miles Park Elementary.

Project description and goals

The project proposed is the Miles Park Community Sunflower Garden. The goals include: beautification through the transformation of a vacant lot; site remediation via the toxic-abating capacities of sunflowers; education through a learning lab for local classrooms about phytoremediation; community involvement; and utilizing the garden’s completion as a first step toward implementing the Green Team’s sustainable land use strategies for the Union Miles neighborhood.

Existing conditions

The sunflower garden is to be developed on a vacant former residential site located at 9202 Miles Park Avenue (Parcel 134-08-014). The lot—which is 13, 516 square feet—is in the city of Cleveland land bank, and is bookended by a home to the east, a church to the west, and the Union Miles CDC to the north. Also in the vicinity is Miles Park School. As well, the site is within a designated Model Block, and is part of the Mill Creak Watershed Planning area.

Proposed interventions

The site will initially be rototilled to prepare the soil for planting. Next, local school children will partner with the UMGT to seed the soil for eventual sunflower growth, with the OSU Extension playing an advisory role.  The UMGT will also sponsor a design competition for signage to the community garden’s entrance.  Ongoing interventions involve the utilization of the sunflower garden as a learning lab for nearby students on the benefits of site remediation.

Site maintenance

The site will be maintained by community volunteers, with schedules derived to facilitate this effort. Tasks involve: weeding and debris clean-up.  Watering will also be volunteer-based, with water hook-ups being provided at the adjacent Union Miles CDC site.