Gathering Area Still Under Construction at Two Coves Community Garden

Meandering around Astoria the other day, we stumbled upon this beautiful, huge community garden between 8th Street, Astoria Boulevard, and 30th Avenue — the Two Coves Community Garden. Inside the garden there’s a significant space fenced off and under construction. A woman on-site told us the Parks Department is constructing a “gathering area” within the park featuring a shady area with seating and a water feature. She couldn’t tell us when the project would actually wrap, and mentioned problems with the contractor. Actually, over the summer Two Coves started a petition about the space in question. Here’s what it says:

On March 26, 2012, city contractors fenced off our gathering area for construction of a shade structure, food preparation area, and water feature. They predicted the work would be complete before the end of the 2012 growing season, and promised to finish by March 2013. Months later, we are told that all the work was substandard and must be redone. Yet no work or repairs have been done this year. The construction site is unsightly. The weeds inside the fence are spreading into the volunteer-maintained parts of the garden. The construction site blocks the view across the garden, making the whole public space feel unsafe and unwelcoming. What is most frustrating: the Parks Department has refused to tell us when the construction will be finished.

The park is a volunteer-run garden on city-owned land. The lady we spoke with seemed to think the construction site would remain throughout the off season, possibly until next summer. The rest of the garden space remains open to the public during weekends. GMAP