Latona Garden - Community Design

The residents in the area of the new Latona Garden have designed their garden!

The newest community garden in the Bayview is located at Latona and Thornton just above Third Street. The illustration rendered by Latona resident Rhonda Winter reflects the neighbors' consensus that was achieved through a major community gathering and a more recent residents' review.

Comments on the design are encouraged as the consensus process never really ends. The Quesada Gardens Initiative is now working with the Latona group to develop a budget and offer initial funding to implement the first phase of the design. Key design elements include raised beds for food production and alternative energy sources.

Already the efforts of this amazing group of neighbors has achieved the impossible - cleaning up a corner of the neighborhood that has been a notorious dumping spot for longer than most residents would like to remember.

There are many heroes in this story, and we hope to acknowledge all of them. For now, here is a partial list:

Shelby Gardella - Project Leader
Rhonda Winter - Project Leader
Peter Haas - Bricklayer, artisan and so much more
Bob Grover - Mayor of Latona
Jim Ansbro - Guardian of the North Country (north end of the block)
Irene Molinari - Long-time Latona resident and organizer
Lucinda Toy - Tree-planting advocate
Brian Sabado - The guy who knows how to get things done
Rochelle and Stanley Santiago - Mom and son who always find time for "community"

And so many others pitching-in with their unique skills and commitment to positive change, including:

Angel
Teresa Bocci
Vincent Campbell
Lidia Casillas
Marissa Chambers
Isora Davila
Lita Franco
Gamez
LaRon Johnson
Han Zhen Liang
Helen McGrath
A Melton
Michele
Charley Piochie
Robert Salone
Frank Tompkins
Rachel Van Baren
Isaac Williams