In an exciting development for the community, the Library House at 228 State St. is expanding its gardens and creating a new pocket park. This initiative aims to provide citizens of downtown Presque Isle with a peaceful haven to enjoy lunch or relax in a shaded area.
The park will be in a formerly wild, wooded area of 3,080 sq. ft. behind the library, previously unused. Library leaders decided to use the area to benefit our community.
A pocket park is a small, accessible area that makes use of vacant lots or other small parcels for communities to enjoy, growing the space into a beautiful area. In this case, we wanted to create a pocket park specifically for our downtown area and we had the perfect parcel to use.
Pocket parks bring art, beauty, healthy habits, and economic opportunity to areas of a community surrounded by houses and boost community pride, according to Pocketparks, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping communities with small, unused parcels of land develop and create small green areas.
The new pocket park builds upon the gardens lovingly maintained by Lois Griffiths, the former owner of 228 State St. The park is under development, but will feature natural beauty, native plants and seating areas. This project will increase the green space per capita in downtown, offering a serene spot for residents and visitors alike. It also has a lavender garden planted for the enjoyment of everyone who visits.
Access to both areas is now easier than ever, with a newly created rock staircase, funded by a private donor and authorized by the Library Board of Trustees.
The landscaping concept for a pocket park was formed through a team effort that included our city manager, library staffers, trustees and volunteers, but the majority of the hard work to design, clear, build rock pathways, and maintain this small park falls on the shoulders of our custodial staffers, Justin and Gerald, along with our beloved artist volunteer, Jasmyn. They’ve worked tirelessly, beginning this spring to create this space.
The vision to is create a space with a whimsical theme to be enjoyed by children and adults. As funding permits, we will add sculptures, art, benches, enhance the community lavender garden, bird feeders, native plants, and fairy houses along a rock path that weaves through the wooded area.
We are in phase 1 of this project and anticipate completing our new pocket park by fall. Meanwhile, please come visit. Stay tuned for updates as we continue to improve these gardens and create a vibrant, green oasis in the heart of Presque Isle.
Sonja Plummer Eyler is librarian at the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library in Presque Isle. She can be reached at 764-2571 or via email at pimelibrarian@gmail.com.
