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Published Tuesday, January 17, 2012 in Local

Photo by Winston Skinner

Tim Coleman of Restore Coweta talks about plans for the New Leaf Community Garden at a Resource Coweta meeting. Listening are Carol Prince, center, and Dorothy McClain.

Community garden project to start in downtown Newnan

By Winston Skinner

The Newnan Times-Herald

A community garden project is being planned in Newnan -- as efforts move forward for a similar project in Moreland.

Tim Coleman talked about plans for New Leaf Community Garden, which will begin with a tract at Perry Street and Salbide Avenue in downtown Newnan, at the most recent meeting of Resource Coweta at 15 Perry Street.

The dedication of the project is set for Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. at 15 Perry Street.

Restore Coweta is spearheading the New Leaf effort. Restore Coweta was founded in 2009 by people who were already involved in efforts to help those in need in the community. The mission of Restore Coweta is "to help catalyze a movement for the individual, collective, and social transformation of Coweta County."

In addition to food-related needs, Restore Coweta is involved in outreach related to transition housing and personal advocacy.

Coleman said a third of the food from the New Leaf gardens will be sold and a third will be given away to people who need it. The other third will be raised by individuals who will rent plots in the garden to raise their own produce.

He noted that the project is already growing before a single seed has been planted. There have already been "four additional city lots donated to us," he said.

In a separate project, work has been under way for several months to develop a community garden in Moreland. That garden will be located on property the town owns on Railroad Street -- adjacent to Southview Cemetery.

The Moreland project has several similarities to Restore Coweta's effort. Carol Chancey, who is coordinating the planning for Moreland's garden, has talked about leasing spaces to families and individuals, and overtures have already been made to partner with Community Welcome House, a ministry that serves women who are victims of abuse and their families.

Moreland's project is also seen as part of an agri-tourism project that would complement the existing museums. A small antebellum house and an early 20th century barn have been donated to be placed on the site of Moreland's U Pick It farm.

Large agricultural implements in the Moreland Community Historical Society's collection are slated to be displayed in the barn.

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