A New Concord resident is hoping to make the village a little greener in the form of a community garden.
After receiving approval from the village to begin researching locations, Heather Coen is looking at multiple areas in and around New Concord as potential spots to place a garden that will serve the entire community.
“I want to create a community green space here [in New Concord],” said Coen. “I have three young kids and they go to school with kids that have never eaten a fresh vegetable or wouldn’t know where it came from.”
Coen said she hopes the garden will serve as an educational tool for all that use it while providing those who are less fortunate with the food they need.
“I want it to be a community thing just to help feed people and to get us together [and] to be outdoors as well,” said Coen.
Coen said although the village of New Concord is in a rural area, not many people within the village know how to grow their own food.
“Even though, in New Concord, we have nice yards,” said Coen, “it’s still hard to grow things and not everybody knows a lot about growing things.”
The locations that Coen said she has looked at thus far include spaces on Lakeside Drive and near the New Concord Area Pool. Coen added she is keeping her options open for the time being as she begins to research locations around the village.
“I’m definitely open to something down in the village such as a vacant lot or something like that,” said Coen. “We have so many possibilities. I think we’re just going to have to take that first step and see what we can do with it and how we can grow the space.”
Coen said anyone with questions regarding her efforts or anyone interested in helping can contact her at 740-607-6922.
