By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Rob McCarty's best guess is that the lot at Diamond and Wealthy stood vacant for nearly 60 years. Until now. McCarty is transforming the lot into a sustainable green space for the neighborhood.
McCarty and Karen Tracey, owners of The Image Shoppe, moved their business into a renovated building at 368 Diamond SE and the desolate 1,100-square-foot lot came with it.
"It was a gas station and insurance agency in the 20s," McCarty said. "When the building was renovated, the underground tanks were removed."
Several local gardening professionals jumped on board with the idea of a community green space; Fountainhead Gardens donated the design, JF New donated plants, and Distinctive Paving Brick, Inc. gave McCarty a good deal.
A brick pathway now crosses the property, providing what McCarty calls a "nice cut-through" for pedestrians. A brick patio is in place.
The centerpiece is a massive pergola with six 10-foot-high poured concrete piers. The top will be two 22-foot-long, 900-pound wood beams and several smaller crossbeams. They'll arrive as branch-less trees and cut on-site into 12-by-12 beams. But McCarty isn't sure when.
"We purchased them from an Amish farmer up north, so, of course, we can't call the guy to find out when they'll be here."
Plans include a rain gardens, and plants, shrubs, and trees native to the Great Lakes region. McCarty will incorporate sustainability concepts he learned while working on the west side's Turner Gateway Project.
By mid-summer, the garden will be done and McCarty and Tracey will have invested nearly $15,000 in the project.
"We want to be a positive influence on the neighborhood and we're going to do whatever we can to make it a better place," McCarty said.
Source: Rob McCarty, The Image Shoppe
Deborah Johnson Wood is the Development News Editor for Rapid Growth. She can be reached at [email protected].
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