Department of Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Louis Petersen, Lt. Gov. Greg Francis, DPW Commissioner Darryl Small, Senator at Large Craig Barshinger and Property and Procurement Assistant Commissioner Steven Jones help Coral Bay farmers with the official groundbreaking of an organic garden on Dept. of Agriculture property.
After three years of work, officials from several government agencies officially broke ground on the Coral Bay Organic Garden Community Project on Thursday morning, August 26.
Lieutenant Governor Greg Francis was on hand to celebrate the historic day with Department of Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Louis Petersen, Department of Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls and Department of Property and Procurement assistant commissioner Steven Jones. Senator at Large Craig Barshinger and Barbara Dalmida Thompson, representing St. John Administrator Leona Smith, also joined in the festivities.
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The event marked the first time public land on St. John has leased to residents for agriculture purposes. Department of Agriculture officials have selected seven St. John residents to each lease a one-quarter acre plot of land on its Estate Carolina property in Coral Bay for $20 a year.
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The first phase of the project, the construction of a greenhouse, has already been completed and officials are hopeful that more progress on the project will be underway within a month.
See the next issue of St. John Tradewinds for the full story.
