Project Hope Pollinator Trail Groundbreaking Ceremony

On Feb. 16, 2023, community partners of Piedmont Arts gathered around to watch C.D. Prillaman of Prillaman Landscaping Dimensions break ground at the site of a new pollinator garden trail. Funded by The Harvest Foundation’s Project Hope, a grant designed to fund projects that inspire hope in the community, Piedmont Arts has dedicated a section of unused land to the cultivation of an ADA-compliant, accessible path that will be flanked by beds of native and non-invasive pollinator plants. In addition, there will be a small section of raised beds for an Adopt-A-Bed program that will encourage community ownership and education. The pathway will span from the parking lot of Piedmont Arts to the Gravely-Lester Art Garden. Future plans for the trail will see it expand across Mulberry Road and connect to the Silverbell Trail, an offshoot of the Dick and Willie Passage Rail Trail.  There will be numerous opportunities for volunteers and artists.

Opening remarks were made by Heidi Pinkston, Executive Director of Piedmont Arts. She welcomed everyone to the groundbreaking ceremony and noted that this project is for and by the community, and that the museum will need help from our community partners to ensure that this trail is something that is cherished and looked after for generations to come. Afterwards, remarks were made by both Julia Shumate of the Beegins With You Foundation and India Brown, Program Officer for the Harvest Foundation. Both expressed their excitement for the project and encouragement as construction begins. Brown also remarked on Project Hope’s impact on the community. Following these remarks, Prillaman Landscape Dimensions operated a mini excavator to break the ground where the entrance to the trail will begin. A small reception was then hosted inside with coffee and pastries and volunteer sign-up sheets were passed around.

Volunteer days will get underway once the infrastructure of the trail is complete. These might include tilling, planting, and plant bed construction. There will also be opportunities for artists to create signage and other work for the trail. Community members who would like to be involved should e-mail Lauren Ellis, the Programs and Public Relations Coordinator for Piedmont Arts, at lellis@piedmontarts.org.