The write-up and photos here were contributed by the Job Corps.
While cities can offer enormous benefits as centers of education, they can leave people waning when it comes to more natural settings. An oasis at the New Haven Job Corps Center in New Haven boasts an actual working garden where students and staff can enjoy a refreshing stroll and take in its arboreal splendor. This past May, students of Building and Maintenance Instructor James Bailey, completely renovated an existing unused greenhouse and surrounding planting beds that are now overflowing with colorful flowers and vegetables. The ongoing project is a combined effort Mr. Bailey and Jacqueline Solimini, Business and Community Liaison for the Center. Solimini initiated the Center beautification project and is the expert in perennials. She commented”…the garden is a great place for our students to come and enjoy quiet time in a pastoral setting and to forget about the school books for a little while.”
A section of the garden is being cultivated by ACES, a North Haven based facility providing services to developmentally challenged adults in conjunction with the UConn Extension Program. The benefits to Job Corps students are immeasurable and include newly gained knowledge of horticulture, landscaping, and outdoor maintenance. Mr. Bailey and Ms. Solimini have expansion plans for the garden which will include decorative benches for relaxation and a reflection wall composed of wild roses, clematis, and passiflora. In the future, Ms. Solimini hopes to enter the Center’s more unusual plants in the Durham Fair.