{"id":69296,"date":"2018-03-20T13:11:50","date_gmt":"2018-03-20T18:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=69296"},"modified":"2018-03-27T18:53:46","modified_gmt":"2018-03-27T23:53:46","slug":"pilsen-garden-looks-to-grow-beyond-stalled-plans-for-the-el-paseo-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/pilsen-garden-looks-to-grow-beyond-stalled-plans-for-the-el-paseo-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilsen Garden looks to grow beyond stalled plans for the El Paseo Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Nathan Ouellette<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

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As the weather warms, greenery already can be seen in some of the garden plots. (Nathan Ouellette\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The raised plant beds that dot the wood chip-covered pathways of Pilsen\u2019s El Paseo Community Garden begin sprouting vegetation in early spring.. These community and volunteer-run growing stations are not merely an aesthetic choice but\u00a0 a necessity.<\/p>\n

Years of lead smelting and other industrial usage has left the soil of the Sangamon Corridor<\/a> – a section of land running south from 16th Street along Sangamon Street to 21st – inundated with various heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. The El Paseo garden\u2019s use of raised beds responds to their proximity along the corridor and \u00a0prevents the leaching of toxins from the soil to the growing vegetation.<\/p>\n

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The El Paseo Community Garden’s raised beds were\u00a0 installed to prevent plantings from leeching up any toxins that may still be present in the soil. (Nathan Ouellette\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we have raised beds,\u201d said Antonio Acevedo, community garden co-director. \u201cThere are some areas that did not have to be remediated, since they were below the EPA\u2019s safety levels. However, we take safety precautions like using agricultural cloth barriers, wood chips and raised beds with fresh soil for edible plants and food.\u00a0\u00a0There is no danger with the food grown. The possible danger is if the soil in the ground is disturbed (in the unremediated areas) and ingested\u201d<\/p>\n

BNSF railway no longer utilizes the tracks along its Sangamon right-of-way; Loewenthal Metals Corporation had ceased lead and zinc smelting at their former industrial site on\u00a0Cullerton Street in the 1950\u2019s before a fire razed the facility. Land restoration gained little attention in Pilsen until 2016 when the city broke ground on the El Paseo Trail, a bike path that would lead from Pilsen to Little Village along the abandoned BNSF right-of-way which the railroad still owns.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The El Paseo Trail, sharing the name of the community garden near its origin at Cullerton and Sangamon Street, had been in planning since 2006. The ultimate goal was to provide a pedestrian path along the abandoned industrial corridor for recreational activities such as biking, walking and running, lined with native plantings along the stretch. Carrying the project to fruition required remediation of the soil <\/a>along the proposed path.<\/p>\n

“The [Federal] EPA came in, hired contractors, and dug down three to four feet, removed all the soil from 21st Street all the way up to 18th,” Acevedo said. “They put in a geotextile fabric-barrier, gravel, another barrier and topsoil. Everything on the other side [of the garden] is now fresh, clean soil.”<\/p>\n

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Within the boundaries of the former National Lead Industries site, gravel is being spread as part of the\u00a0remediation process that is underway. (Nathan Ouellette\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Complications ensued and stalled further construction, however, as the city, and the railroad negotiated payment for the remaining cleanup. This past January marked the completion of the project\u2019s most recent progress, involving remediation from 18th Street to 16th Street, which now waits for the paved path to be installed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBNSF funded the cleanup of the lead-contaminated soil under EPA oversight,\u201d EPA Press Officer Rachel Bassler said in an email. \u201cThe City of Chicago is working with BNSF to acquire the property so that the El Paseo project can move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remediated land only extends between 16th and 21st Street and, amid continuing negotiations, there remains no foreseeable completion date for the project, according to BNSF and a spokesperson with 25th Ward Alderman Danny Solis\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\u201cBNSF has worked with the EPA to remediate soil on our right of way in the Pilsen community,\u201d a spokesperson with the railway company said. \u201cWe will continue to work with our partners to meet community needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Prairie grasses grow along the eastern edge of the garden. This year’s upcoming prairie burn will kill many of the weeds that grow among the grasses, clearing the way for native plantings. (Nathan Ouellette\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the city and the railroad negotiate further construction on the bike path, the volunteers at the El Paseo Community Garden have plans of their own.<\/p>\n

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Map of the El Paseo Community Garden and their current expansion plan (Graphic: Antonio Acevedo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bolstered by the renewed land from Cullerton to 21st,\u00a0 Acevedo intends to grow beyond the raised planting beds of the current garden and extend its roots along the entire block with the goal of providing more of nature\u2019s benefits to the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe [already] do lots of community events,\u201d Acevedo said. \u201cWe host Yoga Wednesdays, Meditation Thursdays, all taught by local residents<” he said. “We have community potlucks, planting days and garden workshops open to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Garden co-directors Antonio and Paula Acevedo take advantage of nice weather to tend to the garden. (Nathan Ouellette\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The garden\u2019s current expansion plans include two remediated plots for row crops including tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, various root vegetables and cucurbits, a compost area, a food forest and permaculture garden with space for beekeeping, and open grass community space for those daily designated events.<\/p>\n