As part of monthly community service commitment, Sen. Troy Singleton (D-Burlington) announced that he plans to partner with the Bordentown City Environmental Commission to help prepare their Community Garden for the spring and summer planting seasons.
The “Serve with Senator Singleton” event will be held at the Bordentown City Community Garden, which is located next to 30 East Burlington Street. The event is scheduled for March 28 from 10 a.m. to noon.
“The start of spring is the perfect time to prepare the community garden for the bounties that it will produce during the spring and summer growing seasons,” Sen. Singleton said in a statement. “I am proud to partner with Bordentown City on this community service project that will undoubtedly allow residents to grow and harvest fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables.”
Sen. Singleton and a team of volunteers will be asked to perform a variety of tasks needed to prep the 25 garden plots such as unloading compost bins, spreading new dirt for planting and tilling the soil, according to officials. The event is also open to the public to volunteer, and anyone interested in participating can sign-up online at www.senatorsingleton.com/bordentown_city_community_garden.
This will be Sen. Singleton’s 28th “Serve with Singleton” event since becoming state senator in 2018. Some of the senator’s previous volunteer efforts include indoor and outdoor clean-up days; animal welfare projects; various clothing and supply drives; painting projects; and community event set-up and staffing.
The event with the state senator also comes off the heels of noteworthy “green efforts” taken by the Bordentown City community to become a more sustainable municipality. Earlier this year, the city was awarded silver-level certification with Sustainable Jersey, a non-profit organization that supports local regions in their pursuit of sustainability programs.
Multiple actions the city has taken per its involvement with Sustainable Jersey has included the formation of the Environmental Commission, Green Team, Creative Team and Shade Tree Commission. It has also served as the host to events like the Green Fair, Paper Shredding Day, Earth Day, a city-wide yard sale, the Gingerbread House Challenge, Rain Barrel Workshop, NJ Scrub (park cleanup), and Earth Talks on recycling, energy efficiency, backyard composting, solar and geothermal, as well as many more events.
Events like the Community Garden, Farmers’ Market, Green Business Awards Program, Pizza Box Recycling Bin, art elements for Historical Society’s Garden Tour and House Tour were also made possible through the city’s partnership with Sustainable Jersey.
Not only have multiple community leaders made an effort to encourage a “green lifestyle” in the city, the municipal government also enacted various programs to do so with actions such as improvements to the city website, improvements to city recycling efforts (accepts yard waste, household hazardous waste and electronics etc.); improvements to communication with residents (email blasts versus only paper mailings); implementation of anti-idling and no-smoking regulations; and a prescription drug drop-off box in the police station.
In August 2019, two Bordentown businesses were also honored for implementing eco-friendly initiatives in the community. Properly Fueled and The Heart of Bordentown Tavern, received “Green Business Recognition” awards from the Bordentown City Green Team at the Bordentown City Board of Commissioners meeting at the Carslake Community Center on Aug. 12, 2019.
The Bordentown City Environmental Commission oversees the Community Garden so that residents who do not have yard space can tend to their own fruit, vegetable, or flower gardens.
Gardeners pay a small fee for seasonal use and are responsible for cultivating and managing their plants. The community garden has been in existence since April 2016. More information on the garden can be found at cityofbordentown.com/community-garden.