City of Rochester
News Release
(Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013) – City of Rochester Neighborhood and Business Development Commissioner Carlos Carballada joined landscape designers Pietro Furgiuele of Waterford Tilling, Sharon Coates and Bruce Zaretsky of Zaretsky and Associates to dedicate Project Scion’s 2013 green space and reading garden at the corner of Dewey and Ravine Avenues.
The 2013 Project Scion project entitled “The Gateway,” creates an entrance of sorts to the Dewey-Lexington neighborhood. The green space features boulder seats, a rolling hill for children to play on, outdoor chess tables and a “Take a book-leave a book” lending library, all surrounded by gardens and trees. The “Do We” Art Walk was made with painted pavers created by the Project Scion team, neighborhood kids and residents.
Project Scion, now in its second year, was created by local award-winning landscape designers Coates, Furgiuele and Zaretsky as an initiative to take vacant lots in Rochester and turn them into resident-inclusive green spaces to serve as “town squares.” The 2012 Project Scion called “The Orchard,” was installed at Jay and Child Streets has been a great success in that neighborhood.
"It is wonderful to see this lot formally transformed into The Gateway, a garden and green space that can be used and enjoyed by all,” said Mayor Thomas S. Richards. “Project Scion is boosting the quality of life in this neighborhood and the beauty of our city, and we are thankful for the time and effort put forth by so many people. I thank the skilled landscape designers for their vision and investment, and all of the residents who worked alongside them to see The Gateway through to completion—it’s a wonderful collaborative effort.”
“We want to give back to our community and try to improve upon the lives of the residents living in the most challenging neighborhoods,” said Sharon Coates.
“We’re taking up where we left off last year,” said Bruce Zaretsky. “We’re not duplicating, but rather using the needs of the neighborhood to influence the design of this garden.”
“By including the residents in the construction of the garden, we hope this will create a positive ripple effect throughout Rochester,” said Pietro Furgiuele. “The Gateway creates an inspirational place for the community to unite through gardens and art which is part of the Project Scion mission.”
Project Scion offers art and gardening classes, cooking classes and sessions on responsible pet ownership through a collaborative effort between Mary’s Place, the Dewey-Driving Park Neighborhood Association, the Northwest Neighborhood Outreach Center, Flower City Habitat for Humanity and local businesses including Miller Brick, ALPCO Recycling Inc., Edgewood Nursery and Batavia Turf.
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News Media: For more information, contact Sharon Coates of Zaretsky Associates at 739-3323.