Volunteers clean up Pitt Meadows property to make way for public park

Members of the Lower Mainland Green Team and like-minded community members have helped the legacy of a longtime Pitt Meadows resident live on in the community.

The organization was joined by 19 community members to revitalize the new Rose Grabenhorst Garden – a property once owned by Rose Grabenhorst along Harris Road.

Grabenhorst was an avid gardener and the five acres of land features close to 800 rhododendrons, unusual plants, and more than 100 species of mature trees.

Her family sold the property to the city after Grabenhorst died in January, 2020.

The group spent 53.5 hours working to remove invasive plants and pruning shrubs on the property.

People took part from across the Lower Mainland including: Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Langley, Surrey, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Richmond.

“This was a unique and exciting opportunity for our community to be involved in the creation of a future public park in Pitt Meadows,” said Ashton Kerr, program manager for the Lower Mainland Green Team, online.

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“We not only got to see and explore this beautiful garden as it is now, but were able to learn about and be a part of its future plans. This is a project that will help connect people to nature for generations to come,” she said.

Together the whole team managed to revitalize an area of 320 square metres and they removed 19 cubic metres, or 121 bathtubs full, of invasive plants, branches from pruned shrubs, and woody debris, in order to help the transformation of the property into a future public park.

The City of Pitt Meadows provided direction and funding for the project with representatives on hand to help.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is working to develop plans for the garden, with the goal of creating a space that is accessible, educational, and enjoyable for all members of the community.