The Inlet Community Development Corporation and Atlantic Cape Community College hosted its Summer Kickoff on June 15 with a ribbon cutting ceremony that officially unveiled the Fisherman’s Park Community Garden in Atlantic City.
“We are glad to be here today on this beautiful day to open this community garden, and we are so grateful and excited to have this project completed in just four months’ time,” said Dr. Natalie Devonish, vice president, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Atlantic Cape.
The community garden and natural wildlife habitat was created by the Inlet CDC in collaboration with the First Ward Civic Association, Bungalow Park Civic Association, Absecon Lighthouse, United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces (C.R.O.P.S.). Fichetola Landworks of Egg Harbor Township completed the landscaping of the space over the course of a six-week process.
“This project was the definition of a team effort. So many people came together to make this project a reality,” said Michael Intrieri, Inlet CDC Project Lead.
Students from the Atlantic County Institute of Technology (ACIT), sophomore Syncere Sewell of Atlantic City, created the miniature model while sophomore Nicole Cincotti of Mays Landing, devised the architectural drawing for the site plan. The students were guided by their teacher, CAD instructor Drew Holmes of Upper Township.
The idea for this endeavor originally began more than two years ago with a telephone call from the Fish and Wildlife Service to the Atlantic City Shade Tree Committee in hope of finding a place in the city to work with. Fisherman’s Park offered such an opportunity in a neglected and under-utilized part of the park along Massachusetts Avenue.
Virginia Rettig, manager, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Galloway Township for the past 15 years, talked about the park’s new pollinator garden, which will feature numerous beautiful perennials that will create an attractive habitat for bees. She also stated that the community garden will grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers that members of the local community may help themselves too free of charge. C.R.O.P.S. will maintain several garden beds that will also grow vegetables, herbs and flowers, which will be sold to community businesses in Atlantic City.
Those in attendance were treated to live musical entertainment courtesy of DJ Dahve, free seed packets and watermelon plants from C.R.O.P.S., free small plants courtesy of the Edwin B. Forsythe Wildlife Refuge, and freshly-cooked barbecue chicken, hamburgers, baked beans, corn-on-the-cob, hot dogs and beverages thanks to Kelsey’s.
Located at the corner of Massachusetts and Melrose avenues, Fisherman’s Park was created in the early 2000’s and dedicated in memory of local fishermen who lost their lives at sea.
The Inlet CDC is a 501(c)(3) that was established in mid-2023. The Inlet Revitalization Action Strategy includes many community-endorsed initiatives that have been identified as critical for improving outcomes for neighborhood residents and businesses. Public meetings, focus groups, and individual interviews were conducted with Inlet residents and business owners with the goal of developing a strategy that was truly resident driven.
Atlantic Cape supports the needs of Atlantic City’s residents and students. The college has been an intricate partner in the Atlantic City community and the Inlet Neighborhood, specifically.
Atlantic Cape has maintained a strong and involved presence in the city since its inception and reaffirmed its commitment to the community in 1984 with the establishment of the Charles D. Worthington Atlantic City Campus. In 2014, a 20,000-square-foot campus expansion created the Caesar’s Entertainment for Hospitality and Gaming Wing. The Worthington Atlantic City Campus provides a wide range of services to support students’ educational goals.
Visit acinlet.org for more information.
