World Garden Commons Construction Update Fall 2017

All across Fargo, large stormwater basins temporarily hold water runoff, sometimes for only hours at a time, during heavy rains or snowmelt. These basins are hidden in plain sight to most residents. Many of the basins are uninviting, unadorned, sunken grass lots with limited plant and wildlife diversity. An exception is the World Garden Commons at Rabanus Park, the pilot site for The Fargo Project.

Construction at World Garden Commons is scheduled to resume this month and continue into late spring of 2018.

In August, Gast Construction was awarded the contract to build overlook decks, raised paths, natural play features and a boardwalk at World Garden Commons with Land Elements overseeing the construction.

This week, contractors installed a portion of the silt fence which rings the construction areas. Later they will build a temporary road to move construction materials and equipment. By October, work will begin on the paths.

The 10-month construction schedule is necessary considering the type of weather and building conditions the contractors will experience while working in the storm-water basin.

Out of the imagination of the community, a once-barren site will be transformed: a welcoming commons to reintroduce plant, soil and wildlife, sculptural landscape, wandering paths with the intent to reintroduce each other to our human and cultural dependence on natural ecology.