Youth Gardening Group Buying 3 City Lots
City charges nonprofit We Got This, which teaches urban gardening to hundreds of kids, $1 per lot.
We Got This gardens on N. 9th Street. Photos submitted by We Got This to the Department of City Development.
We Got This is getting something from the city.
The nonprofit organization, which pays youth in 4th through 12th grade to try urban gardening, is buying three city-owned lots on N. 9th Street totaling approximately 14,000 square feet.
“Participants are paid $20 each Saturday for four hours of service to the neighborhood,” said Department of City Development (DCD) real estate specialist Tess Wynn to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee meeting.
Organization leader Alex Bruzan said approximately 315 kids participated last year, an average of more than 112 each of the 12 summer weeks it operates.
“This is the first year we had to turn kids away because we reached capacity,” he told the committee. Bruzan estimated that up to 35 kids were turned away each week.
Most of the participants walk from the surrounding area to participate in the program, which started in vacant lots at N. 9th and W. Ring streets. It has since expanded to 15 lots.
“Last year, we [gave] out $30,000 to kids,” said Bruzan.
We Got This has already been using the lots it will purchase, but, according to a Department of City Development report, will now improve them with new garden beds, fencing, orchard trees, a rainwater collection system and a shed. We Got This will purchase the lots for $1 each.
“Walking distance and fire hydrants are our big needs,” said Bruzan of what makes a good site. Bruzan, a 2007 college graduate, is a self-described retired math teacher. He’s now focused on helping drive change in the 53206 ZIP code, the city’s most impoverished, with his wife Megan. Bruzan renovates homes in the area and produces the 53206 podcast.
We Got This was founded by Andre Lee Ellis in 2013, but after almost two decades in Ellis transitioned the organization to Bruzan and his wife. Ellis now runs CAGE, which aims to help young men develop gardening and wellness skills.
The city acquired the adjoining lots, 3138 (in 1990), 3144 (in 1993) and 3150 N. 9th St. (in 2010), in the past three decades via property tax foreclosure. They are across the street from Milwaukee Public Schools’ LaFollette School.
Backed by a strong endorsement from Ald. Russell W. Stamper, II, the committee unanimously endorsed the land sale. The full council will review the proposal at its meeting next week.
We Got This, according to Pro Publica, is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization.
Legislation Link - Urban Milwaukee members see direct links to legislation mentioned in this article. Join today
Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
