Every day hundreds of residents visit the Rec Center to play racquetball, work out in the weight room, walk the track, take classes or just meet with friends for a quick pick up basketball game.

But a select group of folks regularly visit a part of the Rec Center that few may know about. If you exit the building from the west doors adjacent to the climbing wall, you step onto a patio that borders raised gardening beds, a gravel walkway and a charming pergola and benches. This is the Community Garden.

In 2017, Read Brugger and Kirbi Vaughn approached Parks and Rec Director Dean Palmquist with a proposal to take over the garden space that the Montezuma School to Farm Project was no longer able to oversee. They wanted to create a “showcase demonstration garden” with a kitchen garden, and perennials and vegetables grown using best practices. They wanted to offer gardening workshops. The produce would be shared with Community Garden volunteers and the Good Samaritan Food Pantry. With more than 16% of the population in Montezuma County experiencing food security issues, they believed this might help.

They have been resoundingly successful.

Today, there are 19 raised bed plots that families or Gardeners sign up for a plot on a first come, first served basis. Volunteers participate in work days, and all those using beds are asked to donate two hours each month to tend the Good Samaritan beds. There is a short waiting list, but with the development of a community garden in the small city park on Fourth and Market streets, anyone wanting a gardening space should be able to have one.

The Community Garden has been blessed with a number of supporters. Last year, Kinder-Morgan donated a beautiful pergola to the garden, and the Leighton family donated benches. (For a complete list of donors, visit the city website, click on “Water Is Our Future” at the top of the page, and follow the link to “Cortez Community Garden.”) With the expansion of the garden last year, the city provided fencing, installation of a watering system, soil amendments, bark and water. The gardeners installed drip systems in each bed to conserve water.

The community garden has become a beautiful addition to the Rec Center. Interested in learning more it? Visit commongroundcortez.org. And the next time you’re at the Rec Center, take a few minutes to walk through the west doors. “We get a thrill out of people coming to talk about gardening and see what we are doing,” Read shared in a recent conversation. You might even decide that it’s time you tried your hand at being a gardener!

Last weekend, the Cortez Library held its first-ever Cortez Literary Festival. Anne Hillerman kicked things off Friday night, entertaining over 150 attendees with stories of her father, Tony Hillerman, and how she is building on his legacy. On Saturday, dozens of volunteers welcomed locals (and some out-of-towners) to a day filled with author workshops, activities, and 30 vendors who came to sell books, talk about their writing or share their art. The Friends of the Library held a “Book Sale Extravaganza,” snacks were available, and Sweetwater Gypsies and The Farm were on hand to provide lunch. It was a monumental effort on the part of the library staff – a special shout-out to Kathy Berg and Cassandra Leoncini for the many hours they spent in planning, along with Library Director Eric Ikenouye for his support and encouragement — and another example of how our library provides value and important programming for this community. Kudos, Cortez Library staff!

Colorado Lottery staff will be at the Centennial Park pickleball courts at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 15, to present the City of Cortez with a Starburst Award. This is given for an outstanding community project. Colorado Lottery funds from a Great Outdoors Colorado Grant, and Conservation Trust Funds that the city receives annually from lottery monies, paid 99% of the cost of the pickleball courts, with the remaining 1% coming from individual donors in the community. With warmer weather, the courts are in constant use, and you only need visit with a pickleball player a few minutes to realize how addicting this sport can be! Come learn about pickleball and the important role the Colorado Lottery plays in funding recreational projects.

Karen Sheek is the mayor of Cortez, a position elected by Council members. Reach her at ksheek@cityofcortez.com or during her office hours from 12:30-1:30 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.