This content was published: December 27, 2012. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Neighbors take home free trees and plants from Cascade Campus
Photos and story by Gina Whitehill-Baziuk
With shovels in hand, more than a hundred community members showed up early Saturday morning (December 15) ready for the free plant giveaway event at Cascade Campus.
Hoffman crew members help community members dig out and bundle up free plants and trees.
To kick off construction of an underground parking garage, a new academic building and the new student center at Cascade Campus, the college gave away all the plants and trees in the existing parking lot between N. Albina Street and N. Mississippi Avenue just south of Jessup Street. Many people called ahead to reserve plants while others showed up on the day of the event to select plants on a first-come-first-serve basis. Two days after the event, Hoffman Construction, the construction manager/general contractor for Cascade Campus, began clearing and excavating the site to construct the underground garage. Once the garage is completed, the crew will start building the new academic building and student center.
Event organizers provide fire pits to keep people warm at the Free Plant Day event.
Despite the wet and cold winter day, community members were set to dig up the plants they wanted to take home. For larger trees, Hoffman crew members had an excavator warmed up and ready to go. In addition to the free plants and trees, Hoffman set up an event tent to serve free bratwurst sausages with all the fixings and provide fire pits for people to warm themselves.
“It was cold and wet, and still people showed up for the event,” said Rebecca Ocken, Bond Project Manager for Cascade Campus. “Some participants were creative in their approach using roof racks and walking wheelbarrows to get their new plants home. “