Back in the ’80s, this property at 13572 South Village Drive where VISTA Gardens is today was an abandoned water treatment plant and had become a community eyesore. It was a dumping ground for trash. There was nothing but overgrown trees, bushes, weeds and lots of hard-to-remove invasive Brazilian Pepper. Look around and you see an amazing transformation! We now have lots of trees and bushes, but only the kinds we want that contribute to a sustainable environment. And almost all the Brazilian pepper is gone. All of this work has been accomplished by hundreds of people giving us tens of thousands of hours of volunteer time. While in 2024 we celebrate 10 years since the grand opening of VISTA Gardens on this property, we have deep roots that go back to the early 2000s, where the first seedlings of this community garden idea were planted.
It all started with a joint meeting of the three Carrollwood Village HOAs under the leadership of Phase I President (1989-2024), Dick Woltmann. The HOAs confirmed their interest in a community garden. The then Phase 3 President Bill West volunteered to lead the effort. Bill had heard the County was selling this land. Our County Commissioner Ken Hagan agreed to consider purchasing the land through the Parks and Recreation Department for a community garden. This was the green light we needed to prove that a community garden could become a viable county park, and the first of its kind here in Hillsborough County.
Bill got to work and set up a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) garden in his backyard. CSA is a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food. Our earliest members had access to a mix of our own produce and a supplement by a local hydroponics farm, Urban Oasis, on Linebaugh Road.
Eventually though, Bill’s family wanted their backyard back. With funds from the backyard membership program, frequent fundraisers, as well as donations from the three HOAs, the VISTA board hired a company to create a professional VISTA Gardens design and to help us sort through all the county zoning and various department requirements. The county required a solid business plan and three public meetings. During this time, as Ann Wallace who lives next door in the Towers remembers, we held many property clean-ups where we removed dumpsters full of trash and Brazilian pepper!
In the build up to our grand opening on this site, VISTA received nonprofit 501(c)(3) status, established a Board, gained a small membership and an even smaller budget. Once the County parks department got the ok to purchase the land, VISTA worked to meet all the county requirements, a lease agreement was signed, and in an unexpected windfall the water department agreed to refund back money to the Parks and Recreation department to help fund our start-up. VISTA now had the funds to provide the necessary infrastructure.
Prior to the opening, the entire property required grading and drainage work. We installed the water well. We built a tool shed, a gate, and a water tank tower. Since we’ve always been entirely off the grid, we purchased a generator to give us power. Most of the above was built by volunteers! VISTA is a perfect example of "build it and they will come."
From what started as six raised beds and about a dozen members is now 65 raised beds and 200 members. We are all indebted to this first group of members in 2014 for their belief in what this garden park could be:
● Bill West
● Josh Marks
● Ann Wallace
● Don Proctor
● Barb Mahlmeister
● Marty and Laurie Kleiner
● Susan Baxter Gibson and Jay Gibson
● Terrisa and Dan Bernard
● Corinna Edwards
● Leah Wooten
● Becca Petrilak
● Rolfe Evenson and the 2 amigos, Bennett and Ed
● Joy Rupe
● Catharine and Bill DeMare
● Jennifer Grebenschikoff
If you garden here, one of the first things you learn is the difference between soil and dirt. Soil is what we grow our vegetables in; dirt is what is out there on the street. During the early years, experts advised us that a foot of topsoil would be needed for us to grow anything on a ground level garden area. But this turned out to be a nightmare in the making.
Fortunately, long time member Barb Mahlmeister found a local seminar on community gardening. There Bill West and Barb met with David Whitwam, of Whitwam Organics. David laid out a whole different concept that changed us overnight from the nightmare scenario to a raised bed operation. This model encouraged and required vibrant volunteerism, and the 4x16 beds you see here now filled with soil resolved the "dirt" problem plus the design also made maintenance easier.
What you see today is a VISTA Gardens that is an oasis for native plants, pollinators, bees, birds and butterflies, and a park where people of all ages socialize, get outdoors, exercise, and learn and share in the magic of growing. For Bill West and the many others who followed in his steps, it has become a great place to get involved with projects of all types! Just walk around and you will be amazed at all the accomplishments: the vegetable beds, the solar power systems, the various wildflower and native plant gardens, the compost operation, the pond, etc., etc. All showpieces. Everything you see has volunteer fingerprints, including even this pavilion. Many say this is Florida's Blue Zone!
Like traditional sports themed parks, VISTA is a safe and inspirational place for young people. But unlike typical parks, young people interact not only as gardening students, but as peers and teachers with all ages at VISTA. VISTA also connects kids to where vegetables come from. You should see the faces of kids the first time they pull a carrot from the ground! Gardening is also, as Bill always says, honest character building work! The plants you grow and the weeds you don't pull provide honest feedback! We all come to VISTA to ground the static of our lives and return to the fragrance and beauty of the earth.
You should know that we have terrific volunteer leaders on our Board: Marty Kleiner, Susan Baxter Gibson, Keshia Arlinghaus, and Evans Bostick, and Chairs of our committees: Mike Arnold, Marcy Biller, Richard and Donna Birnholz, Eric Christoffersen, Mary Ellen Dallman, Rolfe Evenson, Nicole Jagusztyn, Simone Johnson, Laurie Kleiner, Vicki Kuse, Rita Mouradian, Kathy Neukamm, Roberta Owens, Mark Perkins-Carillo, Becca Petrilak, Janet Stanko, Ann Wallace and Elizabeth Warner. It truly does take a village!
We also extend deep appreciation to Ken Hagan, our County Commissioner, for taking the chance and having the vision to see the potential of this new volunteer garden park concept. Ken has always supported and encouraged our community efforts and his staff is great to work with. Commissioner Hagan is highly knowledgeable and effective, embodies the highest level of integrity, and has a passion to serve his community.
