Gary Martin, Jason Gibbs and Laurene Weste, from left to right, alongside elected officials, cut the ribbon at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The Signal
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SCV officials open the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden
The red ribbon was placed and cut, opening the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Garden up to the community on Friday.
The demonstration garden is a collaboration project of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency and the city of Santa Clarita that has been in the works for four years.
Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden attendees can walk through the garden, visiting a sensory experience section, nature in the neighborhood section, wildlife wonderland section and a low-maintenance ecosystem section. 090123 Rylee Holwager/The Signal
“This is a perfect place for residents to visit and learn about sustainable landscaping and water conservation,” said Mayor Jason Gibbs.
SCV Water set out with a goal of creating an educational hub where attendees can immerse themselves in water-wise landscapes, efficient irrigation practices and offer more resources about the organization’s efforts.
Gary Martin, president of SCV Water, speaks to the crowd at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The Signal
“The goal of the design was to provide visitors with a range of landscape designs, sustainability features, plant palette and high-efficiency irrigation technologies that are commonly available to residents in our community,” said Gary Martin, president of the SCV Water governing board. “The design also included educational elements such as sight and plant signage and information, informational kiosks, what you will see as you go through the park.”
The final design was finished in 2021 and Bridgeport Park was chosen to be the recipient. This was because of the available area and the fact that the park receives 16,000 visitors every year.
Students from Bridgeport Elementary’s “Team Green” plant narrow leaf milkweed at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The Signal
Dozens gathered on Friday morning to witness the opening and be some of the first to take a stroll in the garden. In just a few steps, attendees could view cedros island, apricot mallow and hartwegs sundrops.
The garden is broken up into four smaller garden sections: Garden 1 offers a sensory experience, Garden 2 educates on the nature in the neighborhood, Garden 3 shows attendees a wildlife wonderland and Garden 4 features a low-maintenance ecosystem.
Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden attendees can walk through the garden, visiting a sensory experience section, nature in the neighborhood section, wildlife wonderland section and a low-maintenance ecosystem section. 090123 Rylee Holwager/The Signal
In addition to Gibbs and Martin, elected officials and their representatives attending the event included Councilwoman Laurene Weste, Tammy Stevens representing Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, Chris Huff representing Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, and Andrew Taban representing Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth.
Gibbs thanked SCV Water for the partnership in creating something educational and “tranquil” for the community.
Jason Gibbs, mayor of the city of Santa Clarita, speaks to the crowd at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The Signal
“Today we’re not just welcoming the public to this new garden, we’re opening a classroom without walls, a serene space filled with the beauty of native water-efficient landscaping,” said Gibbs.
Students of Bridgeport Elementary School’s “Green Team” were invited to the event and each student planted their own narrow leaf milkweed in a gardening bed.
Students from Bridgeport Elementary’s “Team Green” plant narrow leaf milkweed at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The Signal
All of them smiled as they dug holes with their hands, removed their plant from its original plant pot, placed and covered the plant in the dirt, creating their very own piece in the garden.
“It’s really exciting to see that you can combine sustainability with beauty and I’m glad to see Santa Clarita is always the one that gets to do it,” said Taban.
Andrew Taban representing Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, speaks to the crowd at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The SignalTrixie Rasson picks out a plant to take home from SCV Water at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The SignalStudents from Bridgeport Elementary’s “Team Green” plant narrow leaf milkweed at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The SignalStudents from Bridgeport Elementary’s “Team Green” plant narrow leaf milkweed at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The SignalStudents from Bridgeport Elementary’s “Team Green” plant narrow leaf milkweed at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The SignalStudents from Bridgeport Elementary’s “Team Green” receive SCV Water swag bags at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The SignalStudents from Bridgeport Elementary’s “Team Green” plant narrow leaf milkweed at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The SignalBridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden attendees can walk through the garden, visiting a sensory experience section, nature in the neighborhood section, wildlife wonderland section and a low-maintenance ecosystem section. 090123 Rylee Holwager/The SignalTrixie Rasson, middle, picks out a plant to take home from SCV Water at the Bridgeport Park Sustainable Landscape Garden Ribbon Cutting on 090123 at Bridgeport Park. Rylee Holwager/The Signal
Rylee Holwager
Rylee Holwager joined The Signal team in June 2022, but has lived in Santa Clarita her entire life. She loves to tell the people’s stories and keep the public informed. She is a graduate of California State University, Northridge and was the Social Media Editor at her time with The Daily Sundial. Have a story to share? Email Rylee at [email protected].
