For the past eight years the Paola Community Garden has sat on city-owned land in the Paola Industrial Park, but garden volunteers have always known they may need to move the amenity if a developer was ever interested in the property. Over time the garden’s footprint has grown along with its produce, and it now features a bridge, picnic table, shelter, shed and a butterfly garden that includes a memorial tree in memory of Regan Johnson, a 16-year-old Paola High School junior who took her own life in December 2017. Her death led to the creation of the Shifting Gears for Regan suicide prevention organization.
Source: The Miami County Republic
