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Located on 3.5 acres of land fronting the Youghiogheny River and adjacent to the Youghiogheny River bicycle trail, the Yough River Trail Gardens is a project of Allegheny East Mental Health & Mental Retardation Center, Inc The gardens are located 16 miles south of Monroeville outside of Boston, Pennsylvania and borders the Buena Vista biking trail access point. The site is currently equipped with handicapped accessible bathrooms, convenient parking and a 52 foot by 24 foot pavilion equipped with electricity and water. The purpose of the gardens is to provide a multi-faceted outdoor recreation and vocational training environment that optimizes the opportunities for people with disabilities to access outdoor activities and interaction with non-disabled peers. |
| Allegheny East broke ground in April 2006 on a 30 foot by 128 foot hydroponic greenhouse to produce a variety of specialty lettuces and greens. Penn State Cooperative Extension has assisted with installation and startup production of the crops and looks forward to a very successful greenhouse operation. The greenhouse began production in January of 2007 and currently harvests an average of 1500 heads of lettuce a week. The produce is marketed primarily through two local wholesale distribution companies – Paragon Monteverde and Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance. This unique business is in the process of joining the portfolio of the Social Innovation Accelerator, a local non-profit that assists agencies such as Allegheny East in business planning and operation of income-generating ventures. |  |
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The spring and summer of 2006 saw the completion of a master plan for the site’s therapeutic Ability Garden. The proposed garden will be fully accessible and will provide horticulture therapy to agency consumers as well as a healing landscape to all visitors. Future plans for the project include concessions, walking paths, fishing and camping opportunities. The Yough River Trail Gardens will continue to grow throughout the years to become a beautiful natural resource for the consumers and the community. |
This page last updated Friday, June 8, 2007
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