By Jean Schurman
The O’Hara House at 111 South 4th has been the home of Sam’s Spade Garden Tools and Wares for the last eight years and while proprietress Samantha O’Byrne has enjoyed and even had a passion for her role in bringing unique gifts, garden wares, birding books and advice to her customers, she was also torn a bit. Her passion for Sam’s Spade began to dwindle with the recession of a few years ago.
“I could see a change in shopping,” said O’Byrne. “With more and more people shopping online, it was tough.”
As the world became more accessible, it also became tougher and tougher to source products. A garden trowel that was once manufactured in England was now made in China. This bothered O’Byrne because she was dedicated to keeping her business as local as possible and as sustainable as possible.
One of the positives for Sam’s Spade was her customers. As she visited with them, she realized there were many people who also wanted to work towards sustainability with a vision of reuse and recycling. From these early conversations, a dream was born – to create a haven where ideas, information, resources and community could come together.
While O’Byrne may be the face of this endeavor, the ideas and building of the O’Hara Commons & Sustainability Center has been a group effort. The board of directors consists of five members. Lacey Taylor, PhD, is the chair of the group. She has a background in science. She has a lifetime of gardening, harvesting and preserving food with her family in Pennsylvania. She says she has a strong connection to food, where it comes from and how it connects a culture. Her hope is to build a network of connections to enable the valley to become regionally self-sufficient. Vice chair Craig Krieder grew up in Ohio in a gardening family and as an overly active child, was sent to the fields to work quite often. His first job was selling honey. He eventually established a co-op that still exists today. After retiring at 50, he brings extensive business experience as well as experience in sustainability. His sense of humor is an added bonus. Jess Brewer is the treasurer of the board. She grew up in Maine where she began gardening at an early age. Gardening is a natural part of her. She has a background in horticulture and botany. Brewer brings great organizational skills to the board as well as a diverse background in progressive home arts. Skye O’Byrne is the secretary of the board. She retired and moved to the valley in 2009. She returned to gardening and found herself moving back to the things she was interested in in her youth, community and sustainability. Hannah Fast rounds out the board of directors. She has a lifetime of gardening, having been raised in a family that grew much of their own food. She now lives off the grid with her husband and twin babies on a small farm outside of North Fork, Idaho. Karla Wiencek is an education coordinator. Although not on the board, she is active in this new endeavor. She grew up in Pennsylvania and pursued a career in landscape design. She has worked with children here in the valley to nurture their appreciation of the outdoors and nature, as well as developing a passion for gardening.
So what has the O’Hara Commons done so far and what are the plans for the future? Walking or driving by the lots at 111 S. 4th, passersby can see changes already. The area where the children’s garden will be located has been mulched and plotted out. Hummingbird stations, bee habitat and butterfly habitat areas are in the works or completed. The children’s play structures were donated by the landlord, Andreas Herrmann. Future outdoor projects include an edible landscape where strollers can munch as they stroll through the grounds. Honey bee hives, urban chickens (and their coop), herb gardens, a tranquility garden, fairy garden, tea garden and outdoor seating are all being planned. With all the gardening going on, a composting area, outdoor kitchen with sink will be built on the southwest corner of the house. They hope to have a truck and trailer available for members who only need to use a truck once in a great while.
Inside the house, the group is working towards having a commercial kitchen where members can do their own canning using the group’s equipment. There will also be a tool library, a seed library, a resource and education room, and a garden gift room where local, value added products are sold. The coffee kiosk will remain but it will be a ‘pay it forward’ operation.
Education will be one of the key cornerstones for the O’Hara Commons. In fact, Curiosity Camps have already been going on for children. The first camp – “Bees, Butterflies & Hummingbirds” – recently finished up. One of the tasks of that camp involved campers doing a habitat checklist so the area can become a certified backyard habitat. A camp devoted to soil, “Soil, Let’s Get Dirty,” will run July 9-July 30. The last camp will be August 6 through August 27 and is titled “A Plant’s Life.” The education will continue throughout the year with after school programs and adult programs.
Many of the projects for the O’Hara Commons are still in the works. They hope to refinish floors, make repairs and upgrades on the beautiful old house that is an icon in Hamilton. One goal is to make the house as ‘green’ as possible. The Garden Room will be featuring tools and equipment that represent the goal of the group, which is “utilizing and developing available resources to benefit community through education, resource sharing and demonstration gardens in a manner which builds local economy, promotes healthy food options and develops regional self-sufficiency.”
The O’Hara Commons is a 501(c)3 charity. Donations are welcome, as are volunteers who share this vision. The website is theoharacommons.org. There is also a Facebook page. Questions, suggestions, and volunteers may send an email to oharacommons@gmail.com.