Convert a vacant lot on Reynolds Avenue into a community garden

A long-vacant, weedy lot on Reynolds Avenue adds to summer heat with bare, dark soil and gives nothing back to the block; converting it into raised garden beds cools the ground and grows food at the same time. Standard: EPA Heat Island Reduction Program, ground-level cooling measures Proof: Before/after photos of the lot plus a bed count log. Method (EPA Heat Island Reduction Program, ground-level cooling measures): 1. With the landowner's or city program's permission, clear the vacant lot at Reynolds Avenue vacant lot, North Charleston, SC of debris and mow overgrowth. 2. Test and amend the soil with compost across the planned garden footprint. 3. Lay out and build raised beds or in-ground rows per the garden plan. 4. Install a simple perimeter fence or edging and a water access point. 5. Photograph the finished garden footprint and log the number of beds built. Done when: Before/after photos of the lot plus a bed count log.

Where

Reynolds Avenue vacant lot, North Charleston, SC

Pay

$680 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

Before/after photos of the lot plus a bed count log.

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-09-03

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 90–240 minutes. Method of record: Urban heat-island mitigation for civic hard surfaces and pedestrian waiting areas — high-solar-reflectance (cool) coatings on sidewalks/schoolyards/plazas and shade-sail/structure installs at bus stops and gathering points. EPA Heat Island Reduction Program cool-pavement guidance + ASTM E1918 solar-reflectance testing; municipal right-of-way permit where the surface or structure sits in the public way.

Bring

• camera + infrared/surface thermometer
• push broom + pressure washer (surface prep)
• roller/squeegee applicators for cool-pavement coating (manufacturer-specified system only)
• cones/barricades for the work-zone perimeter
• post-hole digger or core drill + concrete anchors (shade-structure footings)
• tape measure + level
• gloves + safety glasses + respirator as coating manufacturer specifies

Steps

1. 1. Photograph the target surface or waiting area as found, including a mid-day surface-temperature reading, and confirm the right-of-way permit and any utility locates before ground disturbance.
2. 2. Set cones/barricades for a pedestrian-safe work zone; pressure-wash and clear the surface of debris, or confirm the shade-structure footing location clears underground utilities (811 locate) and meets the manufacturer's anchor spec.
3. 3. Apply the cool-pavement coating system per manufacturer instructions in the specified number of coats and cure time, OR set and anchor the shade structure/sail per its engineering spec, keeping clearances for accessible passage.
4. 4. Verify: for coatings, confirm even coverage with no missed sections and let the full cure window pass before reopening to traffic; for structures, confirm anchor torque and structural stability by hand-test.
5. 5. Take a matching-vantage after photo and a same-conditions surface-temperature reading; log the reading delta.
6. 6. Enter before/after photos, the temperature readings, materials/product used, and the permit reference into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• No right-of-way permit on file for public-way work -> STOP: do not apply coating or set a structure until the permit is confirmed.
• 811 utility locate not confirmed before any ground disturbance for a footing -> STOP: reschedule after locates are marked.
• Coating manufacturer's minimum surface-prep or cure-time spec cannot be met (rain in the cure window, surface too degraded) -> reschedule rather than apply out of spec.

What counts as done

• Before and after photos from a matching vantage, with mid-day surface-temperature readings logged both times
• Coating shows even, full coverage with no missed sections (or structure passes a hand-test for anchor stability)
• Pedestrian accessibility/clearance maintained through and after the work
• Right-of-way permit and any utility-locate reference recorded

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.