On Saturday, the Coffeyville community was invited to the first 9^th Street Fresh meeting to discuss the new Community Gardens Cooperative Initiative spearheaded by Ron Olson and Peggy Steele. Olson, a North Dakota farmer, and his wife, Peggy Steele, a Coffeyville native who started a 9^th Street revitalization project about two years ago in 2017, have one vacant lot they are using for a community garden. Of the 23 locals who attended the community meeting, including city manager, Mark Hall, 14 people signed up to use a portion of the lot to grow a garden. Each garden plot measures about 9' x 18' and is provided at no cost other than sweat equity of tending their own garden. Besides sweat equity, residents are responsible for purchasing their own seed and fertilizer. The project manager is Terry Vernon who lives nearby the new community garden cooperative. One future gardener asked if they will be using only organic seed and fertilizers due to health problems caused from many pesticides. Vernon assured the audience the gardens will be organic.

Olson, Steele, and Vernon – along with the new resident gardeners –are preparing the land to be ready for planting seed by St. Patrick's Day.