Photos: Government Hill orchard takes root

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Volunteers help move apple, pear and cherry trees to a winter home at the Government Hill Commons Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. The commons is planned to be an orchard and gathering space in Government Hill, situated on the site of property cleared for the proposed Knik Arm bridge project. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News)

A garden of delights has begun to take shape in Government Hill, on a parcel of land originally cleared for the controversial Knik Arm bridge.

A multifacted project, the Government Hill Commons will offer flowering apple trees at one end of the 2-acre development, while the more open opposite end will host picnics and films, which can be projected onto a nearby whitewashed wall.

Pear and cherry trees will fill in the project's blooming "fruiting forest," and raised beds will showcase the jewel colors of high-bush blueberries, raspberries and other fruits.

Steve Gerlek, vice president of the nonprofit coordinating the Commons, says organizers have spent just $6,000 so far, with most of the work done by neighborhood volunteers.

Government Hill resident Joseph Premo, sporting a tattoo of the neighborhood's iconic water tower on his arm, was on hand Saturday to fell a spruce in the center of the property. Art teacher Scott McDonald, who lives near that water tower, was painting a rendition of the Commons' logo on the side of a building.

The project is long-term. Many of the trees may not be planted for a few years and will take more time to mature. But one apple tree planted this year has already produced the garden's first fruit.