Alton To Consider $5,000 For Summer Youth Program Including Elm Street Garden
Funding boost for Alton summer youth programs, including community garden serving seniors, now set for City Council vote.
City of Alton - Committee of the Whole Meeting
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ALTON – Alton officials may support a youth gardening program and more this summer with up to $5,000 pending City Council approval.
Committee of the Whole members unanimously approved a resolution authorizing up to $5,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the Summer Youth Program offered by the Alton Housing Authority. This includes the Elm Street Youth Garden Program, which Alderwoman Martha Pfister shared more about.
“This is an existing garden at Alton Manor, and Lee Barham has successfully had a community garden there in past years [and] involved youth,” Pfister said. “They’ve shared some of the produce with the residents there, who are mostly seniors.”
In addition to supporting the Youth Garden Program, the funding would be used to cover “educational field trips, gardening materials, and other program-related supplies and activities,” the resolution states.
The total includes up to $2,500 for field trips, transportation, program activities, and more, as well as up to $1,300 for garden tools, gloves, and related supplies. Other estimated costs to be covered include $600 for two small cultivators/tillers, $500 for planting supplies, and $100 for garden hoses.
With the committee’s approval, the item is set for final consideration at the City Council meeting this Wednesday, June 10, 2026. A full recording of the June 8, 2026 Alton Committee of the Whole meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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