Green Spaces | GOMO & GOCC+

These two spaces are very close to each other but differ significantly in ownership and historical treatment. The berm is owned by City of Houston and has been historically maintained by GOCC. The Wedge is the triangular property between the berm and Loop 610. The Wedge belongs to TX Dept of Transportation and has been largely neglected. A few years ago at the request of residents GOCC added it to the mowing program and in 2020 the crest of the Berm was replanted with some native duranta, plumbago, esperanza and wildflowers. The irrigation system on the Berm was restored in 2020 in preparation for additional plantings.

Park Captain Sean Jez

If traffic is bad or you are in a hurry it is easy to miss the little slip of land along the west side of Shepherd DR between W 38th and the Railroad underpass. This long, skinny parcel of land hosts a bus stop, some mature crepe myrtles and a wall of oleander. Our green spaces along Shepherd are challenging from the standpoint of high trash loads, noise and ocassional errant auto traffic off road. This particular space is subject to grafittii. In 2020 a neighbor along the "slip" stepped up to tackle all of these problems along with prompting repairs to the retaining wall on the west side of the underpass. Plans are to fill back in crepe myrtle and oleander where they have been lost to the freeze and traffic damage.

Park Captain: Sam Rezzoffi

These are City of Houston Parks in or adjoining Garden Oaks that are maintained by the City of Houston.

Location at 43rd and Sue Barnett
The sculpture is an original work donated to the neighborhood
Picnic area
Wildflower Planting added in 2020
Park Captains: Bill and Shawn Spear

Large park at Shepherd/34th
Features tennis courts which were extensively repaired by GOMO and children's playground
Repair work for the tennis courts in late 2019 is being handled by a volunteer with support by GOCC

Large park on Golf adjoining the railroad tracks
Features ball diamonds and children's playground

A Spark Park is a HISD Property which has been developed by the Spark Program to create a community park.
SPARK Parks are available for public use after the school day (including after-school programs) has ended and on weekends
Children's playground, picnic area and a soccer field were part of this park
The park is recovering nicely from the effects of Construction at the school.
Named after long time resident, Rick Englert

Pocket Prairie. A Pocket Prairie was planted in the fall of 2019 in partnership with Katy Prairie Conservancy with climate appropriate native species obtained from the Audubon. The Pocket Prairie is located in front of the school near the school entrance. The planting will attract pollinators and other beneficial species, and also provide an opportunity for students and the general community to observe an ecosystem which used to blanket Texas and Louisiana.
Wildflower Meadow. The southeast corner of the school grounds features a newly installed Wildflower Meadow, with seeds donated by Wabash and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Outdoor Classroom. The southeast corner of the school grounds also is home to the school's outdoor classroom which is in process of reconstruction. The outdoor classroom currently encompasses a pond, rain harvesting equipment to replenish the pond, as well as solar and wind power generation to operate the pond circulation equipment.
Monarch Garden. The central campus features a Monarch Garden which was planted in 2018 in partnership with Monarch Heroes and the National Wildlife Federation.
Sunshine Community Garden. Located in the central campus area, there are currently 12 large garden beds that are dedicated to the school's Urban Harvest gardening program which is an established part of the school's curriculum.
PreK/Kindergarten Edible Garden Beds. In 2019, a dedicated raised garden bed was installed for each of the Children's House classes in the new building located at the Northwest corner of the school. The purpose of these dedicated beds are to teach young students about the benefits of edible gardening.
Fruit Tree Orchard. A fruit tree orchard, with parent and Urban Harvest donated fruit trees, was installed in the center of the campus in 2018.
Pollinator Beds. A number of garden beds in the central campus area have been dedicated to nectar producing plants that attract pollinators.
Labyrinth. Located on the west side of the campus, the labyrinth faces Fisher Street. Originally installed as an Eagle Scout project by former Garden Oaks student Steven Roberts that had been placed next to a dry creek and bridge created by Daniel Norton (also an Eagle Scout project). During the construction of the new buildings on campus, the labyrinth was reinstalled and, unfortunately, the dry creek had to be removed.
Peace Place. Centrally located on campus is a Peace Place, with a bench for contemplation and adjacent path leading to the school Peace Pole.
Chicken Run. The northern portion of the grounds by the Spark Park has a sizable chicken run which houses a small flock of chickens.
Environmental Murals. Numerous murals on various school buildings were painted in 2011 by Houston artist, Anat Ronan. The murals represent native Texas wildlife and were designed to enhance the various garden spaces on campus.