Karla Davis-McGowan is on a mission to give new life to a Bowling Green mobile home park.

A mural by Andrew Warman at the new community garden in the Maurer Mobile Home Park off Brim Road is a start, she said.

“My mission here is to work for five years in an overhaul of the park itself,” Davis-McGowan said. “There is a rebirth here because of the community garden. Community gardens equal community plus empowerment.”

It took Warman about two weeks to paint the mural, in the evenings, after work.

“I’ve lived out here in the community for about 15 years now. Karla, who does a lot of the community outreach for her church, asked if I would be able to do something. I do paintings, normally on a smaller scale. This is my first mural,” Warman said. “She knew she wanted something with a cross. I started off with the space scene. She asked if we could do an Earth-and-the-heavens type theme. It’s a bit over 300 square foot.”

Last Saturday, the neighborhood threw a garden launch party with a barbecue. More than 50 people showed up. About a dozen neighbors have volunteered to get the garden going, with several planning on having their own plots.

“I asked him to do the mural, went on vacation, and when I came back it was done. My God, it’s great. I don’t know how he did it. It’s beautiful and we had few funds,” Davis-McGowan said. “We’ve got energy. The local neighbors are behind it. They support the idea because they have seen my work refurbishing mobile homes here.”

“The reaction has been great,” said Warman, who is a handyman at the mobile home park. “Everyday, when I do work around here, people tell me that it’s looking good. Everyone really seems to enjoy it.”

The wall is 8 feet high and 38 feet long, significantly larger than Warman’s regular work, which is framed to go in people’s houses. He specializes in outer space scenes of planets and stars, but also does some painted cartooning and comic work. It’s a hobby he picked up during the pandemic.

Davis-McGowan is a Lucas County social worker with 34 years of experience in children’s services. She has been rehabbing mobile homes in the park as part of personal mission work inspired as a member of Dayspring Church.

She added the garden project because of fond memories of the community gardens that friends and family worked had Cleveland.

“Dayspring Church introduced me to the idea with their Serve Day. We were power washing houses and working together to improve people’s lives,” Davis-McGowan said. “I’m from inner-city Cleveland and I’ve seen the power a garden can bring to a neighborhood. We are looking for volunteers and donors.”

The other side of the building is the park’s mail room. The future garden is in a vacant lot that faces the mobile home parks community open space. Several years ago a fire destroyed the mobile home that was on the spot.

The budding community garden plot has partners, including park manager Alan Steinke who installed a spigot to water the area.

In addition to the water hook-up, they have had hoses donated, wood, paint and flowers, but there are still needs.

Davis-McGowan and Warman are planning on two different types of raised flowerbeds. The larger ones will be on the ground, but they also plan on several that will be waist high, and reserved for elderly residents in the community.