Sunday was the grand opening of The Janie and Helen Rempel Community Garden, and a strong gathering of people came out to take a look around the Walker Street site.

Built in memory of the late Helen Rempel, and in honour of her daughter, Janie - who lives in a care home in Cochrane where her mobility and memory have been hampered by Lupus disease - the community garden features over a hundred irrigated plots people can rent out of City Hall. Both Helen and Janie were known for their gardening affinity.

Frank Rempel, who was married to Helen for just about 69 years until she passed, was one of the family members present for the grand opening.

Bob Sonntag, Janie's husband, owns the S3 Enterprises family of companies, and donated a dozen city lots for the garden in June of 2016.

Swift Current Mayor Denis Perrault said how great of an addition it is to the city.

"It is a true gift to our community from S3, from Bob Sonntag their leader, as well as the Rempel family, and a wonderful way to tribute for Helen and Janie Rempel," Perrault said. "It's just such a nice gift to our community. Easily accessible for all."

Perrault said about 30 percent of plots have been rented already. All the plots do receive water on a daily basis, and some are wheelchair accessible. There are washrooms and a place to rinse vegetables, as well as a gazebo that lends some valuable shade, which is certainly handy on warm, sunny days like Sunday.

"It's one of the most remarkable community gardens that I've ever seen, and I mean that most sincerely," Perrault said. "We've toured some in Ottawa and nothing could even come close to rivalling this. It's beautiful. Very peaceful. It's just a wonderful spot to come and hopefully encourage gardening to people in our community who may not have had an opportunity to do so."

To rent a plot, people can go to City Hall and talk to the parks department.