There is no reason to call into question to my concerns over this grant costing $50,000. That has no bearing on my support of my fellow neighbors. I find it a very large amount and would like to have had a better view of the plan prior to submission. I maintain the right to ask questions, and that does not in any way mean that I am disrespectful.
Community garden costs
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And, is there actually support to justify spending that large an amount? Not for my part.
I also am concerned that after the first year of City sponsored water, each gardener will be asked to pay a fee for water. This would make it impossible for some people to participate, and reminds me of poll taxes which were put in place as exclusionary. Fencing off a large part of the park and then charging for it does not seem something appropriate for community spirit. After hearing that the Salvation Army down the street from us is considering a community garden, I think it would be much better for us to apply for $15,000 from the City and pool it in with the SA along with neighborhood sweat and create a garden that would really encompass the vision of community. marcia - The above does not read 'support' in my book, for your neighbors efforts on behalf of the community, which is a committee reporting to the Board, not the entire Association. It is the Boards role to bring information to the entire Association from a sub-committee. The sub-committee is all volunteers, therefore a very large amount of flexibility is required to produce an application of this complexity. or maybe it's just a punctuation thing? the Salvation Army garden proposal has no specifics at all, a time line, by-laws, requirement for inclusiveness, etc. No one knows what kind of garden they plan. in addition, did you review the grant application process to see if teaming with them would even be possible? The process for the Neighborhood Grant Community Garden has been very open and inclusive to the members of the Association, including any help that anyone would care to provide. as an atheist, I definitely would not be involved with the Salvation Army garden. i repeat, being supportive of your neighbors is a good thing! Helping out is a good thing too!- mark |
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There are many ways to support our neighbors. If some of them do not prefer to participate in the garden, or on any specific project, that does not make them "unsupportive." Marcia has supported many of us in many ways. For example: when I called the city to get a trailer over here for our block to do a major cleanup of backyards, they said we had to go through our neighborhood association. The response of the previous association chairman was negative. But Marcia responded to a similar request with a quick response. We had our trailer and the city tool truck too. All of us who participated were very grateful, and it was a boon to the neighborhood and helped clear the nearby alleys. She has just started what I think will be a small trend in the neighborhood: placing a "rest spot" for the neighbors out in front of her property. A couple of us are planning similar seating with aesthetic (we hope) landscaping nearby. Critical analysis of projects or ideas is a essential for a healthy organization; personal criticism of others is not.
Pat |
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Another web site states that it is not expensive according to the quote below. Budgeting For Your Community Garden
The cost of a community garden varies greatly depending on the size and design, so plan your garden accordingly. Most community gardens will cost between $1000 and $4000 initially. There will also be a few hundred dollars a year in maintenance costs. If these numbers sound daunting to you, keep in mind it is possible to build a small community garden for as little as $200, and annual up-keep can be augmented from produce sales. sm |
