Now, the better news. This takes considerable pressure off of any process to find consensus on a public piece of land in our neighborhood for a community garden now, but doesn't mean that we can't discuss a community garden in the future on one of our public spaces. In this way, the private-land community garden can act as a great trial run on what works and doesn't work gardening-wise, which could significantly inform use of a public piece of property in the neighborhood in the future.
After getting involved in the discussion about Clover Lawn, I learned of at least one previous aborted attempt at a community garden in Mesquite Lawn some years ago. I am hoping that our Neighborhood Board will take this opportunity to come up with a process for future projects like this one so that a group of neighbors interested in a given project involving neighborhood assets will have a clearer path to finding out if it can work. I fear that waiting to agree on a process to reach consensus after feelings are already hurt and egos invested will lead to similar problems in the future.
That is very good news! I'm glad that the gardeners will be able to get planting soon.
ReplyDeletePaul: I don't think for the "gardeners" that it was about gardening or planting. It was about creating a sense of community, improving the sense of place for our neighborhood, and overall making our community a more attractive and interesting place to live. Congratulations to those who don't like change. You've won.
ReplyDeleteI do not doubt that the gardeners wanted to enhance our community as well as start a garden.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel like I am a winner in this situation. I realize there are hard feelings on both sides. We agreed on Saturday (did I not see you at the meeting?) that a committee of interested neighbors would form to help select an appropriate public space that we could all reach consensus on. I am on that committee. The first meeting is at my house tonight. While I have little interest in a community garden as such, I do have concerns about public spaces in my neighborhood.
If I wanted no change at all I would have just let the thing die, but I will own my share of the responsibility to help find this garden a home in a public space and in an inclusive manner. You may not use the parks, but I do and so do my neighbors. We owe it to our community to look at the existing uses of these spaces before repurposing them.
I was willing to work toward sharing Clover Lawn at first, but comments like this are what turned me against that project.
I'm trying to do my share to move this process forward. I would hope you would be willing to do the same.
I haven't had the time to attend any of the meetings, but I'm not going to stand in the way of neighbors who get things done. I trusted Chris and Courtney to get things done, and they were getting things done. It feels strange to turn down grant money. Who knows if we'll have a chance at that money for our community again. They did a great job. Good luck if you feel like you can do a better job.
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