January 22, 2010: Invitation to Meet on Process

Email from Dave Evans regarding meeting to discuss process for building consensus in light of concerns over Clover Lawn:

Folks,

As you may know, an issue has arisen with respect to carrying out the garden at Clover Lawn Park. Some of the neighbors on Thorman are concerned about the use of the entire open space at Clover Lawn for garden plots as currently contemplated in the proposal to Green Spaces. Some of those on the gardening group met with some of the Thorman neighbors on Sunday evening at Scott Day's house. We then visited the park to consider options to accommodate folks' respective concerns.

We also discussed the issue at the end of the last neighborhood meeting this past Tuesday evening, and the consensus appeared to be that the various stakeholders should re-visit the design of the garden to ensure that everyone's needs and concerns are addressed. We circulated a sign-up sheet for those in attendance who wanted to be included in future emails so as to ensure maximum participation going forward. They are included in this email.

It seems that the major point of friction is Clover Lawn Park as open space use for kids/parents/pets versus Clover Lawn Park as space for gardening. Are the two mutually exclusive uses at the park under the circumstances? Or can they be reconciled? (And perhaps there are other perspectives besides these two that we are not even considering?)

In any event, I have spoke with Courtney, who could not attend the Tuesday neighborhood meeting, and she asked me to send out this email to everyone to propose having a meeting at my house (red brick house at corner of Ira and Margaret) on either this coming Sunday or Monday starting at 5:00. The sole purpose of the meeting is to agree on a process and timeline to go forward so that everyone's concerns can be addressed in an orderly and timely way. I know this may seem to be a meeting about having another meeting, but I am not certain there is yet an agreed way to even process through this impasse we have found ourselves in.

Please send me an email whether you prefer this coming Sunday the 24th or Monday the 25th to meet. Don't hesitate to email or invite others who may be interested in the issue. Again, point of meeting is to agree on a process going forward so we can address concerns without sapping the momentum we already have.

Thanks,

Dave Evans

200 Ira

859.0055