Three lovely people showed up to work on the entrances on Saturday. We weeded, trimmed and prepped the beds for winter. None of us could bare to take out the annuals because they look so lovely, so we left them to remove later.
The rain started in earnest shortly there after, which might be why people didn't show up for the perennial exchange. However, plants were exchanged with neighbors on a door to door basis later on, and new friends were made, which was the point of all of it--so let's just call that one a success! :) Hopefully this will be a biannual tradition.
Much of the discussion on Saturday centered around catching people up on the opposition to the garden. Ideas of a revitalization of the garden club ensued as a different way to help get people involved in the community and connected. We will see where this all goes.
Lastly, today surveys were handed out to neighbors, and an electronic version will go out via email. Hopefully the organizers will get a lot of responses.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Updated Survey and Information August 2009
This survey will go out to residents around 9/26. This was a solution I proposed to the SHRA board and concerned neighbors. We all thought it is a good idea to get more information on this specific garden proposal now that a lot of work has been done and we know more.
The previous survey showed that people wanted the garden, but not at Shadowbrook. Many people responded via returned surveys, emails, and letters. No one from the park area had anything to say at that time, so a year's worth of planning and coordination with the city to establish the first community garden in a city park commenced. The SHCG planners were successful in laying the foundation for a garden in a city park, which is a huge accomplishment.
In the past week, neighbors that live around the park expressed concerns about it going there and a few individuals approached the board and Amy to talk. Those talks again show that people are either in favor of, or indifferent to a community garden, but that they don't want it in their backyard.
This kind of information is exactly what I wanted to gather. Mainly, do people want a garden? if so, where?
If people want it, I will put in the work to do it. I have always tried to communicate that I am not doing this garden for me, I am offering this garden as a gift to the community that I love. I love this community enough that not only did I love growing up here, I eventually bought my childhood home so that I could raise my own family here.
If people don't want it, well, that is okay too. I just need to know whether or not to work on it. A CG is something I know a lot about, I know it would be a great thing for the community, and I would help create it IF AND ONLY IF people want it. People said they wanted it. Now people around the park are saying they don't.
So just to be sure I have my information correct, and it is not a squeeky wheel being heard over the rest, I am going to do another survey.
With all of that said, I forsee that the location and water are combining to make the community garden an idea that most likely is not going to happen in this community. I do wish I could have helped people to accurately envision how wonderful the garden will be so that they would be willing to work through their concerns with thorough and detailed planning, but that did not happen.
The previous survey showed that people wanted the garden, but not at Shadowbrook. Many people responded via returned surveys, emails, and letters. No one from the park area had anything to say at that time, so a year's worth of planning and coordination with the city to establish the first community garden in a city park commenced. The SHCG planners were successful in laying the foundation for a garden in a city park, which is a huge accomplishment.
In the past week, neighbors that live around the park expressed concerns about it going there and a few individuals approached the board and Amy to talk. Those talks again show that people are either in favor of, or indifferent to a community garden, but that they don't want it in their backyard.
This kind of information is exactly what I wanted to gather. Mainly, do people want a garden? if so, where?
If people want it, I will put in the work to do it. I have always tried to communicate that I am not doing this garden for me, I am offering this garden as a gift to the community that I love. I love this community enough that not only did I love growing up here, I eventually bought my childhood home so that I could raise my own family here.
If people don't want it, well, that is okay too. I just need to know whether or not to work on it. A CG is something I know a lot about, I know it would be a great thing for the community, and I would help create it IF AND ONLY IF people want it. People said they wanted it. Now people around the park are saying they don't.
So just to be sure I have my information correct, and it is not a squeeky wheel being heard over the rest, I am going to do another survey.
With all of that said, I forsee that the location and water are combining to make the community garden an idea that most likely is not going to happen in this community. I do wish I could have helped people to accurately envision how wonderful the garden will be so that they would be willing to work through their concerns with thorough and detailed planning, but that did not happen.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
What are we losing by not having this garden?
Not that any of these possibilities is guaranteed, but here are some of the reasons why I feel a community garden could have been a jewel in our community:
Consequences
Here is an email I just received about our neighborhood. This is what happens when people act poorly:
I apologize in advance if you’re not the correct _, but I got your name off of the Sycamore Hills and Columbus community gardening blog sites. I am contacting you because my husband and I are currently looking into purchasing a house in the neighborhood (down on Northport Circle), and you seemed like a good person to ask about the ‘hood. I was very sorry to read about the resistance to the community garden, and frankly it is making us think twice now about the house. I guess I was just hoping to get your take on whether you still think the neighborhood overall is a friendly place to live. For example, if I wanted to put in a big side yard garden bordered in neon pink chicken wire, do you think the neighbors would despise me? (not that I would necessarily do this, just a litmus :) I hope this doesn’t sound out of order – the community looks very nice and I know there will always be a few grumps in any neighborhood – but I just want to make sure we’re not walking into control freak central if you know what I mean. Any insights you would feel comfortable offering would be greatly appreciated.
I apologize in advance if you’re not the correct _, but I got your name off of the Sycamore Hills and Columbus community gardening blog sites. I am contacting you because my husband and I are currently looking into purchasing a house in the neighborhood (down on Northport Circle), and you seemed like a good person to ask about the ‘hood. I was very sorry to read about the resistance to the community garden, and frankly it is making us think twice now about the house. I guess I was just hoping to get your take on whether you still think the neighborhood overall is a friendly place to live. For example, if I wanted to put in a big side yard garden bordered in neon pink chicken wire, do you think the neighbors would despise me? (not that I would necessarily do this, just a litmus :) I hope this doesn’t sound out of order – the community looks very nice and I know there will always be a few grumps in any neighborhood – but I just want to make sure we’re not walking into control freak central if you know what I mean. Any insights you would feel comfortable offering would be greatly appreciated.
Worthington Gets a CG in their City Park
http://www.sustainableworthington.org/projects.asp
http://www.sustainableworthington.org/c-garden.asp
Community garden will grow on city ground
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:12 PM
By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek Staff Writer
The Worthington community finally has a place to grow together.
Plans are being made this fall to plant a community garden at the Worthington Community Center next spring.
A public meeting will be held the evening of Oct. 1. Beginning at 7:30, gardeners will be able to look at the garden plots. A meeting at the center will begin at 8.
The city will make available 30 plots that are 20 feet by 30 feet each on the northwest side of the community center parking lot. Residents will be able to rent a plot for $40 a year, or $25 for a half plot.
There, they will be able to work side-by-side with neighbors sowing and growing vegetables, herbs, or flowers.
Members of Sustainable Worthington have been trying to establish a community garden for the past two years. A proposal to start a garden at the United Methodist Children's Home fell through when problems cropped up.
The garden at the community center is meant to be cost neutral to the city, with gardeners expected to volunteer to take care of coordination, communications, maintenance and programs.
Participants will also be expected to tend their plots on a regular basis, attend meetings, and grow more than they need so that donations of fresh food can be made to charitable organizations such as the Worthington Food Pantry.
Gardeners will bring their own tools. Efforts will be made to keep the garden organic, with no use of pesticides or herbicides or treated lumber.
Water will be available from a pump, but no hoses will be used.
No fences will be erected, unless efforts to keep animals out fail using other means, said Lisa Staggenborg of Sustainable Worthington.
Organizers are also planning to offer educational programs for gardeners.
Early registration will be available at the meeting. Volunteer assignments will be made at a kickoff meeting in November, when plot assignments will also be made
To learn more about the garden or to apply for a plot, go to the Sustainable Worthington Web site, www.sustainableworthington.org, or e-mail info@sustainableworthington.org.
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
http://www.sustainableworthington.org/c-garden.asp
Community garden will grow on city ground
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:12 PM
By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek Staff Writer
The Worthington community finally has a place to grow together.
Plans are being made this fall to plant a community garden at the Worthington Community Center next spring.
A public meeting will be held the evening of Oct. 1. Beginning at 7:30, gardeners will be able to look at the garden plots. A meeting at the center will begin at 8.
The city will make available 30 plots that are 20 feet by 30 feet each on the northwest side of the community center parking lot. Residents will be able to rent a plot for $40 a year, or $25 for a half plot.
There, they will be able to work side-by-side with neighbors sowing and growing vegetables, herbs, or flowers.
Members of Sustainable Worthington have been trying to establish a community garden for the past two years. A proposal to start a garden at the United Methodist Children's Home fell through when problems cropped up.
The garden at the community center is meant to be cost neutral to the city, with gardeners expected to volunteer to take care of coordination, communications, maintenance and programs.
Participants will also be expected to tend their plots on a regular basis, attend meetings, and grow more than they need so that donations of fresh food can be made to charitable organizations such as the Worthington Food Pantry.
Gardeners will bring their own tools. Efforts will be made to keep the garden organic, with no use of pesticides or herbicides or treated lumber.
Water will be available from a pump, but no hoses will be used.
No fences will be erected, unless efforts to keep animals out fail using other means, said Lisa Staggenborg of Sustainable Worthington.
Organizers are also planning to offer educational programs for gardeners.
Early registration will be available at the meeting. Volunteer assignments will be made at a kickoff meeting in November, when plot assignments will also be made
To learn more about the garden or to apply for a plot, go to the Sustainable Worthington Web site, www.sustainableworthington.org, or e-mail info@sustainableworthington.org.
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com
Friday, September 18, 2009
irony
perhaps we will get our first grant after all...
how awesome.
Dear Captain Planet Foundation Grant Applicant,
Thank you for submitting a grant application for the Captain Planet Foundation’s March 31st deadline. We have had a chance to review your request for funding but unfortunately we are unable to fund your project at this time. This does not mean that your application has been taken out of our queue. Instead your application has been selected to be held over for consideration in our next round of applications. Please contact me via email if the shift in time affects your project goals. We anticipate that you will receive the final status of your grant by mid-December 2009 if not earlier.
We appreciate your patience and commend you for your efforts to educate and inspire children to be great stewards of the planet.
Remember, the Power is Yours!
Taryn Murphy
Email with Maureen 9/18
Hi Amy,
I was at a conference when your emails came in. Sorry for the delayed response. I did have some neighbors from the neighborhood contact me and raise some strong opposition to the garden proposal. We currently have a Volunteers Maintenance Agreement with one of these gentlemen for mowing the grass. I asked them to let their views be known to the Civic Association. Have you heard of this, yet.
One thing Recreation and Parks does not want to get into is pitting neighbors against neighbors. I really hope this can be worked out. The gentleman that contacted me lives adjacent to the park.
I will call you this afternoon. In answer to your question - we develop a lease agreement with your Civic Association. Your garden would be organized as a subgroup of the CA. It was the CA's ownership of land that allows the raised beds and any fencing. (however, the fencing was a big part of the objections from the neighbors). As your CA, you can decide who gardens there.
As a side note, I don't think we will allow chicken wire. That's a fencing material that we definitely are trying to avoid. I am looking into the garden policies that Grandview has for guidance.
I look forward to talking with you!
Maureen
___________________________________
Hi, Maureen, Yep, that is what I wanted to talk to you about-a heads up as well as ask about some other issues. Unfortunately, when I did the survey a year ago, none of those neighbors joined in the discussion. If I had known there would be any opposition, my year's worth of work wouldn't have happened. BUT the good thing is we have made some headway between community gardens and the parks, so I am happy about that. Maybe someone else will have more luck! So, like the city, I also do not want to put a garden in where people don't want it. That was never my intention, but they never talked to me, so there was no way to know. But some of them have contacted me now, so we are going to do another survey with the updated garden plan and more specific information to find out what the new feelings are about the garden. I will share the results with you if you are interested. I am going to contact Jennifer Adair from the CA so she can have heads up, too. It is so frustrating that people didn't just start this process by talking to me first-the whole reason they have your name is because I shared on the blog about our meetings and the steps we have been going through. I have gone above and beyond to make this whole process transparent and invite people into the planning (the blog, meetings, updates, work days, etc) and instead of being neighborly, people acted poorly. I suppose you have to deal with this in some fashion with CRP. It is draining. Not that this matters, but I don't think chicken wire is in the plans.Okay, so I will look forward to your call and we can just make sure everything is clear.Thanks!!Amy
I was at a conference when your emails came in. Sorry for the delayed response. I did have some neighbors from the neighborhood contact me and raise some strong opposition to the garden proposal. We currently have a Volunteers Maintenance Agreement with one of these gentlemen for mowing the grass. I asked them to let their views be known to the Civic Association. Have you heard of this, yet.
One thing Recreation and Parks does not want to get into is pitting neighbors against neighbors. I really hope this can be worked out. The gentleman that contacted me lives adjacent to the park.
I will call you this afternoon. In answer to your question - we develop a lease agreement with your Civic Association. Your garden would be organized as a subgroup of the CA. It was the CA's ownership of land that allows the raised beds and any fencing. (however, the fencing was a big part of the objections from the neighbors). As your CA, you can decide who gardens there.
As a side note, I don't think we will allow chicken wire. That's a fencing material that we definitely are trying to avoid. I am looking into the garden policies that Grandview has for guidance.
I look forward to talking with you!
Maureen
___________________________________
Hi, Maureen, Yep, that is what I wanted to talk to you about-a heads up as well as ask about some other issues. Unfortunately, when I did the survey a year ago, none of those neighbors joined in the discussion. If I had known there would be any opposition, my year's worth of work wouldn't have happened. BUT the good thing is we have made some headway between community gardens and the parks, so I am happy about that. Maybe someone else will have more luck! So, like the city, I also do not want to put a garden in where people don't want it. That was never my intention, but they never talked to me, so there was no way to know. But some of them have contacted me now, so we are going to do another survey with the updated garden plan and more specific information to find out what the new feelings are about the garden. I will share the results with you if you are interested. I am going to contact Jennifer Adair from the CA so she can have heads up, too. It is so frustrating that people didn't just start this process by talking to me first-the whole reason they have your name is because I shared on the blog about our meetings and the steps we have been going through. I have gone above and beyond to make this whole process transparent and invite people into the planning (the blog, meetings, updates, work days, etc) and instead of being neighborly, people acted poorly. I suppose you have to deal with this in some fashion with CRP. It is draining. Not that this matters, but I don't think chicken wire is in the plans.Okay, so I will look forward to your call and we can just make sure everything is clear.Thanks!!Amy
Emails with Jennifer from NWCA
Hi, Jennifer,
I wanted to give you a heads up on the proposed CG in Sycamore Hills. We have some drama happening, and perhaps some people have contacted you before talking to me to clear things up. This whole situation is obnoxious, but i wanted to fill you in on what is going on from a rational point of view. I am a little annoyed if you haven't noticed! :(
Unfortunately, when I did the survey a year ago, some of our neighbors didn't join in the discussion. These same people are now saying that they don't want the garden in the park, and only a few are actually talking to me about it. Thank goodness for the few who are acting neighborly.
So, just so you (on behalf of the NWCA) knows, if I had any awareness that there would be any opposition, my year's worth of work wouldn't have happened. The other proposed spot also had opposition, and so we proposed the park location as a solution, and NOT ONE PERSON OBJECTED for a whole year! I have held community garden planning meetings, sent out updates, had work days, and invited people to look at the blog where I have written out every single step in the planning proposal-so I really couldn't have done more to invite them into the conversation.
In the end, I do not want to put a garden in where people don't want it. That is why I did the survey. Because they never talked to me, there was no way to know. But some of them have contacted me now, so know I do know, and we are going to do another survey with the updated garden plan and more specific information to find out what the new feelings are about the garden. I will share the results with you and NWCA if you are interested.
So, it is quite likely that there will not be a CG now in SH. The good thing is there is now a process for creating community gardens in parks, so I am happy about that. Maybe someone else will have more luck! Also, I know a lot more neighbors now, which was the whole point-for people to know each other! :)
Please advise me if you think I need to come to the next meeting to share this. I feel like I have to defend myself. I have class on Wednesdays from 1-9:30, so I will have to miss class to be there, just to throw that in the mix.
Thanks, Jennifer!
Amy
I wanted to give you a heads up on the proposed CG in Sycamore Hills. We have some drama happening, and perhaps some people have contacted you before talking to me to clear things up. This whole situation is obnoxious, but i wanted to fill you in on what is going on from a rational point of view. I am a little annoyed if you haven't noticed! :(
Unfortunately, when I did the survey a year ago, some of our neighbors didn't join in the discussion. These same people are now saying that they don't want the garden in the park, and only a few are actually talking to me about it. Thank goodness for the few who are acting neighborly.
So, just so you (on behalf of the NWCA) knows, if I had any awareness that there would be any opposition, my year's worth of work wouldn't have happened. The other proposed spot also had opposition, and so we proposed the park location as a solution, and NOT ONE PERSON OBJECTED for a whole year! I have held community garden planning meetings, sent out updates, had work days, and invited people to look at the blog where I have written out every single step in the planning proposal-so I really couldn't have done more to invite them into the conversation.
In the end, I do not want to put a garden in where people don't want it. That is why I did the survey. Because they never talked to me, there was no way to know. But some of them have contacted me now, so know I do know, and we are going to do another survey with the updated garden plan and more specific information to find out what the new feelings are about the garden. I will share the results with you and NWCA if you are interested.
So, it is quite likely that there will not be a CG now in SH. The good thing is there is now a process for creating community gardens in parks, so I am happy about that. Maybe someone else will have more luck! Also, I know a lot more neighbors now, which was the whole point-for people to know each other! :)
Please advise me if you think I need to come to the next meeting to share this. I feel like I have to defend myself. I have class on Wednesdays from 1-9:30, so I will have to miss class to be there, just to throw that in the mix.
Thanks, Jennifer!
Amy
Thursday, September 17, 2009
water collection ideas from co planner
Amy,
Have you ever seen Little Square Farms rain barrels before? I was doing some rain storage research on the internet and came across this company here in Columbus. They offer several seminars too.
www.littlesquarefarm.com
I also found some interesting information on the Brooklyn Botanical Garden website. There is a picture of these upside umbrella rain collection mechanisms. Maybe if we could design some type of collection mechanism and then go with a pipe into a tank instead of a barrel we could get around the need for the roof/gutters and open containers. The umbrella things are obviously on a grander scale than what we would want or could afford, but it is worth considering this type of option.
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/sustainable/2005sp_rainwater_harvesting.html
Ideally the city could add a picnic shelter to the park. Then we could collect the water from that. I'm guessing if they won't fund a water connection they won't build a pavilion either.
Here is another website with a large selection of various collection barrels and storage tanks.http://www.plastic-mart.com/
I don't know how well something like this would do on it's own without a gutter feeding in to it.http://www.plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=3479
In an ideal world it would be great to develop an agreement with the nearby houses the use their gutters for rain collection and then run hoses to the garden.
Just some thoughts...
I'm going to take a look at the updated survey now.
Linda
Have you ever seen Little Square Farms rain barrels before? I was doing some rain storage research on the internet and came across this company here in Columbus. They offer several seminars too.
www.littlesquarefarm.com
I also found some interesting information on the Brooklyn Botanical Garden website. There is a picture of these upside umbrella rain collection mechanisms. Maybe if we could design some type of collection mechanism and then go with a pipe into a tank instead of a barrel we could get around the need for the roof/gutters and open containers. The umbrella things are obviously on a grander scale than what we would want or could afford, but it is worth considering this type of option.
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/sustainable/2005sp_rainwater_harvesting.html
Ideally the city could add a picnic shelter to the park. Then we could collect the water from that. I'm guessing if they won't fund a water connection they won't build a pavilion either.
Here is another website with a large selection of various collection barrels and storage tanks.http://www.plastic-mart.com/
I don't know how well something like this would do on it's own without a gutter feeding in to it.http://www.plastic-mart.com/class.php?item=3479
In an ideal world it would be great to develop an agreement with the nearby houses the use their gutters for rain collection and then run hoses to the garden.
Just some thoughts...
I'm going to take a look at the updated survey now.
Linda
Monday, September 14, 2009
Emails about the park location
1.
Amy:
Good Friday afternoon and I hope this e-mail finds you safely home from time on the coast.
_ spoke with Tom K. yesterday and he directed us to you. We have concerns associated with the Community Garden and want to make sure that we go to the source for information, hence we are coming to you.
Would you be willing to contact me when you return home? I would rather have you answer our questions via a conversation to ensure that we are able to ask follow-up questions and "unpack" some of our concerns instead of e-mail.
My cell phone # is .
Thank you,
_ Rockport Rd.
_________________________________
Hi, _,
Thank you so much for writing and starting a solution focused conversation! It is refreshing! I would love to talk with you and hear your concerns. I will call you Sunday afternoon.
Amy
ps I like the word "unpack"-it is a good one- we use it all the time in my courses/discussions at OSU.
2.
Tom and Amy,
_ have always attempted to be "good neighbors" to the Sycamore Hills community over the twenty years in which we have made this our home. We have both served as trustees of the resident's association, me for one year and _ for about five years. _ additionally published the newsletter and prepared the neighborhood directory for many years. My children walked the neighborhood to hand deliver the newsletters and directories to save the residents' association the postage. We have hosted wine socials, Christmas caroling and other events in our home. I donated the legal work to rewrite the bylaws and restrictive covenants so the annual dues could be increased. _ considered moving about eight years ago to a larger home, but we loved being next to the park so much we instead added a large family room to our house with as many windows as we could to enjoy the view.
With that in mind, I cannot tell you how utterly disappointed I am that the trustees would plan to erect a six foot high, 50' by 50' chain link fence immediately next to my property. I just found out about this a week and a half ago. I reviewed the presentation that you posted on the Sycamore Hills website at that time which further indicated you intended to put a 16' compost pile just below my children's bedroom windows into which you invited the neighbors to dump their kitchen scraps. It indicated you also intended to put a tool shed immediately next to my yard and invited the neighbors to leave their empty milk jugs on site. You intend to build a "structure" of some type with large barrels containing standing water which would breed mosquitos. I cannot believe that you would all plan to do so without giving our family, as well as the other park neighbors, the courtesy of calling us to find out if we would have any objections to this scenario.
I am not sure if you are aware of this, but when my daughter, _ was three years old she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was on chemotherapy and underwent cranial radiation treatments for over two years. Since that time I have refrained from having any non-organic herbicides sprayed on my lawn. My neighbors, the _, have similarly refrained from doing so out of concern for my daughter's health. I do not see any way to monitor the spraying of herbicides, insecticides or pesticides by twenty different individuals in their garden plots and I was/am especially upset when your plans posted as recently as two weeks ago indicated this could be going on right next to my house.
I wondered how you got authority from the City of Columbus to fence in such a large area for the garden. In reviewing the website, it appears the city specifically asked "How much community acceptance/support" there was for the project. I was shocked that the trustees/garden club represented to the city that: "We have 97% support of the garden from the neighborhood." In reviewing the chart on your website, it appears that less than 30 of the approximately 225 Sycamore Hills residents responded that they supported the general concept of a community garden and only 8 of the 225 residents preferred that it be placed in the park. Assuming I am reading those graphs correctly, advising the city that 97% of the 225 households supported a garden in the park in order to get permission from the city was a misrepresentation of which the city ought to be made aware.
Virtually all the neighbors that border the park strongly oppose the placement of a community garden in the park. I say virtually all because there are some that I do not believe are still aware of the plan such as _. _have houses near the park. They have been dedicating their time to cutting the grass in the park using their own mowers in order to keep it nice for the neighborhood. They also strongly oppose a garden in the park and wonder why they were not given the courtesy of a call to discuss these plans with them. I have also spoken with a number of the neighbors in the Wishing Well subdivision who are part of the community that surrounds the park. It appears that no one notified them of any plans to make such a significant change to the use and appearance of the park and I have yet to speak to any of them that support it.
I am going to be out of town this weekend. I will try to attend the trustee meeting Sunday evening if I am able to get back in town in time to discuss these issues. In the meantime, I strongly urge you to abandon any attempt to use the park for this project in its entirety.
_____________________________
_,
Thank you for the email. It is good that people communicate directly about these issues. Your concerns are valid and a number of them are not what is occurring. As an example, like you, the community garden planners are committed to 100% organic and so is the city in their lease agreement.
As email leaves a lot to be desired, I think it is imperative that there is a meeting to clarify what has been proposed. Two of the garden planners and some time will be available during the SHRA meeting Sunday night. Should your schedule not allow you to be there, please advise what times next week are good for you and hopefully our schedules line up and we can work through any remaining issues.
It is important to the garden planners that folks be involved in this process. This is why the garden planners personally went to every resident's home and attempted to discuss the proposal, as well as setting up the blog / website. Also, at every house, printed material encouraging folks to ask questions, share their opinions, and to become involved in this process was left behind. Out of these efforts, suggestions for improvements were made from residents and the plan revised. Hopefully with your input, further improvements can be realized and this community building activity can/will be as successful as we envision and as successful as my community garden experience was in Bend, Oregon and here in other community gardens around Columbus.
Have a safe trip back to Columbus and let me know when we can meet.
____________________________________________
3.
A few days ago I spoke with _ about an Association proposal to establish a Sycamore Hills Community Garden at Sycamore Hills Park. Although I doubt our family would take advantage of a Community Garden, we still support the concept none the less. However, from the information Jim provided, it appears the proposed garden site would be right next to the Gallagher house and property. Given the probable negative impact on his property value as well as the equally negative impact on his families summer time quality of life, being in such close proximity to the frequent noise, odors, (and worse) from agricultural chemicals, etc., I would think locating the garden in the back of the park property, (next to the train tracks) would be a far better situation and more fair to the Gallagher family and their immediate neighbors. I do not support the site plan as it now exists, so I encourage you to reconsider and put it in the back of the park.
Thanks for all the Association work you do.
Best Regards,
__________________________________
Hi, _,
Thank you for the feedback regarding the garden location. I've learned that there has been some confusion about the proposed location of the garden, most likely due to an inaccurate image previously provided by the city.
I have attached the corrected image. I believe you will find the location to be acceptable. It is not near the railroad tracks because the garden should be accessible to people of all ages, including those who are less mobile. The location behind the basketball court and trees allows for stroller, wheelchair, etc access via the paved path and basketball court.
Also, I would like to address the additional concerns mentioned in your email. The garden will be organic, so no chemicals will be used. Compost of leaves, plant material, and grass creates only enriched soil, no odor. Noise will be minimal, infrequent, and equivalent to that of a neighbor doing occasional yard work, but the actual location should also alleviate this concern.
I appreciate your thoughts and am glad you brought them into discussion. Please feel free to contact me and/or attend the SHRA or SH Community Garden meetings in the future if you have any other concerns.
Thanks for your email,
Amy:
Good Friday afternoon and I hope this e-mail finds you safely home from time on the coast.
_ spoke with Tom K. yesterday and he directed us to you. We have concerns associated with the Community Garden and want to make sure that we go to the source for information, hence we are coming to you.
Would you be willing to contact me when you return home? I would rather have you answer our questions via a conversation to ensure that we are able to ask follow-up questions and "unpack" some of our concerns instead of e-mail.
My cell phone # is .
Thank you,
_ Rockport Rd.
_________________________________
Hi, _,
Thank you so much for writing and starting a solution focused conversation! It is refreshing! I would love to talk with you and hear your concerns. I will call you Sunday afternoon.
Amy
ps I like the word "unpack"-it is a good one- we use it all the time in my courses/discussions at OSU.
2.
Tom and Amy,
_ have always attempted to be "good neighbors" to the Sycamore Hills community over the twenty years in which we have made this our home. We have both served as trustees of the resident's association, me for one year and _ for about five years. _ additionally published the newsletter and prepared the neighborhood directory for many years. My children walked the neighborhood to hand deliver the newsletters and directories to save the residents' association the postage. We have hosted wine socials, Christmas caroling and other events in our home. I donated the legal work to rewrite the bylaws and restrictive covenants so the annual dues could be increased. _ considered moving about eight years ago to a larger home, but we loved being next to the park so much we instead added a large family room to our house with as many windows as we could to enjoy the view.
With that in mind, I cannot tell you how utterly disappointed I am that the trustees would plan to erect a six foot high, 50' by 50' chain link fence immediately next to my property. I just found out about this a week and a half ago. I reviewed the presentation that you posted on the Sycamore Hills website at that time which further indicated you intended to put a 16' compost pile just below my children's bedroom windows into which you invited the neighbors to dump their kitchen scraps. It indicated you also intended to put a tool shed immediately next to my yard and invited the neighbors to leave their empty milk jugs on site. You intend to build a "structure" of some type with large barrels containing standing water which would breed mosquitos. I cannot believe that you would all plan to do so without giving our family, as well as the other park neighbors, the courtesy of calling us to find out if we would have any objections to this scenario.
I am not sure if you are aware of this, but when my daughter, _ was three years old she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was on chemotherapy and underwent cranial radiation treatments for over two years. Since that time I have refrained from having any non-organic herbicides sprayed on my lawn. My neighbors, the _, have similarly refrained from doing so out of concern for my daughter's health. I do not see any way to monitor the spraying of herbicides, insecticides or pesticides by twenty different individuals in their garden plots and I was/am especially upset when your plans posted as recently as two weeks ago indicated this could be going on right next to my house.
I wondered how you got authority from the City of Columbus to fence in such a large area for the garden. In reviewing the website, it appears the city specifically asked "How much community acceptance/support" there was for the project. I was shocked that the trustees/garden club represented to the city that: "We have 97% support of the garden from the neighborhood." In reviewing the chart on your website, it appears that less than 30 of the approximately 225 Sycamore Hills residents responded that they supported the general concept of a community garden and only 8 of the 225 residents preferred that it be placed in the park. Assuming I am reading those graphs correctly, advising the city that 97% of the 225 households supported a garden in the park in order to get permission from the city was a misrepresentation of which the city ought to be made aware.
Virtually all the neighbors that border the park strongly oppose the placement of a community garden in the park. I say virtually all because there are some that I do not believe are still aware of the plan such as _. _have houses near the park. They have been dedicating their time to cutting the grass in the park using their own mowers in order to keep it nice for the neighborhood. They also strongly oppose a garden in the park and wonder why they were not given the courtesy of a call to discuss these plans with them. I have also spoken with a number of the neighbors in the Wishing Well subdivision who are part of the community that surrounds the park. It appears that no one notified them of any plans to make such a significant change to the use and appearance of the park and I have yet to speak to any of them that support it.
I am going to be out of town this weekend. I will try to attend the trustee meeting Sunday evening if I am able to get back in town in time to discuss these issues. In the meantime, I strongly urge you to abandon any attempt to use the park for this project in its entirety.
_____________________________
_,
Thank you for the email. It is good that people communicate directly about these issues. Your concerns are valid and a number of them are not what is occurring. As an example, like you, the community garden planners are committed to 100% organic and so is the city in their lease agreement.
As email leaves a lot to be desired, I think it is imperative that there is a meeting to clarify what has been proposed. Two of the garden planners and some time will be available during the SHRA meeting Sunday night. Should your schedule not allow you to be there, please advise what times next week are good for you and hopefully our schedules line up and we can work through any remaining issues.
It is important to the garden planners that folks be involved in this process. This is why the garden planners personally went to every resident's home and attempted to discuss the proposal, as well as setting up the blog / website. Also, at every house, printed material encouraging folks to ask questions, share their opinions, and to become involved in this process was left behind. Out of these efforts, suggestions for improvements were made from residents and the plan revised. Hopefully with your input, further improvements can be realized and this community building activity can/will be as successful as we envision and as successful as my community garden experience was in Bend, Oregon and here in other community gardens around Columbus.
Have a safe trip back to Columbus and let me know when we can meet.
____________________________________________
3.
A few days ago I spoke with _ about an Association proposal to establish a Sycamore Hills Community Garden at Sycamore Hills Park. Although I doubt our family would take advantage of a Community Garden, we still support the concept none the less. However, from the information Jim provided, it appears the proposed garden site would be right next to the Gallagher house and property. Given the probable negative impact on his property value as well as the equally negative impact on his families summer time quality of life, being in such close proximity to the frequent noise, odors, (and worse) from agricultural chemicals, etc., I would think locating the garden in the back of the park property, (next to the train tracks) would be a far better situation and more fair to the Gallagher family and their immediate neighbors. I do not support the site plan as it now exists, so I encourage you to reconsider and put it in the back of the park.
Thanks for all the Association work you do.
Best Regards,
__________________________________
Hi, _,
Thank you for the feedback regarding the garden location. I've learned that there has been some confusion about the proposed location of the garden, most likely due to an inaccurate image previously provided by the city.
I have attached the corrected image. I believe you will find the location to be acceptable. It is not near the railroad tracks because the garden should be accessible to people of all ages, including those who are less mobile. The location behind the basketball court and trees allows for stroller, wheelchair, etc access via the paved path and basketball court.
Also, I would like to address the additional concerns mentioned in your email. The garden will be organic, so no chemicals will be used. Compost of leaves, plant material, and grass creates only enriched soil, no odor. Noise will be minimal, infrequent, and equivalent to that of a neighbor doing occasional yard work, but the actual location should also alleviate this concern.
I appreciate your thoughts and am glad you brought them into discussion. Please feel free to contact me and/or attend the SHRA or SH Community Garden meetings in the future if you have any other concerns.
Thanks for your email,
New Newsletter Update
In light of recent conversations expressing concern about the community garden location, it has become an immediate necessity that the garden planners clear up the misconceptions and misinformation that is spreading throughout our neighborhood. First and foremost, we would like to clarify that all items concerning the community garden are still in a planning/proposal stage and that no dirt will be moved until we have reached a consensus among neighbors and met the necessary city requirements.
To address this situation, clarifying information about the proposal along with a survey are scheduled to be distributed around 9/26. The goal of this effort is to improve the understanding of the proposal and to receive current data and input on the proposal. Included in the packet will be an updated survey allowing you the opportunity to voice your opinions on various elements of the proposed garden. Please take the time to make your voice heard so that we can move forward in an efficient and productive manner. Completed surveys should be returned to Amy _ by October 1, so that she can tally the results before the annual meeting on October 5th.
The goal for this community garden and its volunteers is to grow and connect our community.
To address this situation, clarifying information about the proposal along with a survey are scheduled to be distributed around 9/26. The goal of this effort is to improve the understanding of the proposal and to receive current data and input on the proposal. Included in the packet will be an updated survey allowing you the opportunity to voice your opinions on various elements of the proposed garden. Please take the time to make your voice heard so that we can move forward in an efficient and productive manner. Completed surveys should be returned to Amy _ by October 1, so that she can tally the results before the annual meeting on October 5th.
The goal for this community garden and its volunteers is to grow and connect our community.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
CG Location in Park
Here is our updated satellite image provided by our friend at the CRP, Maureen Lorenz.
Monday, September 7, 2009
email to maureen at city 9/6
Hi, Maureen! Two quick requests:
1. Have you discovered anything about the availability of water to the SHCG?
2. Could you send me a photo with the new agreed upon location of the garden in the park behind the basketball court and behind the trees (the one that is a satellite image with a red square for the garden location)? I need it asap because the previous image has it in the trees near a fence, and we have an annual meeting for SHRA coming up and I would like to be prepared!
Thanks so much! Amy
1. Have you discovered anything about the availability of water to the SHCG?
2. Could you send me a photo with the new agreed upon location of the garden in the park behind the basketball court and behind the trees (the one that is a satellite image with a red square for the garden location)? I need it asap because the previous image has it in the trees near a fence, and we have an annual meeting for SHRA coming up and I would like to be prepared!
Thanks so much! Amy
Soil Tested
A chemistry professor and friend at OSU, Dr. Ted Clark, collected 4 samples from the park's soil on 9/2. He will analyze them in his lab for traces of lead, arsenic, etc. The results will help us to make sure our soil is safe to use to grow food.
He did this as a gift to our neighborhood. We are very lucky to have such good friends!
He did this as a gift to our neighborhood. We are very lucky to have such good friends!
I will let you know the results as soon as I hear back.
Entrances
Sue and I will be meeting 9/13 at 4pm to make a plan for the entrances for the fall work day on 9/26 from 8-10 am.
We will be making a plan for moving and dividing plants, and creating an updated design for next year. If you would like to share your two cents, please let us know; you are more than welcome to attend the meeting or just let us know what you would like to see more of, etc.
We would welcome anyone who would like to help grow annuals at home to contribute to the entrances next year.
Grants
Roger and I will be working on two grants over tea and rhubarb crisp on 9/20 at 5 pm. The grants are Growing to Green/Scotts/The Columbus Foundation and Healthy Sprouts, which are due the first week in October. If you are interested in helping with grants, please let me know. We are going to try again for Captain Planet in the spring of 2010.SHCG Update for September 2009 SHRA Newsletter
SHCG Update
We have wonderful news for our future community garden. It would appear that through many meetings and emails, on 8/5, we finally made some headway with the city. They are in full support of our garden in the park, including our construction of raised beds and a fence. These two items are essential for our success and longevity as a garden, so this is great news!
CRP considers us a model garden to showcase partnerships between community gardeners and parks because we are so well organized and professional in our planning, we have proved we have a strong residents' association, and we have maintained the pool property for over 40 years. Because of their support, we will finally be creating the garden in the Spring 2010, so there will be lots of opportunities to help in a variety of ways, including: wood working, fence installation, getting dirt and compost, spreading woodchips, and getting donations!
More information to come on opportunities to support the community garden, as well as to sign up for a raised bed through which to grow food and fellowship.
If you are not on the email list for the SHCG, please let Amy know to add your contact information.
Amy also gave a presentation on the garden to the Northwest Civic Association on 8/5. The NWCA was happy to hear about our project and has offered their enthusiastic support, including ideas about bringing this project to the attention of our government leaders!
A SHRA entrance work day will take place before the perennial split sale on 9/26 from 8-10 am. We will be weeding, rearranging and dividing plants, and preparing our entrances for the winter. Please contact Amy at 849 8421 or pinnegar.1@gmail.com if you are interested in helping on that day (or a different time that would be more convenient for you).
We have wonderful news for our future community garden. It would appear that through many meetings and emails, on 8/5, we finally made some headway with the city. They are in full support of our garden in the park, including our construction of raised beds and a fence. These two items are essential for our success and longevity as a garden, so this is great news!
CRP considers us a model garden to showcase partnerships between community gardeners and parks because we are so well organized and professional in our planning, we have proved we have a strong residents' association, and we have maintained the pool property for over 40 years. Because of their support, we will finally be creating the garden in the Spring 2010, so there will be lots of opportunities to help in a variety of ways, including: wood working, fence installation, getting dirt and compost, spreading woodchips, and getting donations!
More information to come on opportunities to support the community garden, as well as to sign up for a raised bed through which to grow food and fellowship.
If you are not on the email list for the SHCG, please let Amy know to add your contact information.
Amy also gave a presentation on the garden to the Northwest Civic Association on 8/5. The NWCA was happy to hear about our project and has offered their enthusiastic support, including ideas about bringing this project to the attention of our government leaders!
A SHRA entrance work day will take place before the perennial split sale on 9/26 from 8-10 am. We will be weeding, rearranging and dividing plants, and preparing our entrances for the winter. Please contact Amy at 849 8421 or pinnegar.1@gmail.com if you are interested in helping on that day (or a different time that would be more convenient for you).
Saturday, September 5, 2009
SPLIT TO SAVE IN SEPTEMBER!
SPLIT TO SAVE IN SEPTEMBER! Amy -and Jill - would like to invite you to participate in a fall perennial split at the pool parking lot on Saturday 9/26 from 10-12. This event is free of charge to people who have plants to trade. If you would rather purchase perennials, there will also be plants available for sale to benefit the SHRA entrances. To trade, please place your perennial(s) with a good amount of soil surrounding the roots in a disposable pot or bag with no holes. Please attach a label to your perennial with as much information as possible. Some ideas for helpful, but not required, information include: the plant name, full growth size, preference for sun/shade, color of foliage or flowers, time of season that it blooms, and any other information (i.e. can be invasive, susceptible to slugs, deer resistant, etc).
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