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