Village board ponders community garden WATKINS GLEN, Jan. 21 -- The Watkins Glen Village Board Tuesday night gave its backing to the concept of a community garden in the village, potentially on village-owned land.
The proposal was broached to the board by Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County and Catholic Charities, representatives of whom told the board a garden is also being considered at the site of the Hidden Valley 4-H camp, and that a representative of Watkins Glen High School has been approached about a possible garden on land there -- potentially to be run in conjunction with science-class projects. Roger Ort, the Extension's Horticultural Program Assistant, says that since arriving in Schuyler in October, the most phone calls he has received have pertained to the need for community gardens . He and Catholic Charities representative Sarah Conley told the board that Charities has a grant in hand to finance a garden in the village, while Ort says grant money is being sought for the Hidden Valley garden. Development of a garden at that site, he said, is "90 percent sure." The school-property garden has been proposed to a science teacher, the village board was told, with the understanding that the teacher would take it to higher authorities -- and with the idea that it might be tied into the science curriculum. Ort and Conley asked if the village might provide land it owns in the vicinity of Clute Park -- specifying that it would be surrounded by a "not highly visible" fence to keep out deer, and that it would not be a cost burden to the village residents. One trustee asked if use of a nearby water outlet might cost the village in terms of water use, but the reply was no -- that water conservation would be part of the operation. Conley said the amount of land being sought would be "a quarter of an acre, or a half, or ideally an acre. We'll take whichever we can get. Whatever the size, we will use it." Gardens like this -- they used to be called Victory Gardens in wartime -- are an endangered breed, says Ort, who noted that Extension is planning a course in February or March that teaches the basics of gardening and canning. The need for gardens, he and Conley told the board, is evident in a significant increase this year in the use of food pantries by county residents. Attendance at pantries, Ort says, "is way up from last year" -- possibly twice the general turnout of a year ago. Community gardens -- possibly in more than one spot in the village, one board member suggested -- would be utilized by people who don't have land of their own to use in providing their families with food in a cost-effective way during a period of economic turmoil. The board said that it would meet with the heads of its Public Works and Parks departments to discuss potentially suitable sites. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Earn your permaculture design certificate. The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute offers affordable local classes. http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - _______________________________________________ FLX Permaculture Network listserv RSS, archives, subscription & listserv info: http://www.flxpermaculture.net Support the list host by donating to: http://www.mutualaid.org
