What do they have in common?
They are all sites that were recommended by John Kline of the Missouri & Mississippi Divide Resource Conservation & Development Inc. (M&M Divide RC&D Inc.) as areas that would be suitable for the proposed Sac City Community Garden.
A community garden, as proposed would be a lot like a personal garden. It's simply a plot of land, possibly 12 feet by 15 feet in size that would be provided at minimal cost to people with either too little land on their property, or to people that are not allowed to create a garden on the property they lease.
In larger cities, abandoned lots are typically targeted for this kind of transformation, but here in Sac City, the council doesn't have that kind of easy go-to location for this kind of project. They have therefore spent the last few council meetings discussing the possibilities.
When Sac City Administrator Adam Ledford brought Mr. Kline's recommendations before the council on February 8, 2010, the council dismissed Lion's Park out of hand as too prone to flooding. This logically led them to rule out City Park for the same reason.
Mr. Kline's interest in the middle school was based on its proximity to the disused greenhouse. Ledford reminded the council that if it was their judgment that the middle school was the ideal location, then it would be out of their hands and up to the school to initiate a community garden in that location. Therefore the middle school was ruled out.
Ledford also reminded the council that the farmland north of Kid's World was leased out for farming and that there would have to be some negotiation in order to utilize that location. Maintenance Department Head Bob Schaffer’s suggested that the council consider the Kirby Vest Industrial Park but that land too, is leased out for farming.
Scheffler also suggested the triangle shaped plot on North 5th Street near the north gate of Oakland Cemetery. It's major merits are that it would be good for Sac City's Image, considering that it would be one of the first things people see when entering town from the north, and that there is plenty of parking. The city council didn't consider this suggestion for longer than a few moments, though. The main reason seemed to be that they were unsure if the property owners would allow them to start tilling it up.
This left the water tower and the cemetery.
Councilperson Nich Frohardt suggested just putting out the sign up information with refundable fee. Saying, "If there's five [people] Fine, throw [the garden] up by the water tower, if we get 20, [people] we're going to have to go north of the cemetery"
Councilperson Jim Johnston objected to locating the garden at the water tower claiming that it would be a security risk... he said, "You're just drawing attention to the water tower, people breaking into it, vandalism."
Frohardt asked him, "Gardeners?"
Johnston answered "Most water towers are fenced in anymore so people can't even get onto the properties. In fact, with the rural water system, it's a law that they have too. You have to fence them off"
Both Frohardt and Mayor Barb Powell agreed that they should just step back and see how many people are interested before worrying about where to locate the garden. According to Ledford, Tom Duncan, of the ISU Extension has already expressed interest in a plot for the Master Gardeners.
If the community garden becomes a reality, M&M Divide RC&D Inc. will prepare the ground and keep a nearby water trough full. They will also take care of abandoned plots until the end of the season. Gardeners will be responsible for providing their own fence if they want one, and the city will handle disputes between gardeners.
The proposed price of one plot is $20.00 per season.
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CONNECTIONS:
According to http://www.mmdividercd.org/off-staff.asp Sac City Councilperson Jim Frederick, who brought this project to the council, is an M&M Divide RC & D council member.
According to http://www.mmdividercd.org/off-staff.asp Person interesting in getting the first plot, Tom Duncan, is an M&M Divide RC & D council member.
http://www.mmdividercd.org/projects.asp
This item is not on the February 22, 2010 Sac City Council agenda
Copyright (c)2007-2010 Curtis Bloes
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