Despite the setback, city representatives are working with garden committee members on setting up a new garden site, possibly moving it from Pipit Drive and West Las Palmas Avenue to a future park at American Eagle and Sperry avenues.
City officials met last week with garden representatives to discuss the matter, and so far everyone is cautiously optimistic.
“We’ll see what happens,” community garden committee chair Jenifer West said. “The fact that at least there’s some movement going on is exciting to me.”
Adrienne Chaney, the city’s recreation and community services director, said the city is considering placing the garden in the future Amaryllis Park on the southeast corner of Sperry and American Eagle avenues in the Patterson Gardens development.
The city is also looking at creating a demonstration garden there of native California drought-tolerant plants. The demonstration garden could help in the city’s efforts to meet state mandates to reduce water usage in future years, Chaney explained. City officials are considering using rain barrels to catch rainwater, as well as using low amounts of pesticides and possibly incorporating solar panels.
Chaney thinks the community garden also may be a good fit for the triangular shaped park. She expressed enthusiasm about the community garden committee’s proposal, and she said she felt it was unfortunate that the previous site on land owned by the Stanislaus County Housing Authority did not work out.
When city officials reviewed the proposal for that site, they realized the project would require professional plans, Chaney said. Dual laws passed in 2010, both federally and in California, set out stricter regulations designed to help disabled people be as mobile as anyone else, and they apply to all places that are open to the public.
As a result, the community garden site would need a paved or compacted granite path of travel that is acceptable to a “mobility device” such as a wheelchair or a walker, said Jim Swanson, chief building official for the City of Patterson. It also would require plans by a professional architect to ensure that equal access is given to people with disabilities.
“Unfortunately, when it comes to accessibility, we can’t accept plans on scratch paper,” Swanson said.
West said she had no problems with the disability access rules. At the same time, she said the nonprofit Patterson Four Season Community Garden committee that is backing the project simply cannot afford the infrastructure and plans required to develop the garden at its current site.
“The days when a nice group of folks could go out to build something — it’s a lot more challenging than it used to be,” she said.
She said she was pleased with the city’s efforts to work with community garden advocates, and she thought the new proposed site was a good one. West also was interested in the prospect of the demonstration garden, saying it could serve as habitat for butterflies and bees.
The initial community garden site was slated to have a storage center, an educational area and 30 garden plots where individuals could grow their own fruits and vegetables. West came up with the idea after noticing vacant lots while driving around town two years ago and pondering the idea of planting food there that could feed local residents.
The nonprofit community garden committee subsequently formed to take on the project.
Though no timeline has been set for the community garden, Chaney hoped to have paperwork completed within the next several months to allow it to be placed in the future park. She hoped the garden could open sometime within the next year.
Chaney expressed excitement about the idea of incorporating the community garden into the city’s new park.
“What more important way to provide for the health of your own family than to grow your own food?” she asked.
• Jonathan Partridge can be reached at 892-6187, ext. 26, or jonathan@pattersonirrigator.com
Post a Comment
