Jim, Congratulations. What an accomplishment and a credit to you and your city for their 'good sense'.
Let's give a great ! ! ! HOORAY ! ! ! for community Gardens ! ! ! ! ! Pauline Tessier On Oct 24, 2006, at 8:04 AM, Jim Flint wrote: > October 24, 2006 > > Dear ACGA colleagues, > > This past summer a news story circulated on the ACGA list serv > regarding the > potential sale of publicly owned land in Burlington's Intervale. The > story > was of particular interest as the parcel of land to be sold included > the > five acre Tommy Thompson Community Garden, which is the largest > community > garden in Vermont. > > During the past four months of advocacy, public input, and > negotiations, an > easement protecting the community garden in perpetuity at its existing > location was added to the land sale Memorandum of Agreement. The > easement is > in addition to a larger farmland easement that conserves the organic > farms > located in the Intervale on the 199 acre parcel of land. > > The Tommy Thompson Community Garden, with its 150 plots, will continue > to be > managed by the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department. While the > land > for the five acre garden site will be transferred from the city owned > Burlington Electric Department to the nonprofit Intervale Center, the > Parks > and Recreation Department will retain access to the land and ownership > of > all improvements on the garden site. > > The passage of the land sale agreeement, as highlighted in the article > below > in today's Burlington Free Press, represents a win-win partnership for > organic farming and community gardening in Burlington. Previously, the > Tommy > Thompson garden had a nine year lease with Burlington Electric; as a > result > of last night's City Council vote, the community garden site is now > protected in perpetuity. > > Jim Flint, Executive Director > Friends of Burlington Gardens > 33 Tracy Drive > Burlington, VT 05408 > 802.658.5733 > www.burlingtongardens.org > > > Burlington City Council approves Intervale land sale > http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ > 20061024/NEWS02/610240307/1007 > > Published: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 > By John Briggs > Free Press Staff Writer > > The administration of Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss won a solid victory > Monday > night when the City Council approved the sale of 199 acres of > city-owned > land in the Intervale to the non-profit Intervale Center. The vote was > 7-5. > The sale of the land for $200,000 seemed at times over the last two > months > to be headed for delay if not defeat in the council, as some > complained that > the price was too low and the sale unnecessary. > > Kiss won over the influential Friends of Burlington Gardens group by > negotiating language in a memorandum of agreement with the Intervale > Center > that guaranteed the Tommy Thompson Community Garden, located on the > sale > land, would stay where it is "in perpetuity" and with a possibility in > the > future to expand. > > The Community and Economic Development Office made a question and > answer > sheet on the transaction available at meetings and on its Web site, > also > posted the agreement and created a newspaper insert. As the information > about the sale became easily available to residents, much of the > opposition > melted away. Few residents attended the last public meeting, held Oct. > 4 in > Contois Auditorium. > > The land is owned by the Burlington Electric Department, and much of > the > sale land has been leased by the Intervale Center from BED since 1996. > The > Intervale Center, under the terms of that lease, had the right of first > refusal when BED decided to sell the land. The land will continue to > be used > for agricultural development. > > The city won another concession from the purchaser by holding on to an > undivided 1 percent ownership of the land, which means in practice > that the > city would be involved in a future sale of the land. The city would > have the > first opportunity to buy the land back. The council also will have a > representative on the Intervale Center's board, and its management > plan for > the land must be approved by the council every 10 years. > > While opponents on the council argued that the city should retain the > land > and explore giving the Intervale Center a long-term lease, Kiss said > BED > couldn't give the city title to the land; instead, it must sell it for > the > benefit of BED ratepayers, meaning the city would have to find the > money for > the purchase. The Intervale Center argued in public meetings and in > information sheets that ownership of the land would enhance its > ability to > raise grant money for continued agricultural improvements. Over time, > the > adjustments to the memorandum of agreement and the continued > involvement of > the public convinced a majority of councilors that the sale made sense. > > Monday, those voting in support of the sale were: Council President Ian > Carleton, D-Ward 1; Jane Knodell, P-Ward 2; Cheryl McDonough, P-Ward > 2; Tim > Ashe, P-Ward 3; Clarence Davis, P-Ward 3; Russ Ellis, D-Ward 4; and > Barbara > Perry, I, Ward 6. Voting against the sale were: Kurt Wright, R-Ward 4; > Bill > Keogh, D-Ward 5; Joan Shannon, D-Ward 5; Andy Montroll, D-Ward 6; and > Carmen > George, D-Ward 7. Sharon Bushor, I-Ward 1, who supported the sale, and > Paul > Decelles, R-Ward 7, who opposed it, were absent. > > > > _______________________________________________ > The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of > ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA > and to find out how to join, please go to > http://www.communitygarden.org > > To post an e-mail to the list: > community_garden at list.communitygarden.org > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: > http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/ > community_garden_list.communitygarden.org >
