I'm heading a group in Rockville, Maryland with a goal of having community gardens within walking distance of all our citizens. Last year we began our first garden, bringing the number of community gardens in Rockville to three. Our search for other workable sites lead us to a 50 foot by 400 foot site between a parking lot and a road adjacent to a new community center that will be built this year. We hope to get this garden into the City's official plan for the park surrounding the community center. It is on level ground in full sun. If we don't put a garden on it, it will be grass covered open space. They can't plant trees on it since there is a pipeline underneath. In the map at http://www.rockvillemd.gov/cip/thomasfarmcc/ThosFarmCC-site-plan.gif, it is the strip of ground north of the parking lot and south of Fallsgrove Drive. (Just so's you can picture it). While the City has been very supportive of our efforts to date (our current garden is on City property), they are not supportive of using this land for gardens. They may give us some land in the adjacent park, but have warned us that community gardens did very poorly in the survey of community desires for that space. They have also pointed out several potential sites owned by the local neighborhood association. Each of these has some potential and none is as attractive to us as the site by the community center. Permission from the ndighborhood association can't be assumed either. City staff have told us "the proposed site out in front of the Thomas Farm Community Center is just not appropriate. This would be similar to having a community garden right in front of the Fitzgerald Theatre or any other flagship City facility. We agree that in terms of the gardens' needs, the site is a good one. It is simply not a compatible or appropriate site for a community garden." I think a community garden in front of Fitzgerald Theatre would be fabulous. I think a garden in front of the Community Center is a better use than a grass field between a parking lot and a road. I hope to convince them that community gardens are compatible and appropriate for high visibility sites. If you have experience with community gardens in front of community centers or other such flagship facilities, please send me a description of how that is working out. Pictures are also welcome. I hope to put together a briefing package showing a number of examples where gardens have been good neighbors with community centers. Pro gardening philosophical ramblings are also welcome. Please send them to me at carlhenn at comcast.net. Carl Henn
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