Hi, Folks!
Great op-ed by Brain McCarthy of The Phoenix: Dorene Pasekoff, Coordinator St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden and Labyrinth A mission of St. John's United Church of Christ, 315 Gay Street, Phoenixville, PA 19460 **************************************************************************** ****************************** Thursday, February 28, 2008 Community pressure on St. John's garden pays off beyond the wall by brian mccarthy Perhaps it was the outpouring of community support. It could have been the series of informal meetings that borough council officials held with members of the Housing Authority of Chester County. Or maybe it was just those snazzy tomato stickers. In any case, St. John's United Church of Christ Organic Community Garden will remain on its .84 acre site (which is HACC property) while low-income family housing is constructed in the area. Garden members including coordinator Dorene Pasekoff and St. John's U.C.C. Pastor Linda Gruber, as well as community supporters including borough councilman Mike Speck, D-East, were hopeful before the meeting that the HACC board of directors would decide to extend the garden's property lease. This objective was the focus of Gruber's proposal to the board during its meeting in December. Even though that didn't happen, board President Donald J.L. Coppedge said that the garden would remain in one of two ways: it could either receive a long-term lease or purchase its parcel from the HACC to own itself. All in all the board's announcement seemed like a reason to celebrate for all involved. Patrick Bokovitz of the HACC's board of directors commented that the Fairview housing development would be done "through the borough planning process," a definite plus since many people have remarked in the past that it's seemed as if the HACC has attempted to circumvent the borough council and planning commission in its efforts to develop plans for the Fairview project. The HACC board had kind words for the garden. Many residents of King Terrace (where the board meeting was held) applauded the HACC's efforts to provide affordable housing to those in need. Hugs were shared between Coppedge and Gruber, future meetings were promised between HACC, St. John's U.C.C. and borough officials including borough council Vice President Richard Mark Kirkner, D-Middle. You could hear the collective sigh of relief from the community gardeners and supporters once the discussion ended. The positive energy was so palpable, Coppedge joked "I wish we had some grape juice!" Yeah, I didn't get it either. Not only does the compromise allowing the garden to remain mean that local non-profits including PACS will continue to receive fresh produce generously donated by the members of the garden (PACS executive director Carol Berger has said the gardeners give much more than the standard Biblical tithe of ten percent). It also provides a pleasant footnote to the latest honor bestowed upon the garden. Last week, the garden and Pasekoff were awarded a "Seeds of Encouragement" grant by the Community Gardens As Appleseeds Foundation of Los Gatos, Calif. The $50 grant, which Pasekoff says will be used to take some of the gardeners to the Philadelphia Flower Shower next week and possibly be used to purchase a birdbath, was given to the garden for Pasekoff's advice on the American Community Gardening Association's Listserv. The listserv is a professional society in which community gardens across the United States and Canada offer tips and advice to each other. The listserv can be visited at www.communitygarden.org/connect/listserv.php. But there may have been a couple of sour grapes used in this juice. Of primary concern is the garden's community labyrinth, which according to the HACC's statement read during Tuesday's meeting will "likely not be included" in the compromise. Dug by volunteers in 2005, the meditative labyrinth is open throughout the year and is worked on by many volunteer groups for days of service. To me, the labyrinth and garden go hand in hand. Both, not just the garden, are extremely beneficial to the community. The labyrinth's fate isn't set in stone, however, and Gruber has said she will continue to work with HACC to include the labyrinth in future plans for the site. Another sour grape is the housing project itself. The HACC and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development have not been very forthcoming with plans for the project, and we still don't know much if anything about what is definite in regards to the plan. This is not just a sentiment of my own, but one shared by multiple people involved with the garden and borough government. The lack of communication between the borough, HACC and HUD reached the point where at a resident's request U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, D-7th, sent a letter to HUD requesting details on the plan. HUD mailed a response to Sestak on February 10; Sestak mailed his request on December 19. HUD's response stated among other points that previously released sketches were "concept plans" and subject to change. It also responded to Sestak's letter by separating the project into two "phases," with phase one including the construction of 10 new townhouses and a new road extending to Fairview Street. Phase two would include 16 additional townhouses. However, HACC has not submitted this development proposal to HUD, and HUD states that the proposed "phase two" development is still in the "planning stages." Hmm. In additional to these "clarifications," borough figures including Kirkner and Main Street Community Development Corporation Executive Director Barry Cassidy have said that there is no need for additional public housing on the north side. And while these housing projects will be underway, currently 16 of 20 public housing units on Fairview are vacant, which both Mayor Leo Scoda and Kirkner have stated after speaking with Phoenixville Police Department personnel. HACC Executive Director Tonya K. Mitchell Weston has previously said there is a long waiting list and that this is due to a thorough screening process. A lot of questions remain. But I'm hopeful these will all be addressed in future meetings between the borough, HACC and garden representatives. And in the end, the most important thing is that the garden will remain, so for the immediate future it's best not to dwell on these for too long. Congratulations to Gruber, Pasekoff and the rest of the gardeners for being able to continue their tremendous efforts to feeding the needy members of our community. To email Brian about his column, contact him at [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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