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Community Garden Project Update
Our RCPNA Community Garden Subcommittee has been making steady progress, enlisting over 66 residents and 20 technical advisors to identify where and how a proposed garden would work. We have brought together these and many other stakeholders to craft a vision for a garden that both meets City of Portland plans and requirements and promotes the creation of a treasured community gathering place.
As has been detailed in previous newsletters, while other sites remain in consideration, we have pinpointed Frazer Park as the most viable location in our neighborhood for a community garden at this time. Other sites considered were Rose City Park and the Rose City Park School. On September 22 we voted to recommend to the RCPNA Board and Portland Parks and Recreation a final site plan for a Frazer Park garden that details its layout and amenities and how it will be integrated into the two-and-a-half-acre park.
The plan specifies a total garden space of about 10,000 square feet created through the removal of the existing asphalt in the middle of the park. The existing basketball court would be preserved, as would 30 feet of paving adjacent to the former Normandale Elementary School for use by children enrolled in the Albina Early Head Start program there. Paved pathways around the garden would be retained for use by bicyclists and roller-skaters, and a gathering spot will be created outside the fenced garden and near the picnic table for neighbors and gardeners to use to socialize and share ideas about gardening.
Much work remains to be done. Our chief hurdles at this point are getting water piped to the site and generating startup and operating funds. Elaine Harrison, Executive Director of Albina Early Head Start, has agreed to arrange for a water pipe to branch off of the school’s line, thereby alleviating some of the fees ($22,000!) normally charged by the city for a water connection of this type. We still need help from Parks Commissioner Nick Fish’s office to waive the fees that remain. Once RCPNA and Portland Parks approve the recommended site plan, we will pursue grants, donations, and volunteer labor to finance and undertake construction of the garden. Stay tuned for our holiday wish list!
Thanks to Subcommittee members and others who have pitched in to get us this far. We hope that through this project we can enhance our community and grow a healthier neighborhood now and for generations to come.
Neighbors who want to keep tabs on or volunteer to help out with this project can sign up on our Google Group site at groups.google.com/group/rcpnacg or contact me, Tamara DeRidder, at SustainableDesign@tdridder.users.panix.com.
щ۠Submitted by Tamara DeRidder, AICP, Co-Chair, RCPNA Land Use/Transportation Committee |
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