RE: Re: Carpets in gardens/ 5 Point Bulletin for a Community Garden Problem

H* A*

Elmer et al.:

One of the gambits used in NYC garden destruction is to pit the garden's
current existence against  rival, socially beneficial land usages. We have a
struggling garden in an urban renewal area near us between 51st & 52nd
Streets and Tenth Avenue in Manhattan whose existence is threatened by
proposed senior citizen housing. 

There are three tenements which run from 51st Street to mid-block, the Oasis
II garden and then a commercial building abutting 52nd Street. The senior
citizen proposal would demolish the three tenements ( all viable rehab-able
low income housing) and extend onto the garden area. The proposer of the
proposition is a Roman Catholic sister who runs a day program for seniors in
my neighborhood and serves thousands of meals a year through her lunch
program in Hells Kitchen. Her current program abuts the theater district,
the church that the program is affiliated with has sold air rights to
developers for a large adjacent building and she has now many friends in the
real estate and theater management business. Please understand that I find
her work laudable ( I work in my own synagogue's Sunday soup kitchen/lunch
program near the Central Park zoo) and her accommodations to her neighbors
with money necessary for the continuance of her work. 

However, we're choking on exhaust fumes in our neighborhood, our community
board area ( which runs from 14th street to 60th St. bordered on the West by
the Hudson river, on the east by 8th until 24th street where it  broadens to
6th avenue) has the second least open green space for citizens of all of
NYC's 59 community boards.

I've probably told you more than you need to know about our parochial
affair. Here's my question because I will be dealing with this proposal as a
member of my Community Board's Land Use Sub-Committee:

From clinical gerontology, social, practical real-life standpoints what are
the measurable benefits of gardens within a senior housing setting?
Understand, that the community gardeners would be doing the work but would
be working with the senior center to make this happen. The garden would cost
the senior center nothing.

Thank you for reading this over-long missive,

Adam

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Physa@aol.com [SMTP:Physa@aol.com]
> Sent:	Thursday, March 23, 2000 8:33 AM
> To:	community_garden@mallorn.com
> Subject:	[cg] Re: Carpets in gardens
> 
> In a message, one of the posting individuals asked a question about the 
> advisability of carpets used in garden paths:
> 
> We have used carpets in our community garden for years and I have observed
> 
> the following:
> 
>     1. they provide protection and harborage for rodents and insects, 
> particularly            when stored over the nongardening season as well
> as 
> during the gar. season.
>     2. if they are dark in color, they can be used to warm the soil in the
> 
> spring
>       3. disposal  after use is a problem
>     4. they help to preserve moisture
>     5. they are good at surpressing weeds
>     6. they are not natural looking
>     7. they may produce unwanted chemicals and unnatural chemicals by
> leaching
>         sizing, cleaners, and dyes into the soil
>     8. once they are allowed into the garden, their later exclusion can 
> produce a 
>         public relations problem.
> 
> Elmer Morehouse
> Garden Supervisor-Southfield Senior Citizen's gardens-110   400 sq. ft
> plots
>     
> 
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