RE: The Community Garden Sustainability Playbook in Action

**"Alliums" g*@green-logic.com**

Hi, Folks!

Adam adam36055@aol.com wrote:

<<The attached message is local, but the range of activities engaged in, by
the garden gives a good example of what sucessful, sustainable garden has to
do to keep the wolves from the door>>

Thanks for the nice words, Adam.  Unfortunately, the wolf is back at the
door, so we've updated our e-mail list and are making every effort to get
the word out about what we do and who we do it with.

In short, the Housing Authority of Chester County sent the church notice
that they will not renew our lease when it expires in 8/09.  The Chair of
the Board of Directors of the Housing Authority has a significant financial
interest in removing the community garden and then expanding the current
housing project.  

We have proposed that the land the community garden and labyrinth rest on
officially become the public open space they currently are being used as
either by a) the Housing Authority donating the land as public land trust in
exchange for developing the remaining land or b) allowing us to purchase the
land through the new PA Growing Greener funds which buys up open space for
current use.  I'm attending the PA DCNR workshop on these funding
opportunities on April 13.

It will be interesting how all this plays out. We have political friends.
The Chair of the Board of Directors also has political friends and
considerable cash at his disposal.  E-mails that I was not supposed to see
from Board members attempt to characterize us as "a little vegetable garden
with a walkway that received free water from the Housing Authority." 

Meanwhile, we start our seeds, tend our crops and make sure that anyone,
anywhere that has anything to do with land planning/open space/hunger
relief/gardening in northern Chester County knows what we're doing and has a
warm invitation to stop by, visit and maybe join us.

Community gardening - it's 50% gardening and 100% political -- always!

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

______________________________________________________
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@mallorn.com

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription:  https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden