Re: 6th Street & Avenue B Garden responds

**A*@aol.com**

I'm glad I managed to get a rise out of you on this accessibilty issue, Bill. 
  I ain't the only keeper of the garden -we have 4,999 + others too. :)

I know, as a community gardener who has visited 6B on days when gardeners are 
inside and the gates are locked, to come in and be told, "when the gates are 
closed, we're closed," myself ,for years (and I helped dig the place out with 
Liz Christy) and kept my mouth shut about it - for the cause, that it's been 
our "dirty little secret," 

The exception has been, when a great  gardener, who respects other visiting 
gardeners, like Carolyn Ratcliffe has been  inside those garden gates,  and 
graciously showed folks about the place.

Honest injun - over the years we've hasd garden visitors at the CCG  who've  
said, in reference to 6B, and some other LES gardens,  that they "couldn't get 
in, and there were gardeners walking around inside who ignored us." 

So when a Californian community garden visitor, lets the listserv know about 
yer "when the gates are closed, we're closed," attitude, I figured maybe we 
can change this perception and practice, for good, by airing the issue. 

Now - If your garden membership decides to change this perception of being 
closed, private clubs, by " start[ing] with a sign, like we have at the Clinton 
Community Garden that says," If you want to visit our garden when the gate is 
closed and a gardener is inside, please ask to be let in, " then I certainly 
will not have to listen to beefs from visiting gardeners, many as far flung as 
Eastern Europe or Japan,  or have any myself. 

FYI - The CCG isn't open at 3 am, but then CCG is available and open by one 
of our five thousand plus garden keys from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year.  
When there is a rare safety emergency, and the night lock is on during the 
daytime - like when ice has made the brick paths really dangerous, we do have 
the grace to go to the gate and explain to someone who wants to build a snowman, 
that we're dealing with the ice and that we'll be open as soon as it's safe.  
Which is usually in about an hour. And the neighborhood comes in, with keys, 
or if one of us is inside we open it, and we build snowmen, or make snow 
angels in pristine snow. 

Please feel free to visit our steering committee meetings, which take place  
during the first Tuesday evening of the month, at Fountain House, posted on 
the our website - 
 Clinton Community Garden . Per Robert's Rules, we would be delighted to see 
you during the visitors section of the meeting.  I'll be around the garden 
this weekend, and we're doing a garden clean up on Saturday, October 15th - come 
on up, we always welcome an extra pair of hands to work with our compost bin, 
tote in soil amendments, and other end of season chores. 

At any other time, if  the gate isn't open, and one of us is inside, we'll be 
sure to let you in - if one of our 5,000 keyholders hasn't read the sign on 
the door, you tell 'em to get their fanny  to the gate and let you in. If you 
bike uptown, we have two bike racks in front of our garden gates for you. 

Also, thank you for you information re garden insurance.  Your news of  
NOSC's alleged discontinuation of CG garden insurance is, if true, is  troubling. 
I'll have to call them on Monday to get the dope on this, because like every 
other community garden in NYC, we'll have to scramble to find a new carrier. 
Green Thumb has certainly not spread the word, but then they're often the last to 
let us gardeners know. 

Be well, 
Adam Honigman
Volunteer & Steering Committee Member
Clinton Community Garden 

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