"What is the status of the community garden project that is to be built on Phillips Ave and Lombardy Street?
I noticed today that city surveyors were again surveying the property (3rd time) and again driving the survey stakes into the exact same places as before. I walked along behind them watching as they worked.
How much has the city spent to date on this project?
How much does the city intend to spend on this project?
Is Gayland A. Oliver still in charge of this project? (Follow the link for background on Mr Oliver: http://greensboroperformingarts. blogspot.com/search/label/ Gayland%20Anthony%20Oliver ) Does Mr Oliver have any previous experience growing crops?I ask that because it has taken me a lifetime to become proficient as a gardener and I still can't hold a candle to my mother.
Is A&T University still planning to provide $40,000 for this project?
Do you have blueprints for the project? I'd like to see them.
Has the proposed water service been installed yet?
How will water be moved across the creek that flows through the middle of the project?
The creek has flowed water 365 days a year for the last 57 years that I'm aware of-- why was the creek not considered as a water source for watering vegetables as any real farming operation would have done?
I've relied 100% on rainwater storage for the last decade to water my garden and found it produces healthier plants at considerably less expense than city water. Could the taxpayers not benefit from reducing the cost of growing vegetables? I'm all for the idea of community gardens but a poorly planned first try will ruin any chance of expanding the program.
Are toxins from Lorillard Tobacco Company where the creek originates, making the water unsafe for watering vegetables?
Has the creek been tested for water quality?
Does the City have the results of those tests?
It was my understanding that this project was to be in operation before now. I've already started planting my 2014 garden and my peas are already popping through the ground just as they do every February, when will this project be finished?
There are also concerns with what is in the ground at the site chosen. That site was at one time a rock quarry. As a matter of fact: most all of the stone and gravel used to build the original downtown Greensboro, Fisher Park, Aycock, Irving Park, College Hill and most of Greensboro's historic neighborhoods was mined there.
Like so many rock quarries, it eventually became a deep and very dangerous lake. I used to play there as a child and get a whipping every time my parents found out. Several children and adults drowned there when I was growing up. Criminals used it as a place to hide their get-away cars and guns used in crimes. Companies dumped toxic chemicals there. Construct contractors still use the property to this day to dump construction waste (C&D) that the city cleans up from time to time. Nothing was ever retrieved. As of my visit today there were several old television picture tubes (Haz-mat) on the grounds there.
Of course, depending on how the gardens are designed that isn't necessarily a problem but it needs to be kept in mind.Previously I suggested to Denise Turner Roth that 1207 Willard St, another city owned property is available. This property is almost completely flat and already has water and sewer hookups. It can also be more easily monitored by neighbors and it is only 1 block away from the Lombardy St site. Previously there were not 1 but 3 houses on that site. Ms Roth never replied to my e-mail.
Of course the 1207 Willard St site has no creek but if properly constructed rainwater could be collected to provide most if not all of the water needs. My e-mail to her included cheap sources for materials and fencing as well. I still have it and could forward it if you like. And 1207 Willard was one part of the Pinnix family farm, and not a toxic waste dump.
Thanks -Billy"
I honestly believe that community gardens are a necessary part of our long term survival. Not everyone is as fortunate as myself to have grown up with parents who were raised on the farm and believed it imperative that children learn how to work the soil. The working class cannot afford imported food nor is it healthy. Community gardens will serve not only as a place to grow food but more importantly as a place to learn to grow food so that others can take what they learn and return home to do what my family has done on this east Greensboro lot for the last 57 years. This community garden will never be able to feed an entire neighborhood but if done right it has the potential to feed enough knowledge into the neighborhood so that the neighborhood can someday feed itself.
That's why it is imperative that we get it right the first time and not let the usual suspects destroy it before it has a chance to grow and set fruit.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got seeds to sow as I garden 12 months a year.
Update: Thursday, March 6, 2014: This morning I sent the following e-mail to Judi Mackey of Lazard who has been hired by RJ Reynolds to oversee the proposed buyout of Lorillard Tobacco. Maybe she can get answers the City of Greensboro seems slow to respond to:
"Would a merger/buyout between your customer, RJ Reynolds and Lorillard Tobacco mean that environmental concerns with the creek that originates on Lorillard's East Market St factory property in Greensboro, North Carolina, finally be cleared up? http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2014/02/whats-up-with-community-gardens.html
Thank you -Billy Jones"
We'll see if the power of multi-billion dollar multi-nationals puts a little spring in the step of the City of Greensboro.
Please continue reading Update On The Urban Farm Project
Previously: Did The illegal Greensboro Inn, Bessemer Shopping Center Swap Kill The Phillips Avenue Community Garden?
