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Date: 6/26/2015
CHICOPEE – While the funding is in place to start a community garden in Lincoln Grove Park, there are still many issues to be determined on who will be eligible to use the garden and how it will be operated.
The City Council approved two grants at its last meeting that will fund the garden. The city received a $5,000 grant from the Harvard Pilgrim, Health care Foundation and a $1,000 grant from the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund.
Parks Superintendent Carolyn Porter explained to Reminder Publications that while more funding would be welcomed, the city now has the money to start the garden. She expects the garden will be installed this year and the crops grown there will be a collective effort rather than a group of individual gardens.
She explained the Garden Committee, a group of people who have worked with the Parks Commission, would be responsible in proposing the details of the garden. There are questions about fencing, whether or not there will be raised beds, among other issues, she said. Porter added, also to be determined in who will be eligible to use the garden.
“There are multiple ways to approach it,” Porter said. She noted there could a lottery to determine the participants. While this is the first such garden in a park, Porter noted there are two community gardens at schools.
She noted the one at the Bowe School is started by the students and is cared for by members of the neighborhood after school lets out for the summer. As far as having a second garden park property, Porter said, “It’s hard to find a spot on park property.” Most of the space at a city park is dedicated to athletics, she explained, and a garden location would have to be accessible to vehicles, be in a central location to deter vandalism and have a water source.
“There’s a lot that goes into a site,” she said.