Plans to plant a community garden in a green space near East View Crescent will not come to fruition.
“It is obvious they don’t want it, but it is too bad the group feels this way,” said East View resident Jim Moore. “There was lots of energy put into this, energy which has been basically wasted. It was a good idea. The park is basically underutilized and it seemed like the ideal space.”
Coun. Gayle Rondeel originally planted seeds of optimism with her idea of having the community garden in East View.
However, those seeds were angrily crushed by residents, who vehemently opposed the idea at a meeting April 4.
At its April 8 meeting, council agreed to seed the area back to grass.
“When it’s all said and done, hopefully they will have green grass in a couple of months,” said Mayor Sheldon Ibbotson.
In the council package, Rondeel gave a written report of her reasons for wanting a community garden near to East View Crescent.
“The town has very few green spaces that are suitable for a community garden. East View Crescent has lots of open area, no trees to block the sunshine, accessibility to water, a great neighborhood and a green space that is used very little,” she said. “It seemed like the ideal location.”
With these thoughts in mind, Rondeel proceeded with her plan. She requested public works employees to till a space and had some black soil removed from a borrow pit to put on the garden. She disked it with her own tractor.
She received support from FCSS, Parent Link and seniors who said they wanted to garden because their pensions had been reduced.
“Never did I imagine a community garden would be offensive to anyone,” she said.
However, Rondeel was hit with hailstones of opposition when residents of East View began a petition to stop the community garden.
Dave Karroll accused her of using the town’s money without consulting taxpayers to plan a community garden that would lower property values and have the potential to be an eyesore to the subdivision. He pointed out the present community garden is weedy and unattended.
A meeting regarding the community garden where residents voiced their displeasure at the idea proved to be the final vicious storm that killed the garden before any seeds were allowed to germinate.
Despite the opposition, Coun. Rondeel felt the meeting went well.
“I was pleased so many came out to the meeting but was disappointed that community garden will not be at East View Crescent. There seems to be a lot of history between the town and the people of East View Crescent and much of it was brought to light at the meeting. Together we can start to mend relations with the community.”