Letter to the Editor: Community Garden Is More Than Just a Good Idea
LICAN director says the garden will benefit the community until a community center can be built.
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As one of the founding members of the Long Island Agriculture Network, I appreciate the concerns of the anonymous resident of Huntington Station quoted at length in your recent article, "Community Garden a Good Idea 'In Theory.'" (Editor's note: the resident is not anonymous to Huntington Patch. We agreed to keep him anonymous because of any possible threat of retaliation from gang members for his speaking out.)
No one involved in this project is under any illusion that a garden is a solution to the serious problem of gang violence in the Station. However, we believe that community gardens can bring numerous benefits to a neighborhood, including providing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, encouraging self-reliance, stimulating social interaction among the gardeners, and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise and education.
Our search for land to create a garden in the Station revealed that the Town of Huntington had plans for a recreation center on the land in question. But when we inquired about those plans—months before the recent violence—we learned that a variety of problems—including acquiring two small, privately owned plots—dictated that there would be a significant delay in building the center.
We offered the idea of a community garden as an interim use, and the town embraced it, recognizing the range of potential benefits. But interim is key. We will be building the garden in a modular fashion, using raised beds that can literally be picked up and relocated when the town is ready to build the recreation center.
In the meantime, we are hopeful that town residents will soon see a beautiful new garden in bloom, with tomatoes and greens and herbs and strawberries that will, in reality, not in theory, bring joy to those who eat them.
As for dealing with potential vandalism of the garden—or worse—we hope that we can duplicate the dialog that helped protect a community garden in Hempstead. In 2008, the organization Food Not Bombs negotiated with local gangs to declare the garden neutral territory. Before we decide that such an outcome is impossible in Huntington, we need to try.
Abandoning a troubled neighborhood is not a solution—in theory or reality.
Frances Whittelsey,
Executive Director of LICAN A Project of Starflower Experiences
Nancy
7:40 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2010
The community garden itn itself is not a bad idea. I think that it would not be likely that families would garden there with the violence but, there is a much bigger issue that is a stake!
At the recent town board meeting on Tuesday at 2pm in the hearings section:
"3) Consider the aquisition of certain real property located at the southwest corner of New York Avenue and Lowndes Avenue,Huntington, New York 11743, pursuant to section 201 of the Eminent Domain Procedure Law. (SCTM#'s 0400-094.00-03.00-045.000 and 0400-094.00-03.00-046.000) (2010-M-19)
Nancy
7:40 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2010
CHAPTER 21 ENVIRONMENTAL OPEN SPACE AND PARK FUNDS
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Huntington 9-15-1998 by L.L. No. 39-1998.
Editor's Note: This local law passed at mandatory referendum 11-3-1998.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
§ 21-1 Purpose.
§ 21-2 Legislative intent.
Continuing development within the Town has demonstrated a compelling need to acquire, improve, preserve, protect and maintain land for active and passive park and recreational facilities and preservation of open space to enhance the general quality of life and the environment of the town, and thereby benefit the residents and taxpayers of the town. In order to achieve these goals, the Town requires a cogent mechanism creating the capacity to purchase land, easements or other real property rights and interests quickly and efficiently and make original improvements and embellishments thereto, as the need arises and opportunities are identified, and appropriate fiscal planning is an essential component of fulfilling this goal.
§ 21-3 Legislative findings.
Nancy
7:40 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Town Board hereby finds that, in order to more effectively implement the powers and authorities granted to towns by New York State General Municipal Law § 247, which recognizes the value of open space areas and the need to preserve such land and empowers municipalities with authority to acquire real property to preserve as open space, and to more effectively implement the powers and authorities granted to towns by various sections of New York State Town Law, which recognize the value of active and passive park and recreational facilities and empower municipalities with authority to provide for original improvement and embellishment of such facilities, including acquisition of real property and/or rights and interests in real property for such purposes, the establishment and management of opens space park funds pursuant to the laws of the State of New York is necessary.
Nancy
7:41 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2010
§ 21-4 Environmental Open Space and Park Capital Fund.
A.
Fund accounts. The Town Comptroller shall establish and maintain separately designated accounts to be known as the "Environmental Open Space and Park Capital Fund Account" and may establish one or several such accounts for the purposes set forth herein, as may required by proper accounting procedures.
B.
Scope of fund. These accounts shall be used to fund the acquisition, protection and maintenance of ownership, rights and interests in real property in the town's remaining natural areas, wetlands, trails, waterfronts and greenway corridors and to fund the acquisition, protection and maintenance of ownership, rights and interests in real property, and improvements and embellishments thereof, in the Town for active and passive park and recreational facilities. Said expenditures may be made directly from dedicated, general and special revenues, and need not be bonded, in the sole discretion of the Town Board.
Nancy
7:41 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2010
C.
Deposits. These accounts shall be the repository for all revenues specifically designated for expenditure by the Town for the purposes set forth herein, including bond revenues, dedicated fees, general or special municipal revenues and from such sources not derived from real property taxes as the Town Board may determine, in its sole discretion, where permitted by the laws of the State of New York, including, but not limited to those set forth hereinbelow.
D.
Additional deposits. The Town shall also pursue and attract, for deposit in and use in accordance with this fund, where permitted by the laws of the State of New York, additional funds, gifts and grants from foundations, private donations, any additional private or public sources and federal, state and county matching funds.
E.
Prohibitions. Monies from this fund shall not be used for any purposes which are not specifically set forth in this chapter.
Nancy
7:42 pm on Thursday, May 6, 2010
No where do I see that you can use Eminent domain to take someone property for a community garden just because you want the garden to have a nice rectangular shape. Eminent Domain should be the last resort for project such as roads, bridges etc. In addition the home owner declined the low ball offer and then was given notice of this action on Saturday night which is less than 72 hours to be represented by a lawyer which he was unable to do. In this country you are not allowed to just take someone's property for any reason you want! Plus the garden can still be built without this parcel.