New garden location

It looks like everything is going on track this year to start the community garden. We now are partnering with First Presbyterian Church of Monroe at their location on the corner of 14th and Royal. There are still some details to work out, but we should be preparing the beds in February.

The meetings of the now Royal Avenue Community Garden Group are now on Saturday mornings at 9:00 am at Lea's Restaurant on the corner of 4th and Louisville. There will be no meeting this week due to the Holidays; our next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, 2009.

Hey, Monroe! Don't say we didn't warn you...

If we don't find a location soon, the members of Monroe Community Gardens may be forced into a life of crime. Don't say we didn't warn you...

In case you were curious...

Zoom in here to see the Rochelle site:

View Larger Map

Zoom in here to see the Orange Street Fire Station:

View Larger Map

Bureaucracy and hurricanes...

Fall planting may have passed us by, but we have yet to give up hope. Over the last few weeks, two locations have emerged as potential homes for our first community garden.

After a bit of digging, Mike found out that the Rochelle location has multiple owners. Since that particular piece of land can only be developed as a park or parking lot, two of the three owners were perfectly willing to allow us to use it as a garden. The remaining owner, Franklin State Bank, was also open to the idea but wanted to check with its attorneys before making anything official.

The other location, an abandoned fire station at the corner of Orange and Sixth Streets, is another interesting possibility. A good structure, fences, and room for at least thirty plots make it a very attractive site. The additional space could also be used as a much needed community center.

Between the bureaucracy and the hurricanes, however, progress has been slow. We have recently learned that the Orange Street Fire Station must be re-zoned before it can be used as a community garden/center. Meanwhile, the bank in Winnsboro has other priorities thanks to all the flooding in Franklin Parish.

I'll try to post more details and updates as they are received. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed and don't forget to subscribe to this blog by clicking on the RSS feed icon to the right of this post!

Fran

First West Monroe. ... Now Shreveport

It appears Monroe is going to be the only town in northern Louisiana without community gardens. Even Shreveport, which is about as backward as we are, has started one.

At least that's the word on the street.

Setbacks open options

We've suffered a setback in our efforts to create a community garden in Monroe when we lost the Rochelle and Marx Street sites, but that simply opens our minds to other options. There is no end to this process. We can no longer afford to assume a mechanism to produce food locally cannot be found or created.

In 1986, a group of people in Massachusetts -- pioneers in the local food movement -- sat down and formed a community supported farm model. From that first farm, more than 1,700 others have sprouted. They all start from a single goal ... to create a dramatic increase in affordable locally produced fruits and vegetables ... and followed different paths to that goal. Some worked and some failed, but the goal has remained healthy. And, now with the stratospheric rising cost of transportation (it may never come down), concerns about where our food supply comes from, and what has been done to it, community supported agriculture is more important than ever.

Steven McFadden, writing for the Rodale Institute, takes a look at the 20th century history of the CSA movement in this two-part series of articles.

Grow food, not grass

OK, these people may look like they grow more weed than food, but they aren't high. They are light years a of the curve.

As the Capital One card used to ask, "What's in your yard?"

A little bad news for the garden

We were working to get a community garden started at the Rochelle Avenue pump station. It looked like slow going, but not impossible.

Then things changed.

Apparently, we aren't gonna get the Rochelle site because it doesn't belong to the city. This puts us back to square one.

Kash and Mike are searching for city or parish land we can set our sights on, but if you have any ideas, let us know at monroegardens@gmail.com.

Or, if you know a rich person with land who wants to do something good for the community by creating a non-profit trust ...

Yours without a place to plant,
Bob

Just so as you know ...

City Councilmen

Jay Marx -- District 1

Telephone: (318) 387-5000
Residence: (318) 323-7521

Address:
108 Walnut Street
Monroe, LA 71201

Ben Katz -- District 2

Telephone: (318) 329-2262
Residence: (318) 388-4236

Address:
2905 Lamy Circle
Monroe, LA 71201

Arthur Gilmore Jr. -- District 3

Telephone: (318) 388-4205
Residence: (318) 345-3557

Address:
4100 Grammont
Monroe, LA 71203

Robert "Red" Stevens -- District 4
Council chair

Telephone: (318) 388-4205
Residence: (318) 361-0959

Address:
1410 South 6th Street
Monroe, LA 71202

Robert C. Johnson -- District 5
Vice chair

Telephone: (318) 388-0886
Residence: (318) 361-0341

Address:
241 Oregon Trail
Monroe, LA 71202

One + one = It's about time

It would seem that people do have a little common sense ... when forced into it.

Here's the equation:

Man, check out the price of gasoline and food.

Plus ...

Look at that big, green backyard full of pretty grass and flowers.

WAIT A SECOND!!!!

I should be able to grow some food!

And they are trying. Thirty nine percent of people with lawns polled by the Garden Writers Association said they are going to raise gardens. That's up 5 percent from last year.

Here's the Christian Science Monitor story.

These folk have it figured out

And more details here (about 10 minutes on Path to Freedom).



Here's the Web site.

Members of ACGA

Thanks to a generous donation from Mike "The Workhorse" Roberts, the Rochelle Avenue Community Garden is now a member of the American Community Gardens Association.

Never mind that the city can't seem to actually let us take over the garden. We are counting our progress in tiny steps. Sometimes VERY tiny steps.

Speaking of progress, here's exactly where things stand. The public works department needs to do a survey of the site to show us exactly where we can plant and where we have to leave paths for city business. They also need to mow down the grass for us so we can get in there. Apparently, illness at City Hall is slowing down Task #1 and that is stalling Task #2.

A look at the creation of a community garden in Vancouver

This is a little long -- 27 minutes, but it is an interview and tour with a man who decided the trashpit under a railroad overpass in his neighborhood in Vancouver could be put to better use.



Here's the web site for this garden project.

It looks like we may need to take more direct action

No one at City Hall is actively standing in the way of OKing the Rochelle Avenue or Marx Avenue locations. They are indirectly standing in the way by passing the paperwork around from desk to desk with blinding speed. It works just as well as saying no outright and who can get angry at political quicksand, right? After all, it's nobody's fault. That's just the way it is in government. Right?

Wrong.

It looks like we may be getting close to taking more direct action, so I'm going to start posting tidbits about dealing with city hall (in a general, lower case way) and about benefits. You can also help by starting to introducing friends, neighbors and strangers to the idea. The more of us there are, the more our voice can be heard if we have to go that route.

Give people the address to this site, or give them the Monroe Community Gardens email address (monroegardens@gmail.com) or gather their email addresses and sent those to monroegardens@gmail.com so we can send them some information.

First, here are some
benefits of community gardens from GardenWorks.

I'll be back with more ammunition soon.

bob

Minutes from April 6 meeting

Monroe Community Garden
Meeting Minutes for April 6, 2008


Meeting began at 9:15

MIKE: garden options:
Adopt-a-Spot
Liberty gardens (the newsstar)
YMCA
National Society for Community Garden guidelines


CHRIS Pealer, Director YMCA of NELA

YMCA is a 501-C3 organization and can provide or help with
Contracts with city
Grant proposals
Insurance
Administrative tasks

Also,
Knowledge of gardens stays with the group; essentially, YMCA provides support for the garden committee to do its work. YMCA is not involved with planning or developing of gardens themselves.
Development of by-laws as they pertain to YMCA umbrella (not specific garden by-laws)

MIKE:

Existing by-laws (from American Community Gardens online @ www.community gardens.org).

Additionally, we want to include statements concerning
Recycled materials
Above ground structures
Handicapped accessibility
Water use and accessibility

Other issues
Fencing
Neighborhood watch
Signage
ULM Ag center extension office: suggests planting blackberries around perimeter as deterrent
Granting agencies (for fall grant deadlines)
Burpee, USDA, native plants program
Railroad contact for used ties (creosote): Mr. Riley’s brother (?)

BOB:
Adopt-a-spot = expedience
YMCA = long-term


MIKE: Other organizations to involve
Boy and Girl Scouts of America
ARCO
Senior citizen communities

KASH: Adopt-a-spot seems risky—we need to find out how many adopt-a-spots there are, who the adopting organizations, and what the issues might be with the program, especially liability.

BOB: YMCA will be better

CHRIS: Board meeting Tuesday, 11:30 am. Can charter a committee for Monroe Community Gardens.
Any agreement with the city will take time.
Lease stating use of land

BOB: Issues of land use and loss

CHRIS: Lease is a buffer against loss (improvements to a property may lead to someone wanting to buy the land—it happens).

KASH: We still need to find out more about Adopt-a-Spot.

MIKE: Ms. January is the city beautification director.
Can Chris go to a meeting with Ms. January before city council meeting Tuesday (CHRIS: has to check schedule, but probably not)
We’re not on agenda for city council meeting anyway.

PLAN FOR PLANTING:
Build square foot beds
Aim for fall planting
Get the compost started
Trees, Fence, Signs

KASH: What’s the liability insurance with YMCA cost ($100-200?)

MIKE: to raise the funds
Seed program, bulbs, flowers, vegetables, organization keeps 45%, use YMCA as “bank” to pay for insurance.

CHRIS: There’s a board meeting Tuesday,
I can add Monroe Community Gardens as a committee
Then City Attorney will have to look over lease agreements

MIKE: March St. folks need to be on committee, too.
Veronica motions to send Mike and Delilah to Marx St. to gather signatures and support.
(We forgot to second)
The motion passed.
Veronica motions to include all residents of Ouachita Parish in Monroe community gardens when they request membership.
(We forgot to second)
The motion passed.
Veronica motions to become of committee of YMCA
(We forgot to second)
Motion passed.

CHRIS: invites everybody to come to the board meeting Tuesday. 1505 Stubbs Ave at 11:30.

NEW MEMBERS:

Scott Tisdale
April Williamson
Ethan Williamson
Manish Pariher

Meeting Adjourned at 10:30

NYC don't care 'bout no liability issues

Community gardens have been a part of New York City since 1978 -- to the tune of between 500 gardens and 1,500 gardens, depending on your source.

Either way, that's a lot of years and a lot of gardens. Until last year, the city required the gardens to carry liability insurance ... to protect the city from damages. Two years ago last month, it dropped the requirement. New York City covers the gardens as it would any other piece of city land.

That's a lot of gardens and a lot of people (in the thousands, the head of parks and recreation for the city, Adrian Benepe, said at the time of the announcement). Surely, the city is taking a huge risk.

Not exactly.

According to the Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, which served as an umbrella under which the gardens got their insurance, there have been just seven claims filed against the 500 gardens in the last 30 years. And, four of those were dropped.

Thanks to wiki, here's a DIY rainwater collection system

We don't think much about water in Louisiana because the stuff is everywhere in these parts right now, but that doesn't mean we should waste it.

Consider wise stewardship of even the most plentiful of things part of a larger environment-friendly ethic.

Or not. It might just be cool enough having a 21st Century rainbarrel.

And Do-It-Yourself is apparently hot right now.

Here are the directions.

Another step is taken Monday

Mike Roberts and Delilah Clark met with the city Monday.

(Greetings Delilah, it was good meeting you Sunday at the breakfast gathering and thanks for getting involved. Also, a quick shoutout to newbie Veronica Schuder for recruiting Delilah and jumping headlong into the fray with her contact at the YMCA.)

Here's Mike's report:

Just a note to let you know, that our meeting with Johnny Riley (dept. of community affairs), and John Ross Jr. (director of parks and recreation) of the city of Monroe, went very well.


Delilah Clark and myself expressed our groups intentions for the 2 community garden sites. Mr. Riley and Mr. Ross agreed that our project is needed and can work.

They also are going to meet with Mrs. January with the Beautification Dept. and our city attorney and ask about the areas to be used as Adopt-A-Spot locations. They seem to agree with us that this may be the quickest and non-liability way to accomplish our goals.

Mr. Riley gave me his brothers phone number and said he works for Kansas City Railroad and can assist us in getting Rail Road Ties for free.

They are trying to put this on the next city council meeting agenda and said that they could have an answer for us by the end of the week. They also implied that if the council can agree, we may be able to have our lots by mid-April in time for spring planting. I informed them that our time frame for planting is getting shorter each day. Delilah took a lot of notes for us at the meeting.

They asked me to go ahead and try to get a group on the south side committed in forming there part of the community garden network for us.

We are now waiting on the city for further instructions.

-- Mike Roberts

Community investment partnerships

Hey everybody,

Really enjoyed meeting with everyone this morning. I got a little bit of reserach done and the most incredible resource turned up. A friend of mine heads up the local YMCA, and he would like to come talk to us about ways to make the process of getting our community gardens up and running.

Chris Pealer is a long-time social activist with lots of connections in elementary and secondary schools in the area. He also has experience working with our Monroe-West Monroe beaurocratic system. Hopefully, he be able to help us get out project on line more efficiently, since he knows his way around Monroe's services, parks and rec dept, administration, liability insurance, and other stuff we haven't even thought of yet.

He's also an accomplished fund-raiser and is willing to loan us his staff. How cool is that. Let me know what you think!

Veronica

Here's how Boston does it ...

Boston created a mechanism (Article 33) by which any public land could be designated an Open Space, without the restriction of terms like "park" or "garden."


This is from the preamble:

... Land can be given the OS designation, however, without the simultaneous designation of a particular subdistrict, such as "park" or "garden," where the desired subdistrict designation is yet to be determined. This system instills flexibility into the
regulation of open space.

That sounds like a really good idea. Let the neighborhoods decide what they want to do with the empty public land that directly affects them.

Here's Boston's article.

Meeting with city officials

If you can, join Mike Roberts for an informational meeting with the Department of Community Affairs at 10 a.m. Monday in the Monroe Civic Center.

Here's a handout from the Community Food Security Coalition with tips for meeting with city officials to get things done.

We've been bounced from department to department -- everyone happy to hear from us, happy to help, happy to pass us on to the next office. We are at risk of being happied right out of the chance to get Monroe Community Gardens up and growing. It is a shame, but as we work to get the rights to use city-owned land for the citizens of the neighborhoods surrounding the land, we are going to have to fight (or, if not fight, at least push) City Hall. That will require skills and group effort. It will require political strength, because the bureaucracy is being forced to consider new ideas (new for them, anyway). As we find more of tips for growing political strength, we will post them here.

If you find any information, please email it to monroegardens@gmail.com, so we can share it.

The power of YouTube

If you find something that can be used to educate or market community gardens, please send a link to monroegardens@gmail.com

Here's one from Alberta, Canada. It runs about six minutes.

A couple of reminders ...

1) We will meet at Lea's (4th and Louisiville Ave.) at 9 a.m. Sunday to stay in touch and plot strategies. Toby and Emy have been kind enough to make a space for us. Thanks.

2) Mike Roberts has a 10 a.m. informational meeting with Community Affairs Director Johnny Reily on Monday to explore options, one being that the city turn the garden sites over to the parks and recreation department. Reily's office is in the Monroe Civic Center complex and you are invited to attend.

3) If this thing doesn't get off the ground in the next two weeks, we will press hard for a fall planting. That doesn't mean you have to miss a growing season. Even apartment dwellers can find someplace to grow.

Photos of the Marx Street Pump Station lot

Photos of the Rochelle Pump Station lot

Update from March 25 city council meeting

Monroe Director of Community Affairs Johnny Reily approached the MCG contingent before this evening's City Council meeting and steered them away from speaking. His suggestion made sense. Before we approach the council, we should meet with him to discuss the issue. A meeting has been set up for 10 a.m. Monday at Reily's office.

At issue, at this point, is one of liability. There is concern that this project will put the city at risk for a suit if someone should get hurt whilst gardening. (The fact that the city is at risk from an empty, junky lot, or that the costs of keeping the lot from being a junk yard might be more than the cost for extra insurance didn't come up ... and probably won't if other avenues can be arranged.)

The fact that Reily sought the group out is encouraging in one regard. The administration is aware of our efforts, but we are also getting a taste of the bureaucracy. So far, we have been in contact with the beautification director, the city attorney, the mayor and the director of community affairs. We are working our way through the maze.

Mike Roberts has this report from this evening's events:

Hi Bob,

I have a meeting scheduled Monday morning at 10 am at the dept. of parks and recreation to discuss our community garden project and see what our options are.

I will also go and talk to the group at Black Bayou on Sat. to see if they can help if we need a nonprofit group to get involved.

According to the city attorney, our options are:

1.) create a nonprofit group ourselves.
2.) use someone else's nonprofit number as a subgroup.
3.) have the city incorporate the land into the city park system for liability purposes.

Any contact names and numbers for other groups to get involved, please give me names and numbers.

This is still not a dead issue. Even if we wait to start in the fall and do all the legwork now. We may even be able to have a couple of sample lots at each location to show what it could look like.

Volunteer,
Mike Roberts

Possible Marx Street location

View Larger Map

Here's what the plots might look like

The difference is that the inside growing space is about 86 inches and there is a waste of 10 inches down the middle for the footpath. Our plots would be 48 inches on the inside, easily reached from both sides.

Don't forget to get folks out to show support at the Monroe City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 25. The pre-council meeting starts at 6 p.m. so try to get there a little early so you can sign in to speak your mind on the subject.

Rochelle Avenue location

View Larger Map

Planting in a square-foot garden

One of the beautiful things about a square-foot garden is that it takes a lot of the guess work (or need for experience) out of planting. There are 16 small plots in each 4x4 square and from one to 16 plants per square, depending on the plant.

By travelling back across the Internet to Journey to Forever, even a beginner can find the proper spacing for each of the desired plants.

Plant spacing guidelines

We can also visit the original square-foot gardener himself, Mel Bartholomew, for assistance.

Setting up a square-foot garden

MCG is looking at a modified square-foot garden approach for the plots. Each plot will be 4-foot by 12-foot, with four feet of path space between each plot.

Because square-foot gardening is so established as a method, it is an easy approach for beginning gardeners to adopt -- a large issue in a community garden. It is also an attractive garden to look at from the road, which is another issue for community gardens.

Here's a resource on how to prepare raised beds for your garden plot from the web site Journey to Forever.

Building a square-foot garden

As we find gardening tips and resources, we will bring them to your attention. If you find any, please, bring them to ours by emailing them to monroegardens@gmail.com.

Here's what the mayor has (and an outline for the rest of us)

This was sent by Mike Roberts to Mayor Jamie Mayo.

________________________________________

Outline For Monroe Community Gardens :

WHERE: PROPOSED SITES / ROCHELLE AVE PUMP STATION AND MARX STREET PUMP STATION LOTS

(BACAUSE OF PLANTING TIME FRAMES, THESE LOCATIONS ARE GREAT FOR A START, AND CAN GROW TO OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE FALL AFTER FIRST TWO LOCATIONS ARE WORKING PROPERLY)

WHY : THEY ARE CENTRALLY LOCATED TO AREAS WITH CHURCHES,WATER FAUCETS, SEINIORS, AND PARKS THAT ARE VISSABLE TO OUR COMMUNITY

WHO OPERATES: ALL PROJECTS ARE TO BE A PART OF THE MONROE BEAUTIFICATION DEPARTMENT PROJECTS, WITH A DIVERSE COMMITEE PUT TOGETHER FROM THE TWO AREAS THAT ARE TO BE INVOLVED.

MIKE ROBERTS(HOME SWEET HOME TV), BOB TEAGUE (THE NEWS STAR) SHANE DEVAULT (OUCHITA CITIZEN), MELLISA MILLER, KASH SCHRIEFER, EMY TRAYLOR, DREW FLUKE, ROBERT RIDDLE, MONROE HOUSING AUTHORITY MAKEEN PLASA SENIORS, NEAREST GRADE SCHOOL,BOY SCOUT TROOP, ARCO,IS THE BEGINNING COMMITEE FOR THE ROCHELLE SITE.

WE WILL BEGIN SEARCH FOR THE MARX STREET COMMITTEE LOCATION AFTER SITES ARE CONFIRMED.

PROSPECTS ARE: PASTOR OF TRUE VINE BAPTIST CHURCH, ROSEVELT WRIGHT, GIRL SCOUT TROOP OF TRUE VINE CHURCH, BOY SCOUT TROOP TOP GUN, MONROE HOUSING AUTHORITY SENIOR ASSISTED LIVING MEMBERS, NEAREST GRADE SCHOOL, ETC.

WHEN TO BEGIN: ASAP IN APRIL DUE TO TIME FOR PLANTS TO GROW.






FUND RAISING: A SEED COMPANY WILL LET THE GROUP SELL SEEDS, BULBS, AND PLANTS TO THE COMMUNITY AND RECEIVE A 45% PROFIT. www.fundraisingwithflowers.com , ALSO PEOPLE CAN DONATE MONEY AND SUPPLIES THROUGH THE BEAUTIFICATION DEPARTMENT, DEDICATED FOR THE COMMUNITY GARDEN.

THE GARDENS WILL BE USED IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS A SQUARE FOOT GARDEN, WHERE ALL WHO APPLY WILL GET A 4 FOOT BY 12 FOOT AREA TO PLANT THERE OWN GARDEN. THIS IS TO BE DONE THROUGH A SIGN UP LOTTERY IN CASE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH LAND TO USE INSTEAD OF A FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS IN ORDER TO BE FAIR TO EVERYONE.

ALSO A LIABILITY WAVER MUST BE SIGNED BY ALL WHO VOLENTEERS OR HAS A GARDEN AREA.

THERE ARE SOME GRANTS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE USDA AND OTHER GROUPS (SEE ATTACHED) FOR THIS TYPE OF ENDEVER AND CAN BE APPLIED FOR THROUGH THE BEATIFICATION DEPARTMENT.

AFTER TALKING WITH 3 LOCAL MASTER GARDENERS, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO DISC UP THE LAND WITH THE SQUARE FOOT GARDENING CONCEPT. WE WILL HOWEVER NEED TO HAVE THE LAND MOWED AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE ONE TIME AND WILL TAKE CARE OF THE REST OF THE TIME WITH VOLENTEERS AS WELL AS A COUPLE OF TRUCKLOADS OF MANURE FROM THE ZOO DELIVERED TO BOTH SITES, FOR COMPOSTING.

THE COMMUNITY GARDENS WILL BE ABLE TO ALLOW CHILDREN, SENIORS, HANDICAPED, ARCO, SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES, AND ANYONE ELSE TO REAP THE HARVEST OF A GARDEN.





THE SQUARE FOOT SYSTEM ALLOWS FOR SOME RAISED BEDS FOR WHEELCHAIR ACCESS AND SENIORS WILL NOT HAVE TO BEND OVER WITH A RAISED BED.



THE ADVANTAGES:

1.) IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE IN THE GARDEN.
2.) PROVIDES A CATALYST FOR NEIGHBORHOOD AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
3.) STIMULATES SOCIAL INTERACTION.
4.) ENCOURAGES SELF RELIANCE.
5.) BEAUTIFIES NEIGHBORHOODS.
6.) PRODUCES NUTRIOUS FOOD.
7.) REDUCES FAMILY FOOD BUDGET.
8.) CONSERVES RESOURCES BY USING RECYCLED PRODUCTS.
9.) CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATION, EXERCISE, THEROPY, AND EDUCATION.
10.) REDUCES CRIME.
11.) PRESERVES GREEN SPACE.
12.) CREATES INCOME OPERTUNITIES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
13.) PROVIDES OPPERTUNITIES FOR INTERGENERATIONAL AND CROSS – CULTURAL CONNECTIONS.


ATTACHED IS ALSO A LETTER OF SUPORT FROM THE NATIONAL AMERICAN COMMUNITY GARDENING ASSOCIATION.

MIKE ROBERTS / VOLENTEER
MONROE COMMUNITY GARDENS
355-9106


_______________________________

If you would like a copy of the letter of support from the NACGA, send an email to monroegardens@gmail.com and one will be sent to you.

If you would like to be involved in this effort, show up Tuesday at the Monroe City Council's pre-council meeting (starts at 6 p.m. so show up a little early and sign up to voice your support.) You can also send an email to monroegardens@gmail.com and show up for one of the planning meetings. These are 9 a.m. Sundays (skipping Easter Sunday) at Lea's on the corner of Louisville Avenue and 4th Street.

UPDATE on the city front

Mayor Jamie Mayo has looked at the idea and is sending it to his legal team on Monday.

This means we need to get as many people as we can to turn out for the Monroe City Council pre-council meeting to show support for the idea. It wouldn't hurt to have information from towns our size (under 50,000) that have already done this, so we can preempt thoughts that community gardens on city land are a) too complicated and b) too much of a risk.

If you happen to be surfing the Internet and find a site, email it to monroegardens@gmail.com and we will put it in the list of "resources".

The council meeting is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall (across the street from the Monroe Civic Center). The pre-council meeting is at 6 p.m. It is important to try to get to the pre-council meeting because that is an open forum. Tell your neighbors. Bring your friends. Help grow this idea.

Thinking about growing something in Monroe

The MCG is made up of Monroe residents who want to help the city of Monroe set up a program to turned some of the unused property owned by the city into productive community gardens.

Ideally, we'll do this quickly enough to plant by the middle of April, but that will require getting the Monroe City Council to sign off on the idea. The Monroe Beautification Director, Jacqueline January, has already voiced her support for the idea as part of the Monroe Proud initiative by the city. Now we need to get it on the agenda for the next meeting (which is at 7 p.m. next Tuesday.)

If we can do that, we will need public turnout as a show of political will.

Here's where we stand on the project so far. Ms. January and Mike Roberts have been talking. She has said it should be possible to have land at the Rochelle Pump Station and the Marx Street Pump Station committed to the project. These plots of land already have water access. The city should also be able to mow the land so we can set up individual plot. There is also talk of creating compost stations using grass clippings and leaves already collected by the city, as well as manure from the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo.

Mike has also been in communication with the local homebuilders association about providing scrap construction material and expertise to help build the plots.

We will continue to post information, including first drafts of plans for the actual execution of the Monroe Community Gardens project, as we have it.

If you would like more information, or if you would like to help organize the gardens, send us an email to monroegardens@gmail.com. Our next meeting is at Lea's at the intersection of Louisville Avenue and 4th Street on the Sunday after Easter at 9 a.m.

Please consider joining us.