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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

South Perry Blog

How to plan a community garden

The planning process is just getting started, neighborhood input is sought and a survey is planned, as well as conversation as to how the school can be involved. A neighborhood garden can not be limited to only people in a specific neighborhood participating - gardeners may be coming from all over town.
Community meetings will be held once the surveys have been collected.
Staff and Leah - an Americorp volunteer - from Vinegar Flats Community Garden will take the lead on the development of the Grant Park Community Garden.
Estes said the city really is behind this project - "they want to start construction in March," he said. "Minds have been made up and they want to see it happen."
There is hope this will be a pilot in a series of community gardens. Estes said that the Parks Department will help put in water lines, clean the plot (100 feet by 100 feet) and will put down soil if needed.
It's strongly suggested that someone from SPBNA becomes part of the planning process - now.
Estes offers to be the go-between guy for now, but a volunteer with enough time and gardening passion is needed to step up to the plate.

The president would like to take the sense of the group: would SPBNA be interested in becoming the primary organization behind the Community Garden. (A majority of hands went up around the table.)
Volunteers? The Perry Street Cafe offered to hand out paper surveys; Pastor Deb volunteered to help out with question development. (And we are now running about 40 minutes past when the meeting was supposed to end...)



Pia Hallenberg
Pia Hallenberg joined The Spokesman-Review in 2004. She is currently a reporter for the City Desk covering Spokane Valley city hall and community news. She also writes news features about people and events.

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