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Written by Deb Freeman
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Friday, 12 August 2011 |
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Article submitted by Mark Smolen, Friends of Patterson Park Chair; featured in THE FLEA August 2011 edition; see also THE FLEA May 2011 edition for original proposal and background.
A survey is being conducted by Friends of Patterson Park (FOPP) for the residents of the Cherrywood and Wilshire Wood/Delwood 1 Neighborhood Associations to gauge the level of support for, or opposition to, a proposed community garden in Patterson Park. Please note that this survey is independent of the one FOPP conducted in December 2010.
The online survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R3VRZN6.If you do not have access to the Internet and would like a hardcopy of the survey to complete, please contact FOPP Chair Mark Smolen at 913-9868, leave your name and address, and a copy will be dropped off to you. Both online and hardcopy surveys must be completed by Monday, August 15, 2011.
Here’s a brief description of the proposed community garden in Patterson Park: A community garden providing between 44 to 64 plots, dependent on final configuration and plot sizes, is being proposed to be located within the Patterson Park boundaries in the southeastern corner of the park along Airport Boulevard; i.e., just south of the skate spot in Patterson Park and near the volleyball court area. No park amenities other than ground space are planned to be displaced by this proposal. At least one plot will be devoted to community purposes; e.g., for a school or hospital.
Due to its location on City of Austin property, the City of Austin application process mandates several bylaws and property management rules that must be adopted by the Community Garden members. These are just a few of the more notable ones: 1) Participants can be from any household located within the City of Austin limits and there shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, material status, age, sect, sexual orientation, or disability in the community garden membership; 2) Garden must be all organic, with no use of synthetic fertilizers or chemical pesticides; 3) Garden must be enclosed by a 6 foot tall fence with unimpeded visibility into the garden.
Based on feedback from both neighborhoods, all gates to this fence will be opened whenever a gardener is present to allow free access through the garden by other community members.
Plots left unattended or not maintained for a specified period of time will be considered abandoned if not remedied by the plot owner after notification. Such plots will be made available to the waiting list for other potential members.
Members are responsible for all infrastructure (e.g., fencing, benches, etc.) and operating costs (e.g., water and mulch).
If you have any questions about the proposal, please feel free to contact Mark Smolen, FOPP Chair, at 913-9868 or
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. Survey results will be announced at the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association’s General Meeting on Wednesday, August 17. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 12 August 2011 )
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Written by Deb Freeman
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Friday, 06 May 2011 |
Article submitted by Mark Smolen, Friends of Patterson Park Chair; featured in the May 2011 edition of THE FLEA.
Friends of Patterson Park will be presenting a proposal for a community garden at Patterson Park at the next Cherrywood Neighborhood Association (CNA) general meeting on Wednesday, May 18. This discussion will lead to a possible vote on Cherrywood’s approval or disapproval of the proposal at the following neighborhood association meeting in August. The CNA’s approval is required as part of the application process with the City of Austin for locating a community garden on public property.
The current proposal has the community garden plot located just south of the skate spot and around the existing volleyball area. At this time about 35 families from Cherrywood and surrounding neighborhoods have indicated a desire for a plot in the garden, and the proposal has been laid out to serve those needs, with room to grow to 60 total plots if smaller plot size configurations are used.
• Proposed map of community garden at Patterson Park (PDF)
• Background on discussion about community garden (PDF)
• Online survey results from December 2010 (PDF)
The vision for the proposed community garden at Patterson Park, developed by an ad hoc steering committee that includes Robin Graham-Moore and Trudy Redding (Cherrywood), and Patricia Swiderski, Brit Schlinke, and Mark Smolen (Wilshire Woods/Delwood 1) advocating the community garden, is as follows: “Gardening promotes many health benefi ts, physical as well as mental and spiritual, through manual labor, the cognitive challenges of learning to grow food, and the satisfaction and delight obtained when the senses are stimulated by the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feel of growing plants.
We intend to develop a community garden that provides recreation, exercise, affordable organic food, social activities, and educational opportunities not only for its subscribing members, but also for the surrounding community. We will achieve these goals by:
• Organizing and maintaining a responsible group of gardeners who subscribe to this vision.
• Establishing best practices for organic gardening based on feedback from existing community gardens.
• Holding events throughout the year to which the surrounding community will be invited including potluck meals using produce from the gardens and garden demonstration days during which members will share their knowledge of composting, soil biology, integrated pest management, seasonal crops, gardening tools, recipes, construction techniques, native plant life, and pollinators.
• Planting and maintaining native plants around the perimeter of the garden to attract butterflies, bees, and birds and to make the appearance of the garden more pleasing to the public.
• Picking up and composting neighborhood plant waste, when appropriate.
• Providing additional “eyes” for Patterson Park to guard against vandalism or other inappropriate behavior within the park.
• Dedicating and maintaining a plot for patients and their families at the Dell Children’s Hospital. The ad hoc steering committee believes that the proposed site at Patterson Park is ideal for a community garden, its proximity being well suited for pedestrian and bicycle access from the adjacent neighborhoods and its size can serve the currently identifi ed number of people interested in plots, with some room for growth. The proposed site receives enough sunshine for a garden and is currently used little by the community. Friends of Patterson Park will continue to welcome any comments or concerns from the surrounding community so that it can develop a community garden into one which is most benefi cial to the community as a whole, while mitigating any issues which might arise.
If you have any questions or comments about the proposal, please contact Mark Smolen at
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or attend the CNA general meeting on Wednesday, May 18. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 May 2011 )
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Written by Deb Freeman
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Monday, 10 January 2011 |
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Remember to be ALERT (alert, lights, emergency, responsible and tidy) by doing these five things to keep you, your family and all of Cherrywood safe: ALERT – Get to know your neighbors including their kids and pets. Also, know what cars belong on your street. You should aim to know at least five of your neighbors (one or more on each side of your house and at least one to three across the street). Keep your neighbors phone numbers/e-mail addresses on your mobile phone. Do not e-mail your neighbors about when you will be on vacation. If needed, tell them in person or over the phone. Be sure to stop your mail and newspaper deliveries, or ask a neighbor to pick them up for you, if you will be out of town for an extended period of time. LIGHTS – Keep your house well lit at night. If possible, install motion detectors or dusk-to-dawn lights in areas where people may walk. EMERGENCY – Be ready for a crisis (keep a working flashlight on hand, along with an emergency kit) and keep your neighbors’ phone numbers handy, just in case. By getting to know your neighbors, you (or them) can help police or firefighters as needed if no one is home. If you have an indoor pet, consider putting a “Pet Alert” decal on your front and back doors (available on Amazon). In addition, make sure your pets have tags and/or microchips that are up to date. If your pet is missing, report it on the NeighborNet or DuplexNation listservs. RESPONSIBLE – Call 311 or 911 when you see a potential issue or suspicious activity. Ask for an incident number and report it on the NeighborNet or DuplexNation listservs so other neighbors can keep track of on-going issues (if applicable). If you any safety concerns you would like addressed, attend either the monthly Steering Committee and/or quarterly neighborhood meetings. For up-to-date crime data, visit KrimeLabb.com or Spotcrime.com. TIDY – Keep your street and home neat by trimming bushes and trees so windows and doors can be seen. Make sure to keep the inside of your car clean; i.e., do not leave CDs, papers, boxes, purses, etc. in plain view. Keep your driveway and porch free of clutter. Pick up trash on your street, contact the City of Austin (311) if you see graffiti, and pitch in to help other neighbors who might need a hand.
(Thanks to the Gracywoods Neighborhood Association for inspiring these tips). |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 January 2011 )
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