Community Gardens: A Growing Conversation
Join us for a conversation about the future of community gardening in Tacoma at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, at Commencement Bay Coffee Co., located at 2354 Jefferson Ave. in downtown Tacoma.
Why would you be interested? Because community gardens are more than just places to grow food or flowers. Community gardens can supply fresh veggies for food banks, host amazing parties at harvest time, provide a location for neighborhood classes and workshops, provide opportunities for outdoor art, be beautiful places to play with kids and take a walk, and, in general, serve as a tangible way for neighborhoods to create something positive.
The April 19 conversation will include a panel of representatives from the Seattle P-Patch, Metro Parks Tacoma, the City of Tacoma and many other folks who are passionate about enhancing and revitalizing the local community gardens movement.
The plan is to have panel members share about the past, present and potential of community gardens in Tacoma. Then there will be time for questions, brainstorming … and even dreaming.
Some of the panelists and experienced gardeners who will be hand include:
- Carrie Little, organic farmer, longtime activist and manager of Mother Earth Farms, which supplies 125,000 pounds of organic food to the Emergency Food Network food banks
- Becky Mares, PLU student, organizer and founder of the PLU community garden
- Kristen McIvor, Seattle P-Patch Trust board member and UW PhD student working with and researching TAGRO, the City of Tacoma’s biosolids soil amendment product
- Joyce Moty, Seattle P-Patch Trust board member, and longtime activist who was involved with the creation and founding of Bradner Gardens
- Megan Syverson, Guadalupe Land Trust board member
- A representative from Metro Parks, the managers of the existing community gardening program in Tacoma.
Let’s start talking.
For the most up-to-date information, keep checking Exit133 or e-mail me using the contact page.
For directions, call Commencement Bay Coffee at (253) 274-1173.
Update: This event is Thursday night and it’s shaping up to be a good conversation. If you have any interest in community gardening in Tacoma, please be sure to join us. We need you to help assess where we need to go next. This is a collaborative effort to harness what our city already has and the energy of some new faces to develop our gardens for the future
4 comments
A Andrew Becherer August 29, 2008
“Flaggers and signs will be in place to direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic.”
LOL. I read that as pedestrian traffic will also be one way.
As a cyclist I have found Stadium Way an acceptable alternative to St. Helens. There are more, and faster, cars but no parked cars to back out in front of you.
C Carla A. Gramlich September 2, 2008
I confirmed with my contact at the city that bicyclists will have a north bound lane, up St. Helens when construction is completed. I haven’t seen, what has been done already, I am assuming that bicyclists(peds) are being diverted during construction.
Some bicyclists, use to bicycle up Stadium, but then the city put in a turn lane and squeezed bicyclists off that street. I complained to the City Council when those turn lanes were added, along with the ones on Sixth Ave. (this was years ago and my complaints fell on deaf ears)
Maybe it is time to revisit that issue. I think Stadium is too busy with traffic coming off the freeway. A bicycle lane up the hill would help with that issue.
E Elliot September 2, 2008
I second the note that Stadium is too busy to be safe for cyclists. St Helens is/was an important leg of my daily commute and by far the safest way to get out of downtown. This is bad planning that clearly shows no regard for cyclists.
In other bike news, anyone else notice the grating that they stuck in Sixth ave just west of MLK? Not off to the side by the parked cars, not in the middle of the street, but EXACTLY where bicycles ride. I hope the first cyclist to get shot off their bike there sues the pants off this silly city.
Remember when the city hosted that bike night at the hub a few months back? Lot of good that did. It’s pretty clear to me that the city likes to give lip service to these issues, but in the end doesn’t care one bit.
C Carla A. Gramlich September 3, 2008
I am hearing that Stadium is going to get a bicycle lane, just not sure when.
I will check out the grate situation on my ride this afternoon.
I have been following bike/ped issues in this city for about 20 years. They are starting to listen and do the right thing but it still takes time and for the city to find money.
Glad to hear others are so on top of these issues.