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Post date: Mar 5, 2010 8:09:27 PM
Published March 05, 2010 10:15 am - Community Garden asks Common Council for two-year contract.
Gardeners look to reap new contract
By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
Staff Writer
PLATTSBURGH — After a successful first year, Plattsburgh Community Garden organizers are looking to secure another contract with the city.
The Plattsburgh City Common Council will vote next Thursday on whether the Community Garden can continue operating for another two years at its current site alongside the Bailey Avenue Elementary School playground and extending into the Melissa L. Penfield Park line.
“We’re really excited about the coming year,” garden coordinator Doug Butdorf told councilors at the city meeting Thursday night.
He said there is a strong and continuing interest among many area residents to keep the collective, grass-roots effort going.
In addition to possibly adding more plots to the current space, Butdorf said, this year Cornell Cooperative Extension has secured a grant to fund a summer intern, who will provide weekly gardening classes to those interested.
The garden consists of 32 individual raised-bed plots at a seasonal fee of $25, which pays for land and water use.
There are specific guidelines to participate in the organic, pesticide-free garden.
Butdorf noted that first-year gardeners did not experience any vandalism or destruction, which was a concern among some city councilors last year.
“We really didn’t have any problems.”
Community Garden members are starting off the spring gardening season with a special event at Checkerhills Farm (the former Agway site) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 20. The kickoff will include workshops, expert advice, a seed and supply swap and the lottery for garden plots.
More information about the organization, upcoming events or how to apply for a plot can be found at www.plattsburghcommunitygarden.org.
E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at:
avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com
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