The following line seldom if ever has been written in this town:
The Parks, Recreation and Community Services Board is bracing for a protest at this evening’s new-venue 7 o’clock meeting in the Dan Patacchia Room at City Hall.
New regulations are taking shape are a pocket-sized plot known as the Culver City Community Gardens.
Main beef is a time limit for individual gardeners to control each of the 16 plots.
Presently there is no time limit, Dan Hernandez, Parks and Recreation director, said this morning.
Mr. Hernandez’s department has proposed a six-year limit, retroactive to last year.
Time to share, it was decided.
“Some people have had their plots for 10 to 15 years, and there is a waiting list,” Mr. Hernandez said.
Sharing time with others evidently has not been a value.
Mr. Hernandez said 8,000 Culver City residents are eligible to tend the 16 plots.
Disagreement over the changes is expected to monopolize the evening.
Usually, Chair Laura Stuart, Scott Garland, Scott Zeidman, Kay Heineman and Kelly Kent Marin preside over meetings. Ms. Stuart will be away this evening, and Mr. Zeidman will be in charge.
“We have a garden area where community members can come in, have their own little plot, and garden,” Mr. Zeidman was saying this morning.
The 16 plots repose in Vets Park between the AmVets building and the Boy Scout quarters.
There is a huge waiting list “three years and longer,” says Mr. Zeidman) for the16 plots.
Each of the 16 gardeners pays $30 annually.
“Up to now,” Mr. Zeidman said, “there have been no real rules. Just common sense and courtesy.”
City Hall has determined the time is now to institute rules.
Thorny issues have emerged among the gardeners, says the city, requiring staff intervention.
“Incidents have ranged from the improper maintenance of the plot, to plantings that were not typical to garden plots, to the theft of plants and other items,” staffers reported.
“Since staff was required to spend more time overseeing the Gardens, it became apparent creation of a comprehensive set of rules and regulations would be beneficial to all involved, including gardeners, garden invitees and city staff.”
Let the fireworks begin.
