Editor’s note: Following is a statement submitted for publication by the Coalition for Westport regarding the status of the Westport Community Gardens.
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The Coalition for Westport would like to add its name to the well-reasoned opinions and observations of those who have expressed support for retention of the Westport Community Gardens. The issue cries out for a creative solution which will honor the town’s tacit commitment to those who have devoted untold hours of time and energy to the creation and maintenance of this extraordinary town asset.
In our view this is not an either/or proposition, but one which demands a concerted effort to accommodate both the gardens and the playing fields.
We should not underestimate the value of nor discourage non-governmental, citizens’ initiatives such as the community gardens (think also of the Compo Playground) which spring from an unselfish desire to beautify and improve Westport, even as we address the need to relocate the playing fields during the projected two-year construction period.
While we acknowledge the need to find an alternative location for the playing fields, we are not convinced that it is impossible to achieve that goal without destroying the gardens by imaginative design of the existing school grounds during the construction period.
But should that prove to be the case, we suggest that the gardens should be relocated and re-created to the extent possible at town expense, perhaps to Winslow Park or another suitable location, or that arrangements be made to transport the students to one of several neighboring fields — an inconvenience to be sure, but a temporary one that pales in comparison to permanent loss of the gardens.
MEMBERS OF THE COALITION FOR WESTPORT
Ronald Corwin
Roger Leifer
Ken Bernhard
Larry Weisman
Ross Burkhardt
Michael Nayor
Denise Torve
Ellie Lowenstein
JoAnn Davidson
Michel Dinshaw
Joe Strickland
Save the Gardens and the Preserve! There is no defensible reason to destroy a thriving, flourishing 20 year garden for a ball field. Westport can do better than this. Watch this quick video to get a sense of the Westport Community Gardens.
https://youtu.be/lGceWZ_1Os0
The Community Gardens and the Preserve truly stand out as the jewels of our town, and the gardens played a significant role in our decision to move here. It’s hard to fathom that they are even being considered for demolition to make way for a ball field. What’s even more disappointing is the plan to construct a Net Zero school building, as if that alone warrants praise for its environmental friendliness.
Town officials deciding the fate of the Westport Community Garden/Preserves have been given tours, received many letters, been privy to videos, podcasts, the 06880 blog, Westport Front Porch comments etc. all touting the immense value of this 20 year old town asset.
They know it took 15,000 volunteer hours to create this green treasure.
The Select Woman/Building Committee’s indifference/hostility to the Garden/Preserves remain as they continue to push their plan to bulldoze it in favor of a super-sized baseball field under the guise of ‘relocation”. Town officials have been educated that relocating the Garden with black gold soil 20 years in the making/mature plantings etc. is impossible and is a euphemism for destruction.
If more voices of Westport businesses and residents, prominent and common, join the Coalition for Westport, Save Westport Now and Sustainable Westport – there is a chance town officials will do the right thing and save the Garden/Preserve as is.
Maybe they’ll even listen to the many listed benefits of integrating this educational asset with the children in school. Starting a Community Garden from scratch on a rectangle of poor dirt should not be an option.
Extremely well-said, Karen, especially as to the “indifference/hostility.”
When the local pro-preservation party and the local pro-developer party seem in complete agreement on an issue, that says something.
The Committee was pretty clearly loaded with people tasked with a largely predetermined result. And I am still not sure why the First Seletwoman thinks that property, acquired for municipal use and managed by Parks & Rec for nearly two decades is fair game for a BOE land-grab.
I look for a reelection campaign marked by “I’ll do for the rest of Westport what I have done for the Community Gardens.”
Thank you Coalition of Westport for your support! I’m sure we can come up with a solution to keep the gardens intact and still provide athletic opportunities for students. We don’t need to settle for the easy route of bulldozing something that might be viewed as an inconvenience from a construction standpoint – Westport deserves better than that.
Creating the gardens was no small feat – it truly took a village, and 20 years to establish plants, turn compact rocky dirt into fertile organic soil, build supporting structures, and sweat and tears to create the thriving ecosystem it is now. I would ask the committee and First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker, please don’t discount the community efforts that went into the gardens by claiming that re-locating them is not akin to destroying them.
No, the Gardens cannot be “moved” anywhere, including Winslow. However, Winslow and other town properties may well be suitable for a championship ball field and soccer fields. Winslow is 29 acres, Yankee Stadium’s playing field is 3.5 acres and an adult soccer field is less than 2 acres. That means all can fit and even the dogs will have their day!