[ShareTompkins] Fwd: Help keep the Ithaca Community Gardens!

[Shira Golding]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Sheryl N. Swink" <sns7 at cornell.edu>
> Date: July 24, 2012 1:21:12 PM EDT
> To: SUSTAINABLE_TOMPKINS-L <SUSTAINABLE_TOMPKINS-L at list.cornell.edu>
> Subject: [sustainable_tompkins-l] Help keep the Ithaca Community  
> Gardens!
> Reply-To: "Sustainability in Tompkins County" <sustainable_tompkins-l at list.cornell.edu 
> >
>
>
> Do you believe the Ithaca Community Gardens are an important role in  
> the vision of a sustainable Ithaca? Have you or your friends/family  
> ever gardened there or dream of doing so in the future?
>
> If so,  a show of your support is ugent at the City of Ithaca's  
> Administration Committee meeting tomorrow at 6:00 PM, City Hall's  
> Common Council Room (3rd flr). The future of the Gardens is at stake!
>
> Your presence is important to demonstrate that Ithacans care about  
> maintaining a community garden site within walking and biking  
> distance of downtown Ithaca that serves more than 150 gardeners and  
> households each year.
>
> Be even more supportive/bold and share why you support the Gardens  
> during the public comment period at the beginning of the 6:00 PM  
> meeting – you have up to 3 minutes to speak on the value of the  
> Gardens to you and/or your community. Not much time, but even 1  
> minute can make a huge difference!
>
> If you have just assumed that the more than 30-year-old Ithaca  
> Community Gardens are already a permanent part of the sustainable  
> vision, time to take another look at what is happening in the notes  
> below my signature.
>
> Hope to see many of you on Wednesday at City Hall – Common Council  
> room!
>
> Sheryl Swink
> Community gardener and gardening advocate
>
>
> WHAT IS HAPPENING
> The current 20-year lease of the Gardens' land with the City of  
> Ithaca expires at the end of next year. Just as Community Gardeners  
> have approached the City about renewing or extending the lease for  
> the site, a resolution has been put before the City Administration  
> Committee to stop the process before gardeners even get a chance to  
> present their case for renewal.
>
> The developer that owns the land adjacent to the Community Gardens  
> and holds an option to purchase the land from the city if the  
> Gardens' lease is not renewed is  asking that the City Admin  
> Committee (and ultimately Common Council) vote tomorrow, July 25th,  
> on a resolution, the final and key statement of which is
>
> "RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes the Mayor, upon the  
> advice of the City Attorney, to proceed to a closing with the option  
> holder on the sale of Carpenter Business Park Tax Parcel 36-1-3.4 in  
> an expeditious and timely manner after receipt of Notice of Intent  
> to exercise the Option and further directs the Mayor not to execute  
> a new lease with any party for that parcel."
>
> This is the city parcel that is leased for the Ithaca Community  
> Gardens (under the auspices of Project Growing Hope, Inc, the  
> Gardens not-for-profit organization).
>
> The full resolution is in the Agenda for the meeting to be held this  
> Wednesday, July 25th, 2012:
>
> http://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/ithaca/published_documents/Agendas/City_Administration_Committee/2012/07-25-12%20City%20Administration%20Committee%20Meeting%20Agenda.pdf
>
> Read the full resolution in the Agenda for the meeting and ask your  
> Common Council members to diligently verify every statement in the  
> resolution and give opportunity to supporters of the Gardens to make  
> their case before any vote is taken on this resolution.
>
> How many vacant parcels do you see in downtown Ithaca residential  
> neighborhoods and walking/biking proximity?
>
> Neither Cooperative Extension nor the Board of Project Growing Hope/ 
> The Ithaca Community Gardens can see how scattered neighborhood  
> gardens, something  we both support and have tried to make happen  
> over the years, could possibly serve as a replacement for the number  
> of  plots currently serving a diversity of gardening households at  
> the site located near the Ithaca Farmers' Market if that is lost.  
> Small neighborhood gardens would be a wonderful complement to the  
> large Garden site, however, increasing rather than decreasing  
> available plots in the city.
>

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