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Advisory board weighs community-garden site and wildflower plantings at city parks
Summary
Members discussed a resident-led proposal for a community garden—possible sites include Campanella—and recommended a pilot wildflower strip at Gardiner (Gardner) Park and other park edges; board voted to recommend a wildflower planting location.
The Estacada Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on June 25 discussed two planting initiatives: a resident proposal for a community garden and a separate request from community partners to plant wildflowers and pollinator strips at selected parks.
Board members said Campanella Park (referred to in the discussion as Campanella/Campanellos) appears to have the most open space appropriate for a community garden because many homes in that neighborhood lack large yards. Members noted the city owns roughly "8 to 10 acres" in Campanella that are set aside for parks, and said any community garden would need a local organizer to run and maintain the site; the board would provide a location recommendation and a connection to city staff for next steps.
Members emphasized the need to verify community interest before committing city land. Suggested outreach methods included social-media callouts targeted to the Campanella area, a blurb in the city water-bill or quarterly newsletter, and a public comment opportunity at a future board meeting. Staff (Sadie and Elena were mentioned) agreed to accept a short blurb from the board for newsletter and e-news distribution and to include the item on a future meeting agenda once outreach materials are ready.
Separately, representatives from the city’s community partners asked for small pilot wildflower or pollinator strips in a few parks. Board members recommended a secluded strip at Gardiner (appears in the record as Gardner/Gardiner Park) — for example behind the concert area along the fence line — so plantings would not be directly adjacent to playgrounds or high-traffic kids’ areas. The board discussed maintenance schedules and said partners already run volunteer maintenance days; if the group installs plantings the group would coordinate upkeep and planting events with staff.
At the end of that discussion a member moved to "recommend a secluded space of Gardiner Park to allow the city to install a wildflower garden." The motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The board did not commit city funds; members characterized these early steps as location recommendations and community-driven pilot plantings rather than city-led permanent programs.
Board members asked staff to follow up on outreach to solicit neighborhood input on a community garden and to return with public comment opportunities and recommended locations for future action.
