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La Porte BID Board approves partnership with PAC Center for State Street planters
Summary
The La Porte BID Board voted to partner with the PAC Center to plant and maintain nine downtown planters as part of a proposed State Street Garden Walk; the PAC Center will supply plants and volunteers and the city will assist with watering and liability remains with city insurance.
The La Porte Business Improvement District (BID) Board voted to approve a partnership with the PAC Center to establish and maintain planters on State Street, including an initial nine-planter rollout the board highlighted during its February meeting.
The project, described by PAC Center representative Jamie Buchanan, would be the first phase of a proposed State Street Garden Walk. Buchanan said the PAC Center would supply plants, volunteers and on-site maintenance while the city would handle watering and liability coverage under existing insurance.
Buchanan told the board, “The PAC Center currently has 2 community gardens, Jackson Street and Brighton Street. So both of them offer fresh produce through the summer months, to our gardeners in our community.” She said the organization intends the downtown planters to expand access to fresh produce and to locate planters “intentionally in areas where produce isn't plentiful.”
Board members discussed business concerns about parking and work activity around the planters. Buchanan said she had reached one nearby business and the main worries were tomatoes and temporary parking impacts while volunteers worked on the planters. She described a phased approach: “In the initial conversations, there are 19 planters available down State Street, and in the initial conversations we sort of limited that to a, you know, multi phase rollout of this project so that it is sustainable in the early years.”
Buchanan said the BID would not fund the initial planter purchases this year: “Right now, the funding for this will not be coming from the bid.” She added that the PAC Center and city staff were discussing a possible joint grant for future funding. City staff also offered to support watering using the city’s tree-watering truck, which would not be charged to the BID.
The board moved to approve partnering with the PAC Center for the planters highlighted on the BID map (nine planters in the initial phase). A voice vote was taken; the motion carried.
The board also directed staff to obtain a separate quote from vendor Perennials Glore for the remainder of State Street planters not covered by the PAC Center partnership. Buchanan said the longer-term goal is a fully developed State Street Garden Walk with signage and harvest information if the pilot phase proves sustainable.
Votes at the meeting were carried by voice; specific vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript.
