Bountiful council opts to facilitate community garden; staff to install irrigation, confirm site

At a March 25 Bountiful City Council work session, council members said they support a facilitation model for a proposed community garden on cemetery property and directed staff to install irrigation, identify the final plot and return with water-cost information during the budget process.

City staff described two feasible roles for the city: act as a landlord that provides land and infrastructure while a volunteer group runs operations, or bring the garden under city operation. Gary Hill, a city staff member, told the council the staff recommendation from prior discussions was a landlord/facilitation approach and that the city typically requires groups using city property to carry liability coverage ("we require $2,000,000 of insurance," Hill said). Hill also explained that if the city were to carry liability, staff would need to manage risk more actively and that any fee…