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Proposal to expand St. Paul’s community garden would rely on CDBG for most costs; small match still needed
Summary
City staff proposed expanding St. Paul’s community garden using CDBG funds, saying 91% of the garden’s beneficiaries are Gardner residents and that EOHLC advised CDBG could fund roughly 91% of the work.
City staff presented a proposal to expand St. Paul’s community garden and said the Gardner Community Action Committee’s data show that about 91% of people served by the existing garden are Gardner residents and that all participants served last year meet the low‑and‑moderate‑income (LMI) definition used for CDBG eligibility.
Assistant Director Yuhas said the estimated cost for the proposed expansion — including retaining wall repair, planting 20 dwarf fruit trees, new raised beds, soil and compost and signage — is slightly more than $50,000. EOHLC reviewers suggested CDBG funds could reasonably cover 91% of the expansion because 91% of the beneficiaries are Gardner residents; the remaining roughly 9% would need to come from another funding source or an eligible match. Staff said potential matches could include private fundraising, foundation grants (the committee noted the Burelien Foundation supported the existing beds) or using allowable soft costs as a local match if EOHLC approves.
Committee members encouraged staff to pursue the match options and to return with a firm cost breakout before committing CDBG funds. Staff said if EOHLC approves use of soft costs as match, they will contact St. Paul’s Episcopal Church to request an estimate of those costs and then bring a recommendation back to the committee.
The committee kept the item open for future consideration and asked staff to report back with the final match plan and any required EOHLC approvals.
