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High Point extension agent reports 53 community gardens in 2024; grants, classes and events highlighted
Summary
Crystal Mercer presented the 2024 year‑end report: High Point has 53 community and school gardens, six city grants were awarded (totaling $759.94 in direct assistance with a reported fair‑market value of $2,249.20), and upcoming events include a Seeds to Share giveaway and container gardening classes for seniors.
Crystal Mercer, High Point’s community and school gardens extension agent, presented a year‑end 2024 report to the council, describing garden counts, grant support, educational programming and upcoming events.
Mercer said High Point had 53 community and school gardens in 2024: 7 neighborhood gardens, 15 community organization gardens, 6 urban agriculture sites, 20 school gardens and 5 youth gardens. She said one school garden (reported as High Point Central) is on pause because of difficulty securing water to the site.
Mercer listed six recipients of the 2024 City of High Point Community Garden Assistance Program. She said the direct assistance awarded totaled $759.94 while the reported fair‑market value of materials and support was $2,249.20, a difference Mercer described as a program savings. Council members questioned the math when Mercer also reported material volumes (45.6 tons of wood mulch, 34 tons of compost and 33 tons of topsoil) and a council member asked how that aligned with the per‑ton fair‑market valuation.
A city staff member (identified in the transcript as Donna) explained that the city obtains a discounted “city rate” on materials and that Mercer’s fair‑market comparison was intended to show savings versus retail rates; staff also said they would review the numbers and correct the report if an arithmetic error exists. The transcript records the staff exchange and a commitment to verify the calculation.
Mercer described programming offered in 2024 and planned for 2025: three seasonal vegetable‑gardening series at the High Point library, a ‘‘Gardens Under Glass’’ terrarium program for seniors, a container‑gardening class at the YWCA, and a free plant giveaway in June. Mercer said the Seeds to Share event will be held at the High Point Public Library and was listed on the agenda for Saturday, February 8 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Mercer clarified the event is designed for community and school gardens.
She announced winners of the 2024 High Point Community Garden Contest: Bountiful Harvest (best overall), Southside Community Garden (best use of sustainable materials) and Bridal Health Project (best new community garden). Mercer closed by thanking staff and partners and offering to provide additional detail if council members wanted follow up.
Council members asked clarifying questions about the compost and material totals and the program’s accounting; staff acknowledged they would review and, if necessary, correct the figures in the written report. No formal council action or vote was taken on the presentation; it was accepted as an informational report.
