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Residents press commission to pursue community garden; staff says site is unfunded but compost will be provided
Summary
Public commenters urged the commission to formalize plans for a community garden and orchard and recommended using developer fees; parks staff said the garden area is unfunded, staff does not regularly monitor it, and the city will allocate compost and explain the project‑submission process at a future meeting.
Residents at the Sept. 24 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting asked the commission to place a formal agenda item on creating a community garden and raised concerns about an orchard that a commenter said appeared damaged and unpruned.
One resident told the commission a person who had installed the orchard believed "somebody sprayed florell, which is a bloom inhibitor, on all the trees," and said the trees were not being pruned or cared for. The commenter urged the commission to solicit public input and consider funding options, noting developers can help cover park-related improvements through what the speaker referred to as "AB 1,600 fees."
Parks staff member Lauren Coteau responded that the orchard and community garden are "an unfunded area that has historically relied on grant funding, funding or volunteers," and clarified that "if floral was sprayed, it was not sprayed by staff." Coteau said staff will dedicate several tons of composted material to the community garden areas this year as part of procurement and maintenance plans, and offered to agendize the commission's donation and project-submission process so the public can propose projects and volunteers can be organized.
The exchange left open next steps: commissioners and staff did not adopt a formal policy at the meeting but agreed to revisit the community‑project submission process on a future agenda so that residents can formally propose and coordinate volunteer or funded projects.
