Community Gardens

[Lynn Farris]

Councilman Fitzgerald threw down a challenge to talk about other parks as well.

One of the ideas that Savannah loved and has seen work so successfully elsewhere help citizens and build community was a Community Garden. It just didn't seem to fit into Lakewood Park. This could be flowers or vegetables to help out with families or Lakewood Charities. With so many families in Lakewood living in Apartments this might really be a big boon. Plus we have a great garden club.

The park I was thinking this would be ideal for is the is the one behind the parking garage at Lakewood Center North. I don't think this is really used for much and if the parking garage needed expanded, we really haven't added infrastructure, so it is easy to build on top of. As it borders the railroad tracks, I don't think kids play many sports there. Additionally it wouldn't cause the complaints from the neighbors that the dog park being located there did.

Best of all, it really costs almost nothing to do.

[Danielle Masters]

Lynn I think that would be a great idea. A lot of Lakewood yards are too small for much of a garden. It could also be an educational tool, maybe classes could be taught to novice gardeners or children. I just hope it would be a true community garden. I know of a "community" garden in Ward 3 that isn't open to its neighbors.

[Ed FitzGerald]

Sounds like a nice idea, and I agree with the location- it's underutilized.

[dl meckes]

The Ohio State extension has a great program to assist in setting up projects like this and there need to be volunteer champions to lead, organize and maintain it.

Also, it's not too early to think about volunteering with some of the city programs like Adopt-A-Spot which has grown to 50 spots (from 15). Many of the people working on the spots could use more help because the time spent in maintenance from early spring until October can be overwhelming. If a spot needs work, the city would often have to find employees to help with maintenance. As attrition lowers the number of employees, this help is going to be unavailable. There's also a loosely organized vegetable garden area on Plover.

The city's leaf humus and perennial plant sale will occur the 22nd of April (April 29th rain date). Most likely I will be there with the seeds that went unexchanged in the autumn's "Neighbor-to-Neighbor Free seed exchange.

Barb McGinty will be available for a couple of days to answer questions, but after that she's off for a little while and Gail Higgins will be the contact person (216.529.6170).

[Rhonda loje]

I know from experience that getting the garden together is no problems it is the long range maintenance and especially the watering of the garden.

As part of the Lakewood Garden Club we take care of the spot next to "Its the Place to Be Deli". We have taken care of this spot since 1976.

It was not a problem initially to get people to commit to putting in the space...but over time the problem was sustaining the maintenance of the property and ESPECIALLY WATER.

Two years ago we finally put in a sprinkler system to keep the park watered...Do you know how hard it is to give the city a gift of a sprinkler system...I can't even tell you the hoops you have to go through!!

But anyway..I all sounds good upfront...but the moral of this story you have to have a long range plan for maintenance and a close water source or all of your hard work will burn up in the hot sun of July!

Rhonda Loje

[Lynn Farris]

Rhonda,

I admire you so much. I'm not a gardener, in fact I kill cactus.

But I do think with the right person/people in charge this can be as successful here as it is elsewhere.

What other ideas do you have for this spot?

[Ellen Malonis]

How about a group of "Community Gardeners"?

This would be a group of volunteers ready to help elderly, ailing or disabled homeowners in Lakewood with landscaping tasks or gardening which would really lift their spirits, build community and spruce up the neighborhoods. I know H2O does this occasionally, but perhaps there could be a group of adult gardeners willing to reach out to their neighbors in need. Just an idea.

[dl meckes]

Ellen-

That's a really wonderful idea. Sometimes things just get away from people and they can use a little help. It would be nice to think that our neighbors would keep an eye on us, but they are also frequently overwhelmed as well.

Lynn-

One of the things I'd love to see is more public art in the form of outdoor sculpture. Perhaps some sort of contest or fundraising could go along with it. I haven't had time to champion the idea, but wouldn't it be interesting to have some sculpture/benches/chess tables, etc. in that park behind that parking garage?

[Rhonda loje]

DL and Ellen,
I like both of your ideas they are easy to implement and if you plan them right they will easier to maintain over time if planned correctly.

I think we have problems maintaining the gardens we have now. Once that is corrected then we can tackle new sites.

I really like the one where we help those who can not maintain their properties...elderly etc. That also helps the looks of the surrounding neighbor hood but increase the property values around it.

If you get H20 involved or Keep Lakewood Beautiful...they could coordinate it...it is really a matter of funds.

If anyone knows anything about grant writing...which I think KLB does
it would make a great proposal to get some $$. It combines working with the elderly with working with kids.

Lakewood Garden Club has worked to rehab the green house at the high school and they are doing terrific things down there. Introducing kids to a different kind of science.

I don't have the time to spearhead...but it is a great idea you both have.

Rhonda Loje

[Phil Florian]

Is the idea to create something similar to the garden in Ohio City that is used partially by the Kentucky School? I had toured that a summer or two ago and it was a neat space. Upkeep was definitely an issue. Some people kept their plots pristine and got a lot of use out of it for herbs and vegetables. Some used it as rotating projects for some of the local kids. Others simply let their plots go to seed and it became the responsibility of those around the plots to maintain or at least cut it back. They had market day type events where some could sell flowers or their vegetables. Some grew pumkins to sell during the fall. That sort of thing.

I could see a lot of people getting behind this. Would be a neat way to bring more of the community together. Great ideas.

[Rhonda loje]

Lynn,

Lynn asked:What other ideas do you have for this spot?

Well first before you even think about what you are going to do with the spot...you first must find out who owns that spot.

I have had an experience where we have developed a garden spot and found out later it was not owned by the City of Lakewood.

I also in the back of my mind remember that some of that land belong to the railroad for some reason.

My suggestion is you first find out who owns that land before you even start to develop a plan on what to put there.

I can speak from experience...on this topic! It will save you alot of time and money if you get that little item out of the way first.

After that...I would then look for a water source...you need one to sustain that spot...that sounds easy..but it may not be.

After you answer those 2 questions then a plan is easy to come up with...but I can tell you from just what I know from the spot...it has alot of trees (with alot of roots) and is shady from the building and from the trees....I don't think your going to grow vegetables there...a shade park maybe....and is that what you really want that spot to be?

If it is going to be a public park then you need to think about the following:
Trash, Cigarette butts, pathways thru the park, benches, vandalism and again maintaining the park.

Public parks are not as easy to maintain as you may think..It can be done..and I think this community can do all of those things...with the right person to spearhead the project and enough volunteer help and enough city cooperation and of course $$.

But you need a plan from beginning to end...who will be taking care of this garden in 2025??

As you can tell...I have lived thru this one before...I know the joys and pitfalls...When done right it is a joy and the community really appreciates it...ie our park next to It's The Place To Be Deli.

Rhonda Loje

[Lynn Farris]

We should ask the council about who owns it - the railroad most likely does have some right of way. But it is listed among the city pocket parks. http://ci.lakewood.oh.us/pw_parks.html

This seems to me to be the most neglected of the city parks. I don't even think there is a plaque there to indicate that is the Issac Warren park or what he did for the city. (Historic Society?) They say there are picnic tables for people having their lunch there, but I have really missed that, maybe because it lacks the other amenities. My assumption is the city is maintaining it now, but it is easier to maintain due to the fact that there is little there.

It sounds like you have lots experience on this topic having been in the trenches previously.

But it seems as if we aren't going to do anything with it and no one is using it, we ought to sell it to someone who will develop it.

Here is a list of the small parks in Lakewood called pocket parks:

Pocket Parks:

Park Row Park: Located at 1386 Park Row, offers the following:
•Playground equipment
•Picnic tables

Celeste Park: Located at the corner of Clifton and West Clifton, this park is a scenic area to sit at a park bench or table to relax and enjoy a bit of nature.

Niagara Park: Located at the corner of Lakewood Heights (south of I-90) and Niagara, offers the following:
•Playground area
•Picnic table

Sloane Park: Located at 1355 Sloane Ave. this park offers a scenic place to sit and relax to enjoy the two Adopt-a-Spot gardens.

City Center Park: Located at the intersection of Cook and Detroit Ave. this scenic area offers a place to sit and relax while shopping.

Isaac Warren Park: Located on Warren Rd. just north of Detroit, this scenic pocket park offers a place to sit and relax during a lunch break Two picnic tables are available in a greenspace located across the street just north of the parking lot.

Clifton Prado Park: Located at 1265 Clifton Prado, this park offers the following:
•Playground area
•Picnic table

[Charyn Varkonyi]

*smiles*

I have fond memories of all of these parks from my youth! Celeste Park, for example, was where many young middle schoolers would walk with their 'special someone' on the way home, or to the bus.

I remember once you were walking in that area, it was easy to forget that you were right next to the school and in the middle of a major intersection - it was just woody enough to make it a middle school girl's romantic paradise (if only for a minute!).

Peace,
~Charyn

[Rhonda loje]

Lynn,

The Issac Warren Park is the Park next to It' The Place to Be Deli, that the Lakewood Garden Club acutally put in from scratch in 1976 and we have maintained it since that time. It is South of the parking lot and and North of Detroit Road. It has two benches (not picnic tables) and two cigarette container (courtesy of LGC).

There is a plaque in the park(in the middle of the back fence facing Warren road) stating the name of the park (Issac Warren Park) and that it was established in 1976 by the Lakewood Garden Club.

This is the park that I spoke of that the LGC gifted a sprinkler system to the City of Lakewood.

Many people use this park. They have lunch there. Smoke there and when they pass thru the park and we are working there...everyone thanks us for taking such good care of the park.

Last year we paid for pruning the trees that should have been taken care of by the city but were not, we paid to have the path leveled so no one would trip because it was so uneven, and we paid for a fence to be put in to stop food deliveries thru the park by the local business owner which was destroying some of the bushes we had put in.

You should take a look at this little park...it is quite a little gem.

The area you talked about I don't believe is a pocket park.

I drove by it and it does have picnic tables...but I don't think it is listed as a park.

From my past experience, you don't ask the council who owns it...if you want to proceed with this process you need to look at the deed to see who owns it and you can do that first at City Hall to get the parcel number and the call the County and they can tell you who owns the property. You can even do some of it on line once you get the parcel number.

That is the way I found out the property owner of the other garden the LGC established and maintained for at least 6 years was not owned by the city but a private owner.

That's why I say ...it is very important before you embark on this endevor is to make sure the land you make plans for is actually owned by the City. Part of it may be and part of may not be. But you must be sure before you proceed.

And then there is the water factor...I can not stress that enough.

Otherwise...you can make this area beautiful and an area for all to enjoy.
It is do able...but just make sure of these 2 thing are done before you proceed.

Rhonda Loje

[Ellen Malonis]

Rhonda makes some very good points. If I remember correctly, the FIDO group had considered the piece of property North of the parking garage for a dog park - contacting them could save duplication of effort! Just hope you don't have to cut down too many trees!