The Observation Deck

Stop by the Lakewood Public Library

Monday, March 26, 2012
6:30pm until 8:30pm

Learn: About Lakewood's proposed pilot program
Hear: From experts from the OSU extension, veterinarians, local realtors, family hen keepers, and local food advocates
Engage: in Q&A

Join the discussion!

Then come back and join the discussion online here!

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I think it's a great idea to share the idea of how responsible chicken-raising would work in Lakewood with the whole city, and give everyone a chance to see how much sense this makes in terms of food safety, food security, etc. in Lakewood. I think Hens in Lakewood should get as much momentum as they can before they go back to the City.

I don't know whether I would be spending more time on trying to get a pilot project through however. There are many cities with the same characteristics as Lakewood which have modern chicken-raising policies and systems in place. Clearly if it works in those cities (similar populations, similar density, similar resources in terms of space available, similar earth and weather conditions, etc.) Hens In Lakewood can skip the pilot and go right on to making it legal to raise chickens RESPONSIBLY in Lakewood. If you look at the points of HIL's proposal, you will see that there are many in Lakewood who will not be able to raise chickens because their yards aren't deep enough, or they don't qualify in other ways. There won't be chickens scratching around the side yard or whatever. Twenty-first century chickens and chicken coops and chicken families in Lakewood!

If I was part of the chicken supporter group, I would be frustrated with the idea of starting over with the pilot program. That could stretch on forever. One year four families. The next year four more. Or one more. If it makes sense, can keep us healthy and safe and it's affordable in a time when food costs for VERY HEALTHY SAFE FOOD is an issue, if it makes sense, let's do it. If there is an informational outreach kind of battle to be fought, that involves changing legislation or petitions or elections, while they change attitudes and open minds, I think they should just go for it.

This pilot thing could be a wild goose chase. Ha ha.

The research and information is already out there. Lakewood badly needs to be a city of the future, in fact, of the present. One pilot dogpark is different from stopping Lakewood residents who qualify from being able to take better, healthier care of their kids, if they choose to, or their neighbors choose to, and they are willing to share, sell or barter eggs while they wait months and months, or years, for a pilot program.

I hope the chicken people bring a big long list of cities like ours who already do this.

And it looks like there are no Council, School Board or committee meetings that night. Though I could be wrong. A perfect night for discussing our future?

Betsy Voinovich