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STAFF REPORT <br />To: Mayor and City Council <br />Mike Mornson, City Manger <br />From: Jay Hartman, Director of Public Works <br />Date: February 12, 2010 <br />Subject: COMMUNITY GARDEN: KENZIE TERRACE SITE <br />Background: <br />Mike, per your request, I have researched the possibility of the city providing a Community <br />Garden for our residents at 2654 Kenzie Terrace Site. <br />The information provided is from different cities that currently provide Community Gardens for <br />their residents. These include Plymouth, Albert Lea and Columbia Heights. <br />During my conversation with each city, the overall comments were very positive and the idea of <br />having a Community Garden was well received by their residents. <br />When speaking to the City of Columbia Heights, the Public Works Director indicated that the <br />number of Community Gardens have been reduced over the past few years due to the amount of <br />time required by city staff and problems they have had to deal with in providing a Community <br />Garden. I do not see this as a negative but more so as a challenge. It will be to our advantages to <br />know the issues upfront so we can avoid the same obstacles or issues that they have had to <br />encounter. <br />"What is a Community Garden"? A community garden is any space where plants are grown and <br />maintained by a community to meet the needs of that community. Also, a Community Garden <br />provides opportunities to grow food, to share traditions between cultures and generations, to <br />create habitable environments, and most importantly to build community. The multiple benefits <br />of a Community Garden extend far beyond a garden's borders! <br />Constructing/Developing a Community Garden: <br />In developing a plan for a Community Garden, there are a number of considerations that need to <br />be looked at in order to make this a successful project. <br />Staff Report Community Garden Kenzie <br />