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Santa Cruz Indymedia | Environment & Forest Defense | Health, Housing, and Public ServicesPlan Presented at Second Meeting to Save the Beach Flats Community Garden
The second public meeting to save the Beach Flats Community Garden took place on April 3rd. At the meeting, the gardeners put forward a plan for the garden to be managed by the gardeners. Reyna Ruiz of the Beach Flats Community Center said that the plan was something that she could work with and present to the Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation as well as the Seaside Company which claims ownership over the land. The gardeners asked Brent, a supportive neighbor of the garden, to accompany Reyna when she presented the plan to the Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation Department on April 4th.  jardineros_4-3-08.jpg A third public meeting will take place at the Beach Flats Community Garden on Monday, April 7th, at 5pm to continue discussing the future of the garden.
§Meeting
 meeting_4-3-08.jpg  plan_4-3-08.jpg  clarifications_4-3-08.jpg  comunidad_4-3-08.jpg This sign was made by Brent, the person on the right.
 gato_4-3-08.jpg  tangerine-tree_4-3-08.jpg The tangerines from this tree are delicious!
 maize_4-3-08.jpg  playing_4-3-08.jpg  future_4-3-08.jpg  want-domingo_4-3-08.jpg Domingo is said to be in the garden everyday from about 5am to 5pm. He recently pulled up some of his plants after Reyna told him that he was not allowed to garden there anymore. At the meeting, during introductions, Domingo announced that he does not want to garden there anymore. In this photo, people who want Domingo to stay and garden are raising their hand. There was nobody, Reyna included, who wanted Domingo to stop gardening in the Beach Flats Community Garden.
 domingo-reyna_4-3-08.jpg I think that Domingo will continue to garden in the Beach Flats Community Garden. It is clear to everyone that he very dedicated to caring for the land and providing people with food.
 weedy_4-3-08.jpg On April 3rd, there was still a lot of weeds and scattered bits of trash in this garden plot. I was surprised to see it in significantly better condition the next day.
 not-weedy_4-4-08.jpg I'm not sure who or how many people cleaned this garden plot, or what tools were used, but it's almost ready for cultivation now.
Brent said that Reyna has not met with the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department yet, but that she will try to set up a meeting with them on Monday before the 5pm meeting at the garden.
Comments (Hide Comments)
Saturday Apr 5th, 2008 9:37 AM
I like that. It makes the area look nicer.
To what extent does Seaside company own the whole beach flats area? They really could do a better job in making some of the common areas by the levee look good. Probably, I'm not the only person who has had the experience of visiting friends in other cities, and having them respond "Santa Cruz? I've been there - it's a slummy beach town!". So where do people commonly get this impression, given that it's clearly not true, and most of the city is really expensive and upscale? It is because there are two pathways through the city that visitors are directed through due to the street grid. One would be the Mission street part of highway 1 where you see some stores behind large parking lots. And most people coming to visit the beach for the day are directed down Ocean street following signs to the boardway. Ocean street is where all the badly built cheap housing and hotels are located. Once you get over the bridge into the boardwalk parking lot area, it is very difficult to accidentally stray into the westside unless you have a map and directions because only one street by Las Palmas will let you get there. The unsophisticated visitor will never even find Pacific (where the city spends so much time supposedly appealing to tourists by driving away homeless sitters) because the one way streets make it difficult to find the way to get to Front or Pacific. Instead, most cars are funneled into the road by the levee with the parking lots where various equipment is stored, and it's not gardened very well. Then all traffic has to cross the river into River Flats neighborhood (again, the most affordable housing isn't really very affordable here, so people need to double up, so there is little street parking left), and they go home. Having some gardens or nice things to look at could only help seaside company get return visitors.
( grrrant [at] cruzio.com )
Monday Apr 7th, 2008 6:42 AM
La lucha de tierra es la lucha del mundo.
Por todos! Ninioas, plantes, insectos, animales. Mas y mas... La viva minutos y minutos microscopico... universal! Gracias Su amigos de paz
Monday Apr 7th, 2008 2:33 PM
Meeting today at 5pm at the garden.
Concerns were expressed on Saturday at the garden about whether Reyna had presented the plan given to her verbatim, or whether she made changes and additions when she typed it up. Gardeners and supporters should ask for a copy of what Reyna presented, and then compare it to what was presented to Reyna. |