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Politics & Government

Takoma Park Youth Garden Likely Delayed Until 2012

Garden on hold for 2011.

A garden at which Takoma Park teens could grow vegetables that was planned for the spring of 2011, will likely have to wait until 2012, said the member of the Recreation Committee who is working on that project.

The garden is on hold for 2011, said Kay Daniels-Cohen, who added there is a “fifty, fifty” chance it will go forward this spring.

“I’m going to meet with Takoma Park officials this week. We may need to regroup and get community support to go forward with the project next year. But, I’m not giving up yet for this year,” she said.

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A garden for Takmoa Park youths to plant and grow produce is a Recreation Committee project, and Daniels-Cohen focused on an area next to the Recreation Center to use as a garden.

“The space is up against the building, and there’s going to be leaching from the building’s brick and concrete, but to have a garden there is not impossible,” she said.

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The goal was for a garden that is 20 feet by 20 feet, and “the area (adjacent to the Recreation Center) is dead space,” (it is not used for any activities), she said. “I don’t have permission yet (to use the space). I requested it, and officials said they could not make a decision until after the budget was turned in on Apr. 4,” she said.

Because the land has to be dug up and turned over, so a decision on if the land can be used cannot wait until May to get it ready and to plant, Daniels-Cohen said. Because planting season is a short season, and the idea is to involve teens, the plan was to begin planting during spring recess.

In addition, because Daniels-Cohen does not expect a decision in time to begin work on the project in time to plant there this year, she is now planning on what needs to be done to get a garden operational for 2012. “I know I can make that happen for next year, but I’d like to start small and work from there,” she said.

For a garden in 2012, Daniels-Cohen said she needs the land and funds to purchase materials such as a topsoil and mulch, as well as to rent a tiller. However, she is working on gaining the support of local environmentalist and gardeners who can speak to the positive effect a public garden would have. In addition, she hopes the Takoma Foundation will approve a grant that would fund the purchase of materials.

The focus of the garden is also going to change from “a teen garden, to a diverse immigrant garden with Ethiopians and Hispanics and adults and teens,” she said. “Initially, I just wanted the teens to do it, but now that’s the foundation and we’re going to build on that foundation and keep it going with more people and more interests.”

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