Council OKs garden plan

SANDPOINT — Organizers of a proposed community garden are celebrating today after the garden received final approval at Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

The garden, which will be located on a roughly one-third acre plot of land at Dub’s Field, is an arm of the newly-formed Sandpoint Transition Initiative.

Jeff Burns leads STI’s working group on food and was instrumental in bringing the garden to fruition.

“I think it’s great,” Burns said of the decision. “I think it’s great for Sandpoint and I think it’s great for the beginning of a new parks program.”

Under the agreement, STI will be responsible for the land’s basic upkeep and will pay all but $100 in yearly water fees. The agreement originally called for the city to pay the first $100 of the garden’s yearly water bill, but several council members questioned the legality of the offer.

The monetary snag nearly derailed the entire proposal until Councilman Michael Boge volunteered to find outside funding for the water bill, which nullified the questions of legality and ensured a unanimous council vote in favor of the garden.

The garden will be split up into several sections, with one section for communal use and another broken into 33 eight-by-eight foot plots for individual use.

All types of food will be produced at the garden, but none of it can be sold commercially, according to the agreement.

Burns said the garden’s success can be attributed to the hard work of STI members and a number of individuals in city government, Parks and Recreation Director Kim Woodruff in particular.

“Kim rocks. Working with Kim has just been a blessing,” he said. “Working with the City Council and the mayor is a blessing.”

Next up for Burns and STI is finding farmers to use the 33 individual plots, which will rent for $35 per year. With hopes of bringing in a diverse group of farmers, STI will hold three separate sign-up days at three different locations.

Sign-up sheets will be available at the Gardenia Center on April 19 at 11:30 a.m., Perky Mama and Vinnie’s on April 21 at noon, and the Sandpoint Senior Center on April 22 at 11:30 a.m.

The garden’s first working days will be April 25-26, followed by a grand opening from 1-5 p.m. on May 2.