“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”, a line from the song “You Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who (1970). With a move like “poo-pooing” a community garden proposal it really makes you wonder who’s running this city!
A reputable group of energetic people, incrEDIBLE trail, is prepared to facilitate, plant, educate and mentor this project. City council of Trail give your head a shake, for $15,000 and the use of a small piece of property in the Gulch (right across from Kate’s Kitchen) this garden could become a reality. People spend more on renovating their kitchens for goodness sakes!
Did you bother to investigate the benefits of a community garden, how it can directly contribute to revitalizing a community or neighbourhood. The holistic, intangible benefits from ‘digging in the dirt’ are incredible. Relationships are built, people come out of their homes and connect again, people are fed, it represents tolerance, acceptance, participants take pride in their efforts and develop a sense of self worth, walls come down and so on. Just “Google it”, you’ll see, there are many benefits.
In order for this town to continue to exist, we must attract young people/families. Things like community gardens, skate parks, a sense of community, an active shopping district, visible volunteerism, a liveable community, one that demonstrates involvement, new development, trees grown on boulevards in neighbourhoods, basically, a lot of little things add up to a healthy community. The location for the garden would be perfect as it can help in welcoming visitors/travelers on the trans-provincial highway that goes right down Rossland Ave.
I hail from the small town of Kaslo, where residents, businesses, neighbouring residents and council adopted the ‘little town that could” attitude. They have many successes to celebrate and they have certainly put themselves on the map! So you see, it really is possible.
Maybe you folks can find the $15K in that Violin Lake logging money that’s been “tucked away” for future considerations or the Bull-a-rama funds. A community garden will contribute positively to the carbon footprint! I am encouraging the mayor and council to stop treating us like share holders, loosen up the purse strings on the funds that have been hoarded for years and start treating us like taxpayers that deserve tax dollars to be spent on us and our community.
I believe in saving for a rainy day, so I ask you all at city hall, administration and council to “take a look out the window, it’s pouring in Trail.”
Become open-minded, give up the control issues and take a leap of faith!
This past election, I voted for change.
Sharon Deyotte
Trail business owner
