Unemployment has been…a vibe. It’s been a heartwrenching slog of applications, interviews, and rejections. While all that has been steady going, I’ve been keen to put work into something that…well, works.
So when I’m not applying for jobs, interviewing for jobs, and looking for new jobs to apply to, I’ve taken some of the downtime to focus my energy on something I can actually accomplish: working to establish a community garden in the park behind our house.
It’s a tall order. Currently, I’m in the process of building community support and getting the local district council and St. Paul Parks department on board. A component of that effort is a press release to be published in Dayton’s Bluff Community Forum. Here is a little sample of what I’ve been working on:
This press release was originally published in the Dayton’s Bluff District Forum
Community Garden To Revitalize Mounds Park
Cultivating Unity, Nature, and Fun in the Heart of Saint Paul
[East Saint Paul, Minnesota] – Just east of downtown, up the steep Kellogg Road and tucked away in a pocket of Dayton’s Bluff is one of Saint Paul’s best-kept secrets: a lush green park known as the Mound's Park Recreation Area. Today, the facility primarily serves as a hub for the Saint Paul Parks Department, supporting service vehicles and municipal operations. However, remnants of the park’s original attractions still linger.
Within its boundaries, you'll find an old tennis and basketball court and two baseball diamonds, their tall baseline fences now overgrown with vines. Overlooking the park's perimeter, a series of towering metal poles adorned with rusty clusters of stadium lights.
Lately, residents of the vibrant Mound’s Park neighborhood have been rallying together with a shared goal: to breathe new life into this cherished green space. Leading this community-driven initiative is the proposal for a large community garden.
Neighbors envision the park as a revitalized space where people can grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, all while giving back to the community with fun and informative events, and fresh, healthy produce. The proposed community garden also has the potential to be an oasis of relaxation, outdoor exercise, learning, and fun—a valuable greenspace inviting individuals and families to reconnect with nature in the heart of our city.
The project also holds significant ecological importance. In addition to fruits and vegetables, the team behind the garden plans to cultivate native plants to preserve and enhance a rich habitat for local pollinators.
“But the Community Garden is not just about gardening” noted Nate Barber, a local resident working to develop and build the garden. “It's about building a stronger, more connected, and equitable community.”
Mr. Barber stated that among the top benefits of a garden is the potential to host a series of engaging activities and events, including:
Informative Workshops: Master gardeners, landscaping enthusiasts, and other experts will help do-it-yourselfers of all levels to hone their skills in a range of fulfilling pastimes.
Community Gatherings: Events featuring potluck meals, hotdish competitions, and musical performances can bring neighbors closer in a spirit of celebration and sharing.
Cooking Demonstrations: friends of the garden will get a chance to learn delicious ways to turn their garden's bounty into tasty and healthy meals.
Local History: Presentations from local storytellers and historians can deepen our understanding of the creative heritage of Dayton's Bluff.
Artistic Expression: Performances from local musicians and artists, showcasing the talent within our community.
Key details about the proposed Community Garden:
Location: Mounds Park Recreational Area, between Mounds Street and Earl Street, McLean and Burns Ave.
Timeline: While specific dates are subject to approvals for permits, insurance, leasing, and access to water, the project envisions sign-up and division of garden plots in winter 2024, construction of the garden in late winter of 2024, and planting commencing in spring 2024.
The people of Dayton’s Bluff are looking forward to what a shared garden may bring to their neighborhood. Mr. Barber noted that in addition to making a local greenspace more useful and inviting with free food and fun events, this project could actually bring people together.
“When people have a common hobby or a shared goal,” stated Mr. Barber, “There’s a greater chance they’ll establish new and unexpected friendships.” Whether the proposed garden creates new bonds within the community or strengthens old ones, it will be interesting to keep an eye on what comes of this intriguing project.
Proposed site for community garden at the west end of Mound's Park, Saint Paul
Update: 11/08/2023
Funds. We need cash. That’s one of the biggest hurdles to bringing this project to fruition.* The best hope of getting the cash the garden needs is applying to and qualifying for a STAR grant. Star grants, per their website, are: Awards loans and grants for capital improvement projects in Saint Paul neighborhoods.
Projects must be neighborhood-based, designed in partnership with community stakeholders, and clearly address problems, needs, and opportunities in Saint Paul. Proposals can be a project or program that results in capital improvements in Saint Paul. Innovative proposals are encouraged, and these proposals may be generated by neighborhood and civic leaders, organizations, and businesses.
I just wrapped up a grant proposal and submitted to the STAR board. It was comprehensive, to put it mildly. I had to call upon my ancestors to complete it thoroughly. The proposal included bids from local contractors for digging a trench and piping water to the garden from the Park’s Department maintenance shed. This meant researching, contacting, scheduling, meeting with, and obtaining quotes from enough local contractors to create an accurate picture of how much the project would cost. Considering how much money there was to be made from what could be a weekend’s work, you’d think it would be easier to motivate contractors to do the thing. Eventually, I was able to get two contractors out to do the thing, and they prepared great quotes for the work, but still. Two other contractors totally cheesed out on meeting up for their scheduled time which, after coordinating those meetings with a representative of the Parks Department, was a bad look to be standing around kicking rocks waiting for some wing-nut, no-show contractor.
In addition to the quotes from contractors, several essays I wrote to make the case for the garden, as well as a detailed budget, I also needed to include three letters of support from community members. I wrote one of the letters which, I was worried could have been a conflict of interest, but I was assured from reliable sources it was not a conflict of interest. But that’s not the point.
The other two letters I received in support of the garden were, I thought, very moving. While they were anything but romantic prose, I don’t mind saying they were an emotional read. It’s one thing to hear passing support for the garden. I mean, that’s always nice. But talk is cheap. It’s another thing entirely that someone would sit down to write a considerate and compelling letter of support for this project. They are so good in fact, I thought I should include them here:
Dear Members of the STAR Board,
I am writing to lend my support to the Mounds Park Community Garden. Neighborhood volunteers have worked diligently to identify underutilized space in Mounds Park, aka Mounds Maintenance Facility, that currently houses a storage facility for Parks Department vehicles. This is not in Indian Mounds Regional Park, which is currently undergoing a transformation in partnership with our tribal partners. The changes that are happening in the regional park will increase the need for a more activated space in the neighborhood, another reason that I support the work of the community garden volunteers. The city’s master plan adopted in 2011 called for community gardens in this area, but because of the future relocation of the maintenance facility, the plans had not been implemented. Community members, with the blessing and cooperation of the Parks Department staff, have taken it upon themselves to stop waiting for the relocation and instead work to beautify and activate an underutilized section of this park for the benefit of the community.
The benefits of a community garden are well documented, and I believe in the way they enhance the beauty and livability of a neighborhood, bring neighbors together and build community, and provide a supply of fresh and healthy food. In addition, this community garden can become a hub of activity for the neighbors in an area that is largely residential and does not have a supply of “third spaces” or alternative neighborhood gathering spots.
Thank you for your consideration of this project.
Sincerely,
Jane Prince
Saint Paul City Council Member for Ward 7
Pretty neat, right?! I suspect that my neighbor and dear friend Stephanie Harr—Jane Prince’s Administrative Aide, and indefatigable champion of the community garden—had no small part in that letter. Stephanie also had the great idea to suggest the third letter of support come from the Saint Paul Park’s Department.
I’d been in communication with Alice Messer, the Saint Paul Park’s Department Design and Construction Manager about the scope and possibility of this park. Still, when I sent Alice a request for a letter of support, I half-expected radio silence. A letter of support, as I mentioned, is not a negligible undertaking. Alice Messer likely had a full plate of real tasks associated with her role as Design and Construction Manager. I could imagine her receiving a request for support as pretty extra—a real pain.
Not only did Alice come through with a great letter of support, but she cranked it out in time to include it in my grant proposal before its deadline:
November 1, 2023
Dear Chair Vander Aarde-
The City of Saint Paul Department of Parks and Recreation supports the request for a community garden at 277 North Cypress Street (referred to a Mounds Maintenance). Community gardens were proposed for the space when the long-range plan for the place currently known as Indian Mounds Regional Park was updated. Please see attached graphic reflecting high level visioning completed in 2011 for this space which shows the addition of community garden plots where the existing tennis courts reside.
The Department of Parks and Recreation supports this request as we feel the gardens will be a great activator and provide an opportunity for community interaction.
Parks and Recreation has met with Mr. Barber and we continue to discuss possible locations for the future garden.
We look forward to continued discussions and request consideration of the request for funding to support the installation of water for the community garden. This is infrastructure currently unavailable at the site but critical to the success of the project.
Thank you for your consideration,
Andy Rodriguez, Director
Department of Parks and Recreation
One of the key advantages of Alice’s letter was officially establishing written support for the garden. That is not an insignificant detail.
As mentioned, I had been speaking with members of the St. Paul Parks Department at length about the garden. Until Alice’s letter, I had only secured verbal confirmation they were in favor of the project. Again, that is great, but verbal agreements can only go so far, especially from someone with a face like mine. But getting something written down from the real Park’s Department was a pretty big get. It makes the project that much more real.
In the end, I am satisfied with the proposal. It needed a couple of squeaks and tweaks here and there. But the final proposal is detailed, straightforward, and makes a wholly enthralling argument for the garden.
Another significant development: I am now a board member for the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council. This is for a number of reasons. The garden needs a treasurer. We can’t just have some schmoe who’s good with numbers handle our funds. That is obvious. The propensity for mishandling funds is just too great. And there’s little accountability, if any. Also, the garden will need a signature for liability insurance. The answer to both these requirements would be to partner with a local nonprofit 501C(4) organization. The DBCC is the most logical local entity for that partnership. But the DBCC has been burned in the past. I get the feeling they aren’t exactly hyped to partner with a project that isn’t officially connected to the Council. So, in the capacity of a liaison between the garden and the DBCC I applied and was accepted as a board member.
This will be a new journey for me. I know less than zero about how the DBCC operates and how they command influence in our neighborhood. But I’m excited to learn and, maybe, if I keep my big mouth shut, I might even be able to help out, in whatever limited capacity I can offer. Maybe they could use a fresh website?
*pun intended, tyvm