Reading Garden - Part II

Tweefie Millspaugh, a resident on Vineyard Lane sent the following email to be posted on the blog:

In the Charles Village Benefits District Annual Report 2012 Newsletter, there were a couple of photos and blurb on page 2 about the "Greening Project" on Vineyard Lane, which took place on June 14th.  I would like to point out a couple of items that were incorrectly portrayed.

There were no Barclay students that I know of there that day.  However, the residents of Vineyard Lane who were there working were not mentioned at all.

As of this writing, the "Reading Garden" it was supposed to become, compliments of the CVCBD efforts and grant money, has failed to materialize.  And, lastly, as everyone should know, it is obviously not located in Waverly.

Which I am personally am grateful that the CVCBD has someone come by periodically and pick up trash and mow the lot, I am less than pleased with the fact that after much pomp and circumstance about the project, and once Mary Pat Clark (City Councilwoman) and the media left, the plan seems to have fallen by the wayside.  I am content with a small green space there, but for the CVCBD to have made promises, and announced the noble effort to the public, and then just drop it, is disingenuous.  It leaves people to assume that the plan proceed as advertised, when in fact, the reality is that there has been no change, and the agreement between the lot owner and the CVCBD for basic care is as it has been for several years.

Tweefie reported that she received a response from Mr. David Hill of the CVCBD advising her of some issues with respect to the collection of the grant money and was looking to get some from an additional foundation.  Councilwoman Clark has stated that she will assist Mr. Hill as much as possible to locate additional funds for the project.

However, I would like to make a few points here:

1.  The City has the ability to provide water to the site of this lot for a fee of $150. so that the plants could have been maintained, but none was secured, which actually meant that unless one of the residents took pity on the plants they would have most likely died after being planted.  New plantings need water to survive.  To start a garden without water is just a waste of money.

2.  Why were the trees not planted and left to die?

3.  If the CVCBD are getting paid by the lot's owner to take care of the facility there they should be picking up the trash that is deposited there and mowing the lawn as part of their agreement with the lot owner.

4.  A last correction to the Annual Report involves the Hunter Street Community Garden which was not started by the CVCBD, but by a neighbor who was lovingly called Mrs. "B" many years ago.  I met this woman several years ago with John Houston who as a Vista employee attached to the CVCBD who was able to get plantings donated by Home Depot where he and I distributed them to the local residents of North Calvert Street and Guilford Avenue.