[Mintwood-place] Kalorama Park Community Garden

[Michael Rogers - PageOne]

My apologies for the tech issue which resulted in an empty email earlier.

Thank you to those of you who wrote to me privately in the wake of Mr.
Cloud's characterization of my questions as 'ignorance.' I appreciate
the support. (As a blogger who "outs" anti-gay government officials
who themselves are closeted, I've been called a lot worse than
'ignorant,' so it's nothing I can't handle.)

I sincerely had no idea it was my responsibility to read the
Washington Post every day to make sure I am fully aware of the
policies regarding the setting aside of park lands for private use and
benefit.

I took a walk over to the garden today, and whatever signs Mr. Cloud
refers to in his missive are no longer posted.  I did however notice
something very interesting. Although his email referred to the
ecological benefits of the land set aside, there was no mention of the
health implications for animals with regard to the plastic bags used
on may of the private plots. Not only do such bags take approximate
11,000 years to disintegrate, but they pose problems for small animals
and birds who can choke on them or become trapped inside and then
suffocate.  While I imagine the plastic two litre bottles strewn about
contain water for those fortunate enough to land a private garden,
their presence, like the bags about the gardens, makes the garden area
look more like an abandoned tenement than community garden. Presumably
the water line (put in at taxpayer's expense, I'm guessing) would make
it unnecessary for plastic bottles to be placed on the ground. As we
all know, plastic bottles are anything but friendly to the
environment.

There is no sign anywhere that indicates who has access to the
privately gated and locked corner of the park and while I appreciate
the ecological value (I did work for Greenpeace after all) of the
hedges, one could easily see -- and as a police officer on the street
confirmed for me today -- that they could also serve as great places
for criminals to hide.

I'd be all for keeping the hedges which are original to the park and
to clear out the private gardens (which, presumably are not part of
the original park) to make way for a lovely "doggie" area, benefiting
hundreds more than the small group of private gardeners. I'm not sure
if that would be the best solution, but it would maintain the
ecological benefits he wrote about and not set aside the area for a
few lucky souls who happen to, say, read the Washington Post to learn
about community gardens or happen upon a temporarily placed flyer.

Finally, While Mr. Could may maintain that the "Kalorama Park Community Garden
remains a unique resource to the neighborhood," the facts state
otherwise. I think it would have been far more accurate had he written
that the "Kalorama Park Community Garden
remains a unique resource for the handful of people who have access to
the gated and locked area which had been set aside for private use."

Michael Rogers

On 4/23/07, Angela Huff <angela_huff at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Honestly, I wouldn't like either message directed towards me.  I felt the
> need to be defensive after reading Mr. Rogers' posting.  I felt insulted by
> Mr. Cloud's response.
>
> I thought both were spoiling for a fight.
>
> Mondays are tough.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> The average US Credit Score is 675. The cost to see yours: $0 by Experian.
> http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=660600&bcd=EMAILFOOTERAVERAGE
>
>


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