Signal Hill Council approves community garden design – Long Beach Press

signal hillA 26-space community garden with tool sheds, work benches and granite paths is scheduled to open by April 2014, but some council members expressed concern at the fee for residents.

The City Council approved the conceptual design of a community garden at 1917 E. 21st St., adjacent to Signal Hill Park, but agreed to revisit the topic six months after the garden opens to see if the fees are too expensive.

The city has allocated $120,000 in the 2013-14 fiscal budget for developing the garden. Councilwoman Tina Hansen was absent from the meeting.

Annual costs in staffing, water usage and maintenance is $4,534, so the annual cost per space to individual gardeners would be $175.

The council last week approved the conceptual garden design, by a 4-0 vote.

Councilwoman Tina Hansen was absent from the meeting.

Previous to the council approving the design, the Parks and Recreation Commission had meetings about the proposed garden. Some residents said the $175 a year fee was too expensive, so the commission proposed a six-month and one-year contract rather than only a 12-month one.

At Tuesday’s meeting, council members Larry Forester and Lisa Woods also said the $175 fee was too high and hoped the costs would drop.

“You would have to be pretty busy to grow $175 worth of vegetables on that plot,” Woods said. “I hope we find out the price will go down.”

Mayor Michael Noll said working with nonprofits might help lower the costs.

In addition to the fee, a $100 refundable deposit would be charged to each gardener. The deposit would be returned if, after leaving the garden, the space is clear of plants and ready for the next tenant.

If a garden space is abandoned and left with plants, the deposit would be used to pay the city’s landscape contractor for clearing the area. If the cleanup cost is less than $100, the balance would be refunded to the gardener.

The parks and recreation commission has established a set of rules and guidelines for the garden regarding operations, approved planting and care and maintenance.

Bids for the project are scheduled to be accepted in October and awarded in November. Construction is scheduled to begin in January, Community Services Director Pilar Alcivar-McCoy said.

Contact Phillip Zonkel at 562-714-2098.