The Community Garden In Lowell

One of the most divisive subjects to hit Lowell since the Biodigester has been the "Community Garden" set up by a Lowell resident in 2018.

Before I go any further, we need to acknowledge how completely ironic it is for anything labeled "community" to create so much division. I say this because the very first definition Merriam-Webster gives for "community" is "a unified body of individuals". By the very definition, anything built around community should be bringing us together with a common cause. One of the reasons I am such a fan of Lowell is the strong community demonstrated in Pink Arrow, Flat River Outreach Ministries and the Food Fight, Lowell Rotary, Lowell Arts, etc etc.

While I was NOT a member of the City Council during the Community Garden mess, I was following it very closely for a number of reasons. First, I like anything with the first name of "Community". Secondly, I thought it was really cool for a family to grow things and give them away. My wife Julie had been party to several discussions over the last couple years with Lowell people who wanted to start one or more community gardens.

Any good will and bonhomie that might have been realized by such a Garden was quickly shoved to the back burner as the issue became such that regional media picked it up. The tone in the stories was always about the mean old City of Lowell shut down the well meaning efforts of a nice couple trying to do the right thing. That is one side of the story, I want to put forth "the rest of the story" as the late Paul Harvey used to declare at the start of his radio show by the same name.

FULL DISCLOSURE: When I met the lady behind the garden, I was not a big fan. (We interacted regarding business and marketing.)The reason I say that is because she struck me as someone who has an agenda to the point that she did very little listening and a whole lot of speaking. Nothing wrong with agendas, but carrying out a personal agenda usually requires working with existing groups or organizations. Look, I have a strong personality and I have some agendas of my own - but when it comes to "community" things, like serving on the DDA or as a member of the Marketing Committee, Merchants Group or the Lowell Chamber Board of Directors, I attended a few meetings to get the lay of the land and the pulse of the group before putting in my .02 cents. My point is that I have no problem with men or women who have dynamic personalities, but I believe one needs to contribute to a group before earning the privilege of driving the boat. However, even though Laura Huth-Rhodes was not someone I wanted to work with in business, when I first saw news of the Community Garden, I put aside my feelings and celebrated what I thought was another cool thing in my favorite town. I recall sharing it on my Facebook page and praising the concept.

We all know the story from this point on - a search for "Lowell Community Garden" will provide links to stories from TV8, Fox17, and other media.

One of the things I want to offer as a City Council member is transparency and communication. The top two things on my list to communicate about are the garden and our roads. (Roads are next!) To find out as much as I could about the garden, I have spoken with many folks I respect and trust in Lowell about this matter. Rather than getting into the whole "she said, they said" issue, let me present a couple of bullet points and make a conclusion. Here are some important, and often overlooked, points:

1. The City Manager/Council decided to let the garden continue for the remainder of the 2018 season. Frankly, they had bigger fish to fry - can you say Budgets, Biodigestor and Roads?However, once two or three residents, neighbors of the Rhoades, complained to the city, they had to take action. Once complaints were made by neighbors the City had to follow up on them.
2. Mike Burns is a member of of the ICMA - the International City/County Management Association (website here: ICMA). They are a governing body to which any City Manager worth his or her salt chooses to belong. Founded over 100 years ago, the ICMA has some serious clout - if a complaint against Burns ended up with a reprimand or censure from the ICMA, then the City Council could fire Mike Burns with no severance and he would have one heck of a time finding another City Management position. Someone decided to file a complaint with the ICMA and presented the situation along all the emails that had been provided to various media outlets. The ICMA found no wrongdoing or ethical violation by Mike Burns in the matter of the garden. 
3. The City tried to provide the Rhoades with some alternative ideas and/or possible sites so their garden could continue. (It is my understanding that two community gardens are currently in operation in the Lowell area.) They wanted it on their property. They were not interested in exploring any other possibilities.  
4. In my opinion, if one is truly upset about a regulation or the application of a rule or regulation, then the proper response is to work to get it changed. After being around Lowell for 16 years and working with the city and township governments, the Chamber, and various non-profits I can say that Lowell is pretty darn open minded when it comes to addressing concerns and embracing change. That is how things are done in a community. 

Example: There was a good deal of controversy about putting a section of the hiking trail along Bose Road. I attended a meeting to support the trail. There were some folks who were very upset about the potential of a 10 foot trail in their front yard - and rightly so. However, they worked through the proper channels and stated their concerns. They didn't run to the media or file some kind of complaint against other members of the COMMUNITY who served on the LARA Trail Committee. Things were worked out. We will have a trail and their yards will be intact. That is how things should work.

Living in a City or Sub-Division comes with restrictions - some written and some implied. When we lived on 52nd Street, I could trim my trees and burn the branches. Our closest neighbor was hundreds of feet away. Now that I live on Monroe Street, I have to deal with branches and yard waste in a different manner - it is not legal to burn leaves or branches in the City. That is clearly spelled out. I used to play a set of drums I had set up in our spare bedroom because we had NO neighbors within 500 feet of that side of the house. I did not bring my drum kit to Monroe Street - not that there is a specific law banning drumming in a house, but I want to be a good neighbor. Yes, there are noise restrictions in a City for the simple reason that my freedom to play drums ends at the point where my sound hits the ears of my neighbors!

Having a vegetable stand in the yard of a home in a City is not something normal. It is kind of like operating a business in the yard - I know, the produce was FREE, but it is business-like because of people coming and going, which is why the neighbors complained. Let me repeat - when you live with neighbors who are close, you must live WITH them. You know, as in Community.

The success of a garden can easily be measured by the quality of the harvest. Consider the "harvest" from this Community Garden: Division, rancor, complaints filed, hard feelings - NONE of which coincide in any way with the definition of Community. It is my understanding that the Rhoades' have their house up for sale. My goodness, I certainly hope they are not leaving Lowell just because of the garden.

My point is that IF the goal was truly a Community Garden with the intention of feeding people in need, there were and are a whole lot of opportunities to get that job done. Slamming Lowell in the media, refusing to negotiate, and filing complaints is not the way to do it.