Filed under: Community Gardens | Tags: American Community Gardening Association, City of Eugene Parks and Open Space, Community Gardens, Eugene
When talking about open spaces, what comes to mind for many are areas to run, bike, hike and enjoy the fresh air. However, open spaces can also be used for community gardens.
Back in the day, it was normal for homes to have enormous yards ideal for sizable gardens. Families could inexpensively provide fresh, nutritious vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, or even raspberries for their families. Today, this is not the case. Today, society has shifted to pocket sized yards or simply no yards at all.
To compensate for this change, the popularity of community gardens has increased, especially in areas where personal space is sparse and fresh produce is pricey. Community gardens allow urban dwellers and people fresh out of space to enjoy the numerous benefits of gardening.
Gardens come in a variety of types and sizes, each specially made for their location. Lets break down what a community garden can and cannot be. According to the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA), community gardens can be urban, suburban, or rural. They can grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables and can be divided into individual plots or can be one community plot. Plots can grow produce for the members of the plot or for markets.
The benefits of community gardens are endless. Besides the obvious benefits of nourishing, fresh produce, ACGA states that community gardens improve the quality of life for people who garden. They also provide a way to improve neighborhood and community development, encourage social interaction within a community, promote self-reliance, and not to mention, they simply make neighborhoods more attractive. Community gardens also reduce how much families spend on food, preserve green space, and even lower city heat from streets and parking lots.
Since 1978, Eugene has been creating community gardens and increasing community involvement and friendships. In Eugene there are six community gardens with a total of more than 300 plots. The average plot in Eugene is 20 by 30 feet and is individually staked and numbered so to avoid any confusion. To rent a plot costs $60 per year, which includes garden tools and water. Each individual gardener decides what to plant and how to help it grow most successfully. When you rent a plot within a community garden, you have a responsibility not just to yourself, but also to everyone who participates in that garden. The rules include starting your garden in the spring, maintaining your plot appropriately, keeping common areas and roadways clear, using organic gardening methods (no pesticides or herbicides) and being respectful to others crops.
Community Gardens are “springing up” all over the nation. They provide so many wonderful benefits with only one downfall- getting your hands down and in the dirt is fairly difficult. These gardens have become so popular that there are waiting lists a “yard” long. So get going, grab some seeds, find a plot near you, and gain some of the countless benefits community gardens can offer.
More Information:
Information is available about plots after March 1.
Plot assignments are made in the middle of March.
For more information or to request a plot, contact:
City of Eugene Parks and Open Spaces
1820 Roosevelt Boulevard
Eugene, Oregon 97402
(541) 682-4800
volunteersinparks@ci.eugene.or.www.eugene-or.gov/parks
1. About American Community Gardening Association
2. Benefits of Community Gardens
3. ACGA What is a Community Garden
By: Jordan Roskelley
Filed under: New Park, Spray Play Parks | Tags: City of Eugene Parks and Open Space, Eugene, Spray Play Parks, Washington Park
Childhood memories of playing in the wading pool on hot summer days have become a thing of the past for Eugene locals. Recently, all wading pools in Eugene were required to install a pricey re-circulating and disinfecting water system or be closed after this past summer. This is the result of changing state health regulations, which were set in place to increase user safety when using wading pools.
But fear not, the city of Eugene has decided to convert these traditional wading pools into a park of the twenty-first century. Wading pools in the area will be transformed into interactive spray play parks, the first of which will be 5.5 acre Washington Park. Construction is planned to begin next summer.
Interactive spray play parks incorporate many different styles of user-activated fountains and jets to create a playful environment for summertime fun. There are elements for toddlers to play with, as well as older children. The upside to these unique, revolutionary parks is that unlike other water parks, they have no standing water, and therefore do not require chemical treatment, re-circulating systems, or lifeguards. Not to mention, for less restricted fun, they don’t run on a time schedule. These spray features are triggered by the touch of a button seven days a week.
According to the Eugene Parks and Open Space website, priorities of the park include:
* Visually appealing space both when in use and not.
* Age specific areas for safety and with good flow, fully accessible.
* Integrated landscaping.
* Comfortable areas for families and caregivers, plenty of seating and shade.
* Soft edges and curves.
* Stimulating, interactive, and unexpected elements.
* Use of the concrete surface as a design element.
* Inspired by nature and water.
* Incorporate local artists.
The Eugene Parks Foundation is working with the City of Eugene to raise $200,000 by this spring for construction of the new park. Sponsorship opportunities are available, including naming rights of the park for a $100,000 donation. Yes, the wading pools of old are gone, however, Eugene Parks and Open Spaces is very interested in the opinion of the public. They are welcoming suggestions or criticisms and very much want the input of the community for Eugene’s largest state of the art spray play park. Take a look at the design concepts and join the conversation!
1. Washington Park Information
2. Spray Parks are Making a Splash Around the U.S.
http://govpro.com/news/SprayparksmakingsplasharoundUS/
http://www.fountaineers.co.uk/playparks.htm
4. Regulations a Drain on Wading Pools in City Parks
http://www.kval.com/news/39809447.html
http://www.leeandassociatesinc.com/local_spraypark.html
Blog by: Jordan Roskelley
