Peterborough City Council Pre-Commit $49,602 Of 2023 Budget To Community Gardens
/Peterborough City Council endorsed an agreement with YWCA Peterborough Haliburton for the administration of community gardens on municipal property and is pre-committing $49,602 in the City's 2023 Budget to fund the program.
The agreement for the Community Garden Administration would be from Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2027 with an option to renew for one additional three-year term.
According to a release by City Council, community gardens can make a community more vibrant and resilient, while benefiting local pollinators and other components of the environment.
At the time the Community Garden Policy was approved, Peterborough GreenUp in collaboration with the YWCA Peterborough Haliburton Peterborough Public Health, and the Community Opportunity & Innovation Network (COIN) had established the Peterborough Community Garden Network (PCGN). GreenUp was the lead organization under which the PCGN operated. GreenUp acted as the legal entity with whom the City entered into licence agreements specific to each garden site located on municipal land.
In 2014, the management responsibilities transferred from GreenUp to the YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, which has been involved with community gardening for more than 30 years. The YWCA manages the gardens on municipal lands as part of its Nourish Project program. The Nourish Project works in partnership with community gardeners to develop sustainable community garden groups that oversee the individual sites. This process is critical in ensuring that the uniqueness of each garden is recognized, the gardeners are empowered to take on leadership roles and feel a sense of pride and connection with the garden sites and sustaining the community garden projects in the long term. The YWCA also maintains a waiting list of interested new gardeners.
There are a total of 144 garden plots available within the gardens located on the following municipal lands:
Whitefield Park
1900 Ashburnham Dr.
King Edward Park
Nevin Park
Stewart Park
480 McDonnel St. (abuts Bonaccord Street – Referred to as the Bonaccord Garden)
Barnardo Avenue and Wolsely Street intersection (flower garden)
There is at least one other application in progress for a community garden
