A community garden could be blooming in Bristol this spring.
Mayor Art Ward said Tuesday that establishing a community garden – probably at the Beals Senior-Community Center – would allow residents to grow their own food.
It would give people something to do with their green thumbs, he said, and perhaps help some cope with the economic downturn as well.
“Community gardening improves people’s quality of life by providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education,” according to the American Community Garden Association.
Ward said he plans to bring the idea before a city committee soon to consider putting a community garden at the senior center.
Farmington has the Kolp Community Garden Plots that have offered people garden space for years on the flats near the Farmington River. It’s been popular there.
Ward said Bristol would likely find a receptive audience for a community garden, too.
“It’s great for people to grow their own foodstuffs,” Ward said.
He said that putting it at the senior center may prove “ideal” because there is plenty of extra land there and seniors are apt to be interested in trying it out.
“It could be workable,” Ward said, without costing the taxpayers much.
Ward said he plans to move quickly on the idea so that if the city can do it, people would have a chance to get things planted this spring in time to harvest them in late summer or early fall.
“Especially during these economic times, it might be great,” Ward said.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
