By Peter Masundire, Friends of Atlantic City Nursery
On Monday, December 6th, the Parks & Green Spaces Levy Citizens Oversight Committee recommended $500,000 funding for the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands Project, taking this community led project a step closer to reality!
The Parks & Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund received almost 100 project proposal applications and ours was one of the few that made it to the final list of recommended projects.
This is a major milestone for our efforts to establish the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and we could not have come this far without your support. On behalf of the Friends of Atlantic City Nursery, I want to thank you for your support and persistence. This has been a long road and it’s not over yet, but together as a community, I know we can make this happen!
Next Steps: RFP
The final list of recommended projects has been sent to the acting Parks Superintendent, Christopher Williams for his approval. Following Mr. Williams’ approval, the list will be presented to the Mayor and City Council in January 2011 and we expect the City Council to approve the recommended projects in March 2011.
As I mentioned previously, Parks is putting together a Request for Proposals for a Non Profit Operator to operate and manage the urban farm at the site and Friends of Atlantic City Nursery intends to file a response in partnership with Seattle Tilth.
Once again, thank you for supporting the community effort to establish the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands Project at Atlantic City Nursery.
Atlantic City Nursery is located at 5513 S. Cloverdale Street in Rainier Beach. Photo/do communications
Related:
- Board of Parks Votes YES on Rainier Beach Urban Farm (9/14/10)
- Mayor McGinn to Visit Proposed Rainier Beach Urban Farm Site at Atlantic City Nursery (5/12/10)
- Dare to Dream: What Would You Do With a 7-Acre Green Space in Rainier Beach? (12/2/09)
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
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With millions of miles of prime agrilcultural land all over the state, why are folks so desperate to grow their own in the city? Why not just buy from local farmers who are already established?
Oh, that’s right — the Smart Growth agenda, courtesy of the United Nations. Move everyone out of the country, and move them into the city. Then make them grow their own food, like a good soviet socialist community would do. All under the auspices of “manmade global warming.”
Just a note to say that one major goal of this project is to provide green job training and opportunities to youth and others who live in Rainier Valley, in addition to activating a Parks property not previously open to the community. It is already set up for greenhouse growing, as it was used as a container nursery before Parks moved their nursery activities elsewhere.
Collective farms in the Soviet Union were massive, consolidated, mechanized mono-cultures, and look how well they did! Meanwhile, the peasants were producing most of their calories on their own tiny plots. Some people think of our current corporate agriculture as being vulnerable in some of the same ways that the giant Soviet collective farms were–with decentralized, local production seen as a way to increase our food security generally.
Thanks for all of your hard work, Peter and the rest of this very small but committed group. I admire your dedication to our community.
Thanks Anna. The Urban Farm will also encourage people to eat more produce as truly fresh veggies are very tasty. The resulting healthier eating can then help to combat obesity.
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