Sisters community gardeners plot future

Everything is coming up roses for the Sisters Community Garden. The non-profit has the green light to remain in last year's location for this year's growing season. The gardeners are close to a deal with the City of Sisters that will provide for the next garden location, and they have money in the bank.

At the organization's annual meeting on Thursday, February 7, members learned after weeks of uncertainty that the community garden will again this year be located on the property Sisters Habitat for Humanity owns at 354 E. Adams Ave.

"When we negotiated originally with Habitat for Humanity, it was always spoken and we always knew that this was a temporary space," said Katie Cavanaugh, one of the original facilitators for the community garden. "The fact that they (Habitat for Humanity) are giving us another growing season is great as we make the transition to hopefully a piece of ground that is owned by the city." The move to a city-owned site is a natural move for the Sisters garden, as the vast majority of community gardens nationwide are located on city- or parks & recreation district-owned property.

"It makes a lot of sense, because then there's permanency and the garden connects with the city," said Cavanaugh.

The community garden will likely move next year to Cliff Clemens Park as its permanent home.

"Anytime you involve a lumbering giant like a city council or a planning department, there's lots of hoops to jump through. We're jumping," said Cavanaugh.

According to Cavanaugh, both city manager Eileen Stein and the city's new director of planning and community development Eric Porter are very supportive of the community garden move to Cliff Clemens Park.

Community garden 2007 president Mary Crow thinks the move will be beneficial for everybody.

"The really wonderful thing is that the two - the Habitat project and working with the city for Cliff Clemens - is merging so that we are going to be able to design a garden that is just going to be spectacular," she said.

In the process of securing the site at Cliff Clemens Park, the Sisters Community Garden has been partnering with the Sisters Kiwanis Club. The Kiwanians for some time have had a master plan for upgrades at the park that for whatever reasons have not yet come to fruition. Now that the community garden is planning to move to the park, the Kiwanians are commencing their improvements.

"They're doing fencing and signage and doggie poop stations, much needed," said Cavanaugh. "That will coincide with the beautiful garden going in. What we're trying to do is have this modified plan all come together simultaneously."

When the community garden moves to Cliff Clemens Park, it will pick up some extra ground.

"The projected measurements are 70-by-160 (feet), so we're going to gain some ground," said Cavanaugh. "I think we're going to be able to have a bit more growing space."

The community garden is starting the 2008 growing season with $2,000 in its coffers.

"Funding is outpacing the outlays," treasurer Larry Nelson told garden members at last week's meeting. Private donations and fund-raisers coupled with two grants from the City of Sisters totaling $1,000, a gift from the Sisters Garden Club for $500 and a donation from the Unity Center for Positive Living in Bend in the amount of $492.30 provided $4,650 for the garden's first year of operation.

Functioning as a subcommittee of SOAR (Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation), the Sisters Community Garden has 501c3 non-profit status and liability insurance. An updated set of bylaws has been adopted that calls for a nine-member board of directions with rotating terms.

Changes taking place at this year's garden include increasing the number of 10-by-10-foot gardening plots and raising annual membership dues which includes a 5-by-10-foot garden space from $10 to $15. Membership is open to all area households, and financial assistance is available. For more information contact Mary Crow at 549-1674.