Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
The community garden could soon get more plots as the Jasper Local Food Society (JLFS) has submitted two proposals for expansion to municipal council.
During its April 13 committee of the whole meeting, council directed administration to bring forward a recommendation at a future meeting as the municipality needs time to determine if there are any technical limitations to the requests.
JLFS community garden co-ordinator ryAn eSch, whose name is uniquely capitalized, explained that demand has been higher than normal due to COVID-19 and residents beginning to understand the fragility of food systems right now.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited that the council and municipality are really grounded in wanting more gardens and understanding that local food resiliency is important,鈥� eSch said.
The food society began a decade ago and established a garden near the library in order to provide access to locally grown food, with eSch noting that many residents lived in apartments or staff accommodations and weren鈥檛 able to have their own personal gardens.
In order to expand, the garden was moved to its current location along Connaught Drive and has been there for the last seven years.
Community interest has been so great that the JLFS has continually expanded the garden to the east and has implemented a waitlist for members unable to secure a plot.
The garden currently has around 58 plots with 28 members on the waitlist lottery system and only about seven plots becoming available this season.
To address the immediate demand, the JLFS is proposing a perimeter fence extension to the eastern side of the current garden that would allow for 13 new plots, a few communal gardens and space for a small tool shed.
The other proposal is more long term in scope and not only asks for an extension to the west but also a retrofitting for the nearby AMA building, which the JLFS is now using for storage and is in the municipality鈥檚 budget for demolition, into a community greenhouse.
鈥淲e, as a food society, have been wanting greenhouses forever, so we thought we鈥檇 throw in a proposal to retrofit (the site), using the current stone foundation to top it with a greenhouse,鈥� eSch said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the idea. It鈥檚 still in the total dreaming stage for that one, but we just wanted council to know that. We want greenhouses and more space.鈥�
The JLFS would fund these projects through its membership fees, a grant from CN for garden projects and assistance from the Rotary Club of Jasper.
Should the land east of the garden not be available, the society is exploring alternative sites.
Anyone interested in joining the JLFS can send a message
