Greener thumbs would prevail in Trenton
Tom Chianese, a former city resident, phoned yesterday morning with concerns about several issues.
So, expect soon his contribution for this “If I Were Mayor” segment which will run until the week of July 4.
As rain and warm weather douses the city, Trenton will experience a perfect storm for (wait for it)...Weeds. The Trentonian will receive countless phone calls about city-owned properties inundated with weeds higher than Nebraskan cornfields.
Plus, many city-owned lots will show similar growth, a condition that produced this week’s IIWM suggestion.
First, let’s take a look at a completed project called “Developing a Vacant Property Inventory through Productive Partnerships: A University, NGO and Municipal Planning Collaboration in Trenton, New Jersey.
According to a Rutgers University website the “paper analyzed the development of an inventory of vacant buildings and land in Trenton, New Jersey that resulted from a research partnership between the Rutgers University Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability; Isles, Inc. a Trenton-based non-governmental organization; and the City of Trenton.”
The Trenton Neighborhood Restoration Campaign performed a block-by-block survey of every city property. Final data noted that 3,566 fully vacant buildings (15 percent of all the buildings in Trenton) exist in the city and Trenton owned a mere 339 of those properties (nine percent).
Furthermore, Trenton is home to 2,397 vacant lots with the city holding ownership of 921 (38 percent). The focus this week puts mental power to those empty lots that will require weekly maintenance.
City officials should make every attempt to offer those properties for communities that may want to start a garden. Imagine, the neighborhood connections that may occur with such an initiative.
No need to reinvent the wheel regarding gardens. Isles’ Urban Agriculture outreach has produced successful ventures throughout Trenton.
Isles currently supports more than 60 community gardens across the city of Trenton by providing technical and organizational assistance to local residents and other communitybased organizations.
The Isles website noted these accomplishments.
Over the years, these gardens have played a critical role at the household level in helping families meet their food needs by increasing access to fresh and nutritious foods at low cost. Gardens:
- Improve nutrition and health by providing exercise and fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables.
- Save families hundreds of dollars per year. During Trenton’s long growing season, an 800-square-foot plot can provide enough vegetables to feed a family for an entire year.
- Strengthen the community by enhancing connections between people, making the streets more secure, and giving people a chance to share food with others. Over 70% of Isles’ gardeners report that gardening greatly improves their neighborhoods.
If I Were Mayor, this city would support gardens whether they produce flowers or vegetables. And as the school year ended and summer approached, each elementary student would receive one tomato plant to take home for a chance at gardening success.
This is your mayor with the green thumb, L.A. Parker.