Last week I weighed in with input on the dismantling of the community garden on Fern Street. It has come to my attention that some of the content of that letter was not entirely factual. This was not my intention, as information was gathered hastily and the letter put together even more so because of the machine work that was continuing at a rapid pace that had once been the garden space.

I agree that in general, more study is needed before commentary weighs in. But at this particular instance the dots needed to be connected because at the rate the work was continuing at, it appears possibly we could be looking at blacktop within 72 hours. My apologies for any misrepresentations.

Fertile land is the most valuable resource that we have as human beings. I believe as one voice in a vast community that the land that had previously been the Community Garden reassume that role as the garden for the food bank. It does a great job and we are fortunate to have a talented staff that keeps the food flowing weekly. However, there is definitely a dearth of fresh vegetables, especially organic ones, available for hungry families in need. This garden space that has largely laid fallow for the last couple of years would spring back to life as those who directly benefitted from the food had a hand in its production.

A kind gentleman who was an architect had brought sketches he put together that were supposed to be available at the Eastsound Vision website. I personally had no luck finding them in a timely fashion. I will be going from memory here. There was Pea Patch Plan 1 and 2. Both of these plans have in mind a garden space. However, the visual layout of these plans lacks a certain aesthetic. There was a third representation that utilizes a winding path through the space. Perhaps some wood, stone and metal art sculptures donated from an artisan could be updated from time to time to keep the areas fresh. The sculptures on public view could be auctioned off to help generate money to maintain the space and the irrigation system, which is a low cost amenity that could be installed by the county at the time of the start up. I am just trying to start a dialogue here. I have no email. But if you live here, you know who I am, stop and let’s talk. Communication is the breath of life. As a community let’s come together and live.

Dave Dunlap

Orcas Island