Councilwoman Concerned With MLK Garden Idea

A proposed community garden off Martin Luther King Avenue, on preserved land, would become the second community-accessible public garden space in Morristown if ultimately approved.

And while Second Ward councilwoman Raline Smith-Reid said she did not necessarily have a problem with community gardens, she let her opposition to one being there known at Tuesday night's council meeting.

It started with a litany of questions directed at Myra McCready, one of the founding members of Grow it Green Morristown, which has proposed the garden at that location. Questions included what parking would be available for participants, how that plot was chosen, whether other plots had been considered and whether or not area neighbors would get first crack at them.

McCready noted the –Grow it Green's other public garden in Morristown–and how the organization made a point to first offer plots to senior citizens at the senior complex next door. She told the council a similar offer would be extended to area residents for the MLK plot, and then would open any remaining plots to their Early Street Garden waiting list of nearly 50 people. McCready also said a number of those on that waiting list were from the Second Ward.

McCready said that piece of land had been considered above others for, in part, its accessiblity for multiple forms of transportation–car, public transit, bike and foot.

Smith-Reid referred to the plot of land as "somewhat of a touchy subject for me," as she mentioned her participation in seeing an old furniture store at that location torn down and getting the state funding to have the plot preserved as open space.

"It was a community effort. We fought for that open space," she said, noting some neighbors she has spoken to have expressed concerns with the project. Smith-Reid suggested a survey be conducted–she did not specify whether specifically for Second Ward residents or for the whole town, but was open to either when asked later in the meeting–to gauge interest.

That was a statement that seemed to visibly irriate Council President Michelle Dupree Harris, who noted the idea of a community garden in the Second Ward has been under consideration for over a year.

"I want this to move forward," Harris said. She expressed concern with what appeared to be an isolation of the Second Ward, directing the statement at Smith-Reid. "I lived in the Second Ward, I know what the issues are," Harris said. "We need to look at the whole issue. It's a community effort; we all pay taxes."

Harris said Grow it Green representatives had already spoken with neighbors in that area, including ministers at both and , which expressed their support in the project. "I think everyone is on board," Harris said. "I suggest everyone wants to move forward."

Referring to anyone who may have had a problem with a community garden coming to Martin Luther King Avenue, Harris said, "they should have come to us before. No one has come before us and objected."

Fourth Ward Councilwoman Alison Deeb, speaking in support of Smith-Reid's proposal of a survey, called the garden a "special interest."

"There are lots of people with special interests. There are lots of people who would like to see a dog park," she said. "I love your organization, but there's lots of other interests. I, too, would like more time to think about it."

Third Ward resident Douglas Vorolieff, speaking during the public portion, said, "I am in favor of food, which we all eat.

"I have a bike, I don't have a dog, but I do eat, as do we all," he said. Noting an earlier comment made by Smith-Reid that some had complained about how the Early Street Community Garden looked when not in use during off months, he said, "my property does not look as good as it did in July or August, either."

After the meeting, Samantha Rothman, also a founding Grow it Green Morristown member, said, "we make special efforts to reach out to the immediate area. But, all of our projects are for the community."

It's a prospect, and a concern, for Smith-Reid, a lifelong Second Ward resident. When asked whether she feared the garden would become a benefit exclusively for those outside her ward, she said, "I hope it doesn't turn into that."