Wait List Eliminated with Second Plot Rental
Posted at 3:32 PM on June 29, 2010
With the elimination of the 200 southern garden plots to make way for ball fields, a significant gardening wait list was generated for the first time in recent memory. At the end of May gardeners who hadn't tended their plots or who had planted beyond their designated areas were notified and these areas were rented to those on the wait list. Most of these new plots are less than half the dimension of the original plots undoubtedly leaving some still asking for more land. The effort did however result in the elimination of the wait list, revenue for the Park District and a larger gardening program.
Some gardeners who did not know of the district's intention to have a second plot rental in June had planted considerably beyond their initial borders (something that many have done with no ill effect for many years). These individuals were forced to scramble to either move their seedlings or find a third party to rent the newly created adjacent plot. The new one plot policy per family (the previous policy was two) remains in effect so it is unknown how large the wait list would be if each family were still allowed two of the larger plots. Nonetheless, the program manager has put in considerable effort to accommodate as many gardeners as possible given the amount of land available, and deserves credit for the hard work accomplished.