Twenty-one people attended, representing 13 East Village green spaces:
EVPC's representatives, Ellen LeCompte and Roland Legiardi-Laura, stated that EVPC, formed in 1995, is a not-for-profit, charged with promoting the green spaces in the East Village. It has a membership of over 1,000 and has focused its attention primarily on Tompkins Square Park. Ultimately EVPC would like to see the East Village declared a "garden district" and the gardens and parks of the East Village declared a "national treasure." Toward that end, EVPC is interested in helping the gardens achieve permanency.
Each attendee then identifed him or herself and the garden with which s/he is affiliated. A lively discussion followed in which it became apparent that each garden has worked out its own relationship with the Parks Department and the legal status of each ranged from clear to murky. Joannee Freedom, from 6th and B Garden cautioned that each garden must sign an agreement with Green Thumb or the garden is in danger of being lost. She also said that, although 6th and B is one of the oldest and most established of the gardens it is, like all the gardens, vulnerable. None of the gardens have "mapped status" and so all can be closed down and sold by the Parks Department or transferred to another city agency for development.
It was pointed out that because it was not a time of crisis it might be possible to build a non-confrontational relationship with the Parks Department and the City but that before any reaching-out occurred, it was necessary for the gardens to understand their present status and be sure of their common ground on key issues. Marilyn Perez, of El Jardin del Paraiso, noted that the importance of this preparation could not be over-estimated.
Several gardens noted that there were sometimes misunderstandings about the gardens that led to resentments in the community. Thea Martinez, of Vamos Sembrar, stated that the gardens must reach out to other community institutions to build a wider coalition of support.
It was decided that it made sense to pursue the idea of forming a loosely structured federation of East Village gardens that accommodates the independence and uniqueness of each garden. The "federation" would help the gardens to present a unified and consistent point of view to the community-at-large and aid in achieving the following:
The legal preservation of the gardens was determined to be the most important priority at this time. With this in mind it was suggested that a series of meetings be organized between the gardens and the "major players" -- Parks Dept., Green Thumb, the Community Board, the Trust for Public Lands, NY Restoration, and the NYC Attorney General's Office. In preparation for these meetings, the gardens will meet again on November 11th at 7pm at Roland's -- 295 East 8th Street, #7. At this time the gardeners will bring specifics on their current legal status for discussion and to help build the agenda for the future meetings. In addition, everyone made a commitment to contact other gardeners and to encourage them to come.
For more information, contact Ellen LeCompte.
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