Community Garden

Deirdre Newman A proposed community garden on Hamilton Street will get its day in the sun after the City Council agreed Monday to reconsider the project. The council voted 4 to 1 in favor of a rehearing after it was rejected at the May 5 City Council meeting. Mayor Gary Monahan opposed the rehearing. The approval was a victory for Councilwoman Libby Cowan, who supports the project and brought the request to the council. Residents, however, are divided on the issue.

The community garden at Hamilton and Charle streets in Costa Mesa could be on its way out. The City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to negotiate with a developer who wants to buy the 20,260-square-foot parcel. Red Mountain Retail Group is planning to bring in a Walgreen's store and build 14 town homes on several properties immediately south of the garden. City Councilman Eric Bever suggested the city parcel could be included in the development and the garden be moved elsewhere, though he hasn't named other possible garden sites.

When Kate Batstone came home from a service learning trip to Ecuador two years ago, she struggled to re-adapt to Orange County's culture of affluence. "It's really hard to come home when you're leaving behind so many problems," Batstone, 18, said. "You really want to stay. Orange County is so nice. There's unbelievable shopping and spending. I was so angry at the wastefulness. " Batstone, a student at the Jewish community day school Tarbut V'Torah in Irvine, is going on her second service learning trip with 23 other classmates next month.

The Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee on Wednesday approved three suggestions for additions to the park, based on ideas the group generated earlier this year. A majority of the nine-member committee favored adding a community garden, information kiosks with pamphlets, and a nature center with bird-watching platforms within the 208-acre park's northwest quadrant. The three suggestions will be brought to city staff, who will research the feasibility of each before the committee's next meeting, scheduled for February.

Deirdre Newman A community garden planned for Charle and Hamilton streets will finally blossom after city leaders approved spending $80,000 to construct it. Monday, the City Council approved the community garden with a 3-2 vote. Mayor Gary Monahan and Councilman Allan Mansoor dissented. The garden was in line for automatic approval at the May 5 City Council meeting, but it was pulled off the consent calendar and rejected. Monday's approval was a victory for Councilwoman Libby Cowan, who nurtured the idea and brought the rehearing request to the council.

--Compiled by Lolita Harper Here are some of the decisions made at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting Monday: Law enforcement grant surplus WHAT HAPPENED: The City Council will recommend that the Citizens Advisory Committee use law enforcement grant surplus from 1999 and 2000 for crime prevention, evidence storage and training for less-lethal ammunition use. The city was awarded $51,214 in 1999, which it...

Deirdre Newman If the city is encouraging its residents to clean up their properties, it should also take care of its own. That's the attitude that inspired the City Council to approve a community garden on a vacant dirt lot at the corner of Charle and Hamilton streets in December 2001. But more than a year later, the dirt lot is still there, and councilwoman Libby Cowan wants to know why it's taking the city so long to spiff the place up. "It seems to me that something should be happening out there," Cowan said at Monday's meeting.

"It was pretty much a nonevent. Most people had left. The only thing we saw was this really hairy guy on roller-blades wearing a thong." -- Steve Bromberg, Newport Beach mayor, on this year's Fourth of July revelry in West Newport "The bottom line is a community garden is an asset to the entire community. It reaches out to more than those hoeing cornstalks." -- Libby Cowan, Costa Mesa councilwoman, while convincing those at the Costa Mesa City Council that a community garden at Charle and Hamilton streets will benefit the entire city and not just those residents gardening in it "I am not a racist.

The Costa Mesa City Council took another step toward acquiring property at 523 Hamilton St., though much to the chagrin of some residents, the status of a popular community garden there remains unclear. The city has been in talks with local developers Red Mountain Retail Group to purchase the land, which is bordered on all sides by property held by the group, since July. Mayor Eric Bever has expressed hope that the developer’s plans, which may include a Walgreens and several condos, will improve the parcel’s Westside neighborhood.

The Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee has approved a recommendation for a pair of informational kiosks to be added in the 208-acre park's northwestern quadrant. The kiosks, one to be at the entrance of the Wetlands and Riparian Habitat that opened nearly one year ago, would likely contain information about the area's birds and plants, according to city staff. Six committee members favored the kiosks. Vice Chairman Steve Smith dissented, and members Dennis Popp and Terry Cummings were absent.

The Fairview Park Citizens Advisory Committee on Wednesday approved three suggestions for additions to the park, based on ideas the group generated earlier this year. A majority of the nine-member committee favored adding a community garden, information kiosks with pamphlets, and a nature center with bird-watching platforms within the 208-acre park's northwest quadrant. The three suggestions will be brought to city staff, who will research the feasibility of each before the committee's next meeting, scheduled for February.

I was very upset to read of the impending closure of the Lou Murray/Vic Leipzig column in the Daily Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent. I have always looked forward to reading about Lou's efforts in growing vegetables at the community garden and at her home, and about Vic's bird-watching forays. This is the one column I looked forward to each week, as it is both informative and humorous. I always learned from it. It was a painless way to receive information about how to care for our environment and how to grow healthy vegetables.

It's been a great view from the beloved Mesa this week. There have been plenty of moments that reminded me of what is good about our community. Here's the week in review: Monday night my boyfriend and I rode bikes over to Triangle Square (I'm sorry, I can't call it The Triangle) to see "Breakfast at Tiffany's" on the big screen. We weaved through the scaffolding with women dressed in Audrey Hepburn-style dresses and enjoyed the classic along with a good crowd. It felt good to do dinner and a movie and see people milling about at Triangle Square.

When Kate Batstone came home from a service learning trip to Ecuador two years ago, she struggled to re-adapt to Orange County's culture of affluence. "It's really hard to come home when you're leaving behind so many problems," Batstone, 18, said. "You really want to stay. Orange County is so nice. There's unbelievable shopping and spending. I was so angry at the wastefulness. " Batstone, a student at the Jewish community day school Tarbut V'Torah in Irvine, is going on her second service learning trip with 23 other classmates next month.

COSTA MESA — Davis Magnet School celebrated its recognition from the city for its learning garden by inviting students and parents to an event Friday morning at the Flag Deck. The K-6 math, technology and science magnet school was recognized by the Costa Mesa Planning Commission with a Mesa Green Design Award on April 11 — as were several local businesses — for successfully implementing green projects and practices. Planning Commissioner Jim Fitzpatrick presented the awards to Principal Kevin Rafferty, kindergarten teacher James Christman and "eco-mom" Lisa Manfredi, who were instrumental in getting the community garden up and running.

This month, 50,000 people volunteered in a variety of different ways all over Southern California partnering together for common good on Big Sunday (and Saturday). Fairview Community Church was fortunate to be one of the sites in Orange County. Volunteers from UCI, the Church of the Latter Day Saints and other interfaith groups joined my church folk as we cleared out brush and weeds from ground laid fallow for years to begin a garden anew. Rife with symbolism, we recognized that not only would the literal planting of the garden make an impact on the volunteers who worked with us last weekend and the people we will eventually serve, but that we were breaking ground in a new relationship with our larger community — one that truly believes that this land is not ours alone, but intended for us to use to better the community we serve.

The Costa Mesa City Council took another step toward acquiring property at 523 Hamilton St., though much to the chagrin of some residents, the status of a popular community garden there remains unclear. The city has been in talks with local developers Red Mountain Retail Group to purchase the land, which is bordered on all sides by property held by the group, since July. Mayor Eric Bever has expressed hope that the developer’s plans, which may include a Walgreens and several condos, will improve the parcel’s Westside neighborhood.

COSTA MESA — Adult soccer and other active sports will be banned at Paularino Park, after the City Council voted Tuesday to designate the park for passive uses only. The decision came out of community complaints that charging athletes and flying balls prevent people from quietly enjoying the park with children. At a community meeting in May, residents asked that the park be restricted to passive activities because of its small size. "Neighbors are tired of balls crashing into their windows and soccer players urinating in their bushes," Mesa North Community Assn.

The community garden at Hamilton and Charle streets in Costa Mesa could be on its way out. The City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to negotiate with a developer who wants to buy the 20,260-square-foot parcel. Red Mountain Retail Group is planning to bring in a Walgreen's store and build 14 town homes on several properties immediately south of the garden. City Councilman Eric Bever suggested the city parcel could be included in the development and the garden be moved elsewhere, though he hasn't named other possible garden sites.