La Mesa Community Garden Sparks Outcry From Some Residents

A community garden at  in La Mesa may be halted after the project drew outcry among parents and neighbors Wednesday night.

Although the church governing board agreed to utilize the 19,100-square-foot space behind St. Andrew's Day School for a community garden, Fr. Robert Blessing informed the garden group after the meeting that the project would be put on hold until concerns from the community were addressed.

“The project is on hold until we’ve satisfied those concerns,” said George Mercer, an 18-year member of the church and professional landscape architect, after the meeting.

Mercer originally designed plans for a 6,000-square-foot community garden at , which was going to be funded in part by a $14,000 Live Well grant from the California Endowment. After ’s school board with the city of La Mesa for the garden, Mercer designed a draft for a garden at St. Andrew's, which the governing board approved a week and a half ago.

In order to utilize the Live Well grant for the new proposed site, however, a list of materials has to be submitted to the city by the end of March.

“That left us without a site but with funding to build a site,” Mercer explained to the roughly 75 attendees. “That’s the reason there’s been such a rush to have this meeting — and I apologize, I know this is very distressing for a lot of people and seems like it’s just happening incredibly quickly.”

The overwhelming majority of community members at the meeting were upset they were not made aware of plans to build a community garden at the church.

“They’re rushing it because they got denied at Helix, and they have the money so they’re trying to find a place,” said Alex Warren, a parent of a child at St. Andrew's Day School, after the meeting. “They did not ask any parents at all.”

Warren added she and other parents will remove their children from St. Andrew's Day School if the project moves forward.

Like many parents at the meeting, Warren learned about the project roughly a week ago by word-of-mouth.

Although Mercer and community garden volunteers intended to discuss the garden site, design and costs in detail, a majority of the two-hour meeting was used to hear dozens of attendees share their concerns. Many speakers expressed anger at the lack of transparency and concern for children at St. Andrew's Day School and nearby .

“The fact that some of these concerns are all news to you and you don’t have solid answers to that does not inspire my confidence that you’re going to do a good job at protecting my kid,” another parent said during the meeting.

Mercer included a solid, six-foot fence in his draft and suggested planting bamboo to further block the preschool children from view, but parents urged stricter policies. Even the few parents who spoke in favor of a garden requested security cameras be installed and background checks be given to those wanting to utilize the garden.

St. Andrew's Day School Director Moira Douglas, who said she also wasn’t made aware of the project until recently, spoke in favor of a secured fence, keyed entry and background checks, too.

“The garden could be a wonderful addition to the school, if it is planned carefully,” Douglas said.

Blessing and Mercer encouraged community members to be involved with the planning. They asked for opinions on garden hours and whether the site should be locked.

The proposed garden would have as many as 46 5-by-10-foot plots available for rent, Mercer explained. Fees would cover water and maintenance costs.

He said that a garden for the community would promote healthy lifestyles and a sense of community.

“Community gardens actually help reduce crime,” Mercer said. “You get to know your neighbors instead of being afraid of them, and any people who shouldn’t be there can be quickly identified.”

Blessing added that the church originally intended for St. Andrew's Day School to connect to the community.

“This is another opportunity to touch lives, and that’s what we are here at St. Andrew’s to do — touch lives,” he said.

Still, some questioned whether the project was actually alienating the community.

“This is a community garden, but nobody in the community knows anything about it and most of the community doesn’t want it,” said a neighbor of the church. “If you’re saying you’re doing this for the community, you’re only polarizing it.”

David Birch, a member of St. Andrew’s school board, suggested that more people might be in favor of the project if the church gives them more time to discuss the idea and address their concerns.

“I really think this is a fabulous idea, and I want to see it happen,” Birch said. “I think the biggest frustration is the timing of this. Everything is happening.”

Although attendees left the meeting with the belief that everything was happening, Mercer said after the meeting that the project is on hold to “make sure the community feels like it has been involved in the process.”

Another meeting to further discuss the project is tentatively set in three weeks. Community members who wish to share questions or concerns are encouraged to email Mercer at commgrdn@gmail.com.