Building a Community
Building a Community
Dave Eckert, Tribune Lifestyle Editor
A not so new idea is starting to take root in Lee’s Summit, and it looks like it’s going to bear some wonderful fruit. Community Gardens, a concept that’s been around for awhile, is gaining momentum in Lee’s Summit, and the timing appears perfect. A group of passionate people, including the publisher of YOUR hometown paper, is working to establish a Lee’s Summit Community Gardens.
“We’ve identified some land around Truman Medical Center, but nothing’s been finalized,” local resident and expert horticulturalist Lala Kumar told me.
Kumar, who was born in India, has lived around the world teaching horticulture. He says the idea of a community gardens is a good one, but not without its hurdles.
“One concern is the cost,” says Kumar. “The area will have to be fenced, and fencing is expensive. That, and the water-those are the biggest issues.”
Kumar knows of what he speaks when it comes to gardens, community or otherwise. He’s a horticultural specialist, working at the University of Missouri Extension in Blue Springs. This is the 11th country in Kumar’s 30-plus year horticultural career. He says community gardens are special. “The good thing about community gardens is they bring people together,” says Kumar. “They can share their knowledge and their passion.”
Developer Dave Gale also knows a thing or two about community gardens. Gale, the man behind the exciting Longview and ArborWalk developments in Southwest Lee’s Summit, helped residents get community gardens going in both neighborhoods. “The ideas for community gardens came directly from residents,” according to Gale. “As a developer, you’re always trying to build a community. When you have well-meaning residents who want to work together, it makes my job all that much easier.”
Tandi Toone, a resident of New Longview, was the first to jump on board, bringing the idea to Gale. It didn’t take long for it to come to fruition. New Longview’s community gardens were planted two years ago. They’re situated on a lovely spot right near the waters’ edge of a 200-acre lake R.A. Long first built some 95-years ago to help irrigate his farm. Thirty-two families participate in the gardens right now, about a third of New Longview’s residents.
Toone says it’s more than just building a garden-it’s about community. “It’s really exciting to bring this to my kids,” Toone exclaimed. “They can see how things grow, and they get to see how much you can accomplish when you work together.”
ArborWalk’s community garden is in its first year with 16 families taking part. The woman behind that effort is resident Katie Kays. “It’s just nourishing for your soul to plant a seed and see it grow into something you can use,” says Kays. “Not only that, but it really does help bring people together.”
Both the New Longview and Arborwalk community gardens are great early successes, and the future for both looks bright. Gale says they were just the right ideas as the right time. “We had the land. We had the well. So, you just ride the horse in the direction it’s going.”
By the way, if you’d like to get involved in the Lee’s Summit Community Gardens, sign-up sheets are available at both the Lee’s Summit Tribune and Lee’s Summit Social Services offices. There’s a $10 fee for a garden area of 20 feet by 20 feet, and there are 30 garden areas available in this first go-around.
For story ideas, you may contact Dave Eckert at deckert1@kc.rr.com
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