Update on Love Community Garden

Update on Love Community garden.

Went to a meeting with the powers that came up with the grant money and who will dole it out. This grant was in the form of a lump sum to be split up as the writer of the grant saw fit following certain guide lines as set forth in the proposal. The money is to be split among a couple gardens and neighborhood parks and rec.

I had intimated earlier that our part of the “group” may get up to $12,000 total if approved. That was indeed too much. Our garden group is made up of neighbors who will do the work, headed by Morning Bear, and the Love Fellowship Baptist Church Headed by Pastor Johnathon Phillips (sp).

It is the Church’s land and Pastor Phillips has been working on the neighborhoods behalf a long time. Morning Bear has come up with an enlarged plan including more top soil and raising a lot of individual 4x8’ garden plots with black good dirt. Also a few wheelchair accessible ones.

Pastor Phillips, Morning and I agreed that while the amount is too much, we will take what we need for our original plan after getting assurances that Big Brother will not intervene in our efforts. The rest we will put back into the “group’s” kitty. Whether that gets spent wisely is for others to determine. We did what Governor Sanford of South Carolina did. His quote is below in relation to what they will do with the stimulus money.
-----quote-----
Our office is going through it with a fine-toothed comb, looking at what makes sense to reject versus what does not.
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Next a link to Politico where the quote came from.
-----link to quote------
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19167.html
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We too asked some tough questions and found out what we needed to know and decided to come up with a fair price for what we needed, not a pie in the sky give us everything approach. Love Community Garden worked well last year, with little private money. Food was given to seniors who were homebound. There was a nice harvest of food and goodness, enough to go around. We now have 16 people on our list for the garden and some extra money will increase our size to fit the extra need.

Lowell from the City’s Parks and Rec. I think will appreciate the extra money we decided to do without. I hope the money makes it through the maze to him. As I said it is up to others to use it wisely. It is up to Love Community Garden to make it happen. We are getting on top of it.

BTW at the last City Commission meeting I found out about a new City of Muskegon Chapter of the Lions forming calling itseld "Blue Sky". It's purpose to start up a Youth Center at the empty City Fire Station. Clara Sheppard gets the credit for making this possible. The Lion's will be an integral part of the mix. The plan is getting the backing of the National Lions. Pastor Phillips is part of that effort also. I have done what I needed to do to get on board, to help where I can.

I hear that our County Republican Party will also get behind that. I applaud this effort. I will find out more at our next County Board Meeting. As explained by the Lion’s representative, the youth of the community will have the chance to be taught building skills. The goal is to teach basic electricity, plumbing, and carpentry skills. Ie the work ethic. Ie an alternative to banging the streets.

On a positive note. Good things happen when good people do something.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.