4 times • JULY 30, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com Group fights to reopen Ridgewood Garden BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO [email protected] @RidgewoodTimes Despite the efforts of volunteers and community leaders, the MTA is standing by their decision to physically clear Ridgewood’s first and only community garden by Monday, Aug. 3. The land, which is located between Woodbine Street and Woodward Avenue beneath the M train line, originally had little opposition with the MTA before conflicts arose this June. According to the group’s media representative Clark Fitzgerald, the group’s organizers assumed stewardship over the land after first seeking out the land’s owners. “Initially the MTA could not tell us whether or not they owned the property,” said Clark Fitzgerald, the group’s media representative. “When we found a hole cut in the fence, we decided to install a gate to steward access to the plot and were met with vast enthusiasm from everyone who came by, including many MTA agents from the M stations and bus terminal. With their implicit support, we moved forward on cleaning and revitalizing the land.” The Ridgewood Community Garden group is a self-described mix of “young but seasoned farmers, urban ecologists, social media promoters and community organizers” working together to create much-needed green space within Ridgewood’s urban landscape. “Ridgewood’s powerful spirit of resilience and neighborhood autonomy within New York inspired us to start the community garden,” Fitzgerald said. “Yet despite the strength of its Volunteers transforming the land beneath the M train tracks between Woodward Avenue and Woodbine Street into the Ridgewood Community Garden. community ties, Ridgewood…distinctly lacks green space for neighbors to gather and share their lives.” Since its renovation, the garden has received a wide range of community support, including a $3,000 grant from Citizens Committee of New York City. In its 2014 grant application, the group expressed its goals for creating a “thriving complex ecosystem of edible plants, medicinal herbs, bees, hens and people like us” that would “become a center of Ridgewood social life and collective work for whoever wishes to jump in and get their hands dirty.” It has also received support from 596 Acres, a group that helps communities remediate abandoned lots, as well as huge political backing from Community Board 5, Councilman Antonio Reynoso and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, with the garden’s initial success. But one June morning, volunteers found the garden locked. “An absentee landlord was reported for illegally dumping tons of waste in the lot from an apartment renovation, and reported the garden in the same condition, for reasons malicious and unknown,” Fitzgerald said. “That week, MTA representatives came by to take pictures and confirmed everything was fine to stay, until the next morning, when we found our locks Photos courtesy of Ridgewood Community Garden changed and signs posted that we were illegally occupying the area. We now found ourselves unable to water our many plants, and unclear as to how to proceed to secure this vital resource for our community.” In a statement, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said the MTA issued the vacate order due to concerns over security. “We asked the owner of the property adjacent to the lot (Woodward Avenue Commons) to clean up the lot and remove a dumpster that was placed on the lot by one of his tenants (a restaurant),” Ortiz said. “The lot has since been cleaned. The Ridgewood Community Garden group never received permission to enter or use the lot and they are essentially trespassing. We’ve asked them to vacate the lot no later than Aug. 3. We cannot have anyone occupy the lot under our structure as it is deemed a security risk. ” According to one garden volunteer, the MTA recently took down evacuation signs but are “still being firm on Monday, Aug. 3, being the date when the whole lot is cleaned.” But they have not lost hope. “No matter what the outcome, I think we need to foster as much community engagement as possible,” garden volunteer Leah Blair said. “It isn’t about the physical space, but what it represents.” The garden volunteers raised the idea of distributing free “seed bombs” (packets) to the community to help encourage independent interest in urban gardening. “The seed bomb can carry the greening of our urban landscape beyond the fenced oasis,” Blair said. Garden volunteers ask that members of the community gather at the site on Aug. 3 in a show of support. Local theater group brings magic of Seuss to stage All things Dr. Seuss will be celebrated in the JC Players’ production of “Seussical: The Musical” this August in Glendale and Middle Village. The show, based on the works of the famous children’s author Theodore Geisel created by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, is directed by Barbara Auriemma, with music by Frank Auriemma, choreography by Christine Hinz and stage direction by Alison Goldman. As shown, the cast includes Robert Alvarez, Annice Auriemma, Alicia Brosky, Olivia Davis, Daniella DiSanti, Anthony Faubion, Jessica Helton, Charles and Christine Hinz, Julia and Scott Marshall, Richard Miller, Annie Pagano, Christine Pavlatos, Alan Perkins, Dennis Popp, Melanie Pozarycki, Dakota Reichling, Matt Rosen, Shermeen Saeed, Jennifer Silverman, Kevin Singh, Taylor Sokol, Chloe Walsh and Mark York. Performances will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 7 and 8, at Glendale-Maspeth United Methodist Church, 66-14 Central Ave., Glendale; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at Community United Methodist Church, 75-27 Metropolitan Ave. in Middle Village. For tickets and more information, call 718-894-8654 or email [email protected]. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY (USPS 465-940) is published weekly by Schneps NY Media LLC, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361.
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