Herndon Environmental Network Vice President Barbara Walsh wants to see a community garden in Herndon. Photo by Reena Singh.
Barbara Welsh wants to see a community garden in Herndon.
The Herndon Environmental Network (HEN) vice president has been working for the past two years to allow community garden plots in town. County Park Authority will hold a meeting on Dec. 1 to find out if the rest of the community does, too.
The meeting, held at Herndon Middle School, will determine if a 30-plot area could be made at Bruin Park.
“When I moved here, I saw the gardens in Reston and wondered why we didn’t have any here,” said Walsh.
She said the town council was supportive last year when HEN requested to have the plots in Shannon Park. However, many council members suggested that the plots be put into Bruin Park instead.
“My understanding is that this park is somewhat underutilized,” she said.
According to a mock-up of the plan by FCPA, the $40,000 plot adjacent to the tennis court would be paid and taken care of by HEN.
“The goal of the master plan revision will allow them to designate an area where it would be located,” said FCPA Senior Park Planner Pat Rosend. “They would manage that area, including allocating the lots and doing the groundwork.”
She said the meeting will determine whether the rest of Herndon has the same interest as HEN does to have the community plots in Bruin Park.
“We’ll have a presentation about the current revisions and how the master plan works,” she said.
A comment period will happen after that presentation, giving neighbors and local businesses the opportunity to weigh in.
FCPA Public Information Officer said Rosend will take a recommendation to the FCPA board for action after the 30 day comment period is over.
Walsh believes most of the neighbors surrounding the park are ok with the plans. She has been meeting with Waterford Homeowners Association to make sure there were no objections.
“They were actually interested in getting a plot or two specifically for them, which would be great, because they’d have more of a vested interest,” she said.
She said the only worries were that the park could be targeted for vandalism and theft because there would be more traffic coming through the area. Some were also concerned that it would make the park look untidy, but Walsh said that HEN may plant bushes or trees around the area to partially conceal the plots.
Additionally, she said HEN received 100 signatures on a petition to show support of the plots on what she called a “slow day” at the farmers market.
Once the comment period is over, HEN hopes to get funding to move water lines and start tilling the ground. She hopes to find volunteers or local boy scouts working on their eagle scout badge to help with the physical work and keeping the area tidy.
“I’ve got a good feeling about this,” she said.”
She hopes that, if the process goes smoothly, the plots could be ready by March.
“That would strongly depend on funding, however,” she said.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 at Herndon Middle School. For more information, visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/press/html/pr078-14.htm.