Dinosaur Hill to Manage Proposed Community Garden

Rochester leaders took a step toward creation of a community garden Monday night by approving an agreement with to oversee the project.

Dinosaur Hill, by its very nature, is the perfect group to manage the , which has been proposed for property inside , said Rochester City Council member Ben Giovanelli.

"It is a huge undertaking, but (they) are really taking this thing to heart," Giovanelli said of the willingness of Dinosaur Hill to work as a leader in the development and maintenance of the garden.

Giovanelli described the garden as a place for continuing the city's green mission by promoting a locavore lifestyle, which emphasizes eating food that is locally produced. He said it would allow apartment dwellers, seniors and residents with undesirable yards to raise their own gardens in a community setting.

If City Council members approve $10,000 in funding for the garden project, it could be created as early as this spring.

The garden's creation has been the main focus of the 10-member City Beautiful Commission.

The first phase of the plan would use a 70-by-100-foot area of the park and include 14 raised planting beds. Each 4-by-25-foot bed would have three separate garden plots, which will be about 4-by-8 feet.

In all, there would be 42 garden plots, which residents would be able to rent for about $20 a year.

The committee, along with Dinosaur Hill, would create guidelines for what may be planted and how the gardens should be taken care of; there will be no chemicals used in the planting or maintenance of the gardens.

"Once it gets started, it will take on a life of its own," Giovanelli said. He mentioned picnic shelters, playscapes and gardening tool sheds as possible additions to the garden.