Members of the Equal Ground Community Gardens plan to turn up wearing green at Tuesday’s city council meeting in support of installing a greenhouse at its Earl Haig garden location.
A request to city councilors from the volunteer group to waive half of the planning and building permit fees – about $3,500 – to put up a greenhouse at 101 Market St. S., the site of its largest community garden, turned into a debate at a recent operation’s committee meeting. Equal Ground has been planting community gardens around the city since 2009 and currently supports 33 sites.
The group had prior approval to install a greenhouse — 25 feet wide, 26 feet long, and about 12.5 feet high — at the Earl Haig garden site. Much of the produce grown there is donated to the Brantford food bank. The proposed greenhouse wouldn’t have a permanent foundation and could be disassembled and moved, said Rick Cox, Brantford’s director of parks services.
But the matter raised concerns from some councilors. Coun. John Sless called the greenhouse “a very good opportunity and a wonderful thing to be doing” but said he was “just not sold on the location.”
“I don’t find it appropriate where it is,” said Sless. “I think we’re looking at an entertainment-type district there. There’s a casino. There’s talk swirling around about Junior A hockey and potential improvements to the civic center. To build greenhouses next to that, I’m not sure, is a good idea.”
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