Supporters of the Two Coves Community Garden lobbied in front of the Queens Community Board #1 Tuesday night, after they were notified that The Queens Park Commissioner plans to move forward with Goodwill Industries’ plan to remove their garden, leaving community members without a space to cultivate their vegetables.
Community Board meeting took place in Astoria Manor, which was filled by supporters from the endangered Two Coves Community, located on the intersection of 8th Street, Astoria Boulevard and 30th Avenue. The issue went on to consume most of the board’s time.
“We get your point,” said Vinicio Donato, Chairperson of the Board, after 6 speakers from the Two Coves Community spoke in front of the members. He said many in the room sympathized with their cause, but they needed to move on to other issues.
Mr. Ramirez, a coordinator from The Two Coves Community responded to Mr. Donato’s dismissal, after many of the issue were taken care of. “This community garden benefits mothers, children— everyone,” he said. He tried to stress that strong lobbing was necessary to save their garden, and without doing so, they would loose something of great value.
The 1,300 sq ft community plot faces a decade old Goodwill Industries design, which will eliminate its current use as a cultivating space. There are no delis or supermarkets in the nearby area, so this garden provides an easy way to obtain food, as well as nutritional benefits, and a chance for interaction among individuals of different cultures and generations.
“There are no boundaries— this is what it means to be a community,” said Jodie Paris, a supporter.
Back in 1998 the park department and Goodwill industries began cleaning and developing the site, but by 2006 they ran out of resources to maintain it, therefore leaving it vacant. In 2006 a grassroots organization decided to take action. They obtained a 2 year license from Green Thumb and converted the space into a garden.
It went from a garbage ridden space to an abundant vegetable garden with beds of flowers. The membership skyrocketed and it is currently at 200, according to the Two Coves Community website.
The Two Coves Community will continue to find support for its cause by urging people to send in letters to Councilman Peter Vallone Jr or Dorothy Lewandowski, Queens Parks Commissioner.
For many of The Two Coves Community supporters, gardens bring people together better then any other type of park, and they also provide educational fun for children.
“There are parks for skateboarding, why not a park dedicated to gardening,” said Mrs. Paris. “It used to be an empty lot and it doesn’t cost the city anything.”