Editor,
I often wondered, as I passed by New West’s city hall, how could all of that land covered by green grass be put to better use? Then, in 2017, the city hall community garden sprung up. That seemed like a productive use of the lands….still there was so much space left as bare lawn. Maybe more gardens would come?
I would continue on my journey past city hall and lose track of these ideas. I admit I never really spoke up about it. Well, I want to say thank you to our city council and their staff for reading my mind! At their March 13 meeting, it was decided that 60 trees would be planted on a portion of these city hall lawns. This is really just a small part of the thousands of trees city staff are planting to increase the tree canopy from 18 per cent to 27 per cent by 2035 to help the city meet its climate goals. What a great repurposing of this under-utilized space.
As these trees grow, I can’t wait to walk by in the summer, breathing in the cleaner air, and seeing nearby residents and farmers market patrons cooling off under these trees. And the funding came from provincial and federal sources — good news all around. Now, maybe a little more community garden space will be added too….
Karen Crosby
