Sun, soil, and water. West Windsor’s community garden on Everett Drive in West Windsor’s municipal complex has plenty of the first two, but the latter — or lack thereof — is becoming troublesome.
The garden has gained popularity, as the number of members has more than tripled in just two years. But while the garden provides space for residents who may live in condos and have no ability to maintain a garden, or those who enjoy it as a hobby, resources are limited.
Now residents are calling on the township to provide $6,000 in funding in this year’s budget that would be used for improvements to the water supply on site — a problem that, if not resolved, can hurt the viability of maintaining a garden there.
The problem is not that there is a shortage of water itself. Rather, hookups to water supplies have been problematic from the beginning, resident Christopher Wren told Township Council on November 22.
Wren said that there is no running water on site. So far, the garden has been maintained using a 1,500-gallon water buffalo filled by a 300-foot hose from the spigot at the municipal center.
In order to find other resources to provide water, members of the community garden tested the existing well in the basement of the farmhouse on site, but various tests showed that it is completely unusable.
“We can’t get that existing well to work again,” said Wren.
Members searched for the nearest water hookup, and found that the nearest was out at the curb on site. Wren asked the council to fund a connection to a separate water supply at the curb and installation of at least two spigots, although the community garden would ideally need three. The total for the work comes out to $6,000, he said.
Councilwoman Linda Geevers asked whether there was any grant money available to help cover the costs. Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said that now that West Windsor has officially been certified by Sustainable New Jersey, it might be eligible for grants that can cover this type of project. He said he would look into it.
Councilman Charles Morgan also suggested that the members of the community garden look into forming a non-profit organization to try to raise some of the money.
The Community Garden was created in 2008 and began with eight members purchasing plots. Today, it has grown to 85 members and includes 57 plots. People pay between $35 and $50 to become a member and to obtain a plot.
So far, members have funded a ramp on site to provide better water flow to the site, have created a compost bin, and have beautified the site by clearing out garbage and broken bottles that have accumulated on the open plot over the years.
In other business during the November 22 meeting, created a three-resident to work with the township to assess costs associated with the sewer project in the Heatherfield development. The group would then determine the financial responsibility borne by residents of the development.
According to officials, the costs are estimated to be around $15,000 per property owner for their own connections to the sewer lines, to be reimbursed to the township over a period of years.
Council also passed a resolution authorizing the purchase of a unit in Windsor Ponds to keep it from being sold as a market-rate unit. The township needed to acquire the unit because its affordable housing restrictions expire. The purchase would allow the township to maintain the unit as a “moderate-income” unit, with a maximum sale price of $88,000.
