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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplemental Communication from Stober-Behnken-Iacoboni recvd 329201 Gloria Harper From:Marc Loopesko <MLOOPESKO@roadrunner.com> Sent:Sunday, March 29, 2020 9:50 AM To:Gloria Harper Subject:External Email : EDISON COMMUNITY GARDEN on Mar 28, 2020, at 9:11 AM, Jan Stober <kiwijan@verizon.net> wrote: At your Council meeting on 3/26 to address the closure of our Edison Community Garden we have been notified that a meeting has been rescheduled for this next Tuesday. We can hope for rain, however, the temperature is expected to rise as predicted and we are extremely concerned about the time, effort and investment we have made. The Gardens are not open to the general public and the requirement to keep "social distancing" would not apply to us. When attending our plots you do not often see another person, if any, and they could be many yards away. Don't you agree this is a reasonable assumption that we should be able to resume our Edison Community Garden activity? Time is of the essence! Jan Stober CPW CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 1 Gloria Harper From:MLOOPESKO@roadrunner.com Sent:Sunday, March 29, 2020 9:57 AM To:Gloria Harper Subject:External Email : FW: Closing the gardens increases risks.   Sent: Saturday March 28 2020 1:56:41PM  Subject: Closing the gardens increases risks.      The closure of the garden has the opposite effect it is intending.  It puts me at higher risk and exposure to covid19.  I’ve  never seen more thank 6 people at the garden at one time, separated by well over 6 feet and mostly many yards.  This is  much less exposure than the grocery store.   I am an at risk person, over 60 with chronic bronchitis.  I’ve suffered 2 bouts  of pneumonia and had a pleural effusion with 70 percent of my left lung collapsed.  I am safer at the garden than at the  grocery.      I’m retired, on a fixed income and raising 2 teenage boys.  I made an investment in many plants and rent a garden space  to save money.  I’m now going to not only lose that investment but will also need to spend additional money to feed 2  growing boys.  In addition, I need to go to the grocery store more often, where I am exposed to many more people than  I am ever exposed to at the garden.       I have many perennial fruit plants and had already planted:  peas, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, cantaloupe, luffa and carrots this year.        I have 4 perennial blueberry bushes  2 perennial raspberry bushes  perennial flame grape Vines  6 perennial strawberry plants  Rosemary  Sage      Please help me and my sons by reopening the garden.      Thanks.  Debra Behnken      CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. 1 Gloria Harper From:Marc Loopesko <MLOOPESKO@roadrunner.com> Sent:Sunday, March 29, 2020 10:00 AM To:Gloria Harper Subject:External Email : FW: Re: Seal Beach Decision to close Edison Park Community Gardens On Mar 28, 2020 12:26 PM, Mauro Iacoboni <yackaboney@gmail.com> wrote: Kevin, I'm following up on our conversation on Friday regarding the closure of Edison Park with this email. Along with many others who use the gardens on a regular basis, I was confused and very disappointed to hear the news of the decision to close the gardens. I understand the concern to have protective measures in place during these troubled times but I'm not convinced that the actions regarding closure of the gardens are well founded when compared to other "allowed" activity which is perhaps significantly more dangerous in terms of contracting coronavirus. I have only seen at times one or two cars, and rarely three cars parked in the lot adjacent to the gardens. I hardy ever see more than a few people gardening, and those that I do see are busy at work and are not using the time for socializing. While gardening, my observation is that we have been following safe distancing of greater than six feet at all times, for the entire time I have used the gardens. Everyone keeps their distance and even if there is someone in the very next plot, he/she is always more than 6 ft away from you. I believe that the following activities could be even more dangerous for individuals to contract the virus than closure of the gardens, as follows:  Simply walking down the street and passing others. It would be almost impossible to pass someone on the sidewalk and have them be less than 6 ft away from you.   Going into a restaurant and ordering or picking up take-out food; or having a worker hand you an ice cream or smoothie, etc.   Going to a grocery store and waiting on line to pay.   Going into a Bank, etc The above examples are certainly important activities that we must have the ability to do, but I also believe that the garden is something that we must 2 maintain also, because it provides people with ability to grow their own vegetables. If I remember correctly, when I first signed up for a garden plot the city structured the requirements in the form of a rental agreement that we were all asked to sign and pay a yearly rental fee. We are RENTING our garden plots. This being the case, I don't understand how the agreement could be modified without allowing people the ability to comment and or present their case in opposition to closure of the gardens. I have discussed the garden closure with other gardeners and a number of us have talked about an appropriate refund for the amount of time the gardens are closed and any crop damage. I don't have much planted right now but I know that a lot of other people do, and they stand to lose a lot more. I have copied my City Councilman Mike Varipapa as well as Mayor Schelly Sustarsic, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Kalmick, Public Works Director Steve Myrter on this email for their information. It doesn't have to be this way. I think the City should just reconsider their decision to close the gardens and keep them open for use during these troubled times, perhaps with some controls. I trust that the City will do the right thing!!! Thank You, Mauro Iacoboni -Plot 104 453 Schooner Way CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.