Tacoma Narrows Rotary Eyes Community Garden

University Place residents could soon have a hand in feeding people who need help from their community food bank.

Literally.

The Tacoma Narrows Rotary group - whose fund-raising efforts have helped purchase everything from books for the University Place School District to materials at the community's library - is pushing to build a community garden south of .

The goal, according to UP resident and president-elect Scott Seitz, is to build a garden that would benefit the Families Unlimited Network food bank.

"Part of it is the service nature of University Place," Seitz told University Place Patch. "We're kind of a nice, little, tight-knit community. We like to help each other out."

The rotary club got the idea for a community garden about a year ago. It wouldn't be the first in University Place, as there's one at the , although it's unclear how many people actually use it.

Of course, community gardens aren't anything new in the South Sound, although they are growing in popularity. Part of the reason is the lack of homes with backyards large enough to accommodate a private garden, and people enjoy the relationships they build with their neighbors and fellow gardeners, Seitz said.

There are plenty of community gardens in Tacoma, and communities such as Lakewood are considering starting one.

In University Place, the community garden would have special meaning because it would benefit the local food bank.

Seitz says the group is proposing to use a piece of property south of the park that was once owned by the Reconosciuto family. The property itself sits in the middle, but above, an area that gets an enormous amount of water when it rains, so there's really not much the city can do with the location, he said.

Mayor Debbie Klosowski says the rotary club considered using a plot near the for a community garden, but it ultimately went with the Cirque land off Bridgeport.

In general, she said that, "I think the concept of community garden is wonderful."

Another benefit, Klosowski said, is the project wouldn't require any city tax dollars. The rotary would pay for the property's improvements, the biggest of which is installing well. That will cost about $5,000.

Seitz said the group plans to pay for the improvements via fund-raising, plant sales, grants and the Pepsi Refresh Project, which has benefitted projects such as the .

As for the garden itself, he said plots would cost about $20 a year. It would be completely organic, and plot owners would be asked to donate a portion of their plot or time to helping the food bank.

Seitz didn't give an opening date for the UP community garden, but he hopes the community will support the effort enough so it becomes reality sooner than later. University Place also has plenty of master gardeners, so there are plenty of ways people can help.

"I think it's a pretty exciting," he said. "This is perfect for this community."

For more information, visit the proposed University Place Community Garden's website by clicking here.