Gardening Hours
Garden hours for gardeners are from sunrise to sunset 7 days-a-week. This means a gardener can take their vehicle and park as close to their plot as necessary.
Gardeners and Vehicle Access Issue
Something changed in garden hours and vehicle access.
Yesterday, Saturday September 12, 2020, I (other gardeners as well) was stopped and prevented from entering the garden with my car by the on-duty patrol man. The gate was closed and the sun had not yet set. This was around 6 pm when there is still light out to garden.
The Issue
RMI has arbitrarily changed the hours, and access for gardeners without permission from the LA Garden Counsel, Lott To Spott, Mayor Buscaino’s office, and the Garden leadership.
If any of the above groups were involved in the agreeing to cut off access and limit the garden hours, then that decisions needs to be communicated to all the gardeners affected by this decision. As of today, RMI has went ahead and made this decision by themselves.
RMI sole purpose is to provide security to the Recycle Center. The City Recycle Center shares an easement with The San Pedro Community Gardens and City Services. By cutting off access and reducing hours to the other groups who use this easement is an issue.
Cutting off access is very problematic for gardeners who have water, compost, soil, veggies, and equipment to take from their car to their gardens and vice versa.
Why This Is Now Our Issue
RMI security allowed a parked vehicle over-night when it should not have. This is an RMI issue and not a garden issue. The patrol person should have been more alert and told the car to move after sunset. Now they have over-reached and cut-off access to gardeners.
The Solution
There is a patrol monitoring the bottom Recycle Center easement and can easily close the gates after sunset 7 days-a-week. After sunset all cars must be moved.