Post Falls community garden takes root

Post Falls wants to create a garden for the community.

Dave Fair, the city's parks and recreation director, said there's momentum to create the garden on about 3 acres the city owns on the north side of Third Street near the senior center and next to the Centennial Trail.

"People could lease the land for the summer," said Fair, adding that the property would be divided into individual plots.

A nominal fee - to be determined but perhaps $20 or so - would be charged to rent a plot to recover the city's cost for water and infrastructure.

"There has to be a value set to it," Fair said. "We couldn't subsidize it."

Fair said the idea is to provide garden space for those who don't have it, but would still like to garden.

The plan is to dedicate some of the land to agencies so that educational classes such as nutrition and canning can be held.

"We'd make partnerships with a lot of groups," Fair said.

The property would not become a farmers' market, he said.

The site is across Third from Black Bay Park between the senior apartments and a former mobile home park site. Fair said some other Post Falls parks, including Hilde Kellogg Park at 21st and Idaho and Falls Park, took root from grassroots efforts similar to what's being proposed for the community garden.

The city's Parks and Recreation Commission has bantered the proposal and is favorable toward it. A committee to further the develop a plan for the garden could be formed in the next two weeks.

"There's some players already interested in it who have a passion for it," said Fair, declining to name potential committee members.

The garden could be developed this year.

"We did some surveying at the site last year and plan to continue to clean it up," Fair said.

Fair said enough space will be reserved to eventually extend the Centennial Trail in that area, avoiding Third Street.

Fair said the site was originally looked at for a possible BMX park, which has been explored for about two years.

"This didn't work for (the BMX group) because the configuration is no good," Fair said.

Fair said the BMX exploration is on hold after the latest possibility, along Interstate 90 near the Slab Inn, didn't fit.

"Everything we've found so far either hasn't been suitable for them or the city," Fair said.

The school district's juvenile diversion program uses a garden site owned by an senior woman at Seltice Way and Greenferry to teach students gardening skills. The produce is donated to nonprofits such as the senior center and food bank.