West City community garden praised by residents; questions raised about CRA funding and maintenance

At a meeting of the City of St. Augustine Community Redevelopment Agency, representatives from the Homeless Coalition of St. John's updated the board on progress building a volunteer-run community garden in West City and laid out next steps for funding and infrastructure.

"It's been so much energy and growing," said Jason Vanderhoof, who described donated compost, volunteer-built beds and about 40 bags of leaves delivered by a regular volunteer. Susan Veil, a coalition member and nurse practitioner who described the project as "feeding body, mind and soul," said the group has city-provided irrigation access and is working on a design and line-item budget for materials like cedar lumber, rain-barrel platforms and shade structures.

Jamie D. Perkins, the city's community services director, introduced the presenters and said the CRA has made a verbal commitment to assist with build-out costs but is still determining its exact contribution. Perkins also noted the coalition has filed for neighborhood grant funding as a primary funding path.

Some residents used the public-comment period to voice concerns about using CRA tax dollars for the garden. "CRA dollars should not be used for a garden," said BJ Kaleidi, a West City steering committee member, who urged neighborhood associations to apply for the available $3,000 grants instead and suggested CRA funds be directed to blight removal and infrastructure such as sidewalks and roads.

Perkins and a staff member clarified the legal constraints on CRA spending: the agency may assist with project build-out but is prohibited from providing ongoing maintenance for projects. "The CRA cannot provide maintenance on any project," a staff member said; "we would only be able to assist if our contribution is the build-out, but we would not be able to provide any ongoing maintenance." The presenters said maintenance and most labor will remain volunteer-run.

Presenters told the board they are not seeking immediate CRA funding and will pursue the neighborhood grant program while preparing a detailed materials list and sprinkler layout for future review. "We will continue to do that, to be able to get the materials that we need for the garden," one coalition representative said.

Next steps: the coalition will complete a budget and design for the garden’s irrigation and shade elements and return to the CRA or apply for the neighborhood grant program as appropriate.