Monday, August 08, 2011

Fences

Do Fences















Make Good Neighbors?







House of Hope Presbyterian Church already has harvested 70 pounds of peppers, tomatoes and assorted vegetables from its new,  front-yard garden, which will feed low-income immigrants who go to Neighborhood House, a social service agency and gathering spot on St. Paul's West Side.The church, at 797 Summit Ave., has the support of city staff, city officials and many of its neighbors.It also has a big problem: The garden's new galvanized-steel-panel, rabbit-proof fence might not meet design standards in the Historic Hill District.
Now, preservationists are pressuring city officials for the equivalent of a cease-and-desist order. The St. Paul City Council held a hearing Wednesday on a permit appeal filed by two former members of the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission.
Scott Hayman said he had no affiliation with the church or the garden, but he lives across the street from both. When he looks outside his living-room window, he has to smile.
"I think it was well done, and I like it," Hayman said of the fence. "I've lived there for 19 years. I have no problem with it."
So What's the Big Deal??




18 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:17 AM

    We need something like that here in Germany. (Being a low-income immigrant myself)

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  2. I wonder what type of fence would meet historic preservation standards and be effective in keeping the rabbits out of the garden. This is not a big, ugly wall. It is a little unobtrusive necessary measure to help feed people in need. In these tough times, I think we should encourage and support all of those who are helping others.

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  3. we're waiting to hear...

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  4. I would rather have this garden than the van on blocks with the hood up that I have next door to me.

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  5. I love that garden produce for the poor idea! We have gardens like that here in Eagan to support the Eagan Foodshelf..... I've got to go take some photos.....

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  6. Please let us know how the city council votes, eventually. Sometimes good sense and contributing to the good of everyone has to count, doesn't it?

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  7. Yup! Sad to say, Frost was right on.

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  8. I don't know if they make good neighbors, but this one is certainly cute!

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  9. It is true that in these times we have a lot of folks who ideology trumps the needs of human beings. It has always been thus, but I keep hoping that will change.

    Provocative post.

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  10. Hopefully common sense will prevail. Looks OK to me. Mind you I do have to admit that I live in the past myself sometimes.

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  11. What a wonderful project. I hope the city sees it that way too.

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  12. The problem lies within the rabid homogeneous urbanites. I always support those who go against the snobbish establishment. A fox or coyote will take care of the rabbits, and perhaps those very uptight urbanites.

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  13. Freaky! I literally, just hit "post" and then came to your blog right after. My post was of this SAME church, but of the steeple at sunset. I actually photographed the garden as well but didn't like what I got so I went with the steeple image. I love what they are doing with that garden. Nice to see a church actively involved in the community like that. :)

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  14. It look pretty inoffensive to me Kate, and it's for such a good cause. Hopefully it will sort itself out. You'll have to let us know the outcome.

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  15. I say live and let live. I will swap them neighbors if they want. They would really hate mine.

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  16. Oh good grief! It looks fine to me.

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  17. Hmmm. Seems like a few people need to consider some priorities here. Just saying. (I hope you will tell us how this turns out.)

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  18. I love your post, Kate. There is something I find fascinating about dilemmas like this. We are sympathetic about this fence, because it supports something good and because, frankly, it isn't too bad looking. But, in the same historic district, if there were a restaurant growing its own vegetables for use in the restaurant, and its fence was admittedly ugly, would we feel the same warm and fuzzy way? If we don't decide on a single principle, do we go through a weighing of pluses and minuses based on loose ideas like goodness and ugliness? Who decides what is good and what is ugly? I don't know. Will be interesting to learn the outcome.

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