Education programs proposed
By Kara Chalmers
When Saratoga's Heritage Preservation Commission met with the city council for a joint meeting, the first thing commissioners discussed were plans for the Heritage Orchard.
Commission chairman Norman Koepernik, who presented the commission's ideas, said later that he felt the council was very receptive to them.
Specifically, the commission proposed that it be the point "person," or entity, for the orchard, rather than a city staff member. The commission as a governmental body will always be in effect, no matter what changes may come about in city staffing.
The commission would take care of the every day business of the orchard, which would free the staff's time. The orchardist who maintains the orchard, Matt Novakovich, could report to the commission with any problems or ideas and the commission could report to the council, Koepernik said.
The commission also suggested setting up educational programs with local schools--and one commissioner specifically mentioned a third- grade curriculum-- so that children could learn about orchards and their history, and even about soils, insects or birds. However, Koepernik said the commission has not yet approached any schools.
Besides programs for school-age children, the commission had ideas on how to involve people of all ages in the orchard. Commissioners suggested hands-on pruning or grafting classes for adults that would take place in the orchard and an adopt-a-tree program as a way to get people personally invested in the orchard.
Any funds collected from classes would go directly toward maintaining the orchard and keeping it beautiful, according to Koepernik.
Although there has been talk in various government circles about the possibility of using a portion of the orchard for sports fields, the subject did not come up at the meeting.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
