The Sunnyvale Sun
News
Trustees approve a garden at neglected sports field
By Stephen Baxter
Patches of dirt and untended grass at Peterson Field will be transformed into rows of fruits and vegetables, the Santa Clara Unified School District Board has decided.
The trustees voted 6-1 on Feb. 8 to allow Full Circle Farm to lease 11 acres of unused fields near Dunford Way and Norman Drive, deflecting several proposals from youth sports groups to revive the land. Trustee Gloria Moss dissented, in part, because of her support of youth sports.
The board was expected to vote on whether to broadly pursue sports or farming, but it took a step further and approved Full Circle's proposal for a sustainable plot of heirloom vegetables and fruits.
"I was very pleased with the way things worked out, of course," said Brian Gardiner, farm manager for Full Circle. "It was democracy in action, and I think the school board sifted through the facts and came up with the best possible decision for the school."
Full Circle is now asking Sunnyvale planners to rezone the land next to Peterson Middle School, which could take 2 1/2 months, Gardiner said. The school district expects the farm to sign a $1,000 a month lease for 10 years with an option to extend it another 10 years, said Roger Barnes, the district's business administrator.
The permit process will delay planting from spring to late summer, and a harvest of tomatoes, pumpkins and other items would be available in the fall at the earliest.
Gardiner, of San Jose, has supplied vegetables to top Bay Area restaurants such as Manresa in Los Gatos. His proposal includes teaching students about sustainable farming, and district officials are in talks to serve some of the farm's produce in school lunches.
There would also be a vegetable stand at Peterson Field that would take orders from neighbors.
Tap Merrick, president of the Save Peterson Field Committee, said he was disappointed with the decision because the multi-field site would have been well suited for sports tournaments. However, in a group email to neighbors, he said the project was better than building houses.
"Regardless of which way [the school board] decided, the community won because there aren't going to be monster homes on that 11 acres," Merrick said.
The school district and the farm have not hammered out details on which 11 acres of the field the farm would occupy. Shade from trees on its south side may block light, Gardiner said, compromising the garden. He said he was confident they would find a solution.
When a final site is decided, temporary fences, debris and possibly some metal baseball backstops will be removed. A trailer also is expected to roll in to house four farm employees.
Once the city issues permits, Full Circle said it would hold neighborhood meetings to discuss details of its plan. Those dates will be announced later.
More information on the Peterson Field project is available at www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org.
