The Davenport Park’s Department would like to build an Enabling Garden at Vander Veer Park. The Enabling Garden will be right next to the Vander Veer Conservatory and Store. The garden would be for people with physical disabilities to learn and get an up close view of the gardens.
“The Enabling Garden is being built to the standards of the participants who will be utilizing it,” says Davenport Alderman Sheilia Burrage.
The garden will have a ramp for wheelchairs and the flower beds will be raised. People will be able to learn about the flowers and plant in the area.
“Instead of something low it will be something high. People can sit in their seats or sit in their chairs to work in the garden,” adds Burrage.
The Enabling Garden will be the only one of its kind in the surrounding area and the garden will produce revenue.
“It is a fee based program,” says Burrage, “It’s basically something that’s going to pay for itself.”
While aldermen like the idea of the garden, some are wondering why it’s so expensive. Constructing just the garden will cost $396,500.
“We held meetings with citizens in every ward to discuss what they wanted to see going forward with the parks department,” says Alderman Bill Edmond, “Not one citizen ever mentioned anything about this.”
The project will be paid with bonds from the capital improvement budget. The CIP budget is different revenue stream than the one used for employees. However, the city had to trim a lot to balance their budget.
“How do I look employees in the eye that I just laid off or the one where we negotiated a 0% raise for the coming fiscal year, but I’m going to spend $500,000 on a want at Vander Veer Park versus a need,” adds Edmond.
Upkeep for the garden will come from local hospitals and charities. The idea is people will drive from as far away as 90-miles to use the gardens.
“If it’s such a needed thing here in davenport why isn’t somebody else helping us build it,” says Edmond, “Why is it purely a city funded project.”
$54,350 will be used to fix up buildings at Vander Veer. City council will discuss funding the Enabling Garden at their meeting on Wednesday. If it passes, construction will start right away and the garden will open later this summer.