How Could Something So Good, Go So Bad.

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In September 2013 Geri Muoio’s was the WPB Mayor and a gentleman named Mr. Bosley was making an appeal to the City and asked that the $5,000.00 fee for bringing a water line to the area be waived, and his request was granted.

I listened to Mr. Bosley who acquired a lease for a piece of city owned property consisting of 1.52 acres at 1400 Henrietta Ave. and heard his plans to build a Community Farm in one of the poorest area’s of WPB, and my thought at the time was this guy has a good idea.

“In West Palm Beach, 18.7 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, compared with 14 percent for Palm Beach county and 14.5 percent for the U.S. as a whole. The city is also home to a large proportion of the county’s 27 federally designated food deserts. Residents live in a stark contrast to the area’s natural abundance of fresh produce, with limited retail and transportation options to grocery stores.

However, this is all about to change.

One man, Stewart W. Bosley Jr., and his non-profit organization Urban Growers, has broken ground on West Palm Beach’s first urban farm, and they’re set to harvest their first crop in January.
“What I didn’t realize is that it would take me four years to finally get site control,” he says. “Over the past four years, I have been steadfastly trying to acquire this property, clean it up, and put a farm on it. Now I’ve got 1,200 plants. We’ve got about 500 or 600 tomatoes, green peppers, kale, collard greens, bell peppers, and pole beans, and the first crops will be ready in January.

After a long process of land acquisition and jumping hurdles, the Urban Growers’ Community Farm, also known as the Henrietta Bridge Farm, is finally growing produce.

In addition to producing fresh and local produce for the community, Urban Growers is also providing job training and job opportunities to residents of the neighborhood, including previously incarcerated and at-risk youth. The plots were installed by previously incarcerated individuals from the juvenile justice system in Palm Beach county as part of a restorative justice program in West Palm Beach. Urban Growers hopes to continue supporting this population and other individuals from the community as they begin to harvest their first crop and expand their business.

“Where this farm is located is a perfect example of a food desert community,” he says. Where the growing center is now located, you have to go two and a half miles in any direction to get produce. The people that live in this neighborhood are all near or below the poverty line, and don’t have access to fresh produce. People who benefit from this are low-income seniors, and kids. It helps the people who don’t have access to fresh produce, many of them because of limited transportation options. The cost of transportation also has to be factored into the cost of the food.” Read the entire story below.
https://seedstock.com/2015/01/05/west-palm-beachs-first-urban-farm-serves-local-food-deserts/

One more story I hope readers will take the time to read in part explains:
Urban Growers CEDC Mission

“The primary mission is to develop and improve low-income communities and neighborhoods through economic and related development activities that will increase the opportunities for residents to become owners, managers, and producers of small businesses, affordable housing and jobs designed to produce positive cash flow and curb blight in the Greater North West Communities of West Palm Beach.

“Urban Growers CEDC is a grass roots non-profit organization dedicated to improve
the quality of life in low income communities in the neighborhoods of Coleman Park, Historic Northwest and Pleasant City. Through educational, economic and related development activities, the organization will promote actions designed to increase opportunities for residents. Read the entire story below:

http://www.urbangrowerscedc.org/

For over eight years the farm was up and growing, people were receiving fresh produce and fruit and had the satisfaction of knowing they helped create the farm and grow their food. So what went wrong?

The City sent a letter informing Urban Growers their lease for the land would not be renewed, and they have 30 days to vacate the property, and the only explanation was the City (James) stating “they have a better use for the property.”

What could be better than to give access to fresh produce and fruit to low income minority communities around the farm?

James is so proud of his “Mayor’s Taskforce for Racial and Ethnic Equality” which will sound good for his reelection, but I hope people remember what he has done to Urban Growers. Damn disgrace.

The end.