A new community garden is in the works for Itta Bena.
During its Tuesday meeting, the Board of Aldermen approved a garden where children will be able to plant, grow and sell their own produce.
The project will be done through the Advancing, Inspiring, Motivating for Community Health through Extension (AIM for CHangE) program in partnership with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
This group has been out in the city with a beautification project headed by Ward 1 Alderwoman Jo Ann Purnell, who introduced Debra Hibbler and Marven Cantave, presenters for the program, to the board.
Hibbler said that the garden project is intended to teach young people about farming and hard work while also improving the overall health of the city.
“A lot of times when we grow it and we see how it is grown and what goes into it … we’re more apt to try those fruits and vegetables that come out of that garden,” she said.
The locations proposed for the garden include three areas around City Hall. Once a location is finalized, Hibbler said, much of the supplies including soil beds and fencing will be furnished by the MSU Extension Service.
A second facet of the project is the establishment of a weekend market for the food from the garden to be sold. Hibbler said the team is looking at two locations — one on Dorothy Street and another in the downtown park.
“This will also be a training for the youth, because we will be teaching them how to run a business,” Hibbler said, “because they will be collecting the money, setting up the grounds for everything and be responsible for taking it down.”
All the board members said they liked the idea, but Mayor J.D. Brasel and Ward 2 Alderwoman Johnnie Riley expressed some concerns.
Brasel said he was worried people would see this garden as a place to come in and take whatever produce they want.
“The produce will be available to the citizens of Itta Bena but not at their will because this produce has to be purchased, planted, tended to,” Hibbler said. “So, your volunteers are not going to just put in all this hard work just for anybody to walk out there and get it. And that’s why we’re developing a farmers market.”
“This is a business that we are teaching the children to do. So they’re learning how to grow agriculture, how to sell it and how to take those funds and put it back into the business and keep it growing,” she added.
Cantave said the combination of farming and selling will create a viable youth program while also increasing foot traffic and helping to attract business owners.
“I think the city will receive back tenfold what they put into a half an acre of land,” he said.
Itta Bena Aldermen Darrick Hart, left, and Reginald Freeman listen to presenters during Tuesday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting in Itta Bena.
Ward 4 Alderman Reginald Freeman said he liked the idea but wants to make sure that the plans sit well both legally and with the community.
Some community members present at the meeting, including activist and mayoral candidate Patricia Young and Police Chief Kenneth Hampton, said they were all for the garden.
Cantave said he would be going door to door to gather more support.
The board voted unanimously in favor of the garden, pending approval of the contract by the board’s new attorney, Carlos Palmer. Palmer was chosen March 9 to replace Solomon Osborne, who stepped down because of health concerns.
In other business, D’Auna Hudson, a student at Mississippi Valley State University, spoke to the board about the city’s litter problem.
Hudson said that the amount of garbage displaced throughout the area was disheartening to the community. “This has been something that has been troubling me for years,” she said.
Purnell suggested talking with fellow MVSU students to inform them about this issue and marshal support to combat the problem. Brasel said the board would be more than happy to hear from her again with any further ideas she can bring.
Jerry Crockett, who is running unopposed for the Ward 4 seat on the board and was in the audience, said this will be one of his top priorities when he joins the board in June.
Leflore County District 4 Supervisor Eric Mitchell, who was also at the meeting, said he is working with the Sheriff’s Department to have more citations written up and more “No Littering” signs placed.
Leflore County Board of Supervisors President Reginald Moore spoke to the Greenwood City Council on Tuesday about “Reclamation 2021,” a long-term litter cleanup campaign involving city and county groups and citizens.
•Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. On Twitter at @AdamBakst_GWCW.
