Community Garden Proposed For Lake Elsinore's Rosetta Canyon Park

A fruit and vegetable garden tended by Lake Elsinore residents and business operators will likely take shape in Rosetta Canyon Park in the coming months.

During Tuesday night’s regularly scheduled Lake Elsinore City Council meeting, council members unanimously approved allowing City Manager Grant Yates to execute a Memorandum of Understanding to begin the process of constructing a 3/4-acre community garden in Rosetta Canyon Park.

Lake Elsinore residents Sylvia Monaco and John Larsen brought the idea forward to city staff, and Lake Elsinore Director of Parks and Recreation Pat Kilroy put together a presentation for council members to consider Tuesday night.

The proposed garden would be tended by volunteers and the crops donated to needy families in the community, according to Kilroy. The garden would also serve as a training ground for local youth interested in agriculture and horticulture, Monaco said.

Materials to construct and maintain the garden would be donated by local businesses, Monaco continued. The city would be responsible for the cost of water, which was projected to run about $1,000 annually. Mayor Bob Magee suggested the city and garden volunteers work with Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District to possibly get a water meter installed at the site.

There has been a positive response to the proposed garden from the community and local businesses, Kilroy said.

Two members of the public spoke in favor of the garden Tuesday. One of the speakers, Lake Elsinore resident Grace Sandlin, said that while a community garden is “so beneficial,” she warned it can take a few years before productivity begins.

“It’s a long-term plan,” she said.

Monaco first began thinking about a community garden following the tragic 2009 death of her grandson. According to Monaco, the infant suffered a severe birth defect thought to sometimes be triggered by poor prenatal nutrition. (Click here to read more about that story.)

Councilman Brian Tisdale expressed concerns about vandalism at the proposed garden, but Kilroy said details on fencing would be part of a more formal proposal that is forthcoming. The proposal would outline the general architecture of the garden, as well as security measures and water issues, according to Kilroy.

Under the MOU approved Tuesday, a Garden Club will be formed as a way of formally organizing the effort, and the body will put forth garden plans to the city.

The garden is proposed for undeveloped area in Rosetta Canyon Park located adjacent the facility’s Dog Park. Councilman Daryl Hickman said he worried the ground in the proposed site area is full of rocks, but Monaco said the plot would feature raised beds.