It's Not Easy Being Green

May 27, 2009

At a time when the town has severely cut the budget for The Green Thumb Gang volunteer activities by 1/3, and indeed, seems to have cut the very name of The Green Thumb Gang from the town volunteers who have labored for over thirteen years to make our town look nicer, I must question why the town doesn’t think it is worth 32 cents per citizen for the town gardens and the winter seasonal decorations around town. There are still 12 active GTG members who work on the gardens. I personally have worked over 23 hours so far this season. What other department has been cut by 1/3? When the budget just to maintain the town office grounds is well over $4000, how is it justified to make such a large cut to The Green Thumb Gang fund? The town agreed at town meeting a mere three years ago to budget $3000 to fund all the town gardens existing at the time. By cutting our very small budget, the town has acted in very bad faith in a very short time. Kermit the Frog is right- “It’s not easy being Green”, especially in the town of Lisbon.

It would be great if all the gardens could be “Adopted” by businesses, but landscapers don’t work for nothing. To expect any small business to donate hundreds of dollars for a professional in this business climate or to expect a professional landscaper to donate their services is asking a lot. Many thanks to any businesses which have stepped up to keep the gardens going. I believe that originally, businesses in the “Adopt- a –Spot’ program would take on a spot and several of their employees would volunteer to maintain it, with the business paying for the plantings. Not so today- it is a very expensive proposition. In contrast it makes thirty-two cents of taxation of the citizens seem like a real bargain. Still, we must be prudent in our endeavors and expenditures.

For example, how much is expended on maintaining the ill-conceived “gardens” at the boat launch site?. Has anyone looked at the state of the trees and shrubs in those new “gardens” lately? They are brown, blighted-looking and unattractive, not to mention being located in places that are not suitable. First and foremost, that area was a boat-launch facility. It’s a very stupid idea to put gardens where people are hauling canoes and kayaks to and from the water! Originally the area had a park bench, several maintained flower planters, several beautiful specimen trees, gifts in memory of local citizens who had passed on. It was maintained by members of the Gang and was simple and lovely. Now the area is ugly looking and costly to maintain. Who’s brilliant idea was this mess? Not mine, I can assure you, but my views and the views of the other GTG caretakers was scoffed at when the gardens went in. The gardens might be able to be fixed, but at what cost? And how do you ‘fix’ a dead tree or shrub. These bad decisions are costly to the taxpayers.

What this town needs in these trying financial times is citizens who will step up and be willing to give something back, and a town government which will applaud and support the efforts of those civic minded citizen volunteers who work to make Lisbon a better place to live.

Faye Brown