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Sowing resolution at TCC

From the editorial board
In September 2015, Gregory Tkachuk, an immigrant from Moldavia, sampled wine grapes on his community garden plot at Tacoma Community College. The college announced last summer that it would be closing the garden at the end of October due to adjacent new construction and safety concerns, but now it will remain open under the aegis of the Pierce Conservation District.
In September 2015, Gregory Tkachuk, an immigrant from Moldavia, sampled wine grapes on his community garden plot at Tacoma Community College. The college announced last summer that it would be closing the garden at the end of October due to adjacent new construction and safety concerns, but now it will remain open under the aegis of the Pierce Conservation District. Drew Perine Staff file, 2015

Spring arrives on Sunday, and the sun is warming up the earth through increasingly longer days. Gardeners are starting to dream in shades of green.

Fortunately for those who have long worked a community plot at Tacoma Community College, spring means yet another growing season.

They were heartbroken last summer when they learned that TCC would discontinue their garden — which has been in use since the mid-1960s — due to concerns that included liability issues. Many in the community rallied to their plight and expressed concern for the gardeners, who are mostly elderly immigrants from Russia and Ukraine.

TCC’s president, Sheila Ruhland, heard those concerns. The administration brought in the Pierce Conservation District to work with the gardeners in coming up with a garden-management plan that will allow them to stay as well as address TCC’s concerns.

This is a win-win-win — for the gardeners, for TCC and for the community, which benefits when good people get together to solve problems. Credit goes to everyone who helped make it happen.

Now let’s start planting stuff.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Sowing resolution at TCC."

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