Twenty years ago in a unique and beautiful garden on the North Shore a seed was planted with the hope of securing the future.
No one really knows if small ideas may grow in the future, but the fear of the unknown has never held me back from trying. The metaphorical seed I planted 20 years ago was to start a group of Friends of the Garden, or FOGs for short. I recently attended the 20-year anniversary of the Park and Tilford Friends of the Garden and it seems the seed I planted has grown and flourished. More than 50 new and past FOG members travelled from far and wide to attend the anniversary celebrations held in the rose garden. Also in attendance were City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto, former garden foreman Egan Davis and company officials from Bentall Kennedy Real Estate Investment. Bentall Kennedy is the current property manager of Park and Tilford Shopping Centre and gardens. Bentall Kennedy is privately owned by senior management and two of North America's largest institutional investors, the California Public Employee Retirement System and the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. Remco Daal is the president and chief operating officer of Bentall Kennedy in Canada.
One more footnote about Park and Tilford, the gardens are financially supported by the merchants of Park and Tilford Shopping Centre through common area maintenance charges, or CAM fees. Merchants who do business in a shopping centre must pay a monthly fee to maintain the common property of the shopping centre. Owners of shopping centres generally do not pay CAM charges. Owners typically pay for capital improvements to buildings and land, legal fees and usually administration costs for the property. So by shopping at Park and Tilford, you support the merchants who pay for the continued operation of those gardens.
In most public and many private gardens, FOG volunteer groups are created to help sustain and enhance gardens. FOGs are volunteers who donate their time, energy, creativity and enthusiasm to help grow their garden of choice. It should be noted that FOGs who volunteer in any garden are not intended to be the workforce, which is ultimately the role of paid staff. Using unpaid volunteers to do operational work in public gardens is generally viewed as unethical, cheap, disingenuous and unfair to the volunteers, not to mention denying jobs to people who need the work and pay. FOGs are paid, so to speak, by being educated while they volunteer therein gaining an intellectual payment that they use in their own gardens. FOGs also gain a sense of personal satisfaction by contributing to something local, community-oriented and bigger than themselves. Owners of public gardens must have an understanding of local history and an appreciation of community to fully optimize the value of any public garden or its volunteers.
The role of any FOG group is to enhance the garden through public education, plant labelling, school tours, promotion, fundraising and helping with non-essential duties that improve the garden experience for visitors. The Park and Tilford FOGs have volunteered 21,000 man hours over the last 20 years, which is equivalent to one full-time gardener working for 7.5 years. Park and Tilford FOGs have also generated $140,000 in plant sales over the last 20 years. In recognition of the Park and Tilford FOG contributions, the current garden manager, Mag Kozlowska, presented a bronze plaque commemorating 20 years of FOG service in the gardens. The plaque will be permanently mounted in the gardens once a suitable location is chosen.
Gardens of any type are a hard sell in most cities at any given time. Even community gardens can be controversial for local residents and politicians. But times are changing and gardens of all description are sprouting up in cities around the world. The grassroots desire to grow healthy food has stimulated society to make a place for gardens within our cities. And we all need a place to seek sanctuary from the busy world. Public gardens provide the cool shade of green trees, flowering plants to delight the senses and running water that washes away our troubles, even if only for a moment. Park and Tilford Gardens is unique in Canada and perhaps the world. There is no other comparable garden located in a shopping centre that is zoned for public use, privately owned, non-profit and offering free admission, or as beautifully designed as Park and Tilford.
I congratulate our Park and Tilford Friends of the Garden for a job well done. I am proud of all of you and thank you for your generous contributions of time, energy and enthusiasm. The ongoing contribution of the Park and Tilford FOGs continues to help keep those gardens growing and beautiful for all visitors to enjoy.
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