Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Unless persuaded otherwise, contractors will come to Waters tomorrow to tear out the raspberries that grow along the west side of the (old) Annex. I don’t know why they are doing this, or who ordered it. I have emailed the Principal but received no response. I bumped into the contractors by accident.
This patch of sweetness was planted by students 10+ years ago, and each year since then kids, families, staff, and visitors have stopped short and paused to enjoy fresh ripe berries. Below the berries grows chamomile, garlic, arugula, sedum (from seeds that dropped off the green roof) New England Asters, milkweed, and more. It has been trellised, weeded, pruned, and fertilized by our school community. It is a well-tended and much loved use of otherwise forgotten space. It is watered using the 500 gallon cistern nearby.
Why is this happening? It is from these small acts: the act of creating and tending a garden, or the act of abruptly destroying it. These are the acts that create our future, our world.
They say they will pour cement.
I will be there at 8:00 tomorrow morning to ask them to stop. Please join me if you can.
Mr. Leki