Boulevard gardening ordinance is sent back to committee

The ordinance allowing property owners to have gardens in the boulevard in front of their houses has been sent back to a city committee for more study.

Monday night the Decorah City Council voted 5-2 against approving a second reading of the ordinance.  Instead, the city's Community Betterment Committee will discuss revising the ordinance when it meets at 5:30 p.m. April 25th.

The vote came after several people testified at Monday night's meeting.  Pat Fitzgerald told the city council most people wouldn't take care of their gardens and the city would have trouble enforcing the laws.  "I just don't think boulevard gardens will work," she said.

Former mayor Vic Fye said he opposed the ordinance because dirt would wash off the gardens and into storm sewers and because gardens could increase parking problems and lead to falls by pedestrians.  "The bulevard is not the place for a garden," said Fry.

Garden supporter Maren Stumme-Biers said passage of the ordinance would mean "Decorah could get a lot of attention."  She said the ordinance would lead to creative, positive experiments by gardeners.