Amid the promise of a new season and a celebration of some new additions, patrons of the Agassiz Community Gardens were delivered a difficult blow.
Over the course of the past few weeks, multiple gardeners have reported plants, vegetables, watering hoses, shovels and garden tools have gone missing from about 10 of the approximately 50 plots planted this year. Gardens society president Laurens van Vliet said this is higher theft rate than in years past.
“This is very disappointing to say the least and plainly discouraging for many,” van Vliet said in an email to The Observer.
One gardener said vandals “ripped every blooming flower and bulbed plant” from the ground around their plot, leaving the plants to die in a pile. Large holes and crushed plants were left in the wake.
The Garden Society is weighting their options to prevent further damage, requesting help from the Agassiz RCMP and the District of Kent as well as installing private security measures.
The vandalism and theft has been reported to the Agassiz RCMP. If you have information or see suspicious behaviour, contact the detachment at 604-796-2211. You may also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
The news of the vandalism and theft cast a pall on an otherwise happy time for the Community Gardens, which recently saw the first plants go into one of the four raised garden beds, designed for gardeners living with mobility issues. A resident from Glenwood Retirement home recently seeded carrots for this year’s growing season.
The four raised garden beds were revealed early last month. The Agassiz Lions Club donated $1,000 toward creating the accessible garden beds, and Powerwood provided the building materials.
adam.louis@ ahobserver.com
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