The LaMott Community Garden May Be In Trouble!

It looks as though our beloved La Mott Community Garden may be in trouble!

The La Mott Community Garden now has a website which is where I found out about this.

For those of you that don't know, the La Mott Community Garden - rather the land that it sits on - is owned by Temple University. That land and the rest of the Temple University's Tlyer School Of Art property is currently up for sale!

At the last community meeting back in June we were informed that there is currently no buyer for the property.

To find out more about what is happening with the La Mott Community Garden, you can visit their website below:

La Mott Community Garden Website

An Old Video Of Temple Students Moving In (Or Are They Moving Out)

Here is a short video that I took a very long time ago. I noticed that it was on my Youtube page but I had not posted it here.

Of course this was taken a very long time ago when there were still students attending Temple's Tyler School of Art. Of course if you have not heard Temple has now moved the students to their campus on Broad Street by Broad and Cecil B. Moore.

The school and the surrounding site are now up for sale - which includes the community garden as well.

Why Is Tyler Leaving!

I just saw on our local news tonight that Temple University was showing off their new Tyler Arts Center that is to be located in the city of Philadelphia.

If you are a resident here in LaMott / Cheltenham, then you may know that there is already a Tyler School of Art right here in Cheltenham and it is a part of Temple University. But apparently Temple wanted their students to attend their classes at the heart of their main campus which is in Philadelphia.

For a time there were some protests from both the students and their parents because both of them liked the atmosphere of the area here as opposed to being in the city. Personally, after a while and after I got used to it, I didn't mind the students so much either.

There have been so many rumors going back and forth about the Tyler campus here and what was going to become of it.

Now that I have seen the news story on TV about Temple finally finishing their new Tyler School of Art in the city I can't help but wonder what is going to happen to the buildings and the dorms that are here now?

Definitely One Of The Sure Fire Sounds Of Autumn!

You can tell its definitely autumn when you hear that Temple University school bus driving by!

Actually I kind of like it!

But there is a rumor going around that this will be the last year that the students will be using The Tyler School of Art

which is something that I DON'T like!



Goodness knows what is going to happen to the building and what it will be used for!

The Community Garden(s) - Part 2

Since we are technically still in the middle of summer, here's another picture that I took of the community garden.

Technically-speaking the land actually belongs to Temple University (at least I think it does) and for as long as I have been living up here (about 25 years) the community garden has always been there!

The people that have gardens there are mostly residents of the community and since Temple has campuses in Philadelphia, I think some of the students use the gardens as well! Everyone I have met there has been very nice and I really think that they are a great bunch of people. My guide to the gardens used to be a man named Brooks Cropper who has since passed away.

The community garden is really a something to see as everyone is growing all different types of vegetables. I guess the most prominent of the vegetables are the tomatoe plants that most of the gardeners seem to be growing. I say this because for the most part tomatoe plants should be staked and it's interesting to see the different ways (and different materials ) that the gardeners use to stake the tomatoes.

Now I have been hearing all sorts of different stories about whether or not Temple will be moving their art students back into the city of Philadelphia, about how the students dcn't like that and about how their parents don't like that either! I have heard stories about how Temple is going to sell off the property(s)...etc....et al! The latest story I have been told is that the year 2008 - 2009 will be the last semester for the art students here at the Tyler School of Art. After that the students will have to go to the campus located in Philadelphia.

I really don't know how all of this is going to affect the community garden so I guess that we should just really enjoy the pleasure of having it now.

The Temple University School Bus?

Now don't get me wrong but I kind of like hearing and seeing the Temple University bus that passes through our area. But it makes me kind of curious as to why I can hearing it going past at almost 1 o'clock in the morning? I mean are there students that actually travel during that time of night? Is it part of the bus's reqular schedule?

Strange!

The Community Garden(s)

Would it be the community garden or the community gardens? There is more than one gardening plot that is here!

What you are looking at is a picture of the community garden that's located right inside of LaMott! It is a block away from Penrose Avenue and is located (on one side) at the 1800 block of Graham Lane. It is a block long and most of the gardening plots are used by the residents but there are some students from Temple University that also use it. As long as I have lived here there have been issues with the garden such as people coming from as far away as New Jersy to use one of the plots.

But of the people that do have plots there they are quite friendly for the most part. A lot of them love gardening just for the love of gardening.

If you are a resident and are interested in getting a gardening plot there the best thing to do would be to ask one of the gardeners about who to contact in order to get one of the plots. It doesn't cost you anything to have one of the plots BUT you do have to agree to the upkeep and maintenance of your gardening plot.

According to what I have heard the area is owned by Temple University and they have a campus located just across the street

The Students are moving in (or out?)

I saw a small uhaul truck parked outside and of course its because of the students. As I write this I don't know if they are moving in or out. I'm guessing that they could be moving in but I don't know for sure.

With all the rumors circulating around about whether or not Temple's Tyler School of Art will close their campus in Cheltenham you wouldn't be able to tell by all the students that are moving in (or out). I know some of the students don't want it and I know that some of the parents don't want it. I see the students all the time either walking to the school or coming from the bus stop and walking towards the school. There was a time back when the students used to sun bathe on the grounds of the dormitory. I have seen some students on the campus with their easels painting - mostly the scenery around them. I've seen a few students who live in the Lynnewood Gardens Apartment complex which is right across from the school. There are cars parked everywhere! The campus has a pretty big parking lot from what I can see but still there are cars parked all around the campus including the street that I live on. I hear the sounds of the car doors slamming, the students talking, the students arguing and the students laughing.

I don't mind the noise too much. It's always good to hear activity in the area. I do mind when they park their cars in front of the driveway. I have heard from other neighbors about this when the cars are blocking their driveways and they have had to call the police.

So this "moving in" period is bound to last for the next couple of days.................