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Local News

Hastings to have a Food Farm

Andrew Ortwein, a local resident, was given the go-ahead by the Hastings City Council Monday to create a Food Forest in Bliss Park by planting fruit trees, bushes and plants on about 0.5 acres that is now open space, to be open to all residents to harvest.

 

The area will be planted and cared for by sponsors, and others, with trees including  paw paw, apple, peach, pear and cherry; shrubs such as cranberry, blueberry, gooseberry and gojiberry and vines like grape raspberry, hardy kiwifruit and blackberry.

 

Ortwein said the list is preliminary and things can be added or subtracted.

Forest gardening is low-maintenance sustainable plant based food production incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs and vines and perennials vegetables with yields directly useful  to humans, he said.

Ortwein plans to work with MSU Extension in plant selection to assure compatible plants and trees and with civic clubs and others to raise fund for the plantings. No city funding or staff work would be required, he said. Seattle, Detroit and other places are developing food farms.

 

 

Also Monday, with council approval of  the Department of Public Services Director Lee Hays recommendations, the DPS will:

*enter a $52,416 contract with A-I Asphalt for milling and resurfacing city streets,

 

*purchase a Hurco Valve Trailer for $58,695, to be used to “exercise” some 480 water valves in the city. The machine will open and close the valves, some that haven’t been opened since they were installed. The machine is not as likely to break the valves as opening it manually, Hays said. He hopes to find valves now that may break in the middle of winter. Councilman Bill Redman said he considered it, “preventive maintenance,”

 

*complete the sale by auction of a 2001 Rosco Vibrastar III roller, two 1995 Lawnboy push mowers, and a 1951 Horner welder.

 

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