One of the  Racing Yachts of the Atlantic Cup Fleet Docked at Fore Points Marina. Arriving This Morning for the Third and Final Leg of the Int’l Race. The Only US Entry Withdrew Last Week Because of Infrastructure Problems.;  is Scowling Dragon from Hawaii.  This Photo was Taken from the Adj[oining SailMaine Campus.  In Previous Years, the Yachts Were Docked at the Maine Wharf, Where Thee was Plenty of Public Access.  Not This Year.  This Year the Atlantic Cup Boats are Docked at the Exclusive & Isolated Fore Points Marina, at Portland Foreside, Blocked From  the Public and This Blogger;s View.. (For More Background on this, Please Visit Post herein Daed May 21, 2024)

Fore Points Marina, 1 Marina Way, is an Exclusive Marina That Caters to Yachts from All Over the World. This  Year the Public is Blocked from Viewing the Yachts up Close .by Portland Forsside. owmed by CaseyPremtoce and Kevin Costello.  on Whose Waterfront the Marina is Located.

The North Street Community Garden is a vacant lot these days – that’s  because the city of Portland has urged gardners not to garden until soil tests are completed – and that could come the end of June. Gardners were sent emails  recently based on a wordy document prepared by Ethan Hipple, Director, of the Recreation Department.

However, this blogger has issued multiple requests to Jessica Grondin, city spokeswoman,  for a copy of the emails sent, but has not received a copy. This multiple request was made to Grondin to compare the emails with the Hipple wordy document..  How much editing did Grondin do?

This is the second test that the soil at the Garden will have undergone this year when completed.

But the press was not informed by city hall of this latest wrinkle in the soil testing saga that started with the closure of the Libbytown Garden because of chemicals found there earlier this year.  And questions remain as to  how much gardners wee also informed about the soil testing at North Street Gardens.

Final test results could come at the end of this month, although there are no guarantees of that.  That would give gardners either a green light to try and salvage some of the growing season or a red light to abandon what is left of an already short growing season in the state of Maine.

Several gardners in the North Street Garden told this blogger they were informed that although the test results completed by TRC last month in the first soil test round were encouraging that the soil  at the  Munjoy Hill garden was not contaminated with chemicals, a second round of tests are needed to verify that other chemicals are not present in the same garden soil at dangerous levels. That is the report referenced above that may be issued at the end of June.

Three inquiries to the city for informtion on how many plots are located within the North Street Garden and how long the waiting list for that Garden is have gone unanswered by the city.  This blogger has requested from the city’s spokeswoman a copy of the actual email sent to the gardners about the second round of soil testing.  This request has also been ignored.

“Disorganized chaos  rules at city hal!! That’s my conclusion based on trying to get a straight answer on the North Street Garden soil testing situation.  One city official  refers this blogger to another city official  to answer a question.  That city official never responds to the questions.  Too many chefs/  And the chefs haven’t decided who is sous chef, head chef and who is cooking what…..” says this blogger.  “There’s Silvan, Jessica and Ethan.  Parts of the above  may be inaccurate because of the city’s poor communication,  desire to keep the situation mum and under wraps at this time and just plain incompetence at city hall.

For more background information on the North Street Garden Testing for Chemicals, please visit post dated May 11, 2024  herein.

May 5, 2024 – Update:  According to Silva Shawe  Executive Director of Cultimating Community, there are 51 full pltds, 2 half plots at the North Steet Garden.  The Garden was built in 1998 ahd there is a 2 – 4 year wait to get a plot.  “We understand and share gardners frustration, but it is important to follow state guidelines and ensure that the program is safe.”