The botanical garden project stewarded by the Chelsea Botanical Gardens (CBG) is the perfect example of how a group of misinformed citizens can cultivate a weedy vine that is then mistaken for a healthy plant, sullying a beautiful, vibrant garden project that a non-profit volunteer board is trying to build. The real issue here is not the garden; this project is merely emphasizing the information rift between some citizens and the government process in Norwich. 

Being an informed taxpayer requires attending municipal meetings to understand the processes, rules and doctrines that guide our leaders. We need to do thorough homework before forming conclusions and opinions. In the garden that is our world, we learn and study and cultivate healthy plants tending to them so the weeds of misinformation don’t run wild. There is a small group of Norwich citizens not doing their homework completely and cultivating a weed patch. 

A few months ago, the CBG began tree clearing in Mohegan Park. I followed the media stories and refreshed my knowledge about the project’s history. When the Norwich City Council established the CBG in 1993, much like it did with the Norwich Community Development Corporation (a board created in 1963 that became a non-profit); their vision was to enhance the asset of Mohegan Park. CBG, too, became a private non-profit, 501 (c) (3) run entirely by a volunteer board of directors. They have an award winning Master Garden Plan viewable on their website. The garden will enhance the features of the park and, at minimum, add an educational element that Norwich can capitalize on starting with benefits to the children in our own school system. 

When more opposition “weeds” started popping up I reached out to city officials for permitting clarification. The opposition claimed the lease was not legal, the permits were not current and work was being done in violation of the permits. CBG has a valid lease for city land much like the one Joyal Corporation has for the Marina. The wetlands permit is current and there are no exceptions or violations. The Site Approval Permit approved by the Commission on the City Plan in May 2013 had expired but was not needed to clear the trees. Tree clearing is defined by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection as a timber harvest; permitted as-of-right and primarily regulated through the Connecticut General Statutes as an agricultural activity. The city is not protecting or misrepresenting the CBG work being done in Mohegan Park. The city is not stopping the work because no rules have been broken. 

Another weed is the questioning of the CBG board composition; implying that several of them have businesses that will gain financially from this. The Internal Revenue Service recommends “Successful governing boards include individuals who not only are knowledgeable and engaged, but selected with the organization’s needs in mind.” That is why several members on the CBG Board are connected to landscaping professions; a number of them are Master Gardeners and one teaches regular gardening classes. Those members would be “knowledgeable and engaged” with the mission of the organization; to create and sustain a botanical garden. 

The thickest weed is the questioning of why it took so long to actually start clearing the land and why it appears that CBG has no money to do this project. I went straight to the CBG board for answers. I discovered that in the world of botanical gardens it takes a generation to build one; the lease term was set at 75 years for this reason. Over the 20 years prior to the recent clearing of a small portion of the land, the board members disclosed that fiscal responsibility and not going into debt has always been their goal. They raised private donations and applied for available funds in the city (like the Sachem Fund) for studies or plans and expended those funds on needed items. 

The opposition has created what appear to be facts based on incomplete information; much taken out of context. The weed cultivation needs to stop, now. It’s time to grab our gloves and hoes of knowledge and complete information, then clear out that wild, rampant misinformation vine, and allow the garden to be planted, grow and flourish. 

Karen Neeley is a Norwich native and a current resident and homeowner. She is an active volunteer in Norwich and a supporter of Chelsea Botanical Gardens.