Scene 6: Park Depot Visit

20 November 2013

Backstory:

Throughout the course of the design process thus far, Jude had explained that the city could provide a number of supplies and materials for our project.  These would come at no cost to our operating budget and Jude seemed willing to procure them at our request.  To get a sense of what would actually be available to us, we had set up a tour with Jude to show us the depot where they house the supplies.

Cast of Characters:

MGV Park Team: Zack and Tyler

City Parks Department: Jude Carolissen

Setting:

Jude arrived in his truck at 2:00pm to pick us up at our lodge.  He then drove us to the depot, which is located right next to Maitland Garden Village.  We pulled right into the building and parked inside a tunnel-like area in the middle of the depot.  It resembled a large warehouse, and in the open area we could see up to the second level on either side.  Chain-link gates barred entrance to the areas on our left and right.

When we finished at the depot, we decided to visit a nursery.  Jude brought us back towards Cape Town to Starke Ayres Garden Centre.  It wasn’t much different from nurseries back home, with the exception of the plants being more local.

Scene:

As we drove to the depot, we soon realized that we were heading in the same direction as Maitland Garden Village.  Not long after, we passed by a familiar scene as the Pinelands train station, the Oude Molin Eco-Village, and finally Maitland Garden Village came into view.  Just down the road, we pulled into our destination.  We got out of the truck and Jude brought us through an office and into the stock rooms.  He explained that everything here was for use in city projects.  They had a large number of items in stock, ranging from work tools like shovels and rakes, lumber and hardware, to printers and paper.  We noted down different supplies that would be useful for work in the park and for our fun activity on Friday.

Zack asked if they had any of the plants and trees that Jude had mentioned for the plantings in the park.  Jude explained that those were kept at a separate nursery facility and we could go visit one next.  We got back in the truck and Jude asked if we wanted to plant a tree as a part of our Friday activity.  We thought this would be a great idea, so Jude drove us by the park to see what spots could use a new sapling.  The park came into view and we could see that the grass had finally been mowed!  This in combination with our clean-up efforts from last week already showed a vast improvement.  As we drove by, we identified 3 spots for new saplings and then headed to Starke Ayres Garden Centre.  This nursery isn’t one of the city’s supply facilities, but would give us an idea of the types of plants available.  We arrived and walked through the building to the outdoor area where the majority of plants were on display.  As we walked around Jude would describe different plants and what they were best used for, indicating a number that would work well in Perseverance Park.  Not all these plants would be available to us from the city’s supply, however they could be ordered relatively easily.  Jude impressed us with his extensive knowledge of the plant-life and often referenced plants that he had in his own garden or that he had worked with previously.  After discussing the different options for a time, we concluded our tour and Jude brought us back to the lodge.

Reflection:

While the tour was fairly brief, it was beneficial for a number of reasons.  We got to see what kind of supplies and materials could actually be provided by the city at no cost, which can allow us to get creative and really stretch the budget we have in place.  Jude also proved to be very knowledgeable in the area of flora and will provide a lot of useful insight when it comes to more detailed designs of the landscape and plantings.  It was also interesting getting to know Jude better through casual conversation during the car rides that went beyond the scope of our project.