Don't mow. Ever

One thing slipped under the radar from Wednesday’s council meeting.

Niagara Falls is now a right-to-garden city. A resolution passed the council 5-0 giving residents the right to grow flowers and vegetable on the front lawn, just not the devil strip between sidewalk and street.

The resolution by councilman Brian Archie touts the benefits of to people and the environment of gardening, both to grow fruits and vegetables for consumption and to foster native for the benefit of birds, animals and insects.

“Honestly after finding Save-a-Lot closed and realizing we are in a right-to-farm county, fresh food access doesn’t actually trickle into the city," Archie said. "If we can grow a little food, it helps with mental and physical health.”

The resolution says the city council should promote home gardens by providing resources online and promote the use of raised beds and clean so when growing food for consumption.

The fine print low in the resolution says gardens still have to remain 4-feet away from the sidewalk and also includes some language about common sense – for example, not obstructing views and making sure to respect property lines.

The resolution comes a year after a public fight between Ken Johnson and Justine Burger and the city over a frontyard garden that extended onto the Devil Strip.

Johnson and Burger, following a public dispute and a visit from the city’s clean team, launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay the fine but according to the city, never did so. A message to Johnson via social media was not returned. Their landlord has listed the home where they live for sale.

Anyone interested in what effective pollinator meadows look like need only view the meadows along the bike paths that replaced the scar of Robert Moses Parkway. It is the antithesis of entitle Lewiston where chemically enhanced suburban monoculture rules the day.

The above photo of chickens is, indeed, clickbait but it is possible that an ordinance to allow chickens, which was debated a couple years ago, could, indeed return to the council later this year. There are people in the city with undocumented and illegal chickens as well as beehives. Hopefully if the topic does return, the law can be drafted so if poultry doesn't pass honeybees do.

Archie has made great improvements to the city council meetings since taking over as chairperson. First, he scheduled worksessions so representatives of the executive branch could share information with the council in a pre-meeting session without having to stand before the gallery of deplorables at a regular council meeting.

Next, somehow with Archie involved, the sound system works again, something that never seemed to happen with Jim Perry in charge. Finally, the atmosphere has so changed that there no longer is a need for 4 Niagara Falls Police officers on overtime to maintain decorum in the instances where the heathens fail to properly respect the council. Resources not dedicated to guarding a public meeting can be used for actual police work.