One of the worst things elected leaders try to do is slip highly important things into the last meetings before the end of the year, because everyone is distracted by the holidays. That's what's happening here in Waltham, Massachusetts with our beloved town farm.

Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy and City Council President Kathy McMenimen are using these quiet last moments of the year to threaten the existence of the Waltham Fields Community Farm.

Please contact Waltham's City Councilors before Tuesday, December 27, and tell them to vote NO on a proposal from the Committee of the Whole to partially limit access to 240 Beaver Street. The ordinance seems simple, but it is a poison pill, slipped through without a public hearing, and many councillors have not heard about the damage it will do. We have included a letter below that you can use, courtesy of the Waltham Land Trust. As the note explains, this is the first step toward barring Waltham Fields Community Farm from using the land.

For background, thanks to your support, the City of Waltham was offered--and took--the opportunity to buy the UMass Field Station farmland from the Commonwealth. But from the outset it was clear that the city did not want the land as a farm, and as with so many other uninvestigated financial matters with the City of Waltham they misled the state and the community about their intentions.

In short, from the outset, the Mayor has put onerous restrictions on the use of the land and buildings by some of the city's most vital non-profits, all in an effort to drive them out of existence. The absence of local media and the failure of state agencies to investigate the City of Waltham on numerous issues, including this one, have placed the burden on us to do what's right. That means fighting and holding the line. This holiday season, take a moment to express to Waltham's councillors to do the right thing, put the farm on a long-term path to the security we demanded, and stop playing games.

If you have the means or ability to reach out to media or contact state oversight agencies, please do so. Thank you for standing up for this vital community resource. 

Here's a note you can send to the council:

To My City Councillor and all Waltham City Councillors,

Please attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday, 12/27 and vote NO on or table the proposal from the Committee of the Whole to partially limit access at 240 Beaver Street. City Councillors did not have an opportunity to hear about the imminent threat to the existence of the Waltham Fields Community Farm (WFCF) that this proposal will bring.

Make no mistake: your vote will have a direct bearing on the continued existence of Waltham's only community farm; one that has served Waltham residents for over three decades. Your No vote is needed to allow time to consider better options and choose the best one.

The proposal cuts off WFCF's access to their current operational areas including several acres of farmland, their greenhouses, farm stand, chicken coops, equipment storage shelters and Children’s Learning Garden.

The proposal was voted with the understanding that the Mayor will then seek to make only 12.7 acres of the site available for rent, and not exclusively for WFCF. All of the buildings and equipment of WFCF, with the exception of a hoop house, are on the land that will not be rentable, nor accessible.

Delaying changes to the access for at least a month will allow abatement alternatives to be considered that would not put WFCF in existential jeopardy. The known contamination is in discrete areas on the property, access to which may not require making nearly half the property inaccessible. Previously identified fly ash and sludge contamination was safely abated without displacing the farmers.

WFCF is one of our city’s most important and popular non-profits, providing food access, hunger relief, and educational programs. It works closely with the Waltham Housing Authority, Waltham Public Schools and Healthy Waltham. It has been the primary steward of this land for three decades, supporting the operations of the Green Rows of Waltham community gardens also on the site, as well as the Waltham Farmers’ Market. The long period of instability on the property, and the delay in issuing any kind of rental agreements in the 10 months since Waltham acquired the property, have already had a toll on the organization and its funding, including grants from the Commonwealth dependent on documented land leases or licenses.

The vote to limit access was taken with no knowledge of the timeline for abatement nor the timeline for rentals. Please do not allow this vote to stand without further consideration, information about the timelines, and the input of the public.