A potential expansion of Westford’s community garden is raising questions about the future agricultural use of Day Field as town officials continue considering how the property should be managed.
The issue resurfaced during the Sept. 9 Conservation Commission meeting when resident Amy Doucette asked commissioners to seek additional input from local farmers before approving plans for the property.
Doucette said she supports the community garden and believes an expansion could benefit Westford, but questioned some of the information presented during a previous discussion about the field.
She said that some proposed uses could potentially limit other agricultural opportunities on the property and encouraged the commission to gather additional expertise before making a decision.
Commissioners emphasized that no formal proposal for expanding the community garden had been submitted.
The Agricultural Commission was expected to discuss the potential expansion separately, while any eventual proposal would return to the Conservation Commission for a more substantial review.
Officials said the community garden would need to develop details about what it wants to do with the additional land and how an expanded garden would be managed before the Conservation Commission could consider the plan.
Meanwhile, the commission is considering shorter-term steps to prepare the field regardless of its eventual use.
The town intends to mow, till and plant a cover crop on the property. That work would help prepare the land, whether it ultimately becomes part of an expanded community garden or is leased for another agricultural use.
The timing of that work also generated concern.
Doucette said information from the UMass Extension indicates many common cover crops used locally should ideally be planted by mid-September. She urged the town to move faster rather than waiting until mid or late October.
The cover crop discussion returned later in the meeting as commissioners considered how the short-term work would interact with longer-term plans for Day Field.
Officials discussed selecting a crop that would not need to be tilled again in the spring, allowing the property to remain flexible while the town determines its future use.
The town is also considering an agricultural request for proposals process that would take effect around Jan. 1. Commissioners discussed working backward from that date while allowing existing agricultural activity to continue through the current season.
No final decision on expanding the community garden was made Sept. 9.
Any expansion would first require a developed proposal outlining how the additional space would be used and managed, giving the Conservation Commission another opportunity to consider the proposal and receive input before determining the future of the property.
