Friends of Cornelia Warren Farm Survey Summary

Prepared By FCWF Steering Committee 1/03

Background

A brief questionnaire was sent to tenants and identified users of the Waltham Field Station, to find out how they are using the site at present, their hopes for its future use and their opinions about immediate and long-term needs. The questionnaire was supplemented with interviews of representatives from groups participating in a recent Plant Society Row Sale.

How individuals and groups use the site now

• Horticultural research and testing, including plant breeding and variety trials
• Organic gardening (community garden), organic farming (community-supported agriculture) and use of greenhouses by local plant societies
• Fostering community spirit through meetings and opportunities for interaction, picnics, dances and other special community gatherings.
• Horticultural and environmental education and sharing of gardening ideas and interest in plants and flowers through public events, lectures, public exhibits, annual flower shows and monthly meetings of local groups.
• Rental office space and auditorium facilities
• Agricultural educational experiences for adults and children from urban areas through a children’s agricultural camp and farmhand training
• Horticultural therapy (including therapy for AIDS victims)
• Promotion of "mutual understanding and friendship among peoples through ikebana, Japanese flower arrangement and arts, teaching, flower arrangement, demonstrations and social interaction using ikebana"
• Quiet contemplation and enjoyment of farm, gardens and specialty rose and daylily beds (especially important in an urban area)
• Family use of open space, gardens, arbors and farm during organized events
• Charitable hunger relief through Community Farm Outreach
• Waltham public school farm program for troubled adolescents ("Project Outreach")
• Meetings on urban land policy and conservation planning by the Waltham Land Trust

Significance of the field station to current users (quotations)

General

• "This is a tremendous asset!"
• "The Field Station is a great facility and [we] would love to see it as the center for more and more activities."
• "Unique & irreplaceable facility"
• "Plant people love this site!!"
• "The open land is a mecca in the community."

Historical value

• "The land was given by an amazing woman, Cornelia Warren, whose interests were agriculture and education of women. Her philanthropy and support should be nurtured and taught—not only to Waltham folks, but throughout Massachusetts."
• "Long history of scientific field experimentation, education and plant research; soil testing service for public"
• "[The] history of Field Station & C. Warren estate should be preserved"

Affordability and centrality for non-profit organizations

• "Most see it as a convenient meeting location."
• "Traditional testing site for our Mass. Certified Horticultural Program-most people know it is there."
• "We have been looking for two years for an alternate site that would be reasonabl[y] accessible to our members from all over N. Eng. and affordable and have failed-without the UMass facility, our group might dissolve."

Special environmental/open-space attributes

• Last functioning farm in Waltham
• Part of Western Greenway belt
• Diverse and complex agricultural/horticultural/wetlands and woodlands
• Urban oasis, picturesque views
• Quiet contemplative spaces and spiritual retreat in times of stress
• unique mission of agriculture/horticulture matches many U.S. Park service objectives

Vision of future uses of waltham field station

• Continue and expand the present use described above: farming, gardening, greenhouses, agricultural education, rental office space, more affordable fees for non-profits (especially smaller groups), teacher training workshops and conferences, annual flower shows, lectures and sales events.
• Create a public agricultural and horticultural educational and resource center, and a regional resource for all of the plant societies in the area to interact and support each other.
• Conduct soil/field testing for the public.
• Provide community space indoors and outdoors, such as a drop-in lounge for retirees and others with plant interests, more community education programs and more picnic tables and display gardens.
• Expand interaction with public school children through agricultural/science botany programs.
• Establish a farm stand to sell flowers and produce grown on-site.
• Register and restore buildings of historical significance.
• Conduct land stewardship projects.
• Expand horticultural therapy for afflicted individuals.

Desired improvements and services for site users

• Provide a printed list of room availability and rental fees.
• Make good AV equipment available for rent: overhead, slide projector, screens, etc.
• Make some space more affordable to non-profit organizations.
• Repairs and maintenance:
  • fix the leaks in the main building roof
  • stabilize the disintegration of the large barn (remove plants that are growing through the walls and roof, and prevent water entry)
  • repair broken benches and glass in greenhouses
  • remove dust and mold
  • keep the common areas cleaner
  • repair or upgrade heating and cooling systems to be more effective and quiet
  • replace worn-out furniture
  • paint interior
  • control invasive weeds (including in the wetlands)
• Major remodeling:
  • upgrade and rehab the auditorium (including improving acoustics)
  • improve lighting
  • make the main building handicap-accessible (especially first-floor bathrooms—now too narrow for wheelchairs)
  • replace floors
  • upgrade kitchen with a microwave oven and small dining area
  • repair and upgrade greenhouse and storage space
  • restore and preserve the large barn
  • improve outdoor community spaces: picnic tables, trellises, more display gardens, gazebos, arbors, plantings
  • improve and upgrade bathroom facilities
  • build a nature trail linking the Waltham Field Station to adjacent Western Greenbelt areas