Neighbor News
Blind Man Envisions a Community Garden
An Insightful Blind Man buys a vacant lot to promote community and produce fresh vegetables for food banks.
To whom it may concern,
This is my story of a blind man that sees a better future for the community he lives and with the help of a retired nurse, who is also his wife, is taking steps to make it happen.
This is my story of Robert and Bambi Barker, residents of Martinez Ca.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YcVk-Chu2k&feature=youtu.be
I can’t say I know them but I recognize their spirit from somewhere.
Appearing to be in their 70s, both are retired. They have two grown children and one grandchild. They have lived in their home for 45 years. I share this background information with you not to impress you but to impress upon you that they aren’t a whole lot different than many Americans that have worked and managed to live and be happy in one place for a long time. To put it bluntly, they seem to be regular people, like you and me.
Here is where things get interesting. Lane & Associates Real Estate listed a residential lot that had never been built on, right across the street from them. It was a slight upsloping lot with a slight view of the valley and their home is on the higher side with what has always been an unobstructed grand view. The houses in the area sell for $450,000 to $650,000 and the lot was put on the market for $120,000. I was pretty sure that within 30 days we would have put a development group together (investor, architect, contractor), sold the land for $120,000 to $140,000 and had a buyer or two lined up to buy the finished house 6 to 8 months from now. BUT!
Once the For Sale sign was installed on the property, the phone rang and it was Bob Barker calling. Sure, I thought, “Come on down! Let’s make a deal”. Well, after talking to him for about 40 minutes I realized that he wasn’t just being nosey, he was being insightful. He told me he lived across the street and has been hoping to buy that property for years. I responded I guess I would also to keep folks from building into my view or at least control the construction. He chuckled and said maybe years ago but now he’s blind and has been blind for 17 years. He also said he doesn’t plan building on it. If he were able to buy the property, he’d plant a garden, encourage the Boy Scotts and other groups to use it or do the same thing in other neighborhoods and then maybe give the food away to food banks, or something like that. That’s when I decided I had to meet this blind man that can see what he’s supposed to do for others clearer than me.
They made an offer that was negotiated to an acceptable price for the sellers. The Stoddard family liked the idea of a neighborhood garden as well. Escrow isn’t even closed yet; it should by September 29th BUT! The Barkers are already challenging the next obstacles in the path of their neighborhood garden; the cost of establishing a non-profit, getting permits from the city, having water and utilities installed, preparing the lot and land, maybe a green house.
Please share their story and help make their dream come true.
