Garden Therapy

Blog readers will know that UCLA tried to sell the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and has been blocked so far by litigation since the original agreement specified the university would maintain the garden “in perpetuity.”

This blog has urged UCLA to sit down with the family and others who have an interest and work out a deal that would conserve the garden even if it is sold.  Basically, the reason the sale has been blocked to this point is that the university’s attempt to sell it failed the sniff test.  If you haven’t followed the issue, type in “Japanese garden” in the blog search engine for earlier postings.

In any event, the Daily Bruin recently published an editorial favoring sale.  See http://dailybruin.com/2013/09/22/court-of-appeal-should-allow-uclas-sale-of-hannah-carter-japanese-garden/  The fact is, however, that as it stands, the issue will be settled in court and really at this point has nothing to do with newspaper editorial opinions. Now there is a letter to the editor in the Bruin favoring garden preservation and retention:

…Rather than cashing in the treasure the Carter family left us, maybe there are other ways to manage the costs. Expanded hours, alternative transportation and entry charges are some ideas. My specialty is psychiatric mental health nursing. A visit to the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden is a whole lot of therapy! A visit to the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden offers tranquility and beauty. Please protect this treasure.

Full letter at http://dailybruin.com/2013/10/01/letter-to-the-editor-hannah-carter-japanese-garden-is-a-ucla-treasure/