A look at the creation of a community garden in Vancouver

This is a little long -- 27 minutes, but it is an interview and tour with a man who decided the trashpit under a railroad overpass in his neighborhood in Vancouver could be put to better use.



Here's the web site for this garden project.

It looks like we may need to take more direct action

No one at City Hall is actively standing in the way of OKing the Rochelle Avenue or Marx Avenue locations. They are indirectly standing in the way by passing the paperwork around from desk to desk with blinding speed. It works just as well as saying no outright and who can get angry at political quicksand, right? After all, it's nobody's fault. That's just the way it is in government. Right?

Wrong.

It looks like we may be getting close to taking more direct action, so I'm going to start posting tidbits about dealing with city hall (in a general, lower case way) and about benefits. You can also help by starting to introducing friends, neighbors and strangers to the idea. The more of us there are, the more our voice can be heard if we have to go that route.

Give people the address to this site, or give them the Monroe Community Gardens email address (monroegardens@gmail.com) or gather their email addresses and sent those to monroegardens@gmail.com so we can send them some information.

First, here are some
benefits of community gardens from GardenWorks.

I'll be back with more ammunition soon.

bob

Minutes from April 6 meeting

Monroe Community Garden
Meeting Minutes for April 6, 2008


Meeting began at 9:15

MIKE: garden options:
Adopt-a-Spot
Liberty gardens (the newsstar)
YMCA
National Society for Community Garden guidelines


CHRIS Pealer, Director YMCA of NELA

YMCA is a 501-C3 organization and can provide or help with
Contracts with city
Grant proposals
Insurance
Administrative tasks

Also,
Knowledge of gardens stays with the group; essentially, YMCA provides support for the garden committee to do its work. YMCA is not involved with planning or developing of gardens themselves.
Development of by-laws as they pertain to YMCA umbrella (not specific garden by-laws)

MIKE:

Existing by-laws (from American Community Gardens online @ www.community gardens.org).

Additionally, we want to include statements concerning
Recycled materials
Above ground structures
Handicapped accessibility
Water use and accessibility

Other issues
Fencing
Neighborhood watch
Signage
ULM Ag center extension office: suggests planting blackberries around perimeter as deterrent
Granting agencies (for fall grant deadlines)
Burpee, USDA, native plants program
Railroad contact for used ties (creosote): Mr. Riley’s brother (?)

BOB:
Adopt-a-spot = expedience
YMCA = long-term


MIKE: Other organizations to involve
Boy and Girl Scouts of America
ARCO
Senior citizen communities

KASH: Adopt-a-spot seems risky—we need to find out how many adopt-a-spots there are, who the adopting organizations, and what the issues might be with the program, especially liability.

BOB: YMCA will be better

CHRIS: Board meeting Tuesday, 11:30 am. Can charter a committee for Monroe Community Gardens.
Any agreement with the city will take time.
Lease stating use of land

BOB: Issues of land use and loss

CHRIS: Lease is a buffer against loss (improvements to a property may lead to someone wanting to buy the land—it happens).

KASH: We still need to find out more about Adopt-a-Spot.

MIKE: Ms. January is the city beautification director.
Can Chris go to a meeting with Ms. January before city council meeting Tuesday (CHRIS: has to check schedule, but probably not)
We’re not on agenda for city council meeting anyway.

PLAN FOR PLANTING:
Build square foot beds
Aim for fall planting
Get the compost started
Trees, Fence, Signs

KASH: What’s the liability insurance with YMCA cost ($100-200?)

MIKE: to raise the funds
Seed program, bulbs, flowers, vegetables, organization keeps 45%, use YMCA as “bank” to pay for insurance.

CHRIS: There’s a board meeting Tuesday,
I can add Monroe Community Gardens as a committee
Then City Attorney will have to look over lease agreements

MIKE: March St. folks need to be on committee, too.
Veronica motions to send Mike and Delilah to Marx St. to gather signatures and support.
(We forgot to second)
The motion passed.
Veronica motions to include all residents of Ouachita Parish in Monroe community gardens when they request membership.
(We forgot to second)
The motion passed.
Veronica motions to become of committee of YMCA
(We forgot to second)
Motion passed.

CHRIS: invites everybody to come to the board meeting Tuesday. 1505 Stubbs Ave at 11:30.

NEW MEMBERS:

Scott Tisdale
April Williamson
Ethan Williamson
Manish Pariher

Meeting Adjourned at 10:30

NYC don't care 'bout no liability issues

Community gardens have been a part of New York City since 1978 -- to the tune of between 500 gardens and 1,500 gardens, depending on your source.

Either way, that's a lot of years and a lot of gardens. Until last year, the city required the gardens to carry liability insurance ... to protect the city from damages. Two years ago last month, it dropped the requirement. New York City covers the gardens as it would any other piece of city land.

That's a lot of gardens and a lot of people (in the thousands, the head of parks and recreation for the city, Adrian Benepe, said at the time of the announcement). Surely, the city is taking a huge risk.

Not exactly.

According to the Neighborhood Open Space Coalition, which served as an umbrella under which the gardens got their insurance, there have been just seven claims filed against the 500 gardens in the last 30 years. And, four of those were dropped.

Thanks to wiki, here's a DIY rainwater collection system

We don't think much about water in Louisiana because the stuff is everywhere in these parts right now, but that doesn't mean we should waste it.

Consider wise stewardship of even the most plentiful of things part of a larger environment-friendly ethic.

Or not. It might just be cool enough having a 21st Century rainbarrel.

And Do-It-Yourself is apparently hot right now.

Here are the directions.

Another step is taken Monday

Mike Roberts and Delilah Clark met with the city Monday.

(Greetings Delilah, it was good meeting you Sunday at the breakfast gathering and thanks for getting involved. Also, a quick shoutout to newbie Veronica Schuder for recruiting Delilah and jumping headlong into the fray with her contact at the YMCA.)

Here's Mike's report:

Just a note to let you know, that our meeting with Johnny Riley (dept. of community affairs), and John Ross Jr. (director of parks and recreation) of the city of Monroe, went very well.


Delilah Clark and myself expressed our groups intentions for the 2 community garden sites. Mr. Riley and Mr. Ross agreed that our project is needed and can work.

They also are going to meet with Mrs. January with the Beautification Dept. and our city attorney and ask about the areas to be used as Adopt-A-Spot locations. They seem to agree with us that this may be the quickest and non-liability way to accomplish our goals.

Mr. Riley gave me his brothers phone number and said he works for Kansas City Railroad and can assist us in getting Rail Road Ties for free.

They are trying to put this on the next city council meeting agenda and said that they could have an answer for us by the end of the week. They also implied that if the council can agree, we may be able to have our lots by mid-April in time for spring planting. I informed them that our time frame for planting is getting shorter each day. Delilah took a lot of notes for us at the meeting.

They asked me to go ahead and try to get a group on the south side committed in forming there part of the community garden network for us.

We are now waiting on the city for further instructions.

-- Mike Roberts