Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Garden Steering Committee Meeting 2.7.22

 Steering Committee Meeting

February 7, 2022


  1. Questions for David about finances and financial procedures TABLED 

  • Funding for upkeep i.e. trees, tools, fencing etc. - EPIC as property owners has responsibility to maintain a safe environment 

  1. Nitty Gritty

    1. Move March SC meeting? Tuesday March 8 at 10am? Or earlier on Monday i.e. 8am?

      1. Tuesday March 8 at 10am

    2. Timeline

      1. End of February - first garden meeting

        1. Confirmation of returning members

        2. Call out to join organizing workgroup

        3. Present proposals of winter work (garden use agreement, proposed plot fee, garden coordinator position etc) 

wheel of the year model

  1. March - feedback on proposals

  2. April - vote on proposals

  1. Submit compost request through city? I can ask amy if she wants to bottomline this again https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/clean-city/community-garden-compost/request-compost/

  2. Garden Coordinator position 


  1. Check in about grant opportunities and Grow and Share info on where they get their funding from and what kind of agreement/waiver they use - TABLED Im scheduled to meet with Alyssa this week

    1. Check out the list of possible grants

  2. Garden Charter - look at proposed changes since last month’s discussion proposing no Steering Committee - TABLED

  • Garden Membership Committee is directly under EPIC board - no elected garden steering committee We didnt hold elections for 2021, instead we just had anyone interesed join

    • Garden Organizational Workgroup under Garden Membership, does bureaucratic work, reports back to Garden Membership for all decisions, facilitates consensus building

      • Subgroups working groups

  1. Go through Selected Garden Policies and Garden Contract and Waiver, look at comments and make changes to present to Garden Membership Committee - TABLED

  1. Garden Policies

  • how do policies get made?

    • can be done by gardeners

  • put together an easily understandable explanation about how the garden fits into EPIC, how the charter fits in etc. to give it context and make it approachable

  • How does this play into existing garden policies and procedures?

    • Suggest changes?

    • Start from scratch?

  1. Garden use agreement - 

  • Goal: Make it an easily understandable document that is friendly and non punitive 

  • what to expect/ask of gardeners i.e. participate in garden meetings, number of hours volunteer with general upkeep of garden

5) Next Steps

  • We will have a meeting on February 15th to continue the discussion of a timeline, prepare a draft of a Garden Use Agreement and Garden Policies for gardeners to review 

  • Still need to discuss:

    • Outreach and Community

  • Intake process

    • questions to ask at intake

      • preferred way of communication

      • preferred way to be involved 

      • State whether there is a commitment regarding meetings and/or workdays

      • what kind of decisions they want to give input about

    • centering BIPOC neighbors, tenants and neighbors who historically have less access to land

  • Create an outreach plan

  • Discuss what type of events/meetings can take place at the garden

    • What’s the scope of events at the garden

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Bonus Steering Committee Meeting

February 15 at 10am


1) Submit compost request through the city?? - due April 15 - need garden approval?

  • Just do it

  • Emrys will talke with Amy

2) Timeline - discuss and edit:

  • Going forward have first garden meeting the second Saturday of February

  • March 12 - first garden meeting?

    1. Outreach to returning members - come to meeting, if can’t attend, here are the things we worked on over the winter, here are the ways to give feedback on it before April, April is meeting where we will vote

    1. Confirmation of returning members

    2. Call out to join organizing workgroup

    3. Present proposals of winter work (garden use agreement, charter, proposed plot fee, garden coordinator position etc)

  • March - feedback on proposals

  • April - vote on proposals

    1. Get input from those that can’t attend meeting


2)  Garden Charter - look at proposed changes since last month’s discussion proposing no Steering Committee

  • Garden Membership Committee is directly under EPIC board - no elected garden steering committee

    • Garden Organizational Workgroup under Garden Membership, does bureaucratic work, reports back to Garden Membership for all decisions, facilitates consensus building

      • subgroups

3) Go through Selected Garden Policies and Garden Contract and Waiver, look at comments and make changes to present to Garden Membership Committee

  1. Garden Policies

  • how do policies get made?

    • can be done by gardeners

  • put together an easily understandable explanation about how the garden fits into EPIC, how the charter fits in etc. to give it context and make it approachable

  • How does this play into existing garden policies and procedures?

    • Suggest changes?

    • Start from scratch?

  1. Garden use agreement - 

  • Goal: Make it an easily understandable document that is friendly and non punitive 

  • what to expect/ask of gardeners i.e. participate in garden meetings, number of hours volunteer with general upkeep of garden

4) Garden Coordinator Job Description

  • Vote on whether to have a garden coordinator at April Garden meeting?

    • Won’t have someone hired until May likely


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Bonus Steering Committee Meeting

February 21 and February 28 and March 3 at 10am


1) Continue preparing documents so we have them for outreach efforts:

  1. Charter - ready

  2. Garden Contract and Waiver - ready

  3. Select Garden Policies - ready

  4. Garden Coordinator Job description - ready

  5. Figure out proposed plot fee based on budget - ready

    1. Budget ready for gardener review?

    2. Plot fees: $30

      1. Taking into account that some may use alternative payment method and some may pay extra

  6. Anything missing?

    1. Ask Nikolas: Phillips Garden - tree removal

    2. Make flyer for Steering Committee meetings – add to outreach flyer

      1. Send flyer to Emrys and Lindsey


2)   Outreach

Reminder: doing outreach to last year’s gardeners to:

  1. Gauge interest in a plot

  2. Share proposed changes and ways to give input before April Garden vote, including hearing about the changes at the March 12 Garden Meeting

    1. Time and additional meeting offered?

  3. Share information about proposed changes

    1. If unable or uninterested in meeting - other ways to give input

  4. Call out to join Garden Organizing workgroup

  5. Get an idea of their preferred method of communication and what things they would like to give input on/how they want to be involved in the garden


Go over outreach materials

  1. Script

  2. Spreadsheet to track information gathered during outreach

  3. Plot map we can collaborate on as we get info 

  4. Materials to get to next year’s gardeners

    1. Draft of charter

    2. Draft of garden contract and waiver

    3. Draft changes to garden policies

    4. Garden Coordinator Job description

    5. Flow chart of proposed changes to the way garden committee works:




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