Garden Steering Committee Meeting 11.1.21

 

Garden Steering Committee Meeting

November 1, 2021

 

Events - what events to bring to EPIC Board Meeting

●       Garden events

○       Spring (May) work day; Fall (October) work day

○       Harvest party

○       Cherry picking festival

■       Swap recipes, cherry recipes

●       Workshops, trainings etc.

○       Soil building workshop, tool sharpening, Narcan training, fruit tree care (pruning workshop)

 

-Wood chip delivery

            -November 5th drop off

-any more end of season garden tasks

            -mulch fruit trees

            -use to maintain paths, along fence line

            -along neighbors new fence line

            -send fall report

                        -garden party update

                        -list of things we’d like to get done

                        -second fall work day - Sunday, November 14 1-3pm

                        -use woodchips on plots

                        --back up list of people who are willing to help with snow removal

                        -who would like a plot next year?

-plan for snow removal

            -in past Brad has done

            -Sarah will shovel, use back up list when out of town

-first ask- asking gardeners if they think they'll be returning in 2022

 

finances

-enough to cover compost delivery from city in spring?

            -delivery fee?

            https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/programs-initiatives/clean-city/community-garden-compost/

 

-anything we need to do for EPIC for 2022 budget-making

-property taxes- tax exempt status

 

Bylaws- city okay with putting this off?

 

Sharps box status

 

Structure

●       currently general members elect steering committee

○       what gives power to the gardeners?

●       what are the channels of participation for the general gardeners

●       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

 

Finance

●       Policies and procedures

○       need to go by EPIC Operating Policies and Procedures for a lot

○       make more detailed budget for garden, don’t need further approval for those items

○       process for spending garden plot fee money

○       process for spending money allocated by EPIC to garden

○       Process for spending Seward grant money

 

Outreach and Community

●       Intake process

○       questions to ask at intake

■       preferred way of communication

■       preferred way to be involved

■       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

 

Green Infrastructure

●       How to cover Gardening tasks

○       Mowing, weed whipping, taking care of materials dumped in garden

●       Vision

○       Finalize a proposal for fence and tree removal

■       Bring to gardeners in spring

○       Keep in mind - Seward grant

 

Nitty gritty

●       revamp garden agreement

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

●       Communication list - clean up

 

Notes on people’s skills:

Lauren: Teamwork, spirituality, network building, facilitating, event planning, permaculture, mycology, and visioning, working with children and adults with special needs

Lindsey: keeping notes, research, keeping track of information, making an agenda so it gets done, ethnobotany, growing things that are drought and climate resilient, things that will support non-human ecosystem

Flo: meeting logistics, helping to set agendas, helping to facilitate, seed to table, educational, especially with young people, weeding, lens based work - photography or videography, PR type stuff

            =Flo would like to be a part of big picture convos

-Flo likes idea of less meetings, and having work groups

Gabe: carpentry, grant writing

 

 

 

Garden Tasks:                                                                        Lead:

Determine who is on the Garden Steering Committee
Call everyone who gardened last year to see if they want a plot ● Follow script, tell them how to return garden use agreement and plot fees
Plot distribution
Put out rain barrels late March/early April
Turn on water once the risk of freezing has passed – usually takes a week for it to turn on. Turn water off	Sarah/EPIC
Go over garden use agreement, garden tour, give keys
Prioritize tasks that must be done i.e. fencing
Coordinate work days - ongoing and one time
Decide if compost order is needed
After first Saturday of June - go through garden and mark plots that haven’t been planted. Reach out to those gardeners and check in. If no longer want plot, move to wait list, prorate plot fee ($15)
Maintain Plot map	Sarah/EPIC
Maintain Contact List including wait list	Sarah/EPIC
Receive, log and deposit plot fees	Sarah/EPIC
Taxes - if applicable	Sarah/EPIC
Recommend budget and plot fee amount
Buying stuff	Sarah/EPIC
Making keys	Sarah/EPIC
Distributing keys
Give orientation tours
Meeting agendas
Meeting notes
Meeting reminders
Meeting outreach
New Gardener outreach
Meeting facilitation
Organizing work groups/work days
Fall Harvest party - planning and outreach
Mowing, weeding boulevard, trash, fires

 

Garden Steering Committee Meeting 10.4.21

 

East Phillips Community 17^th Ave. Garden

Garden Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

October 4, 2021

 

Present:

Facilitator: Emrys

Notetaker: Sarah S

 

Updates on Fall Harvest Party

●       1-6pm on Saturday October 16

●       Open garden format

●       Indigenous food (prepackaged in compostable containers), drumming, paint/carve pumpkins, fire

●       Welcome table - Steve can help, but would like someone from steering committee as well - Lindsey - 3/4--6 . Emrys 1-3.

○       General info about garden

■       Including how to reserve a plot (flyer with contact info + sheet to sign up?)

■       Newsletter

■       Spring call back out

●       Guidelines: East Phillips resident, interested in being involved, finding out how to get a plot

○       Flyer about steering committee meetings throughout the winter

○       Flyer about fall work day

●       Check in with Fawn

 

Straw bales, burlap coffee bags, mulch (free)

 

Budget - $1,000

●       Arborist

○       The tree work for the mulberry at s.w. corner of garden, to enable compost and mulch delivery would cost $50 (quote lists $75 for this tree, i think the estimated difference is for full work v just trim up to expedite mulch delivery timeline)

○       Once we schedule this tree work he can start delivering free mulch within the next couple weeks, as needed and available.

○       For all pruning and tree removal needs - estimate is $1,107.26

●       Fencing needs

○       Quote from Matt is

■       $400.00 Posts, boards, concrete, screws.

■       Labor - $300 Approximately 10 hours at $25 an hour, plus travel time (for materials and disposal).

■       Total - $700

■       Idea that EPIC purchases materials, cuts down on liability with driving for EPIC materials and then wouldn’t require a W-9 (required for payment over $600)

●       Then do independent contractor waiver so make clear he is not covered under our liability insurance, worker’s comp etc.

■       Work on proposal - Emrys doesn’t like the current proposal

○       Seward grant - checked in with Brad about our questions - this money is in the EPIC bank account ($3,200.45 remaining), no reporting requirements

■       Supposed to be used on: fencing needs, repairs to shed, stipend for kids to help with this work

○       Designing a fence that doesn’t need constant maintenance, i.e. not using fence design that’s only purpose is to keep people out, having a space that integrates ecological space, functional human space and permaculture

■       Ex. solid raised beds with trellis above

■       Workshop to build concrete with murals

■       Blacksmiths and youth do design process

■       Work corner by corner - whichever area needs attention - focus on that

●       What makes sense for this part?

○       Instead of investing so much money into new materials - use old lumber and make do

■       Emrys has scrap lumber

■       Reuse old mesh

■       Already have cross beams (in shed)

●       Talk to hany people = next step

■       Deal with trees

●       How to get garden input on this?

○       Phone calls?

 

Work day logistics

●       Mow path, put chips down

○       Need to trim trees

●       Burlap sacks - around fruit trees

○       needs car

■       Emrys will connect

●       Under cherry trees

○       Need square shovel

○       Need sod remover

●       Check back in next week

 

 

Syringe Disposal check in on outreach about this

General Garden Meeting 9.11.21

 

East Phillips Community 17^th Ave. Garden

Garden Meeting Minutes

September 11, 2021

 

Present: Emrys, Sarah, Lindsey

Facilitator: Emrys

Notetaker: Sarah S

 

9:00- 9:05 Gathering. Tune in, feel into the ground, come into quiet presence (Roll Call)

 

9:05-9:10 Opening go-around - check in

 

9:10-9:15 Announcements

●       DJR Architecture has proposed a 3 story, 6 unit apartment building for 2425 16^th Ave S

○       There will be a meeting with DJR Architecture and MPHA to discuss this proposal on Wednesday, September 22nd at 6:30pm at the EPIC garden on 17th Avenue that is open to the public

●       Next Steering Committee Meeting is Monday, October 4 at 7pm

○       Starting in November: First Mondays at 10am

●       Next General Garden Meeting is Saturday, October 9 at 9am - no meeting go to clean sweep!

●       Fall Harvest Party is Saturday, October 16

●       We are working on putting together a fall work day! Fill out your availability for the week of October 17-23 so we can find a time to rake around the fruit trees, put unplanted plots to bed, mulch paths, drain rain barrels etc.

○       October 23rd 3-5pm

 

Updates - TABLED

1)     Green and Built infrastructure

○       Brandon (Emry’s Arborist friend) looked over garden trees

■       cherry tree is salvageable - might need chemical treatment

■       Recommends Rainbow tree care for chemical treatment

○       Brandon is writing up bid

○       Step up hygiene around fruit trees

○       Trim large mulberry in back so he can back up truck

■       will give us mulch

●       Go ahead on small load of mulch?

●       Do larger load in the fall for beds, paths etc.

○       Who is interested in learning to prune fruit trees?

2)     Transition team and admin/visioning

○       Updated Charter amendment - include in announcement email

●       Will bring to General Garden Meeting

●       Next will be brought to EPIC board meeting

3)     Outreach and Community

●       Harm reduction

■       Syringe box - alley or in front of garden in boulevard?

■       Jack from SHRS recommends placing it where the most syringes are

●       Update on Narcan training - Fawn

●       Building soil workshop - Lauren

4)     Finance

a)     Grants

b)     Budget

                                               i)          EPIC approved of $1,000 for garden (until Dec. 2021)

                                              ii)          EPIC requesting $5,000 for garden in Equitable Engagement plan (Jan 2022-Dec 2022)

                                            iii)           

2021 Budget
	EPIC contributes	Budgeted:	To Date:
Property Tax		$384.12	$384.12
Water		$300.00	$201.13
Other	$1,000
TOTAL	$1,000	$684.12	585.25

          Paid plots as of 9/8/21:      705.00

 

                    Water: 4/29-5/12: $88.56

5/12-6/12: $39.25

6/12-7/12: $27.46

7/12-8/12: $45.86

 

9:40 Adjourn

            -Due to only steering committee members being present, we adjourned early