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All gardeners Meeting 9/17/16

10:03 AM

Presiding Officer - Jeff Monks, President

Minutes Recorded by: Shannon Posern, Secretary

49 members in attendance.

Lighthouse Award -

Sunshine Community Garden received an award of $250 from Recognize Good. We are opting to pay the $250 forward to another organization. Please let the board know your suggestions. More about the award is available on the Recognize Good Website, http://www.recognizegood.org/sunshine-community-gardens-presented-lighthouse-award-2/.

Financial Report - (Carol Limaye)

This year we are not focusing on making a profit. Interested in focusing on our mission as a nonprofit. We are in good shape overall. Wet August helped our water bill.

American Community Gardens Association - (Jennifer Woertz, Nicole Fisher, and Steve Uecker)

All three gardeners found the conference to beneficial and learned a great deal. Highlighted topics included horticultural therapy, sustainability, USDA grants, and hiring staff to manage administrative tasks.

Please feel free to reach out to Jennifer, Nicole, and Steve if you want to learn more. Also, please let the board know if you are interested in attending the 201 conference in Hartford, Connecticut.

Plant Sale - (Jeff Monks)

  • Fall - Plant sale is next week. We have funky and fun varieties . All the profits will go to TSBVI.
  • Spring - We need volunteers. We will be posting jobs online soon.

Site Rule Changes - (Jeff Monks)

Summary of Amendments -

  1. Encroachment on Shared Borders

    The layout at Sunshine Gardens means most plots have at least one shared border with another gardener. Gardeners need to be considerate of their neighbors and not encroach on these shared borders. This amendment adds a new site rule identifying the type of practices which constitute prohibited encroachment.

  2. Maintaining One-Foot Weed Free Buffer Along Shared Borders; Plot Compliance Enforcement

    When a gardener fails to maintain a plot's borders shared with adjoining plots weed free, the weeds quickly become a problem for the adjoining gardener. This amendment adds failure to maintain a one-foot weed free strip along shared borders with adjoining plots to list of what constitutes non-compliance. It also makes some minor changes to process for addressing non-compliance.

  3. Active Gardening of Plot Pilot

    Sunshine Gardens fulfills its purpose of providing "opportunities for the public to engage in organic gardening"only when its members actively garden their assigned plot(s) to produce vegetable and/or ornamental crops. Currently, it is possible to maintain a plot in compliance with site rules without actively gardening the plot, but doing so is not consistent with the purpose of Sunshine Gardens. To evaluate the effectiveness of amending the site rules to require active gardening of plots, this amendment directs the board shall pilot test requiring members to actively garden their plot(s) and a process for enforcing requirement. It also defines "active gardening"for purposes of the pilot.
  4. Secondary Gardener Becoming Primary Gardener

    This amendment incorporates into the site rules the current process used by the board for a secondary gardener to become the primary gardener. Since the process affects rights of members, the board believes it should be set out in the site rules so gardeners know what the process is.

  5. Service Hours for Maintaining Pathways Other than Common Paths

    The site rules currently permit earning service hours for "maintenance of pathways and common areas." A question has come up if term "pathways"includes pathways between adjacent plots even though not designated as a common path. This amendment clarifies that it does.

  • Vote by ACCLIMATION for Amendments 4 and 5.
    • 36 Yea, 3 Nay, no abstaining
    • Amendments 4 and 5 ACCEPTED
  • Vote by ACCLIMATION for Amendment 1.
    • 40 Yea, no nay, no abstaining
    • Amendment 1 ACCEPTED
  • Vote by ACCLIMATION for Amendment 2.
    • 30 Yea, 9 against, 1 abstaining
    • Amendment 2 ACCEPTED
  • Vote by ACCLIMATION for Amendment 3.
    • 37 Yea, 3 Nay, 1 abstaining
    • Amendment 3 ACCEPTED

Old Business - (Jeff Monks)

  • Two new zone coordinators in zone 7.
  • Please place aggressive weeds, like khaki weed, in the dumpster. Large viney or woody plants go in the brush pile. If the plant has thorns, please do not put them in the compost. They also go in the dumpster.
  • Volunteers are needed to help clear plots.
  • We are having a collection to honor late gardener, Ken Early. A donation will be made to Mobile Loaves and Fishes in Ken's name from the donations collected.
  • Hannah Harrison, UT student, will be conducting a research study in the garden.

Meeting Adjourned 11:15 am.

Garden Thoughts

Calendar

Ongoing

Board Meetings

Second Tuesday of every month.