Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
4 May 2017
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
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All Gardeners Ice Cream Social - Save the date!
At SCG - Sunday, May 7th, 3:00 pm
Celebration of:
- Say goodbye to longtime gardener Nancy Siebert. She has been at Sunshine over 20 years, serving as president, vice president and chairperson of the plant sale. She was also instrumental in establishing the Micah 6 food bank garden. Her contributions and hard work have contributed to the success of Sunshine.
- The success of our plant sale. Financial info.
- To meet the nominees for President, Vice President and Secretary for the 2017-2019 term.
- For gardeners long time and new to meet each other.
Workday Saturday
Saturday, May 6th, 9:00 - 11:00am
Christopher Schroder, zone 10 coordinator will lead the workday.
Tasks will include:
- Clearing vacant plots.
- Mowing - particularly around the tool shed.
- Weeding inside of the hoop house.
- Cleaning the trailer.
- Cleaning the fence line.
- Weed eating high grass around the tool shed and common areas.
- Some tasks will provide TSBVI hours.
All Gardeners Meeting - Save the date
Saturday, May 20th - 10:00 am
Agenda:
- Election of new officers.
- Rate Increase discussion and member ratification vote.
- 1 new Site Rule and 1 Site Rule Amendment for member ratification vote - listed below.
Rate Increase
The board discussed the fee increase at several meetings and Carol Limaye, as treasurer, prepared several scenarios of Sunshine's projected financial situation. Based on a review of these scenarios and its discussions, the board decided the proposed fee increase was the best business decision. Some may ask why an increase now? As one of the board members commented: "The time for a fee increase is when times are good not after there is a crisis." The board believes the fee increase would help secure the finances of our organization so we can continue to operate and make improvements regardless of the outcome of plant sales or major disasters.
In accordance with the process for implementing fee increases, the board has amended the site rules to reflect its recommendation and members will be asked to ratify the amendment at the May 20th A ll-Gardeners meeting. If members ratify the amendment, the fee increase will be implemented. If they do not, the amendment will be considered repealed and no fee increase will be implemented.
The board urges members to ratify the increase at the All Gardeners meeting. However, if you have any questions or wish to see the supporting analysis, please contact Carol Limaye at (512) 445-6670.
Recommended Rates:
| Effective August 1, 2017: | Effective August 1, 2019: | |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter Plots: | $35 (no change) | $37.50 ($2.50 increase) |
| Half Plots: | $50 ($5.00 increase) | $55.00 ($5.00 increase) |
| Full Plots: | $100 ($10.00 increase) | $110.00 ($10.00 increase) |
Rule 1.A.3 - WITHDRAWAL Amendment
Rationale
Clarifying amendment to explicitly reflect in site rules how current language is interpreted by board.
Current Rule Language
If a member voluntarily withdraws from the garden and wishes a return of the clean-up fee, a Withdrawal Form must be completed and submitted to a Board member, and the plot must be cleared and left in good condition for reassignment. These conditions must be met within the term of the member's contract. Refunds of the plot fee shall be made in accordance with the following schedule and are not contingent on clearing the plot:
75% if gardener withdraws from garden before May 1 (3 months);
50% if before Aug 1 (6 months); and
25% if before Nov 1 (9 months).
Proposed Amendment
If a member voluntarily withdraws from the garden, fees are refundable as follows. The member must provide a current mailing address in the Withdrawal Form or other written notice of withdrawal.
- Tool Co-op Fee: Refundable to new members who withdraw within 30 days.
- Plot Clean-up Fee: Refundable: Refundable if member submits a Withdrawal Form and the plot is cleared and left in good condition for reassignment. These conditions must be met within the term of the member's contract.
- Plot Fee: Refundable in accordance with the following schedule to
members who pay on an annual basis and not contingent on clearing the plot:
75% if gardener withdraws from garden before May 1 (3 months);
50% if before Aug 1 (6 months); and
25% if before Nov 1 (9 months)
New Rule - WAIVERS
Rationale
This amendment reflects current board practice. Including in site rules will ensure that all gardeners are informed about this practice and provide guidance to the board in granting waivers.
Language
To avoid a significant hardship for an individual gardener, the board, by a two-thirds vote, may waive a site rule provision. The board may condition the waiver on the gardener's agreement to fulfill certain obligations. In granting a waiver, the board should consider, at a minimum, the extent of the hardship to the gardener, fairness to other gardeners, financial impact on Sunshine, alternate ways for the gardener to satisfy provision being waived, and Sunshine's purpose as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
Volunteers Needed - Porch Repairs
We are looking are volunteers with construction experience to assist with repairs to the trailer porch. If you are interested please contact Jeff Monks at garden@jeffmonks.com.
Garden Etiquette
Welcome to our new members and hello to everyone else. We hope you feel welcome and feel the pride that members with longer tenures have in Sunshine. We are one of the largest community gardens in the United States. We are also our own non-profit. Run totally by volunteers. And we are all one of those. To make our garden a safer and more efficient place please consider the following to which we have all agreed:
Speed Limit
3 actually means that the speed limit is 3. This reduced speed is part of our agreement with TSBVI. It's not optional.
Dumpster
The dumpster is not for anything from outside Sunshine. Not even a little. No home garbage.
No building materials from your home or business projects. No yard waste from your yard.
Only Sunshine trash.
Compost
Absolutely NO khaki weed. It is starting to grow and will soon cover a lot of our common areas.
It is very difficult to control and we need to work together to keep it out of our plots.
If you are not sure what it looks like, please ask. It forms nasty burrs that will puncture a bicycle tire.
Please read the signs and follow their directions.
Different materials decompose at different rates.
Please add only what will decompose in our operation. That means
- no plastic
- no rocks
- no row cover/weed control fabric
- no inorganic material of any kind
- no wood
- no tree saplings
- no branches
- no bamboo
While some of that will decompose, it takes too long for our operation. Put it in the dumpster.
Whole plants take much longer to break down than pieces. Use the loppers and cut into smaller pieces.
Return all tools/wheelbarrows/screens to the tool shed.
Please leave the trash buckets in the compost area.
Compost Harvesting
Put trash in the trash buckets.
Put material that has not fully decomposed into the large pile next to the eastern fence.
Put rocks in the ruts in the roads or in the trash buckets, never in the grass. Mowers do not like rocks.
Do not create debris piles around the harvest pile. If it is not yet decomposed but will, it goes in the large pile by the fence.
Please remember that compost is a common resource and share accordingly. Thank you
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Gardens
Officers
- President - Jeff Monks garden@jeffmonks.com
- Vice President - Jim Willmann jhwillmann@gmail.com
- Secretary - Polly Porter pporter_scg@austin.rr.com
- Treasurer - Caroline Limaye scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Bill Cason wccason@gmail.com
- Director - Lori Dobbin loridobbin@gmail.com
- Director - Randy Thompson jartdaht@gmail.com
Email the board.
Zone Coordinators
- Zone 1, Martin Morales marmoral512@gmail.com
- Zone 2, Katy Davis katydavis@austin.rr.com
- Zone 3, Ludmila Voskov lvoskov@austin.rr.com
- Zone 4, Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Zone 5, Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Zone 6, Charlotte Jernigan charlotte@cybermesa.com
- Zone 7, Maria and Philip Wiley m.stroeva@gmail.com, philip9wiley@gmail.com
- Zone 8, Shannon Posern sposern@hotmail.com
- Zone 9, Kerry Howell casonhowell@gmail.com
- Zone 10, Christopher Schroder
christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com &
Karl Arcuri karl.w.arcuri@gmail.com
Other Personnel
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Polly Porter pporter_scg@austin.rr.com
- Plant Sale - Randy Thompson & Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- TSBVI Liaison & Volunteer Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- Plot Assignment - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Compost Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Education Committee - Shannon Posern shannonposern@gmail.com
- Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
- Water Leak Repairs - Steve Schulz sschulz784@aol.com
- Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter beaster1@austin.rr.com
- Kitchen Supplies - Anita Keese
anodekraft1@msn.com
(If supplies are needed for events, contact by email or at 512-773-2178) - Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jen@enjeneer.com
- Micah 6 - Dana Kuykendall kuykendall@austin.rr.com
- Micah 6 - Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - Green Binder