Work Day Garden Meeting
August 8, 2009
Minutes

Meeting came to order at 1:00pm

Secretary
The minutes from the last work day are available in the little house.

Motion to adopted work day minutes
Seconded
Minutes adopted

Treasurer

Dale made the treasurer’s report
A copy of the accounting and the budget was passed out to the garden members.
Dale went over the accounting report.  Members discussed some options for investing the extra money we have in our account.
Dale took questions about the accounting report (there were no questions).
Next, Dale went over the budget.  In general last year’s budget was right on target so few changes were made to this year’s budget.  Changes were made only when there was a significant difference between the budgeted amount and the actual amount.  Income is lower this year because it is only for a 12 month period and the last budget was made for a 15 month period.  Also, we will not have the Smith and Hawkins income this year.  We broke out the Garden Gala into its own line item.  We get a deal on our water since we get our water from the Parks Service at a lower rate.  There will be no wall expense included in the budget since at this point it looks like we might not need a wall after all.  There is no expense for the wood chips and the compost since we get that for free.  We broke out the native garden expenses from maintenance and now it has its own line item. 
Dale took questions about the budget.

Motion to adopt the budget
Seconded
Show of hands to adopt
Budget adopted by unanimous show of hands.

Sergeant in Arms
Lu has been monitoring the plots that need attending.  Remember the height limit is 6 feet and no plants should grow over the edges of your plot.  Please maintain your plot!
Gophers continue to be a problem.  Remember, no poisons.
There are 6 plots on the watch list.
The wait list is at 167.  No plots have been relinquished since March.

Special Report on Idea Garden By Nello
We have been singled out as a model community garden by the Parks Service!  This is because of our extensive community outreach as well as the way we run our garden.  One community outreach project we have just started is the Idea Garden.  This garden is being developed behind the marble bench by Nello, with the help of Chris and Doug.  Their next step will be to bring in new soil and replace the rotting boards.  The emphasis in the Idea Garden will be on new techniques in gardening.  These include but are not limited to the following:  French Intensive Method, Companion Plants, Hydroponics, Modern Watering Techniques, Tunnel Gardening, and Mulch Material.  Flyers will be available next to each section to inform visitors. We are in the process of inviting Michelle Obama to visit our garden.  The Idea Garden was created in the spirit of the White House’s  Victory Garden. 
                       

Garden Gala
Date is September 20th.  Victoria is in the process of getting donations from different organizations for the silent auction.  The auction is where we make the money.  Remember, the gala is not just for members, it is also for family and friends.  Victoria passed out a handout to let members know cost and where to send their check.

Greenhouse
 There is a large envelope in the little house for greenhouse suggestions.  Put your name and phone number on your suggestion.  You can also put seeds in the envelope. 
Available now are tomatoes, Spanish onions, basil, marigolds, lettuce, poppies, dandelions, and more!
Please, if you can, donate some sharp pencils and erasers to the greenhouse.

Programs at FMCG Report
Dale outlined the programs we are offering the community here at FMCG.

Compost and Debris
Currently, it is costing us $550 each time we empty our debris and the debris is going to a landfill!   New guidelines are in the works that may affect how we can dispose of our debris.  We will want to be in compliance with any new guidelines.  We have considered implementing our own composting here at FMCG, but it would be too labor intensive.  Another alternative, San Francisco Conservation Corp.,  is a possiblity.  They are in the Presido and they could pick up our debris and deliver compost to us in exchange.  Unfortunately, we have not heard back from them after repeated attempts to contact them.  If we use the San Francisco Conservation Corp. we will have to keep our debris bin where it is now and we want to get rid of it, so perhaps they will not be the best choice. 
Another alternative is Golden Gate (this is where we get our woodchips and compost).  Advantage to using Golden Gate is that we would eliminate the unsightly debris bin we are currently using, enabling us to make the area behind the shed more visually pleasing.  They provide consistent service, and it would lower the expense of debris removal.  They have dumpsters of different sizes so our first step would be to pick the size right for our needs.  This bin would be placed by the back gate.  All bins are on wheels so they can be rolled out for pickup.  Once a week the debris would be emptied by a truck with a fork lift which is used to pick up and empty the bin.  The debris is composted and we get the compost.  This is a new service that was not available before.
Dale took questions from members

Show of hands if you support moving forward to change how we are currently storing, removing and disposing of our debris.
Unanimous show of support to move forward on this issue.

Motion to adjourn
Seconded
Meeting adjourned