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HomeMy WebLinkAboutColleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee Agenda Packet - 03-07-2019City of Colleyville                                                                                    Page 1 Colleyville Community  Garden Advisory  Committee Agenda City Hall 100 Main Street Colleyville, Texas 76034 817. 503.1000 www.colleyville.com Thursday, March 7, 2019 8:30 a.m. Executive Conference Room Third Floor – City Hall  1.CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  February 14, 2019 3.REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS    3a Discuss term limit section and vote on bylaws    3b Update on community garden visits    3c Divide tasks 4. PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSION:     4a Tour of McPherson Park notes 5.ADJOURNMENT I hereby certify this agenda was posted on City Hall bulletin boards Friday, March  1, 2019 by 5:00 p.m. Christine Loven, TRMC City Secretary A quorum of the Colleyville City Council and/or any other Colleyville Board,  Commission, or Committee may be in attendance at this meeting. Any matter on this agenda may, at the discretion of the governing body, be  opened for public comment and discussion. If you plan to attend this public meeting and have a disability that requires special  accommodations, please advise the City Secretary at least 48 hours in advance at  817.503.1133, and reasonable accommodations will be made to assist you.   MINUTES Feb 14, 2019 8:00am Colleyville Community Garden Executive Conference Room Colleyville City Hall Attendees Linda Newton; Rich Hendler; Amanda Novak; Uma Lal; Amy Putnam; Natalie Genco; Pam Buie; Lisa Escobedo, Parks Director. Call to order The meeting was called to order at 8:03am by the chairman, Natalie Genco. BYLAWS - Meeting Attendance Rich asked what our policy for meeting attendance is because we have 2 members who have not yet attended. Natalie explained that her mother, Mary Ramatowski, has not attended because her Alzheimer’s has worsened and she will not be able to be part of the committee. Lisa said that Mary will need to officially withdraw from the committee. Linda mentioned that the language regarding attendance was loose and we may want to add the wording “per calendar year” to the bylaws to further define the requirement. Process for removing a committee member It was mentioned that if someone misses too many meetings, it is the discretion of city council whether to remove that person. Our chair should speak with that person if this occurs to determine what the issue is and if it can be resolved. Committee vacancies If there is a vacancy, our committee members can make suggestions or get people we know to submit an application. Lisa confirmed that applications are always available and the city secretary has them if they cannot be found online. Quorum and Voting Lisa clarified that a quorum to conduct business is a simple majority of committee members. Every committee member in attendance has a vote including the chair. Special Meetings It was clarified by the city attorney, and is in our new revised minutes, that special meetings by the committee where no action is to be taken, do not have to abide by posting and notification rules of regular meetings. Open Meetings Act 4.10 of our bylaws state that our meetings are not subject to public posting and notice requirements. We were confused by this language as we believed that we are required to post our meeting notices. Linda wondered if we are possibly not required to post meeting notices but are requested to do so. Lisa believes this language means that we are not required to take the class about open meeting requirements but we are still required to post meeting notices. Raising funds There was some discussion regarding whether the nonprofit would raise and spend money as an independent entity or if it should be rolled into the community garden committee. Natalie explained that the nonprofit will have more freedom with how to spend funds then if money raised goes through the city. She believes the community garden in N. Richland Hills uses their nonprofit to raise funds because it was easier than using their 501c3 (which they let expire) or having funds raised go through the city. Anyone wishing to donate can do so through the non profit but if they wish to get a tax deduction, they can donate to the city for the benefit of the community garden. Rich pointed out that the language in our bylaws (Article 5.2) is non specific so we don’t have to decide this now. Lisa will consult with the city attorney so he can help us decided the best way to structure fundraising. Natalie mentioned that Mayor Newton suggested we would have more freedom with funds going through the non profit then going through the city. Lisa will ask the mayor’s opinion also. New Meeting Time Pam Buie came to the meeting late due to having to drop off her daughter at school at 8:00am. Natalie asked everyone if it was possible to adjust the meeting time to 8:15am so Pam wouldn’t miss as much. Amanda said it was due to her schedule that the meeting time was 8:00am and it would be fine with her if we changed it to 8:30am. Everyone decided 8:30am would work much better. Staggered Terms Natalie suggested that committee terms be staggered so we don’t end up turning over our entire committee at once. Rich pointed out that terms are already staggered as 3 members were appointed a year before the rest and their terms expire a year apart. VOTE - Approving Bylaws Linda motioned to approve our bylaws with the added language “per calendar year” to the 75% meeting attendance requirement. Rich seconded. The motion was approved. Partnering with the Parks and Rec Department Rich mentioned that the Parks and Rec department will be taking a field trip to visit our parks and he would like to combine their field trip with a visit by our committee to McPherson Park. We agreed this would be a good idea. We will choose a date and see if the Parks committee can join us. Field Trip to McPherson Park We decided to meet at McPherson Park on Saturday, February 16 at 10:00am (UPDATE: Meeting time has been changed to 11:30am). This is the site for the planned community garden. We will meet at the picnic benches near the parking lot. Natalie will explain the garden plan that has been drawn and then we will meet in the Rock house to discuss dividing tasks so we can begin to work on them. Lisa will ask someone to open the rock house for us and make sure there is not a class in there at that time. Other field trips Natalie suggested we wait to visit other community gardens until March and April when plants are blooming. Organization of business and tasks We decided that we will spend the next 2 months researching and organizing and the 3 months after that finalizing publicity and completing tasks. Linda suggested making a timeline to ensure we stay on track. Next Meeting Due to a conflict with spring break, our next meeting will be moved up to Thursday, March 8 at 8:30am. At this meeting, if our bylaws have been approved by city council, we need to vote for a vice chairman and a secretary to take minutes. Agenda items Lisa requested that we have agenda items to her by Feb 28. Natalie mentioned that we should know our next agenda items after our visit to McPherson Park on February 16. Adjourned Linda motioned to adjourn the meeting and Amanda seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20am. City of Colleyville Page 1 Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee Agenda Briefing City Hall 100 Main Street Colleyville, Texas 76034 www.colleyville.com Agenda Number 3a Agenda Date 03/07/2019 Number Type Regular Agenda Items Department Parks and RecreationTitle Discuss term limit section and vote on bylaws Explanation The proposed bylaws are attached for additional review. Attachments 1.Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee bylaws COLLEYVILLE COMMUNITY GARDEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE BYLAWS ARTICLE I – Identification and Purpose The Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee was established by the City Council of Colleyville, Texas, by Resolution R-17-4208 on December 5, 2017. The purpose of the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee is to involve citizens in the development of a community garden by creating a citizen advisory committee to liaison with the Colleyville Community Garden, a 501(c) (3) organization ("CCG"), to enhance and promote coordination between the two entities in the creation and development of the community garden. ARTICLE II – Membership 2.1 The Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee shall consist of up to nine members who shall be appointed by the City Council for a two-year term. 2.2 Members shall serve without compensation and until their successors are appointed. 2.3 Members must be residents of Colleyville, Texas, unless City Council waives the residency requirement. 2.4 Vacancies on the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee shall be reported to the City Secretary, and filled by appointment of the City Council for the length of the unexpired term. 2.5 If a member of the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee fails to maintain a seventy-five percent (75%) attendance record for all regularly scheduled meetings, the Chair or staff liaison will notify the City Secretary. City Council may, at its discretion, declare a vacancy, advertise the open position, or appoint a replacement without advertising. ARTICLE III – Officers 3.1 The City Council shall appoint a chair who shall be a voting member of the Committee. Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee Bylaws Page 2 of 3 3.2 All actions of the Committee must be approved by a majority of the membership of the Committee. 3.3 The chair shall preside over all meetings. 3.4 The Committee shall elect from its membership a vice-chair, who shall preside over meetings of the Committee in the absence of the chair, and a secretary, who shall be responsible for maintaining the minutes of the meetings, and provide same to the City of Colleyville City Secretary. 3.5 The Committee may appoint from its membership such subcommittees as it deems necessary. ARTICLE IV – Meetings 4.1 The Committee may determine the frequency, location, and times of meetings, and location may be changed, as necessary. 4.2 Members unable to attend a regular meeting shall notify the Chair. 4.3 A majority of the voting Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee members shall constitute a quorum to conduct business of the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee. The act of the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee members present at a meeting, at which a quorum is in attendance, shall constitute the act of the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee. 4.4 Meeting agendas will be posted on the City Hall bulletin boards and the City’s web site 72 hours prior to a meeting. Approved meeting minutes will be included in City Council agenda packets under Reports. 4.5 Meeting agenda packets will be distributed to each member 72 hours prior to a meeting. 4.6 The Chair shall preside at all meetings. In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall preside. 4.7 The Chair may recognize individuals wishing to speak regarding an item on the agenda. Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee Bylaws Page 3 of 3 4.8 Special meetings may be called at the request of the Chair or three members of the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee for the transaction of business. Posting and notification of meeting requirements shall apply to special meetings. 4.9 The Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee may establish sub committees as deemed appropriate. Such committees will be dissolved upon completion of the charge or task. ARTICLE V – Duties and Responsibilities 5.1 The Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee acts in an advisory capacity to the City Council in all matters pertaining to a Colleyville Community Garden. 5.2 Recommend the structure of the City of Colleyville's financial and administrative participation in the community garden. 5.3 Evaluate and bring forth the recommended needs of the CCG, to include development of a fee structure for the CCG's administration of the community garden. 5.4 Establish evaluation criteria for the design, maintenance, and success of a community garden. 5.6 The Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee member will take the Attorney General Texas Open Meetings Act on-line training course or obtain a DVD of the training course from the City Secretary, and provide a copy of the Certificate of Course Completion to the City Secretary. The training must be completed not later than the 90th day after the date the member takes the oath of office or otherwise assumes responsibilities as a member of the governmental body. ARTICLE VI – Amendments 6.1 These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote at any regular meeting, if all members have been notified of the proposed amendment 72 hours prior to such meeting. Amendments must be in compliance with applicable City ordinances. City of Colleyville Page 1 Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee Agenda Briefing City Hall 100 Main Street Colleyville, Texas 76034 www.colleyville.com Agenda Number 4a Agenda Date 03/07/2019 Number Type Presentation and Discussion Department City SecretaryTitle Tour of McPherson Park notes Explanation The attached notes will be filed with the City Secretary, however, as this tour was not a posted function of the Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee, they can be used for information purposes and do not require a vote. Attachments 1.2019.02.16 - Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee McPherson Park Tour Colleyville Community Garden Advisory Committee McPherson Park Tour NOTES Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:30am Attendees Linda Newton, Amy Putnam, Pam Buie, Natalie Genco, Rich Hendler, Amanda Novak, Uma Lal Tour of Planned Community Garden Natalie gave everyone a tour of the site at McPherson Park for the planned community garden. Storage shed Natalie mentioned that it would nice to build a small shed right near the water tower by the parking lot. This way people could bring things to and from their cars and leave a few tools or wheel borough in that shed. We decided that we may want to get permission to access the empty area in the back of the dairy barn and start storing cardboard there to sheet mulch our garden area. We would like to put a combination lock on it so we all can begin accessing the storage space. Sheet Mulch We decided that we may need to sheet mulch with cardboard over the entire area of our community garden and then mark off with spray paint where the beds and walkways will be just prior to our big dig day. This is to ensure we get rid of Bermuda grass. We could get cardboard from Bates Container. Amanda recommends 2 layers of cardboard. ATV with a cart It would be nice to have access to some type of ATV with a cart on the big dig day to help us haul mulch, dirt and stones. Orchard Natalie mentioned that a native fruit bearing mulberry tree would be good for our orchard area as the fruit is delicious. Rich suggested adding some of berry bushes to attract birds. Amy had to leave as the tour was finishing and we went into the Rock House. Tasks 1. Determine Dig Day - We need to research a day towards the end of Oct or early Nov with less chance of rain to determine our desired date for the big dig. We also need to work on our timeline to ensure we keep on track. 2. We need a wish list of tools and items needed. Rich suggested we contact Colleyville merchants first. Ace Hardware would be a good business to contact. Whole Foods has said they would support us. Rich suggested we ask the city for a list of preferred Colleyville merchants. 3. We should put together an advertising packet with information about our garden for those who may want to donate or sponsor. 4. We should also determine sponsorship levels. Linda advised that we collect sponsorship money before engraving someone’s name on our sponsorship stones. She also suggested we consider pillars at the entrance to the garden with bronze plaques with sponsor names engraved. 5. Visiting other gardens - We decided that we don’t want to wait for spring to begin visiting other community gardens. Amanda volunteered to arrange visits to other gardens and report to us a suggested date, time and address. Those who can make it will. Amanda mentioned visiting Carrolton, Richardson, Coppell, Natalie suggested visiting 6 stones in Bedford https://www.6stones.org/category/garden/. We would also like to visit N Richland Hills Community Garden https://communitygarden.org/find-a-garden/gardens/common-ground-nrh- community-garden/ 6. Water for our Garden We need Lisa to ask the city to begin working on a plan to bring water to our community garden and also checking into getting a bladder for the cistern. We would llike to have our water in place by Sept 1st. Rich mentioned that the city may be able to do this in house without have to contract it. We may want to consider putting gutters on the dairy barn and adding a few rain collection barrels so our rainwater source is closer to our garden. This may be easier and less expensive than getting a bladder for the cistern. We need to also know if there is already a rain collection system able to carry rain to the cistern. There appears to be a cistern behind the rock house and another older one near the dairy barn. 7. Grading the garden spot. Natalie will check with Steve Chaney, Howard Garrett and Harold Annis to see if they advise grading our garden spot. History of Gardening in Colleyville Linda mentioned that Colleyville used to be a hub for garden centers and perhaps we can work this history into our community garden project. She mentioned that there is also a history of agriculture in Colleyville and that McPherson Park was once a farm. We should try to use this. Linda reached out to members of the McPherson family via Facebook and heard back from one descendent who said they would be interested in being involved with the community garden. Arbors It was mentioned that our planned arbors would be a good Eagle Scout project and we should reach out to them. Natalie mentioned that a business may also want to sponsor an arbor to get their name on it. Ribbon Cutting in Spring It was mentioned that we can have our “Big Dig” garden installation in fall but may additionally want a ribbon cutting in spring. Everyone liked this idea. Looking at guidelines from other gardens We decided that we want to do some research into policies and procedures from other community gardens before we finalize ours. Phases We would also like to better define the phases of our community garden. We want to determine what we want in phase 1, phase 2, etc. Sub Committees We decided on potentially having these sub committees: 1. Policies and procedures. This committee might be responsible for storage and tools, irrigation, organization, finalizing layout of the garden and adopt a plot policies and procedures. 2. Volunteers 3. Fundraising 4. Marketing and Communication 5. Material sourcing. This would include tools, cardboard, stones, dirt, mulch, crushed granite, etc. 6. Education and event committee (We may want to add this later) This committee will help schedule speakers, classes and events. We decided that we need to think of other people who may want to be on these committees and help. Bylaws We received feedback from the city that we could not add the language “per year” to our bylaws but we would still like the words “per term” added to the section with the attendance rule to define this rule. We will further discuss this at our next meeting. Adjourned The meeting was adjourned at 12:54pm