March 2009 Community Garden Action Team Minutes

M.C.P
Community Gardens Action Team
www.communitygardensactionteam.blogspot.com
March 11, 2009 at Lakeside Apartments

Present: Procton Bonnell (resident), Ashley Taylor (resident), Lina Ortiz, Marylou Laubscher, Bill Miller, Harold Blair

Announcements
•Lakeside Community Garden Work Party, Saturday, March 14th 10-2pm, @ Lakeside
Volunteers needed to work the information table, the seed planting table and serving the food.
•Lina Ortiz, is the new Resident Services Manager at Lakeside and will be in charge of programming at the Lakeside Community Room and Case Management.
•Gaby looking to move to Lakeside
•Church of Nazarene Food Distribution 10:30am on Saturday mornings, you can sign in at 8am and return at 10:30am

Check In’s:
Procton, doing good, excited about the new garden and will be up early on Saturday to help with the community garden, he is a resident
Harold, retired social worker
Bill, photo journalist and will take pictures and write and article about Saturday’s event.
Elena, 3 years old and loves to dance, play with toys and dolls
Mary Lou, Senior Action Team and ready for the first garden at Lakeside
Ashley Taylor, in 4th grade at Meadow Homes and loves science

Lakeside Community Garden Work Party, Saturday, March 14th, 2009 10-2
• Lots of food ordered for workers from La Cabana, food around noon
• Bring plastic containers with lids to take food home possible leftovers.
• Cement blocks to be delivered on Saturday morning, workers to be contacted by Harold, Lina’s truck to be used.
• Procton will be there to receive blocks.
• Wes & Ekkert measured garden, Ekkert drew plans of garden layout.
• Markham Arboretum Society will put in $2,000 for soil and $360 for rebar.
• Trucks to be used, Lina and Ekkerts
• 9am set up, 1:30 clean up
• Concord Transcript photographer to arrive
• Harold will bring liability forms for workers to sign and picture waivers
• Information Table Outside: info for the residents who ask what is going on?
• Seed planting table: children and adults to plant
• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with Procton and Deborah to say some words, both are residents.

Large Community Gardens Committee

Adopted into the Community Gardens Action Team on March 11, 2009 by members present
To meet with rest of group on March 12, 2009 at 10am at Wendy’s, 1551 Monument Blvd.

List of land in Concord that could be secured for a future Urban Farm (community garden) on Monument
• Area behind Orchard
• Galindo property
• BART property
• Across from the Concord Police Dept.

Next Steps
Come to the Lakeside Community Garden Work Party on Saturday, March 14th at 10 am
Meeting to be had with the Large Community Garden Committee on Thur., March 12 at 10am

Agenda for Next Meeting
Report on Lakeside Community Garden Work Party
Report on Large Community Garden Committee
Ivette to speak on Gleaners

This Meeting Highlights
Procton, residents input
Ashley, child resident input
Good planning for garden work party at Lakeside
Good coordination between members for work party

How this meeting could be improved
More residents to participate at meetings
More gardeners from Lakeside

Next Meeting
Regular Monthly Meeting (2nd Wednesday of Month)
Wednesday, April 8th 6-8 at Lakeside

November 2008 Minutes

M.C.P

Community Gardens Action Team

www.communitygardensactionteam.blogspot.com

November 12, 2008 at the Keller House

Present: Susan Vought, Kevin Edwards, Stan, Mary Lou Laubscher, Yvetter Maruri, Jenna Carlssen, Kathy, Ekkert and Lucy Keller

Announcements:

Susan Vought, lives at Brookview Mobile Home park, always been interested in gardening

Stan, 78 years on the Monument, owner of Brookview, use to be two lane, you could nap on Monument everyone use to farm, poplar trees, Sherman acres use to be a hay field.

Kevin, Ygnacio Valley H.S. Students Services Coordinator, new garden area there and Stan has been helping there

Yvette, would like to work with a big community garden, free and easy access to help feed people who are

Mary Lou, lived on the Monument since 1954 love someone elses flowers, HEAL grant here at MCP, this group is part of the HEAL project

Lina, facilitator in training for MCP, almost a year now since this position arrived.

Bill,

Ekkert, drip system expert, has a plant sale this Saturday, past president of Markham Arboretum, don’t sell winter vegetables.

Lucy, set up children programs at Garden apartments. The family’s there became involved with children literacy programs and Lucy helped with the moms. Helping at Lakeside apartments with the spanish bingo.

Jenna, just finished AmeriCorps Vista in San Diego, a project to help refugees from Africa, Iraq, Burma. Like a domestic Peace Corp. Born and raised in the East Bay, lives in W.C. wants to work with communities like the Monument.

Bill, doing good

Kathy, working with Lakeside, loves to garden and looking forward to build and start the garden at Lakeside

Announcements:

Monument Urban Redesign: The built environment, effects are mental and physical health, it’s a thirty year project

Lakeside Garden Work this Saturday 10-2, weather permitting,

Public Hearing: Monument Streetscape

11-24 4^th Wednesday of every month, Lakeside Garden Planning

11- Memorial for Susan’s mom this weekend

Markham Nature Area Tour given by Ekkert Keller

1. Ygnacio Valley High School Garden

(Chair: Kevin Edwards)

• Showed us a powerpoint presentation of YV High new community garden area.
• Sledghammer needed, should know how to use the tool so that the bricks don’t break. Beds are 8ft by 25 ft wide, chicked wire 50ft by 4ft, layed two side by side.
• $5,000 to begin with.
• Chicken wire underneath, 2 beds have been built, 7 left.
• Challenges at the school. Sophmores and Seniors to share a bed to grow and sell what they grow. Freshman and Juniors to share a bed. Farmers market, products that they can sell. Profit for the school garden to keep the garden going.
• Families at the school work with cement mixing. Free garbage dumpsters through a family. Various resources were covered by families at the school.
• Water timers, easy water access
• Started in January through October, idle time

2. Cambridge Elementary School Garden

(Chair: Janice Winsey, Matt, Colleen, Janice, Lina, MaryLou, Leslie, Stan, Ekkert, 90 Day Committee)

3. Lakeside Apartments

A. Small Gardens Sub Committee to meet on February 27, 2008

(Susan V., Miguel, Enrique, Lina, Stan, Ekkert, Mary Lou)

• Can not dig into dirt cover already in place
• Clean fill top soil when searching on Craigslist
• Can use the garden shed there for now but will be on a search for a new shed
• 1ft high rebar

Container Gardening

• Martinez Navlets has a good selection of veggies

Next Steps

Review the Lakeside Community Garden Agreement

Agenda for Next Meeting

Finalize the Lakeside Community Garden Agreement

Lakeside report on update of garden action

Soil analyzer guy

This Meeting Highlights

Cross education

Member participation

Number of mixed ages

Sopes are good

Ygnacio Valley pictures

How this meeting could be improved

Questions not answered

A place for

Next Meeting

Regular Monthly Meeting (2^nd Wednesday of Month)

Possible Meeting Wednesday, December 18^th at the Keller House (may be cancelled due to the holidays)

October 2008 Minutes

M.C.P
Community Gardens Action Team
www.communitygardensactionteam.blogspot.com
October 9, 2008
Brookview Park @ 1201 Monument Blvd.

Present: Janice Winsby, Lina Ortiz, Mary Lou Laubscher, Ivette Mauri, Bill Miller, Harold Blair, Daniel Ayala

Announcements:
Janice, just signed up for the advanced adult Spanish class at Mt. Diablo Adult Education
Harold, not feeling well and is overwhelmed with the planning for the future Lakeside Community Garden
Ivette, spending time with her four year old daughter while she is not in preschool and working with her other
Mary Lou,
Lina, has started working as a Spanish teacher in Orinda
Bill, terrific
Susan, just served chicken for thirty and has been busy
Daniel, works with 100+ children at Oak Grove Middle School and wants to start

Announcements:
2008 Gardening Seminar on October 11, 2008
Work Plan for 2009 was adopted by all members

Markham Nature Area Tour given by Ekkert Keller
Recommends a drip system
Everyone pays and has a signed agreement
Expensive timers
Beautiful gardens growing lots of different vegetables, overgrown fun to walk through

1. Ygnacio Valley High School Garden
(Chair: Kevin Edwards)
beds are finished

2. Cambridge Elementary School Garden
(Chair: Janice Winsey, Matt, Colleen, Janice, Lina, MaryLou, Leslie, Stan, Ekkert, 90 Day Committee)
Intendes to put a $900 dollar timer, current drip system is broken, currently replacing main lines that are about eight years old. A volunteer comes and does the work.
School Garden Week, Oct. 25, Garden Party 10am-2pm

3. Lakeside Apartments
A. Small Gardens Sub Committee to meet on February 27, 2008
(Susan V., Miguel, Enrique, Lina, Stan, Ekkert, Mary Lou)
Next meeting, October 15, 2008 @ 6pm at 1897 Oakmead off Monument Lakeside
RCD Director to meet with Dr. Len in the future so that they can cover
Possible seed money from MCP per Harold’s conversation with Dr. Len
Harold will check out the Flea Market this weekend Oct. 10th
Supply list, donation letter handed out


Next Steps
Grant Purposals for what? (shed, irrigation lines)
Volunteers to plant at Lakeside
Meet at Lakeside tomorrow at 11am

Agenda for Next Meeting
Update on Lakeside

This Meeting Highlights
Daniel
Lakeside planning steps

How this meeting could be improved
Too long

Next Meeting
Regular Monthly Meeting (2nd Wednesday of Month)
Wednesday, November 12th Keller House at 7pm

August Community Garden Action Team Minutes

M.C.P

Community Gardens Action Team

www.communitygardensactionteam.blogspot.com

August 13, 2008

Keller House

Present: Lina Ortiz, Miss Dorthea Jenkins, Susan Vought, , Harold Blair, Lucy Keller, Colleen Majors, Mary Lou Laubscher, Virginia Aguirre, Susan Lawson, Ivette Maruri, Charly Hahn, Bryan Reiss, Michael Kerr, Kathy Greene, Alex Barton, Christi Campbell

Announcements

Miss Dorthea, Lakeside Apartment Meeting- excellent attendance and good number interested in the volunteering at the Community Garden, lots interested

Susan Vought, reporting for Stan Hansen on Y.V. High School garden project, garden area leveled, concrete blocks purchased for raised beds, garden is measured out,. irrigation system being worked on.

Lucy, has a contact for free seeds, good for summer planting (Harriet Burk – 372-8038).Kevin Edwards from YV High in charge of getting grounds ready for school. Volunteers call him at 685-8414 x 3602

Susan Lawson, facilitator Lakeside/Palm Terrace Apt. planning group, this summer got approval for a community garden, Javier Huerta took a look at Lakeside plot, very hilly, top boxes would work best, not low to ground because of the raccoons. High platforms best to keep raccoons out.

Colleen, teaches at Cambridge Elementary taught summer school and enjoyed a few days of vacation

Harold, has moved. He misses his large vegetable garden at his old home.

Ivette, has a vision of starting a community garden in an open space where residents could grow food and then hand it out to the homeless and hungry. Wants us to check out Galindo house and property behind Osh on Monument

Virginia, has a new Caring Hands volunteer coming to her house and is excited. Will now be able to get to more meetings

Bryan, Anti-War action CCRA, Contra Costa Radical Action, worked feeding the homeless in Berkeley, draws, music, organizing community events for a cause to help others.

Mike, runs the www.baypointcommunity.org website Friends of the Anuta Park, works with Bay Point Garden, Ambrose Community and Recreation

Charly, interested in creating sustainable communities

Kathy, compulsive gardener, Mt. Diablo Peace Center Wants opportunity to start a Soup-Kitchen garden, Grew tomato plants with produce for food bank people

Christy, interested in everything talked about tonight

Lina, all moved in, back from vacation NY/camping, ready for her son to start Kindergarten at St. Francis. Great Kids Garden Discovery Area at the Monument Community Pride Celebration in June, lots of volunteers and over a hundred children visited our booth.

Community Gardens Updates

Ygnacio Valley High Garden

(Chair: Kevin Edwards

Stan saw that trees were removed to make room for planter beds

Now there is room for two areas of raised beds.

Basalite blocks will be used to contain beds

Need volunteers to help build the beds

Cambridge Elementary Garden

(Janice Winsey chair)

Gardens used during summer school

New Lakeside Apartments Garden

(Doretha Jenkins, Chair, Susan Lawson, facilitator)

7 residents from Lakeside signed up to participate

Lakeside Gardens Meeting

_____________________________________________________________

HEAL Grant Requirements –(Kaiser funds this Action Team)

1. Inventory of Present Community Gardens in Monument Area

Map where gardens are presently and other possible sites within walking distance

- City Planner needed to assist us with larger size maps

2. Community Gardens Strategic Plan

Mary Lou passed out our current plan which is in progress

A strategic Plan Committee established with:

Ivette. Convenier

Lina, Facilitator

Mary Lou

Others welcomed

*HEAL Grant Strategic Plan Committee will meet

Wednesday, August 23, 2008 at 8:30am. at Country Waffles near Kohls

Fall Garden - What to plant now – Tomatoes, peas, spinach, kale, mustard greens, Chinese greens, collard greens, radishes, garlic, onion, broccoli, cabbage (ask Janice for a planting list for fall gardens)

Oct. 4 Health Fair

Planning Committee Established

Lina, Facilitator

Lucy

Janice

Stan

Mary Lou

Any interested members

October Health Fair Planning Sub Committee)

Tuesday, September 9th at 10:30 at Ygnacio Park (Lina and Ivette)

What Our Booth will look like

Container Gardens, rolling gardens to show examples of fall gardens

School Gardens Display, posters with pictures of progress

Apartments – Display of pictures of hanging gardens

Informational Hand Outs- Starting a New Garden and Best Plantings in the fall

Kids Discovery Garden

Children’s’ Garden Book Give Away – Coordinate with Sally Smith (798-1680)

Parking Lot of Ideas for Future Discussions

Monument Community Healthy Eating Guide

Group planting project Bryan’s house

Monument Community Gleaners

Galindo Property

BART Land by the Skateboard Park

Property behind Osh on Monument

Health Gardening Guide

Problem, ground squirrels and raccoons

Invite Brian to the Transportation Action Team

Look into Rent A Gardener for vacant lots – talk to Monument Futures

Bryan: signed up to research where there are current community gardens, call him with further instructions

Agenda for Next Meeting

City Planner / Gardner speak on what land we can use in the future, where there are community gardens

Currently in use.

This Meeting Highlights

New faces, Lakeside group attendance, all attendees seem to be on same page, networking potentials

How this meeting could be improved

When our regulars come back, Stan, Ekkerhardt, Bill, Janice

Next Meeting (All Members)

(normally the 2^nd Wednesday of Month)

Note Change for this Month:

Thursday, September 11, 2008, Brookview Park's Clubhouse, 1201 Monument, 7-9 pm,

Mission Statement

Within five years the Monument Community Gardens Action Team will help with the establishment of five community gardens within walking distance of high density neighborhoods in the Monument Community

Vision Statement

A Monument Community Gardens Action Team will be established to: Foster both nutrition and health for all community members; Foster spiritual and psychological health of the community; Involve all ages and capabilities; Foster Garden Clubs, School Gardens and Large Community Gardens; Establish a Farmers Market in the Community

Our Community Garden Booth

We had an awesome at the Monument Community Pride Celebration!

Thank you Stan for your donation we served over a hundred children.

Kids took home a planted seed and painted!

June 7 Monument Community Pride Celebration

Join us to celebrate the beautiful, talented and hard working people of the Monument Community on June 7th from 10am-4pm at 1500 Monument! Our Community Gardens Action Team will have a booth with a Kids Garden Discovery Area and there will be many other fun activities. Children will plant a seed in a pot to take home and there will be lots of dirt to dig into!

Also, come by to check our our ROLLING GARDENS, who said you need a yard to garden in. We want the residents of Monument to plant in containers on their patios and then roll them out to local storefronts to beautify the area!

Bring your own, grab your containers from your back yard and put them in anything that has wheels and rolls!

Call me if you would like to get a copy of our "WISH LIST" for our booth. Donations are welcomed at this early stage of our project. (925) 676-8515

April 16th Meeting Minutes

Monument Community Partnership
Community Gardens Action Team
www.communitygardensactionteam.blogspot.com
April 16, 2008 at the Keller House

Present: Virginia Aquirre, Janice Winsby, Susan Vought, Ekkehardt and Lucy Keller, Lina Ortiz, Mary Lou Laubscher, Stan Hansen

Guest Speaker, Donna Snyder: Container Gardens Expert
Shared about her trip with Elder Hostel to Ventura County where they visited many farms and fields. Here are some tidbits of her presentation. She visited a strawberry field and found that there are two different types of strawberry pickers. The first type of worker shows up that day to work and the second type are employed through the Union. The first type works faster and harder and the second type pace themselves. Hard work because you are picking with your pointer and thumb and your back is bent. The strawberries are put in the boxes unwashed so that they stay fresh longer. This particular strawberry field took six years to get it to where it can produce this many strawberries. A tip she learned is to not wash your strawberries early, wash them on the day you will be eating them. She also visited a lemon farm and lemons from this farm were used in Sunkist products. She saw many truckloads arriving to this farm to dump their lemons. The most pristine lemons are selected for Sunkist products. Sunkist does not pack lemons unless there is an order for them. She then went inside to a warehouse where she saw many catwalks that were completely mechanical. She saw women picking out the bruised lemons. The bruised ones are used to feed livestock. She was most impressed by a photographic computer that scans and separates the lemons by size and color and she thought this was truly amazing. Next she visited 100 acres of pixie tangerines at Tom Churchill’s farm. He inherited this land and then found a niche in the tangerine market. She brought a pixie tangerine for us to taste and it was delicious. You can buy them at Trader Joe’s and fancy supermarkets. She also talked about an unusual farm they visited where they grow black radishes as well as white ones and are long like carrots. They sell these radishes to restaurants only. This reminded her of a farm she once went to where all they grew were different types of sprouts and also only sold them to restaurants.She showed us pictures of a tomato plant green house, where they grow tomato plants in individual containers. Here are her tips for the garden: -When planting tomato plants take a small clear plastic up that has the top part removed and place around the stalk to protect it from bugs. -One teaspoon of tobassco sauce with garlic and water, also wet newspaper, or dawn soap can be used to spray at the base of the plant to protect it from aphids or bugs. -Plain water also works. -Add B1 to the soil when transplanting a plant or fish emulsion is also great and will keep the plant’s environment thriving so that it can flourish and grow.

Check In’s and Announcements:
- Janice, introduced how to help schools during this economy. She talked about www.DonorsChoose.org which is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.
- Virginia, worked on a logo collage for our community garden action team.
- Ekkert, Markham Nature Area Plant Sale, May 4th
-All Facilitators Retreat, Saturday, April 19th, 9-4
-Senior Action Team Meeting, April 21, 9:30am Police Sub Station, “Driving Longer and Safer”
-Grant Training First Five, Tuesday, April 22 10 a.m., 1485 Enea Circle, Suite 1200
-more material was brought in for the future Garden Library at the Keller House
-Our Community Gardens Action Team blog is at, www.communitygardensactionteam.blogspot.com
-For Cambridge Elementary School Garden updates visit, http://www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/cambridge/garden.htm.
-All Facilitators Retreat, Saturday April 19th 9am-4pm
-Senior Action Team, Driving Longer Safer Monday, April 21 9:30pm
-Family Friendly Grant Information Session, Make Up April 22, 10am at the First Five Regional Office


Committee Reports
1. Ygnacio Valley High School Garden
(Chair: Kevin Edwards) for pictures of the future garden site please visit, www.communitygardensactionteam.blogspot.com
Stan Hansen and Susan Vought visited Cambridge’s garden yesterday and thought it was beautiful. They liked what the beds were made of, concrete blocks. Cheaper and more affordable than ties. Will consider this as an option for the future Ygnacio Valley High School garden.
Considering changing the direction of the beds, will speak with Kevin Edwards.
2. Cambridge Elementary School Garden
(Chair: Janice Winsby, Matt, Colleen, Janice, Lina, MaryLou, Leslie, Stan, Ekkert, 90 Day Committee)
Visit http://www.mdusd.k12.ca.us/cambridge/garden.htm to see pictures of the gardening activities taking place at Cambridge, Janice Winsby is leading activities and announced that on April 26th there will be a work party of kids and families. Has a mound of woodchips waiting to be shoveled.
Drip system in, a friend of a father of one of her students who is a gardener did the work. Would like his name so we can refer him to others needing garden services. Lina will start compiling a list of gardeners on the monument whose services may be used on future jobs.
3. Smaller Gardens
(Chair: Miguel Salgado, Colleen, MaryLou, rep. from Martha’s group, Matt, Ceasar Chavez Club, SAT)
A. Small Gardens Sub Committee met on February 27, 2008
(Susan V., Miguel, Enrique, Lina, Stan, Ekkert, Mary Lou)
Colleen suggested we give hand outs and free seeds at the Monument Celebration at our booth.
Old wheel barrows or plaster 2 wheel carts are useful for rolling gardens.

Planning our Booth at the Monument Pride Celebration on June 7, from 10-4pm
(Signs, Informational Flyers, Small Container Examples, Buzz Bertalero Hour, Pass Out Seeds,Garden Art Picture Display of our Monument Gardens, Food Display of what Monument Gardens Grow, Youth tell their gardening experiences from Ygnacio Valley High, Oak Grove Youth, and Cambridge.)
*Stan knows of a sign painter and we will give him a call. *We will hand out a one page sheet of How to Grow A Garden. *Our group will bring examples of their own container gardens. Lina will bring two rolling gardens, Elena and Anthonys garden. Colleen Major will also have some of her potted plants there in a rolling wagon.
*Janice our Master Gardner will be there to answer gardening questions. *Confirm Buzz Bertalero. *The garden art project will be to use markers and crayons draw their favorite flower, veggie, tree etc…
*Booth Help Schedule: 9-10am, Set Up, Jancie, Mary Lou, and Lina will be there all day, 10-11:30am, 11:30-1pm, 1-2:30pm, 2:30-4pm,

Next Steps: Plan our booth for the Monument Community Pride Celebration on June 7th,
Agenda for Next Meeting: No speaker in May because our meeting will be dedicated to planning our booth. No meeting in June because June 7th we will be at the Monument Pride Celebration helping at the booth, July mtg. second Wed. of the month
This Meetings Highlights: Good Speaker, Food, Good company, Good team spirit
How this meeting could be improved: End on time

Next Meeting: (Regular Monthly Meeting, 2nd Wednesday of Month)
May 14th Keller House, 6-8 pm, brown bag dinner
May 28th possible last minute planning meeting Lina will notify if needed

*Bring pictures, a friend and come 15 min’s early to see pictures on the laptop