Meeting chaired by Ann Levine.
1. Dumping: The patio in the West Garden and the stage in the East Garden have become dumping grounds for various pots, furniture, etc. Please ask the Steering Committee or the chairs of the Communal Beds before introducing new items. In case you have not done so, please leave a tag with your name on it so that we know who to contact.
2. Lou Ludyny suggested and Ann agreed that furniture covers would extend the life of garden furniture considerably.
3. The garden shall henceforth enforce the $50 deposit to ensure that all trash is carried out after a private event. Also, we shall try to insert private events into the garden Google calendar so that all members know of parties ahead of time.
4. The chairs of the Communal Beds request help with watering of these beds — as well as the lawns, as long as there are no restrictions on water usage — in case of drought (please water if ground is dry an inch under the surface). We all enjoy the communal parts of the garden, so let us come together to help if and when need arises.
5. Julia Soledispa is organizing a flea market at the garden on May 5. There will be flowers/ plants sold and a table for donated baked goods and clothing and other household items to benefit the garden as well as private vendors. Dinorah has designed the fliers — please let us know if you can photocopy them at work. Some color and some black and white would be great. Please donate baked goods/ gently used items, help spread the word and attend the flea market to make it a success.
6. The combination to the garden lock needs to be changed and will be made official at the next workday.
7. As NYC has legalized bee-keeping, and supporting honey-bees has environmental benefits, Carly Tribull, an entomologist and member of the garden, has done preliminary research into the possible location of a bee-hive in the garden. The New York City Bee-keepers’ Association has visited the garden to investigate and has suggested the SW corner of the East garden as the best location. They would provide a bee-keeper who would be responsible for caring for the bees and covering the bee-hive in case of a private event, etc. If the members want honey, there may be “honey-share” options, by which those who wish might obtain honey at market-price or less. While the hive will generate some income for the garden (exact sums were not discussed), there are several members who are allergic to bee stings and may require hospitalization should they be stung. The garden might also be liable if visitors are stung.
There will be a full membership vote by phone and email next week. Carly will be happy to answer questions related to bees over e-mail.
7A. Other options related to bees are (a) keeping “stingless” bees that can bite (akin to a mosquito-bite) and don’t yield honey but may attract mud-wasps which sting and (b) helping with a City of NY Dept. of Parks and Recreations study of honey-bees that offers 6 native flowering plants (free) and instructions on how to observe and report honey-bee activity for an ongoing study on the catastrophic decline of European honey-bee populations in the United States. These options will also be on the ballot.
8. Work was done on tree-pits, the West Garden lawn and paths, replacing the sides of member beds.
9. Florice Peterkin has been the telephone crew for years without a break and deserves a break. Susan Bernofsky will replace her.
10. Frank Grech will work on the gazebo in a couple of weeks.