Meeting Minutes May 14, 2011

June 1, 2011
by garden
2 min read

West 104th Street Community Garden

Garden Meeting/Work Day
Saturday, May 14, 2011

The members present voted in favor of authorizing a payment of $375 for labor costs to repaint the fence in the front of the east garden.

Ariel Behr reported that she had drafted rules for private events in the garden that correspond with the views expressed by members at the last meeting. In particular, the draft rules will require a $50 refundable deposit for events from members, and a $75 deposit from non-members, $50 of which will be refundable. Ariel will work with Kim Maitland to finalize the draft rules and event application process.

A member of the Citizens’ Committee for New York City appeared and presented a check for $290 to the Garden, which represents the proceeds of a grant for the community composting program.

The Port O San has been installed in the East Garden for the season. Melissa Glowski, the GT co-ordinator, explained that the application did not offer the option of requesting a wheelchair accessible toilet this year and none were available.

Melissa said that she has been following up with the City to get the damaged tree branch in the west garden removed and to deal with the retaining walls in the east garden.

Janice Vrana has stepped down as the contact for Farming Concrete. Barbara Garson volunteered to take on the assignment.

Members were reminded to remove pots from the east garden; in particular, the pots on the stage in the east garden should be removed.

Members who were present voted to keep in place the plastic and metal flamingos that are in the communal flower bed that runs along the front fence. All other personal items must be removed from community beds.

The water barrels in the east garden will be moved next to the Port O San to relieve the pressure on the retaining wall.

The DEBNA Plant a Thon on May 15 was announced, as was an electronics recycling event on May 21. (See previous news item for details).

A musician will perform in the Garden on June 21 as Part of Make Music New York. Kristen will provide further details.

The next garden workday is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15 from 6-8pm.

No Smoking Law in Effect in City Parks

May 23, 2011
by garden
2 min read

A note from Larry Scott Blackmon, Deputy Commissioner for Community Outreach. Since our garden is governed by NYC Park rules, the no smoking rule also applies to all areas within our garden.

Dear Friends,

Today is the day that the law banning smoking within New York City’s parks, beaches, and pedestrian plazas goes into effect and smoking is now prohibited on Park’s property.

It is very important that our partners and friends take the lead and set an example for New Yorkers by following this new law and refraining from smoking on Parks property.

You’ll note that smoking will still be allowed on sidewalks outside parks, including the sidewalks that form the perimeter of parks and in the parking lots of all Parks properties. We expect that the new law will be enforced mostly by New Yorkers themselves, who will ask people to follow the law and stop smoking. However, those who violate the new law could receive a $50 ticket.

We have posted signs throughout our properties and provided information on how to quit smoking to those who need it. We encourage anyone who wants to quit smoking to call 311 or 866-NYQUITS, or visit nysmokefree.com.

We work hard to ensure that tens of millions of people—New Yorkers and visitors alike—enjoy our public parks year round, and we hope this new law ensures an even healthier and cleaner experience at our parks and beaches.

Please help us spread the word by sharing this information with your neighbors. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to call my office at (212) 360-3484.

Sincerely,

Larry Scott Blackmon
Deputy Commissioner for Community Outreach

COMPUTER & ELECTRONICS RECYCLING EVENT

May 13, 2011
by garden
2 min read

Upper West Side Recycling Center/Columbus-Amsterdam BID*

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. (rain or shine)

Where: Amsterdam Avenue & 110th Street (south side)

The following items will be accepted:
* Working and non-working computers (laptops & desktops)
* Peripherals: monitors, printers, keyboards, mice, cables, etc.
* TVs, stereo equipment, VCRs, DVD players, cable receivers, etc.
* Cell and wall phones
* Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) – no long bulbs, please
* Flashlight-type batteries (AA, D, etc.) – please tape the ends
* Textiles (clothing, shoes, blankets, sheets, towels, etc.)

Items not accepted:
Other electronic items including appliances (such as microwaves, toasters, etc.), air conditioners, white goods, carpeting

While electronic devices are safe to use in the home or office, they do pose an environmental risk when improperly discarded. Computers, monitors, and printers have cathode ray tubes, circuit boards, and other electronic components that contain toxic pollutants such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. These electronic items are the fastest growing portion of our waste stream. Although e-waste currently makes up a small percentage of our household garbage, it accounts for about 40% of the toxins in that waste. Recycling helps keep it out of landfills, incinerators and the environment. All collected computers and electronics will go to an EPA-licensed recycler.

For more information please contact:

Columbus-Amsterdam BID: 212-666-9774 or

Upper West Side Recycling: jtwine@synerjy.com

Made possible by We Recycle

* This May 22nd E-Waste Recycling event is part of the 2nd annual Manhattan Valley
Family Days, sponsored by the Columbus-Amsterdam BID. (A second family day will be held on May 15th, from 11 AM to 5 PM.) On these two Sundays, Amsterdam Avenue will be closed to traffic between 106th and 110th Streets for family entertainment and activities for all ages, as well as demonstrations, lessons and games.

Extended Online Registration for 27th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether‏

March 25, 2011
by garden
2 min read

You are invited on Saturday, April 2 to join a thousand community gardeners and greening professionals from all over New York City for a day of learning, sharing, networking and greening inspiration at the 27th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether, taking place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Hostos Community College! Please pass this information out to the rest of your garden group and anyone else who might be interested. This form is also available to download on our website, but you must send payment with the form.

This year’s conference features favorite workshops from past years, as as well as exciting new ones, including many hands on workshops, and new ones for youth gardeners. We are also excited to announce that Joan Dye Gussow, author of Growing, Older: A Chronicle of Death, Life, and Vegetables, will be our keynote speaker.

You can buy tickets online here:

https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/163365

$3 + $1.10 service fee for purchasing tickets online.
Cost covers conference, t-shirt and lunch.

If you do not pre-register, you are not guaranteed lunch or a t-shirt.

The preregistration is extended for online ticket purchase only

Directions
Subway: Hostos is practically on top of the 149th Street and Grand Concourse stop. The 2, 4, 5 trains will get you right there.
Buses: BX 19 or BX 1 bus to 149th Street and Grand Concourse.

More Information

Volunteer Opportunity: Cars and Woodchips

March 22, 2011
by garden
1 min read

Hi gardeners,

We need wood chips to line the paths between beds in the West Garden. We can get these free from Central Park if we pick them up ourselves. With 2 cars and drivers, a stack of garbage bags, and a few more volunteers we can do this in a relatively short time. We know a number of you have cars, but always have trouble getting drivers to volunteer. Please make this the exception! We’ll work with the day and time that is best for you. Anytime before the April 9 workday.

Thanks so much.
Ann Levine
for the Steering Committee

Opening Potluck Brunch: Sun, March 13, 1pm

February 17, 2011
by garden
3 min read

Dear Gardeners,

We are pleased to announce that the opening meeting for the 104th Street Garden will be on Sunday, March 13 at 1:00 pm in the community room at the Schneider Apartments, 11 West 102 Street. This will be a potluck brunch, so please bring something delicious to share if you are able.

We will elect the season’s Steering Committee at this meeting and we would like to encourage garden members to participate. The Steering Committee is the democratically elected governing body of the garden tasked with coordinating the communal workdays, solving small problems as they arise and coordinating member votes on more large-scale proposals. In recent years these have included the decisions to install the rainwater harvesting system and new beds to accommodate a growing membership.

Whether you are a new or a continuing member of the garden, we encourage you to volunteer to run for a post on the Steering Committee. New ideas, fresh perspectives, and energy are healthy additions to the administrative well being of our garden community. Even if you are a long-time member of the garden who has served on the Steering Committee in the past, please consider running for Steering once again. Not only do we ask that you consider the impact your experience with the garden could make, but also to embrace the reality that there are a limited number of members in our community. We must all take a turn on a rotating basis and put in some time to keep our garden functioning so that this community resource nourished by you and others continues to thrive. We need you now.

In addition, Pam Wax is leaving the neighborhood and sadly will not be returning this season. We are enormously grateful for the stellar job Pam has done in coordinating the monitoring schedule, and now we need someone to take up the helm on this task. She is happy to explain the system she has devised for tracking and notification to anyone who will volunteer to take over from her.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact any of the current Steering Committee members listed below.

Sincerely,
W. 104th St Garden Steering Committee (2010 season)

Mary Kelly i.marya@verizon.net 212-807-0266
Nikki Kowalski nikster55@verizon.net 212-665-7897
Ann Levine siswi@aol.com 212-866-3378
Paula McKenzie paulatb2@verizon.net 212-222-6337
Shane Nye shanenye@yahoo.com 510-282-1992
Alan Tenney alan.tenney@gmail.com 212-663-1314
Janice Vrana jvrana@verizon.net 212-749-7875
Marcia Berry (treasurer) xanadu@nyc.rr.com 212-865-8630

Sun Nov 14, Meeting and Potluck Brunch

November 12, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Meeting and Potluck Brunch
This Sunday, Nov. 14
1PM
Schneider Houses
West 102 St., btwn CPW and Manhattan Ave.

THE time to see fellow gardeners before winter sets in.
Bring a favorite dish or beverage to share.
We’ll have applications for the 2011 season. Bring cash or check and sign up now to avoid stamp and mailing. Think about your committee choices and whether you would like to head one of the committees next year, an opportunity to put your inspiration to work.

As an added treat, Green Tumb gave us 100 bulbs. If you’d like some for your bed, bring a bag.

Brief wrap-up meeting after the brunch.

Hope to see you there,
The Steering Committee

PS: WINTER CLEAN UP. Green Thumb delivered a heap of compost this morning, which needs to be distributed through both gardens. Do come out and pitch in. The weather promises to be glorious!

Final Log for Farming Concrete due October 31

October 28, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Hi Folks,

Kindly make you’re final entries to the farming concrete journal by this Sunday, October 31st. The loose leaf and scale can be found in the gazebo. If you wish to estimate harvest amounts after that date, kindly mark it as such on your sheet. The October 31st date was chosen by Farming Concrete. FC has also forwarded a packet with questionnaires for each of us to complete. I’ll leave these in the inside flap of the folder for you to pick up if you have a chance between now and Monday. If you can’t swing by this weekend to pick up the FC questionnaire, I’ll drop it in the mail to you.

Best wishes,
Janice Vrana

Halloween Party – Volunteers needed Oct 30

October 28, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Our Halloween party is this Saturday, the 30th. Thanks to a small crew last Saturday, the decorations are up…but there’s more to do.

We especially need PARENT VOLUNTEERS to organize games, hand out prizes, etc., between 12:30 (set up) and 3:30 (break down).

More donations: If you can’t participate, you can still contribute with donations of CANDY (there’s a bin in the West garden shed) and BAKED GOODS (the morning of the party).

There’s even something for “Halloween grinches”: : a PLANT PICK-UP, by wheel barrow, from La Perla Garden.

Your contribution will make this day a success. Please pitch in!

Volunteers Needed for Halloween +‏

October 19, 2010
by garden
1 min read

Lou Ludyny volunteered to organize our annual Halloween party on Sat. October 30; now he needs our help to make this a success.

Tomorrow @ 1:30: Finish painting the gazebo floor, about ½ hour’s work

Sat. Oct 23, 1-4 PM: Put up Halloween decorations. (The La Perla Garden has been ghoulish for more than a week: we need to catch up!)

DONATE CANDY (container in the garden) and BAKED GOODS, always popular.

Sat. Oct. 30, 1-3 PM: Help set up, run children’s games, sell baked goods, etc. (including clean up)*. Costumes optional for adults.

*Green Guerilla Giveaway the same day. Plants will be delivered to La Perla between 2 and 4 PM. We need volunteers with wheelbarrows to pick up our share (not very hard labor).

With so many opportunities, surely you can pitch in.

Let Lou know what you can do: ; (212) 666-9733

Thanks in advance for your contributions and participation!