Community Garden Space Request at Melissa Penfield Park
Doug Butdorf
Thank you for taking the time to help us find available public space
to grow our Plattsburgh Community Garden! I appreciate your efforts
and the efforts of other city department employees like the Mike
Brodi, Rick Perry and Kevin Farrington to help us clarify information
and better understand the issues associated to our request for garden
space. Interest from each of you in the success of this program and
your collective creative thinking about ways to move it forward in the
most cost effective and least intrusive way is greatly appreciated.
As we've discussed, the Plattsburgh Community Garden Group would like
to develop and run an on-going allotment style community garden
program on the property owned by the city within the grounds of the
Melissa Penfield Park (see attached map for clarity on location).
This is a change from our previous planning, whereby we were seeking
zoning changes to allow us right to use land situated on PSCD land at
Bailey Ave School or other land as a community garden.
We've made this change in planning because through the work of the
city's team, we learned that the Bailey Ave School location has very
difficult access to water, parking issues and we've discovered that
some of the neighbors directly bordering the location felt that the
space was better utilized as open space, rather than cultivated as a
garden.
As such, we would like to partner with the Department of Recreation to
run an allotment style garden on land at Melissa Penfield Park. In
similar fashion to the way the Little League administers youth
athletics on city property, the Plattsburgh Community Garden Group
will administer the plot gardens, coordinate activities of the
gardeners and collect garden plot fees. The Plattsburgh Community
Garden Group will pay the City of Plattsburgh for the use of water at
the site from plot fee proceeds. The Plattsburgh Community Garden
Group is a not-for-profit organization that exists to create an
allotment style community garden/s that will build community, provide
an enjoyable and safe place to grow crops, gather as friends, and
learn the techniques of successful gardening.
Our initial plan will be to divide the area into individual plots
(size is yet to be determined) and assign those plots via a lottery
selection on May 4th. Our goal will be to provide a plot for every
person or entity that completes an application and pays the plot fee
by the deadline of May 4th. We hope to plant our gardens Memorial
Weekend (May 23 and 24).
There are some specific items needed to prepare the site for
gardening, which I've outlined here:
1) Tap & Meter the underground water line running near the plot area
(see attached map)
2) strip sod in 125' long x 23' wide swaths - re-use sod in needed
locations around city (DPW / Rec Dept)
3) Provision of approx. 2 inches of organic soil amendment (compost)
4) Roto-til amendment and soil together
The Plattsburgh Community Garden Group is prepared to do each of the
items above at our own cost through volunteer efforts and donations,
however, we seek the assistance of the Depts of Recreation, Water or
Public Works in assistance, if possible.
In addition to the items above, the Plattsburgh Community Garden Group
seeks the following from the city:
1) Listing on the city's web site and the Dept of Recreation's web
site and mailing with City Chamberlain's bill with plot sign-up
information
2) waiver of waste water treatment fee in water bill since our water
won't be connected to a waste water drain
3) Clarity on the need for liability insurance coverage
4) Permission to place small skid bottom garden / tool shed on
property near garden
5) Permission to erect permanent (two post 6' tall 6' wide approx)
sign identifying the garden, outlining rules and posting information
6) Permission to erect growing season plot fences (temporary and
removed at end of season) as growth trellis (beans, squash, etc) and
plot protection
We would appreciate a response as soon as possible, as we will need
time to work together to prepare the land for gardening soon. The
Plattsburgh Community Garden Group is next meeting on April 13th, at
which time we will have completed our plot diagram finalizing the plot
lay-outs and sizes. At our meeting, we expect to receive more
applications for garden plots (in addition to the 15 we have now).
For community out-reach, we will be seeking plot gardener applications
at the Earth Day celebrations both at the Farmers' Market building and
at the Champlain Center Mall during the weekend of April 25-26. Our
best estimate is that we will need approx 50 garden plots to fulfill
the desire of the community for garden space.
On May 4th, we will hold an important annual meeting to assign plot
locations and collect plot payments. We MUST have the plots outlined
and ready for gardening by that date.
Thank you!
Doug Butdorf
Doug Butdorf
Thank you for your note, I'm sure you are not alone in your
considerations. Please remember that starting a community garden is
most difficult and the most expensive part. Maintaining it for years
and years is much simpler and costs much less. The Plattsburgh
Community Garden Group is already undertaking fund raising efforts to
cover the costs of getting the garden up and running. We expect
annual plot fee revenue to be approx $750. In addition, we've
received donations of $250 to date and are working hard to gain
further donations of money and materials every day and through some
exciting fund raising events.
We would like the support of the city to help us move forward, but
also understand that the city needs to spend tax-payer funds wisely.
We feel that providing a garden location and access to water is a very
wise use of a relatively small amount of tax-payer money that will
benefit numerous city residents for years to come.
Here below I address your specific concerns:
1) City Residents First. I'm confident that we can make plots
available to city residents first, if that is the direction that is
requested by the city. I've numbered all the applications I've
received to date and can identify the applicant as city/non-city as
well.
- Our initial plan is for approx 30 plots, but we can add more (this
year and next) if demand is high - we want to remain flexible to the
needs of the community. It would be nice not to have to turn away
anyone seeking a few feet of soil to grow food. From our initial
drawings, the area could support up to 90 plots at 15' x 15' in size
depending on layout. We will probably choose to start with 10' x 10'
plots in the first year, adding larger plots or double plots for
ambitious gardeners in subsequent years.
2) Our deadline for application is May 4th. This should remain our
deadline for residents and non-residents as long as the applications
are numbered and identified as resident / non-resident and numbered.
3) Our biggest start-up cost is in gaining access to water. We
abandoned our interest in the land on the PCSD property because access
to water came at too high a cost among other issues. This Melissa
Penfield Park location, however, is situated very near an underground
water line that is buried under dirt only. Tapping it will be
significantly easier and less costly than the PCSD location where road
construction was needed to tap the line.
- We need input from the water department on the specifics of
tapping, metering and putting a spigot on the line.
- The Plattsburgh Community Garden Group is prepared to raise the
funds or seek in kind donation of materials and labor to do this work
if the city is not willing.
If we can get a cost estimate from the Water department on tapping the
line for use by the garden, would that be the information you need to
make a decision on the specifics of the city's support of the
community garden?
Also consider allowing the Plattsburgh Community Garden Group to pay
the city for the labor and materials of tapping and metering the line
over two years, in addition to metered water fees. Or consider some
combination of donated labor / materials and city effort to get the
job done.
Thank you,
Doug Butdorf
--
Doug Butdorf
Plattsburgh Community Garden Group
http://www.PlattsburghCommunityGarden.org
dbut...@gmail.com
518-3141390 - desk
On Apr 4, 2009, at 11:06 AM, ger...@verizon.net wrote:
>
> Doug,
>
> Mike Kelly has requested I send you my concerns on the Community
> Garden as in my email to Mike Kelly. For example, if there are
>
> 30 plots available and 30 city residents apply, all 30 residents
> should get the plots vs outside the city residents who apply for the
> same plots.
>
> A time period to apply, but if after the time period is up and there
> are still available plots, then residents outside the City are
> considered.
>
> Also , as below , I would like to know what the City Taxpayer cost
> will be...material and labor... Are we talking $2,000. or $10,000
> to assist in
>
> the garden ? If it is $10,000 I would not be in favor or the
> Community Garden. In your email there are several tasks that are up
> in the air as to
>
> whether it is volunteers or the City Workers (and materials)
> involved, I believe this needs to be addressed with Costs (if the
> City is doing the work).
>
> Thanks for your email and outline of the items to be considered.
> George E. Rabideau
>
>
> -------- Begin forwarded message --------
> Subject: Re: Community Garden Space Request at Melissa Penfield Park
> Date: 4/4/2009 9:20:39 AM
> From: mike...@progressforplattsburgh.com
> To: George Rabideau <ger...@verizon.net>
>
> George, you are right on these issues. Would you mind finding Doug
> Butdorf's original message and replying to all? Your thoughts are
> right on, and everyone needs to see them, especially the one about
> city residents getting first dibs. Thanks and enjoy your weekend.
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ger...@verizon.net
>
> Date: Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:35:44
> To: Mike Kelly<mike...@progressforplattsburgh.com>
> Subject: FW: Community Garden Space Request at Melissa Penfield Park
>
>
> Mike,
>
> I will be concerned as to How much it will cost the taxpayers for the
> water hook up (parts and labor) and also that City Residents will have
>
> Preference on the plots (as it will be City Taxpayers money and Labor
> on the project)......
>
> -------- Begin forwarded message --------
> Subject: Community Garden Space Request at Melissa Penfield Park
> Date: 4/3/2009 2:19:54 PM
> From: Doug Butdorf <dbut...@gmail.com>
> To: Steve Peters <pet...@cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov>
> CC: Jim Calnon <jca...@westelcom.com>, Councilor Mike Kelly
> <mike...@progressforplattsburgh.com>, Amy Valentine
> <imagi...@westelcom.com>, Councilor George Rabideau
> <ger...@verizon.net>, Councilor Tim Carpenter <tc...@verizon.net>,
> Rick
> Perry <per...@cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov>, Kevin Farrington
> <kfarr...@cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov>, Mike Brodi
> <bro...@cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov>, Donny Kasprzak
> <ma...@cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov>, Kristie Kagan
> <kka...@cityofplattsburgh-ny.gov>, Clute Esq. Esq. <jo...@cctlaw.com>,
> plattsburghco...@googlegroups.com
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> --
> Doug Butdorf
> Plattsburgh Community Garden Group
> http://PlattsburghCommunityGarden.org
> dbut...@gmail.com
> 518-314-1390 - desk