IMPORTANT: Reporting Issues and Concerns at the SDF Community Garden

[St Davids Foundation Community Garden]

Hi Gardeners, 

Other the last several weeks, we have had several threads on Google groups about issues that we are having with non-gardeners and property at the garden: 

• Unhoused people staying at the garden
• Visitors using garden property and water without permission
• Missing items and tools
• Trash and vandalism 
• Concerns about safety and security of people 

I've been proud of how we've handled some of these situations as a Community and I attribute our value setting work at the annual meeting to helping keep us aligned. 

While we want to be welcoming and open to the public, we also need to make sure visitors are following Austin city ordinances and laws. If you personally observe any illegal activity falling into any of the categories above, you need to call 911 and report it to the city police department. This is necessary because the only way we're going to get more support with patrols and city resources is to show that we need help. We'll also do what we can as a community to increase our signs and communication. The city looks at 911 records as one of the primary sources of data of where communities need help. 

I also can't take personal responsibility for resolving all these issues. While I'm grateful for the leadership you've allowed me to serve, my time and energy is limited.

We'll continue to discuss and make plans in our garden meetings. Soon, we also will have a better online forum created (more info coming soon) so we can have discussions with a more flexible tool than Google Groups messages and emails. 

Thanks, 

Corey 

 

[Contact M]

It might be time to set up an eventbrite to invite the public to quarterly community events that involve volunteer opportunities, fundraising, & event planning. In many communities around the nation, people use a community garden park for pumpkin patches, festival lights, market days, and community parties. Community residents should be invited to a digital chore list to sign up and sign off on a task. Community residents who want to help without a membership can be assigned something to do like trash and litter removal, maintaining unassigned areas, and spreading the story of the garden: the beekeepers story, the chicken coop story, the pollinator garden story. Garden tours and meeting the gardeners could coincide with meeting dates quarterly.

And most of all, we may need eventbrite scheduled harvest days for garden members to share produce and seed with each other and with garden visitors. It may bother many onlookers how much food rots on the vine in our garden, thus the unauthorized harvesting. Few may understand that gardeners are letting plants go to seed to be able to turn one plant into tens of plants, by replanting the seeds next growing season, such as our okra and beans. 

It will take the public to help plan our seasonal events, and to help us in the garden. 

The public will need to know what to do and what not to do. 

I also agree that we need locks, on spigots & everything, like every community garden in the city already does. The garden may need hours of operation and restricted access, access only allowed to garden members outside of the hours of operation.

If any and everyone wants to help with upkeep and maintenance, let them. The guidance should be simple and direct. The restrictions should be well known through signage, digital methods, and in-person events.

We may need a map to the other nice area across the creek, so families will know all the areas where to take their kids. 

It's exciting to see so much interest in the garden, which means there is no better time than now to engage and educate the public on how to help, care for and grow the garden.

Nieko

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[rowell.james]

9-1-1 should really only be used for emergencies. All politics aside, calling 9-1-1 for non-emergencies puts an undue burden on 9-1-1 operators and other first responders, slows down their response time, and makes it harder for them to dedicate resources to true emergencies.

From the City of Austin:

Call 9-1-1 immediately if the situation involves:

• An immediate danger to life or property

• A fire

• A crime in progress

• A medical emergency

• Someone needing mental health services

If you do not have an immediate emergency but still need assistance there are several resources available:

• Dial 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000

• or visit ireportaustin.com

For folks needing immediate mental health services, you can always call Integral Care's 24/7 Crisis Line as an alternative to 9-1-1: Call 512-472-HELP (4357).

Source: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/make-right-call-use-9-1-1-emergencies