Dias Y Flores Community Garden

Minutes March 10 Meeting

Apr 11, 2005

DIAS Y FLORES MONTHLY MEETING 3-10-05

Members present: Harvi, Stella, Leslie, Carolyn, Fran, Clover, Terry

Harvi proposed a structure around the callary pear tree: we are going to
look at the tree to discuss and ask experts.

RITES OF SPRING PARADE is May 21st (rain date May 22nd); workshops on
puppetry and costumes are progressing now (they started in Jan?). We
usually offer the parade members/musicians refreshments at Dias Y Flores;
we would love some more volunteers the day of the parade -- clean up,
food prep, photographers, greeters, etc.

Oliver Mayer, the playwright of "Dias Y Flores" will do a staged reading
in the garden late May ( and then at the Labyrinth Theatre/the Public).
We will post info on this on the bulletin board.

Carolyn picked up the free seeds from GreenThumb; they will be in the
tool shed with 2 starter kits for everyone to take some.

Stella reported on the budget workshops she attended through Committee
for NYC. Leslie and Fran also reported on the workshops they attended.
We discussed some of the structures of Dias Y Flores that we would like
to change: the lack of participation by the majority of our members: some
community gardens have it in their contract with a gardener to serve on a
sub-committee or to participate for many more hours than Dias Y Flores
presently requires. Our biggest immediate issue is a minutes
taker/secretary for our monthly meetings. Do we need to include this in
our contract?

The Grants Workshops covered issues about finding grant money, judging
outcomes, picking realistic goals, our data collection methods. We
discussed goals for Dias Y Flores: to increase participating members.
One big issue we have is keeping the garden gates open for our required
10 hours a week; can we form committees to be monthly team leaders?
Should we have a form letter when someone does not follow through on
his/her committment, or has left early? We need ways to share the
responsibility, ways to enforce each member's obligations (or throw them
out).

We looked over the seedling/perennials order form from Council on the
Environment; if the grant to cover our costs does not come through, can
we cover it in our sales?

Leslie reported on Loisaida Inc., a group that works with youth on the
Lower East Side, and how we can work with them on some of our programs.
Our offerings would be Gung Fu taught by Sheldon; a literacy program that
Terry would help us set up; an herbology program with Annie Chadwick, who
has given workshops in our garden in the past.

THANK YOU to Harvi and Bob for snow shoveling all winter!

AGENDA for next meeting: planning the paperwork for our Mandatory May
meeting; planning the May 14th Stoop Sale/Plant Sale/Community Outreach;
early sign-up for the open hours schedule. Further discussion on issues
brought up tonight; possible report on success or failure of grant
applications.

NEXT MEETING APRIL 14TH, 2005, THURSDAY, 6:30 PM in GARDEN
(or at Ole Devil Moon on 12th Street if it's too cold)