Benton
Park Garden Committee
Meeting Agenda and Notes
Feb 22, 2007
Agenda
2-22-07 English Cave
Community Garden meeting…At Marian Amies, 1960 Arsenal, 771-9880
AGENDA DISCUSSION ITEMS
1.)
Review of next 2 garden work days
(3-10 and 3-17).
2.) Review of individual garden plots rules and
signers.
3.) Gateway Greening update
4.) Artistic Integration
5.) English Cave interpretation and long term plan.
6.) Fundraising, donations, special events and media
7.) Review of the Frazer’s Mardi Gras Fundraiser
8.) Review of 4 Seasons Leadership Sharing
9.) (your agenda item)
10.) Next meeting(s) date-
At Marian’s:
In Garden:
Notes
02.22.07 meeting
minutes of community garden at Benton Park 7 pm
1960 arsenal
storefront submitted by Marian Amies
Attending: Marian
Amies; John Doggette; Karen Doggette; Nancy Galvin; Dan Guenther;
Beth Heine; Bob LaRouche: Chris Rowley; (regrets from Bill Kranz due
to being ill, Daven Schanche and Lisa Watson due to being in CA).
Review of garden plan, workdays and garden plot sign up and
rules.
The committee reviewed requested revisions to the previous draft of
2.6.07, mainly for accessibility of tilling equipment and to
facilitate the rotation of crops in the community garden areas, also
to ensure the fire pit is well away from the tree areas. The revised
plan is attached to these minutes. Two work days have been scheduled
on Saturday March 10 and 17 starting at noon. Marian agreed to
provide refreshments for the team. Sign up sheets to volunteer to
work on these days would be available at the March 6 neighborhood
meeting. The goals for the work days are to complete the paths on
the whole community garden area, to delineate the paths between the
individual gardens and to start some plantings. Dan proposed that
the committee spend $100 of the current garden money available to
buy what people involved in the garden would like to have. He
proposed that a sign up sheet be available to the working group on
March 10 and the purchases be made in time to plant on the March 17
workday.
10 individual plots have been signed for and the sign up sheet will
be passed round again at the next neighborhood meeting. John
Doggette also said he could lend help with a small rotor tiller that
he owns.
There was considerable discussion about the garden rules
namely, investigating the use of organic only pesticides and the
careful spraying of just the fruit trees when the risk of wind
transfer would be negligible. Some rules that will be incorporated
would be that the first year individual plots would be free with
consideration of a fee of $30 for each subsequent year to cover
garden maintenance needs; the need for gardeners to respect others’
plots; tall plants to be limited to all outside plots; no plants
that will overshadow anyone else’s plot. Each plot recipient’s
responsibility is one mowing per year; one hour of weeding per year
on other neighborhood marker planting beds located throughout the
whole Benton Park Neighborhood; one to two hours per year on the
Gateway Greening volunteer requirement for their granting assistance
with the English Cave Community Garden. It was decided that at each
garden meeting on the last Thursday of the month, the committee
would devote ten minutes to weeding the community garden plots.
Businesses by the neighborhood marker gardens would be encouraged to
sponsor the garden by maintaining it. i.e. Niche Cafe, Lovey Doveys,
Hodaks and the entrance marker to Sidney Street. Chris Rowley said
he maintained this garden on his own all last summer. Marian said
that Ella Brown, Marion Smith and Liz Oldham had all contributed
maintenance to the neighborhood marker garden by Hodaks.
Chris
Rowley would like to teach canning classes when the harvest of the
garden is available.
Several members of the
committee feel it would be a good idea to have a security camera on
the garden especially when it is developing further and when the
gazebo is in place.
Gateway Greening Grant
They have awarded a grant to the English Cave Community Garden; Bill
Kranz one of the grant writers will attend the award ceremony at
Ridgeway center on February 24 and at that time Bill will be
informed of the types of help Gateway Greening will be giving to the
garden. Bill will report on this after the event. Marian will find
out the date for the Great Perennial Divide at the Gateway Greening
Bell Garden and what categories of perennials will be available for
the Benton Park garden.
Artistic Integration, English Cave Interpretation and Long Term
Plan.
The group agreed that garden activities, items in the garden,
signage etc. be in the context of the rich history of the
neighborhood and in the spirit of the original use of the garden
land itself. Bob LaRouche suggested that the motif from the
strolling bridge over the reflecting pools be used as a motif and
Marian said she would research typefaces and styles of border
treatments dating back to 1826 when Ezra English was running the St.
Louis Brewery down in English Cave located beneath the Community
Garden. There was also discussion of the integration of the garden
activities and the park activities to keep alive the rich history by
considering this in the naming of various events at the park and
garden sites, i.e. the Mammoth Cave and Park underground venture
started by English and McHose in the 1840’s. Events could become
unique to Benton Park because of this rich history and would
integrate our activities and efforts to cohese the park, garden and
neighborhood efforts in the future such as reviving the Benton Park
Arts Festival in the Park and carrying on where the original artists
had left the festival. We could ask Sarah Linquist and Robert
Fishbone, founders of the original Benton Park Arts Council to be a
resource because they are still living in the St. Louis area.
Fundraising, Special Events etc.
Nancy Galvin said that at Fraziers’ Mardi Gras event to benefit the
community garden, a gentlemen had approached neighborhood
association workers offering to create a blues festival fundraiser
in Benton Park. Marian pointed out that this would tie into the
original use of the grotto area in the park where jazz bands played
in the entrance to the cave during the 1930’s. Large tents could be
erected to deal with possible inclement weather and the festival
could be sited near the area of the original jazz concerts. Nancy
said she would follow up to find out more about the jazz festival
promoter’s ideas for the event and get back with the group.
The garden currently
has proceeds of $1060, ($500 from the neighborhood association, $500
from the Mardi Gras Fraziers event and $60 donation from Bob and
Sandy LaRouche). Frazier has said he would like to offer another
benefit event when the Venice Cafe and Fraziers have a street fair
in late summer. The committee agreed it would be fair to have
Fraziers event slated again as a benefit for the garden because the
whole neighborhood group would be participating in larger festivals
and be able to receive funds from the proceeds of these other yearly
festivals. The group also suggested asking sponsors to consider
memorial plaques on garden benches.
Sharing the garden leadership
The committee agreed that it would be good for each garden leader to
present a report to the neighborhood meeting during their term of
leadership as this would reinforce the message to the neighborhood
association that this truly is a community garden being run in the
spirit of community. Bob asked that Sandy be briefed so that she
would be ready to report at the next neighborhood meeting. Beth
suggested that the terms be named for the equinoxes and tie them to
vernal garden themes rather than put emphasis on the widely known
commercial holidays.
Other Business
Plot owners could choose if they want raised beds or not. Sundial
for the garden. Tie holidays and events to holistic family events
rather than just children’s events. Make parties for both the adults
and the children. The next meeting would be held on Thursday March
29 at 7 pm (weeding ten minutes earlier) in the garden if the
weather is good or at 1960 Arsenal St. storefront if it is cold
and/or rainy.
The meeting adjourned
at 8.45 pm.
Follow-Up
Dear Garden Friends:
There are still 8
plots available. Please regard the following list as the latest
update for available plots on 3.4.07
1. Carol Brayton
2. Ron Turnbough
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. Nancy Galvin
8. Dan Guenther
9..
10.
11. Karen Finley
12. John and Karen Doggett
13. Bob LaRouche
14. Lisa Watson
15.
16. Beth Heine
17. Chris Rowley
18.
19. Lynn Beauchaine and Anna Littlefield
20. Daven Schanche
21. Marian Amies
22. Bill Kranz
Please let us know by phone (314.771.9880) if you want a plot
assigned before the meeting on March 6.
Last updated:
Friday, November 14, 2008
