RULES AND REGULATIONS
Governance: The garden will be governed by a Steering Committee of no fewer than five members who are elected annually (or term limited) during the Winter recess or at the opening meeting. Major garden decisions influencing the layout, design, planning, and programming of the garden will be decided by the membership by simple majority. The Steering Committee will settle disputes, conduct meetings, and oversee the allotment of individual plots.
GreenThumb: The GreenThumb coordinator and alternate will remain in place until a replacement is required.
Committee Membership: As a member, you must participate actively in at least one (1) garden committee, in addition to working in your own bed. A brief description outlines the primary duties of each committee.
Each committee may have a chair or chairs elected by the committee members on an annual basis. Where no volunteer chair exists, the steering committee may appoint one from within the committee by May 1st of the current year.
Communal Gardens: Only members assigned to the communal beds may plant or remove plants. Others are encouraged to plant and work, provided they contact the Communal Gardens Committee heads. In times of drought, ALL MEMBERS will be asked to help water the lawns and communal gardens.
Monthly meetings/workdays: Members are required to attend meetings/workdays held from March until December. If members cannot attend, they must contact the Steering Committee for individual projects or write to the garden email. Members who do not attend workdays, or who don’t make alternate work plans with SC or committee chairs, could be asked to give up their beds.
Children/minors: All children under 16 must be accompanied by adults while in the garden. Parents are responsible for the actions in the garden of all minors under 18. Children will not be permitted in garden areas when power tools are in use.
Pets: Leashed dogs and other pets, accompanied by their owners, will be permitted if they are neither destructive to property nor hostile to the garden community. Urinating & defecating is not permitted.
Events in the Garden: Special community events will be permitted in the garden with
the consent of the Steering Committee when scheduled in advance.
Grilling: After using the barbecue grill, members are responsible for cleaning the patio area, removing all garbage, thoroughly cleaning all grills and disposing of any ash and leftover briquettes before noon on the following day.
IMPORTANT – Sound levels during events, including barbecuing, MUST be kept to a reasonable (non-disturbing) volume out of respect for the surrounding community
Drinking: Visible alcohol use and/or disorderly conduct are prohibited in the garden.
Theft: Unauthorized picking or pruning another member’s plot may result in immediate loss of membership privileges.
Pesticides: Use of non-organic pesticides and herbicides is not permitted anywhere.
Expenditures: Garden purchases require advance permission by the Steering Committee. Currently all purchases require SC approval.
GOOD MEMBER PRACTICES
Do not:
- Miss your monitoring hours
- Miss more than 3 workdays. (This does not apply if you complete assigned SC/committee chair make-up workday projects)
- Miss attending your committee meetings or fulfilling your committee assignments.
- Interfere with communal beds without explicit permission unless it is your assigned area. This includes planting, transplanting, removing plants, pruning, redrawing borders or any other tampering.
Tampering with another member’s plot without their explicit permission may lead to immediate revocation of membership for one year.
COMMITTEE DESCRIPTIONS
| Committee | Description |
|---|---|
| Cat Committee | Care & daily feeding of garden catsDescription |
| Coordinator & Liaison | Collate and distribute membership lists to committee heads. Liaison. |
| Communal Flower Beds | Plant, water and weed communal beds in East or West garden. These beds are assigned. |
| Compost | Maintain the composting systems and instruct members regarding acceptable practices. |
| Events | Plan, publicize, and coordinate all events in the garden including flea markets, children’s events, holiday parties, and music performances. Liaison with Make Music New York. We encourage all members to volunteer on a “per event” basis. |
| Fundraising / Grant Writing | Research and draft applications for suitable grant opportunities, develop and/or implement fundraising events in coordination with the Social Media Committee. |
| Herb Garden | Assist with planting, watering, weeding, plant sales & related events. |
| Lawn Care | • Mow, weed, water, rake, reseed as necessary lawns. • Trim edges. • Maintain mowers, weed trimmer & other relevant tools. |
| Maintenance & Repairs | Repair and maintain beds frames, furniture, garden buildings. |
| Membership Coordinator | • Process membership applications and dues. • Assign plots. • Communicate with new members. • Maintain the garden roster. |
| Monitor Coordinator | • Organize and oversee monitoring hours and reminders. • Maintain a monitor calendar. • Check to see that members are honoring their monitoring hours. |
| Rat Prevention | Assist with projects having to do with rat control. |
| Rose Arbor | Prune, feed, weed, and water rose garden (West Garden). |
| Snow Removal | Shovel snow and salt sidewalks during snowy weather. |
| Social Media & Website | Create content and maintain the Garden’s social media accounts. Coordinate with the Fundraising and Events committees where appropriate. |
| Trash Collection | • Bag all trash & recycling, put bags & bundles on the sidewalk for pick up on appropriate days. • Assure bags are available & organized in the sheds. |
| Treasurer | Manage garden receipts, deposits, payments & budget. |
| Tree Pits & Sidewalk | • Plant and maintain tree pits and front of the garden, regularly sweep & clear away trash that accumulates in the pits and along the fences. • Coordinate annual spring bulb planting. |
| Water Collection – Barrels / Cisterns / Hydrants | • Fill barrels on an as-needed basis during the growing season. We encourage all members to volunteer for this task at least once a year. • Maintain hoses and equipment. Contact necessary parties re: hydrant & cistern maintenance. |
Requirements for Community Garden Membership:
- Every gardener must fulfill at least 2 monitoring shifts (3 hours each) scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays. Open hours are required to maintain the garden’s GreenThumb license.
- Every gardener is required to attend workdays and be active in at least 1 committee.
- Serving on the Steering Committee, as the Membership Coordinator, Monitor Coordinator, Webmaster, or Treasurer, counts towards fulfillment.
- Every gardener is asked to pitch in on developing and maintaining the community garden. If you are physically able, you may help with simple construction, routine cleanup, and planting. If you are not physically able, we ask you to help with administrative duties, light setup for events, etc.
- To receive and/or keep an individual bed, you must actively participate by attending general meetings, participate in garden votes, support garden activities & maintain your plot. This also applies to managing a communal bed.
Committee Notes:
- Indicate at least one committee choice, in order of preference.
- If a committee gets over-subscribed, active-long-term members will be given preference and you may be asked to select another preference.
- Committees will meet at the beginning of the working season. The head of each committee will work with members to set up committee schedules.