Sunshine Community Gardens

Presiding Officer- Jeff Monks

Minutes recorded- Polly Porter

Members Present- Jim Willmann, Lori Dobbin, Carol Limaye, Randy Thompson and Bill Cason

Jeff - TSBVI storage rule, status of cleanup.
Jeff- Front gate sign for emergency contact. Jeff has reached out to TSBVI security with no response
Jeff- Provide estimated costs for garden weather station.
Jeff- Coordinate brochure change suggestions.
Plant Sale
- Randy- Discuss Master Gardeners table with Ila.
- Jeff- Order compost.
- Randy- find a tomato expert to take over when he leaves at 11 (day of sale).
- Carol - will look for a way to get volunteers through local organizations- key club, Dell, etc.
- Randy- Find volunteers to 1) manage vendors 2) man a table to hold plants for shoppers and answer garden questions 3) stand at the gate from 7- 8:30.
- All- Should we require 2 hours of spring service hours to be related to the plant sale?
- Should we look at an app to manage the silent auction? It will most likely increase sales.
Jim- Update on tool shed project.
Financials - Carol
- Consider hiring a part time CPA that specializes in non-profits.
- Put all previous financial reports in Evernote.
- Prepare a simplified version of five-year plan options for all hands meeting in May.
??- Add a sign in the bathrooms to not flush paper towels.

What do to with Nancy's 2 plots

Nancy is leaving the garden and has 2 full plots next to the driveway and 3 sides of common paths.
- Nancy wants the Martha Gonzalez Rose bush. Jim will handle digging this up.
Suggestion 1:
- Convert to garden area for gardeners who would like to continue to garden but who cannot manage all aspects of a regular plot due to age or health condition
- How to determine who uses it:
  - Use the honor system to see who qualifies.
  - Advertise and see who is interested.
- The only thing the gardener would have to do is plant.
- Paths and borders would be maintained by volunteers.
- Raised beds would be good for someone with back or balance problems.
- If we do this, we should consider a single zone coordinator for these types of special plots that includes existing raised beds.
- Cons
  - It is may be difficult to get volunteers to maintain the paths and borders. It takes time to maintain the weeds.
  - Most gardeners with these types of issues have worked it out on their own so they can garden.
Suggestion 2
- Make it one full plot and 2 half plots.
For now, start cleaning the 2 plots and decide what to do in the next board meeting.

Plot Assignment role

Kay would like to continue to use her excel method for now. The database solution does not meet all her needs. Jeff will discuss with Sharon.
Kay will work with Bill to send the Excel document to Evernote weekly so we have a backup.
Issues with current system
- All the knowledge resides with Kay.
- The only way to see where someone is on the waiting list is to check with Kay.
- It very time consuming.
Long term we should consider how to give Kay some relief.
- Have a volunteer to assist.
- Have someone shadow Kay to learn her system so Kay can take time off.

Plot Report

There are about 65 people on the waiting. This does not include people that signed up through the database.
There is a high demand for 1/4 or 1/2 plots.

Plant sale

Jeff is ordering compost.
We need 3 new tarps for compost. Bill will buy at Costco.
We will not use mushroom compost.
Boy Scouts can setup outside the garden for sales except for Dillo Dirt.
Need someone to sit at Sunshine information desk.
Need someone to stand at the gate from 7-8:30
Gabriel valley sent pictures of the peppers and they look good.
They are trying to make tomatoes shorter and stockier so they are planting later.
Everything is OK with cash management.
That are phone apps for silent auctions we might want to look at.

Financials

We are on target with budget
Mushroom compost sale / cost - 601.95. Sales to date - 587.50.
Dues Report
- 3 new gardeners have not yet paid
- 25 returning gardeners have not yet paid.

Calendar