January 2014
Minutes Date
1. Call to Order – 7:00pm
2. Sign in and Introductions
3. Treasurer Report – Balance has not changed: 1,415.71
4. Announcements
(a) House for Rent – 938 N. Alder. Two bedroom, one bathroom. Fenced yard, pets ok. $550-$600 mo + utilities. Call Paul or Casey. (520) 624-6969
(b) Church or 10th & 4th is being renovated, may be interested in Trees for Tucson (fruit trees) for church parcel and for parcel adjacent to TEP substation.
(c) Trains – Questions concerning dangerous cargo.
(d) DNARC – Karen Greene has been attending for DSNA. 6th St. should be fully opened by end of January. The design phase is 75 percent complete.
(e) Right of ways – Discussion on how to make the right of ways more pedestrian and bike friendly was introduced. More discussion will occur on this topic at the February meeting.
5. Discussion
(a) Corner of Stone and Speedway – No letter to Regina Romero’s office as QT will not be moving forward as City knows DSNA does not want that use there. Need for a visioning of that corner, as well as a possible new neighborhood plan. Future possible uses mentioned included expansion for PCC, a permanent farmers market, a new space for businesses demolished by the links project.
(b) Cesar Chavez Holiday – Vote unanimously passed to for DSNA to endorse the City of Tucson in establishing a fixed holiday for Cesar Chavez.
(c) C2E Grant – Questions over when the grant would be posted and the grant deadlines were discussed. Claire Zugmeyer will find out when the dates for the grant are and will pass them onto Sky Jacobs. A sign-up sheet for the grant was passed around. Ideas included work on 1st street, a berm to move water into the garden on University, and plants for replacement. More discussion and work needed in separate C2E grant writing team. Brad Lancaster has list of people willing to work on grant, in various forms.
(d) Reimburse Ezra Roati for anti-pigeon supplies for ramada structure at community garden – Vote passed unanimously to reimburse Ezra Roati for $305.67.
(e) Reimburse Sky Jacobs for website costs (domain and hosting) - Vote passed unanimously to reimburse Sky Jacobs for $60.00. The 60 dollars will cover domain and hosting until the end of 2015.
(f) Reimburse Brad Lancaster for signs for the Community Garden and for a sign at the fish sculpture and for the Street Mural. Vote passed unanimously to reimburse Brad Lancaster for $130.31
(g) Reimburse the Dunbar Coalition for debt owed on Community Garden water bills (leaks) – several have donated to defray the costs. Vote passed unanimously to reimburse the Dunbar Coalition for $190.00. Questions arose about costs and how to lower them. A suggestion to for a self-read meter was discussed and will be looked into.
(h) Garden Visioning – Quoted from Deborah Tigue
Meeting and potluck Friday Jan. 24, 2014
Attending: Deborah, Izetta, Vince, Terry, Harrison, and 3 new neighbors, on their 3rd day in Tucson
Discussions
Security
perhaps the garden should be gated and locked? this year incursions have not been as bad as they used to be. in the past 12 - 15 years we have seen cycles of aggressive camping, littering, defecation, smoking and other behaviors that aren't appropriate near children and produce. If it isn't a problem now that doesn't mean it won't cycle back again. Water
the bill is still owed. There is a handwritten statement for last year of what was billed and what Dunbar paid, which is not very clear. Terry is willing to continue being the bank account person, although she would welcome an assistant, or co-signor. Nobody has been able to explain the relationship to Dunbar. Why do we share a meter? At this point there is one irrigation line on the North edge of the garden, you can clearly see the seam where it was dug. guerrilla gardening is possible in the tree wells that are being watered, between that line and the fence separating the playground.
Structure
There are a couple of organizations that are umbrellas for individual community gardens. they have staff, forms, speakers with expertise. We need somebody to take the action item of getting a report and bringing it back to the garden meeting. Vince may be going to do that but he is busy. Izetta and Deborah have each spoken to Community Gardens of Tucson, so one of us should take that job, unless somebody else wants it. The garden yahoo group doesn't know who its moderator is. The garden should be more separated from the NA. there should be monthly meeting for gardeners and monthly meeting for grassroots neighborhood organizers. Short term plan Reinstitute garden potlucks on 2nd and 4th Wednesday evening. Feb 12 and 26, 2014. [Around 5:30PM] Plant some tomatoes. Make an intermediate and long-term plan. Wait for the artichokes and hollyhocks, seemingly ineradicable species. 8~)”
6. Committee Reports
(a) Downtown Links – Covered in discussion of DNARC during announcements
(b) Neighborhood Garden – A work party is scheduled for March 8, 2014. Ezra Roati will install anti-pigeon screen at that time. Brad Lancaster has Cholla for chicanes if wanted.
(c) Dunbar Coalition – Two spaces are rented out (one for food truck, one for dog biscuits), pieces for the Buffalo Soldier museum will be discussed at an upcoming meeting. Market on the move meets at the Dunbar School the 3rd Saturday of every month. Come early for the freshest vegetables. The Dunbar Project is working with the Chinese Cultural center on an upcoming grant. Money was recently expended to deter pigeons from roosting at the school. Rita Elliot is writing a book about Dunbar Spring.
7. Approval of Minutes from January – Unanimously approved
8. Adjourn – Adjourned at 9:00pm