GWA MEETING MINUTES
Minutes of the Board meeting and Regular Meeting of August 17, 2011
The board meeting was held at 5:00 p.m. at the Fiesta Mexicana restaurant in Show Low, Arizona. Present were Denise Ball, Mary Gordon, Steve Gordon, Glenda Mullins, Jill Skaufel, Mary Alice Vertz, and Dan Vertz.
Financials. No treasurer’s report was given, as Mary Gordon stated that there were no changes from the last report.
Show Low Main Street Project (SLMSP). This project was discussed, and the issues and successes related thereto. Mary Gordon passed around a card of thanks received from Sandy Morgan, President of the Show Low Main Street Project, as well as a thank you letter from the Show Low City Manager. Mary Gordon stated that someone is doing a good job of weeding the gardens, and that watering system appears to working appropriately now. It was decided that if GWA is asked to do planting again next year that if we volunteer again to will be subject to certain conditions, particularly with respect to what type of plants and where the plants are to be obtained, as we do not want to have Lowe’s substitute annuals for the perennials we ordered as they did this year.
White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG). Mary Gordon gave an updated status of the White Mountain Community Garden, and future plans for the garden were discussed briefly, and stated that this would be discussed more during the general membership meeting.
GWA Mission and Focus. Mary Gordon began a discussion regarding what the board saw was the mission of GWA and its focus. Generally, it was agreed that we should continue to be focused on educational and volunteering projects and not just be a social group. This will be discussed further at future meetings.
Website: Mary Gordon announced that she is in the process of updating the website, and suggested using something other than Internet Explorer to access the website, as Internet Explorer is getting increasingly slow and cumbersome to use. She has started using mozillafirefox and stated that it is much faster and she is quite pleased with the results. She suggests keeping Internet Explorer on your system but just don’t open it.
The board meeting adjourned at approximately 6:00 p.m., and the general meeting commenced with nineteen (19) members present including the board members. As these minutes will be published online, the secretary has decided not to list the attendees, but the sign-in sheet will be attached to the original copy of these minutes in the GWA minute book maintained by the secretary.
Master Gardener Certification and Hours. Mary Gordon again requested that everyone send in his or her hours that have not already been sent in. Mary explained that GWA reports the total master gardener volunteer hours to the University of Arizona Extension every year and that for last year we reported 1,071 master gardener volunteer hours. Jill Skaufel, who is keeping track of and totaling the hours submitted to her, believes that this year’s volunteer hours will far exceed the total reported last year. Mary Gordon will check re getting the pins for the new Master Gardeners. Once the attendees of the Master Gardener class have accumulated forty (40) hours of volunteer time, which includes attendance at GWA meetings, they should make sure that Mary Gordon and/or Jill Skaufel have a record of those volunteer hours so that the Secretary can be provided with the information necessary to have the Master Gardener Certificates printed. If possible, the certificates will be presented at the September Potluck and Seed Exchange that will be held again this year at the home of Jan Mathis.
White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG). Mary Gordon gave an updated status of the White Mountain Community Garden. The Harvest Festival that WMCG had envisioned putting on this summer was cancelled due to the lack of liability insurance in place. The Articles of Incorporation have been filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission and have been submitted for publication. The 501c(3) filing with the IRS has yet to be accomplished. WMCG’s limited funds are rapidly dwindling and WMCG is looking for ways to obtain the funds necessary to complete the 501c(3) filing and put the necessary liability insurance in place. It is hoped that the WMCG will be able to have a fund-raiser festival in the spring, but in the meantime, Mary Gordon asked if anyone wants to donate anything and/or volunteer time, or knows of possible sources of funds or volunteerism, that would be wonderful. Mary explained that the two demonstrations held at the garden were well attended and well received, and that more demonstrations would be planned. Mary talked about the successes and challenges the garden has had this year. A herd of elk came through recently and ate the tops off the tall corn and the lettuce, and suggested that we might need to fence the entire garden next year to keep the elk out. Other ways of warding off elk and other critters were discussed.
Show Low Main Street Project (SLMSP). Mary Gordon gave the membership a brief report regarding this project and the board’s discussion regarding issues that will need to be resolved before we agree to volunteer for any planting project next year.
Website: The membership was reminded about accessing and using the website and particularly the section for reporting volunteer hours and for posting questions and answers.
Upcoming Events. The Highland Gardens Conference will be held this year in Prescott on October 22 and the theme is “Backyards and Beyond.” The cost is $75.00 with pre-registration and includes a whole day of educational events, including lunch. There are also interesting pre-event tours scheduled for Friday. All the educational events at the conference are designed for gardens at 5,000 feet elevation and above. More information can be obtained from the Yavapai Master Gardener website.
Program. The program topic for discussion was “A Midsummer’s Garden Dream or Tales of Woe and Wonder” was opened up by Mary and Steve Gordon, and many members contributed some interesting experiences, and a lively discussion ensued. Hal Peebles stated he had trouble with gophers until he put floors in his raised beds. He stated next time he is going to use hardiboard with holes drilled through for drainage. There were many tales of woe and wonder and too many helpful suggestions for the secretary to be able to keep up with her notes!
Upcoming Meetings. September’s board meeting will be immediately before the Potluck and annual seed exchange and presentation of Master Gardener Certificates at the home of Jan Mathis, which is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of September 17th. October’s meeting topic will be “Seed Saving” with a tomato seed-saving demonstration by Dan Vertz (place to be determined).
July 16, 2011:
Minutes of the Board meeting and Regular Meeting of July 16, 2011
The board meeting was held at 3:00 p.m. at the home of Glenda Mullins. Present were Denise Ball, Mary Gordon, Debbie Myers, Glenda Mullins, Jill Skaufel, and Mary Alice Vertz.
Financials. Debbie gave a treasurer’s report.
Fundraising. Various ideas for fund raising were discussed. Debbie also stated that based her research, it appeared that a 50-50 raffle was not permitted because our organization is not a tax-exempt organization. Discussion was held regarding whether or not our organization could hold a 50-50 raffle for the benefit of the White Mountain Community Garden once it attained its 501c(3) status. It was decided to suspend any such raffles and any further discussion until such time as the White Mountain Community Garden attained its 501c(3) status. The subject of whether or not to have dues was discussed at length, and it was again decided to postpone any further discussion of the imposition of dues because of the record keeping involved. Also discussed was a Donation Jar in which people could voluntarily contribute change at meetings. The consensus was that we try that and see how it works. Another fundraising idea was raising starts next year for sale, and it was decided that this would be discussed further at our meeting next February.
Show Low Main Street Project (SLMSP). This project was discussed, particularly the watering which is supplied by the City of Show Low, and the loss of some of the plants as a result of the watering issues.
White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG). Mary Gordon gave an updated status of the White Mountain Community Garden, and future plans for the garden were discussed briefly.
Master Gardener Hours. Mary Gordon requested that everyone send in his or her hours that have not already been sent in. Mary Gordon will check re getting the pins for the new Master Gardeners. Mary and/or Jill will email the list of new Master Gardeners so that she can print the certificates prior to the September Potluck and Seed Exchange that will be held again this year at the home of Jan Mathis.
Upcoming Meetings. It was decided to continue to have the board meetings before the general meetings whenever possible. The topic for the August meeting on August 17th will either be on water systems, hydroponic gardening, or harvesting and canning. September’s Potluck program will be the annual seed exchange and presentation of Master Gardener Certificates. October’s meeting topic will be “Seed Saving” with a tomato seed-saving demonstration by Dan Vertz (place to be determined).
The board meeting adjourned at approximately 4:30 p.m., and the general meeting commenced with a potluck, tour of Glenda’s gardens, and the sharing of gardening ideas and books. Those present in addition to the board members, included Virginia Austin, Bob & Linda Curell, Ann Hess, Jan & Traci Mathis, Bryan Mullins, Hal Peebles. Kim Costion was unable to attend and speak to the group due to a trip to Hawaii. Two interesting books passed around for preview were “Perennials for Every Purpose” and “Bountiful Container.”
April 20, 2011:
There were 22 present at the meeting held on March 16, 2011, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at Eva de la Cocina restaurant in Snowflake: Denise Ball, Mary Gordon, Steve Gordon, Ann Hess, Joan and Jerry Hunter, Anne Koons, Gene Luptak and his wife, Tracy Mancuso, Glenda Mullins, Debbie Myers, Carol Poore, Jill Skaufel, Dennis Swayda, Sue Trumpfheller, Jim and Debbie Vanu, Dan Vertz, Mary Alice Vertz, Kathy and Frank Wynn.
President Mary Gordon conducted the meeting, who started the meeting by calling for introductions and what each person is planting this year.
Carol Poore and Dennis Swayda from Stargate Valley Farms talked about the WIC program that growers can participate in after they have taken the class, and that they were trying to get five more people so that a class can be held in Snowflake. Mary Gordon stated that she will post the information on our website and if they email her information, she will email it out to everyone. They also gave an invitation to come to the Small Direct Farmers meeting from 3:00-6:00 p.m., on April 29, 2011, to be held at the Silver Creek Campus of Northern Pioneer College in Snowflake.
Mary Gordon made the following announcements:
(a) Show Low Main Street Project. Denise Ball, Linda Ward and Mary Gordon presented to the Project board a recommended layout and a list of the plants needed for the planting project. The Project board stated that they have no money to provide the plants. Mary stated that she, Denise, and Linda were going to go around seeking donations for both that Project and for the community carden. The Project planting is scheduled for June 11th. Mary will email out information regarding this planting party.
(b) White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG”). Due to snow on April 9th, Jan Mathis was unable to bring her Master Gardener class to the community garden and the club’s lasagna bed demonstration was also cancelled to be rescheduled some time in the future. WMCCG has had a change of officers, and due to that change, GWA has taken on more responsibilities to facilitate the development of the community garden. Mary reiterated for the new people the short history of the community garden, which was started last year by Halliday Van Scriber who works with the City of Show Low. The purpose of WMCG is education and providing space for a community garden to feed the needy and rental plots. Mary discussed that one of the current issues WMCG is trying to resolve is obtaining a backflow preventer so that the county will provide a water line to the garden. Mary announced that there will be workdays on April 30th and May 7th to get the community garden ready for planting, for which we need volunteers; that the community garden will be ready for planting by June 1st, and that there will be a grand opening celebration on June 4th and that we will need volunteers for that day as well, especially to help work at the welcome table. Mary Gordon announced that the plots available for rent will be 4 x 16 for $10.00 and 8 x 16 for $20.00. Mary Alice Vertz announced that she is taking reservations for the plots, and Tracy Mancuso promptly reserved and paid for a 4 x 16 plot.
The new placard for WMCG designed by Valerie Manrique was introduced, as well as the new business card for GWA designed by Linda Ward.
The official meeting was closed and then Mary Gordon gave an excellent talk on “Hardening Off” including the benefit of mechanical manipulation (jiggle and tickle your plants; talk to them; play music – classical or easy listening), which was followed by a lively discussion and many worthwhile tips from those present. Debbie Myers suggested a little hydrogen peroxide in a gallon of water to help your starts. Another suggestion was to plant in the ground on a cloudy, calm day. (There were many other suggestions that were proffered but the secretary was unable to commit them down to paper - if any other attendees remember some additional helpful hints, please email them to [email protected] so that they can be added to these minutes and posted to the website).
The next meeting will be May 18, 2011. As soon as the location and program are determined, it will be posted to the website and the membership will be notified by email.
The board meeting was held at 5:00 p.m. at the Fiesta Mexicana restaurant in Show Low, Arizona. Present were Denise Ball, Mary Gordon, Steve Gordon, Glenda Mullins, Jill Skaufel, Mary Alice Vertz, and Dan Vertz.
Financials. No treasurer’s report was given, as Mary Gordon stated that there were no changes from the last report.
Show Low Main Street Project (SLMSP). This project was discussed, and the issues and successes related thereto. Mary Gordon passed around a card of thanks received from Sandy Morgan, President of the Show Low Main Street Project, as well as a thank you letter from the Show Low City Manager. Mary Gordon stated that someone is doing a good job of weeding the gardens, and that watering system appears to working appropriately now. It was decided that if GWA is asked to do planting again next year that if we volunteer again to will be subject to certain conditions, particularly with respect to what type of plants and where the plants are to be obtained, as we do not want to have Lowe’s substitute annuals for the perennials we ordered as they did this year.
White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG). Mary Gordon gave an updated status of the White Mountain Community Garden, and future plans for the garden were discussed briefly, and stated that this would be discussed more during the general membership meeting.
GWA Mission and Focus. Mary Gordon began a discussion regarding what the board saw was the mission of GWA and its focus. Generally, it was agreed that we should continue to be focused on educational and volunteering projects and not just be a social group. This will be discussed further at future meetings.
Website: Mary Gordon announced that she is in the process of updating the website, and suggested using something other than Internet Explorer to access the website, as Internet Explorer is getting increasingly slow and cumbersome to use. She has started using mozillafirefox and stated that it is much faster and she is quite pleased with the results. She suggests keeping Internet Explorer on your system but just don’t open it.
The board meeting adjourned at approximately 6:00 p.m., and the general meeting commenced with nineteen (19) members present including the board members. As these minutes will be published online, the secretary has decided not to list the attendees, but the sign-in sheet will be attached to the original copy of these minutes in the GWA minute book maintained by the secretary.
Master Gardener Certification and Hours. Mary Gordon again requested that everyone send in his or her hours that have not already been sent in. Mary explained that GWA reports the total master gardener volunteer hours to the University of Arizona Extension every year and that for last year we reported 1,071 master gardener volunteer hours. Jill Skaufel, who is keeping track of and totaling the hours submitted to her, believes that this year’s volunteer hours will far exceed the total reported last year. Mary Gordon will check re getting the pins for the new Master Gardeners. Once the attendees of the Master Gardener class have accumulated forty (40) hours of volunteer time, which includes attendance at GWA meetings, they should make sure that Mary Gordon and/or Jill Skaufel have a record of those volunteer hours so that the Secretary can be provided with the information necessary to have the Master Gardener Certificates printed. If possible, the certificates will be presented at the September Potluck and Seed Exchange that will be held again this year at the home of Jan Mathis.
White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG). Mary Gordon gave an updated status of the White Mountain Community Garden. The Harvest Festival that WMCG had envisioned putting on this summer was cancelled due to the lack of liability insurance in place. The Articles of Incorporation have been filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission and have been submitted for publication. The 501c(3) filing with the IRS has yet to be accomplished. WMCG’s limited funds are rapidly dwindling and WMCG is looking for ways to obtain the funds necessary to complete the 501c(3) filing and put the necessary liability insurance in place. It is hoped that the WMCG will be able to have a fund-raiser festival in the spring, but in the meantime, Mary Gordon asked if anyone wants to donate anything and/or volunteer time, or knows of possible sources of funds or volunteerism, that would be wonderful. Mary explained that the two demonstrations held at the garden were well attended and well received, and that more demonstrations would be planned. Mary talked about the successes and challenges the garden has had this year. A herd of elk came through recently and ate the tops off the tall corn and the lettuce, and suggested that we might need to fence the entire garden next year to keep the elk out. Other ways of warding off elk and other critters were discussed.
Show Low Main Street Project (SLMSP). Mary Gordon gave the membership a brief report regarding this project and the board’s discussion regarding issues that will need to be resolved before we agree to volunteer for any planting project next year.
Website: The membership was reminded about accessing and using the website and particularly the section for reporting volunteer hours and for posting questions and answers.
Upcoming Events. The Highland Gardens Conference will be held this year in Prescott on October 22 and the theme is “Backyards and Beyond.” The cost is $75.00 with pre-registration and includes a whole day of educational events, including lunch. There are also interesting pre-event tours scheduled for Friday. All the educational events at the conference are designed for gardens at 5,000 feet elevation and above. More information can be obtained from the Yavapai Master Gardener website.
Program. The program topic for discussion was “A Midsummer’s Garden Dream or Tales of Woe and Wonder” was opened up by Mary and Steve Gordon, and many members contributed some interesting experiences, and a lively discussion ensued. Hal Peebles stated he had trouble with gophers until he put floors in his raised beds. He stated next time he is going to use hardiboard with holes drilled through for drainage. There were many tales of woe and wonder and too many helpful suggestions for the secretary to be able to keep up with her notes!
Upcoming Meetings. September’s board meeting will be immediately before the Potluck and annual seed exchange and presentation of Master Gardener Certificates at the home of Jan Mathis, which is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of September 17th. October’s meeting topic will be “Seed Saving” with a tomato seed-saving demonstration by Dan Vertz (place to be determined).
July 16, 2011:
Minutes of the Board meeting and Regular Meeting of July 16, 2011
The board meeting was held at 3:00 p.m. at the home of Glenda Mullins. Present were Denise Ball, Mary Gordon, Debbie Myers, Glenda Mullins, Jill Skaufel, and Mary Alice Vertz.
Financials. Debbie gave a treasurer’s report.
Fundraising. Various ideas for fund raising were discussed. Debbie also stated that based her research, it appeared that a 50-50 raffle was not permitted because our organization is not a tax-exempt organization. Discussion was held regarding whether or not our organization could hold a 50-50 raffle for the benefit of the White Mountain Community Garden once it attained its 501c(3) status. It was decided to suspend any such raffles and any further discussion until such time as the White Mountain Community Garden attained its 501c(3) status. The subject of whether or not to have dues was discussed at length, and it was again decided to postpone any further discussion of the imposition of dues because of the record keeping involved. Also discussed was a Donation Jar in which people could voluntarily contribute change at meetings. The consensus was that we try that and see how it works. Another fundraising idea was raising starts next year for sale, and it was decided that this would be discussed further at our meeting next February.
Show Low Main Street Project (SLMSP). This project was discussed, particularly the watering which is supplied by the City of Show Low, and the loss of some of the plants as a result of the watering issues.
White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG). Mary Gordon gave an updated status of the White Mountain Community Garden, and future plans for the garden were discussed briefly.
Master Gardener Hours. Mary Gordon requested that everyone send in his or her hours that have not already been sent in. Mary Gordon will check re getting the pins for the new Master Gardeners. Mary and/or Jill will email the list of new Master Gardeners so that she can print the certificates prior to the September Potluck and Seed Exchange that will be held again this year at the home of Jan Mathis.
Upcoming Meetings. It was decided to continue to have the board meetings before the general meetings whenever possible. The topic for the August meeting on August 17th will either be on water systems, hydroponic gardening, or harvesting and canning. September’s Potluck program will be the annual seed exchange and presentation of Master Gardener Certificates. October’s meeting topic will be “Seed Saving” with a tomato seed-saving demonstration by Dan Vertz (place to be determined).
The board meeting adjourned at approximately 4:30 p.m., and the general meeting commenced with a potluck, tour of Glenda’s gardens, and the sharing of gardening ideas and books. Those present in addition to the board members, included Virginia Austin, Bob & Linda Curell, Ann Hess, Jan & Traci Mathis, Bryan Mullins, Hal Peebles. Kim Costion was unable to attend and speak to the group due to a trip to Hawaii. Two interesting books passed around for preview were “Perennials for Every Purpose” and “Bountiful Container.”
April 20, 2011:
There were 22 present at the meeting held on March 16, 2011, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at Eva de la Cocina restaurant in Snowflake: Denise Ball, Mary Gordon, Steve Gordon, Ann Hess, Joan and Jerry Hunter, Anne Koons, Gene Luptak and his wife, Tracy Mancuso, Glenda Mullins, Debbie Myers, Carol Poore, Jill Skaufel, Dennis Swayda, Sue Trumpfheller, Jim and Debbie Vanu, Dan Vertz, Mary Alice Vertz, Kathy and Frank Wynn.
President Mary Gordon conducted the meeting, who started the meeting by calling for introductions and what each person is planting this year.
Carol Poore and Dennis Swayda from Stargate Valley Farms talked about the WIC program that growers can participate in after they have taken the class, and that they were trying to get five more people so that a class can be held in Snowflake. Mary Gordon stated that she will post the information on our website and if they email her information, she will email it out to everyone. They also gave an invitation to come to the Small Direct Farmers meeting from 3:00-6:00 p.m., on April 29, 2011, to be held at the Silver Creek Campus of Northern Pioneer College in Snowflake.
Mary Gordon made the following announcements:
(a) Show Low Main Street Project. Denise Ball, Linda Ward and Mary Gordon presented to the Project board a recommended layout and a list of the plants needed for the planting project. The Project board stated that they have no money to provide the plants. Mary stated that she, Denise, and Linda were going to go around seeking donations for both that Project and for the community carden. The Project planting is scheduled for June 11th. Mary will email out information regarding this planting party.
(b) White Mountain Community Garden (WMCG”). Due to snow on April 9th, Jan Mathis was unable to bring her Master Gardener class to the community garden and the club’s lasagna bed demonstration was also cancelled to be rescheduled some time in the future. WMCCG has had a change of officers, and due to that change, GWA has taken on more responsibilities to facilitate the development of the community garden. Mary reiterated for the new people the short history of the community garden, which was started last year by Halliday Van Scriber who works with the City of Show Low. The purpose of WMCG is education and providing space for a community garden to feed the needy and rental plots. Mary discussed that one of the current issues WMCG is trying to resolve is obtaining a backflow preventer so that the county will provide a water line to the garden. Mary announced that there will be workdays on April 30th and May 7th to get the community garden ready for planting, for which we need volunteers; that the community garden will be ready for planting by June 1st, and that there will be a grand opening celebration on June 4th and that we will need volunteers for that day as well, especially to help work at the welcome table. Mary Gordon announced that the plots available for rent will be 4 x 16 for $10.00 and 8 x 16 for $20.00. Mary Alice Vertz announced that she is taking reservations for the plots, and Tracy Mancuso promptly reserved and paid for a 4 x 16 plot.
The new placard for WMCG designed by Valerie Manrique was introduced, as well as the new business card for GWA designed by Linda Ward.
The official meeting was closed and then Mary Gordon gave an excellent talk on “Hardening Off” including the benefit of mechanical manipulation (jiggle and tickle your plants; talk to them; play music – classical or easy listening), which was followed by a lively discussion and many worthwhile tips from those present. Debbie Myers suggested a little hydrogen peroxide in a gallon of water to help your starts. Another suggestion was to plant in the ground on a cloudy, calm day. (There were many other suggestions that were proffered but the secretary was unable to commit them down to paper - if any other attendees remember some additional helpful hints, please email them to [email protected] so that they can be added to these minutes and posted to the website).
The next meeting will be May 18, 2011. As soon as the location and program are determined, it will be posted to the website and the membership will be notified by email.
March 16, 2011
There were 11 present at the meeting held on March 16, 2011, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at the home of Chris and Robert Schroeder in Linden: Denise Ball, Linda Curell, Robert Curell, Debbie Myers, Chris Schroeder, Robert Schroeder, Jill Skaufel, Dan Vertz, Mary Alice Vertz, Linda Ward, and Bill Weierman.
Vice President Linda Ward conducted the meeting in the absence of the President, Mary Gordon, and made the following announcements:
(a) Show Low Main Street Project. Denise Ball and Linda Ward are working on the layout for the planters which will be presented to the Project board.
(b) White Mountain Community Garden. Jan Mathis will be bringing her Master Gardener class to the community garden on April 9th for a demonstration on how to prepare a lasagna bed. Discussion was held regarding offering a lasagna demonstration open to the public later that same day.
The treasurer, Debbie Myers, announced that we have $128.45 in the treasury.
Linda Ward handed out a sheet for ingredients for lasagna gardening, the DVD on the lasagna method of gardening prepared by Kim Howell-Costion was shown, and discussion ensued.
The next meeting will be April 20, 2011. The location is yet to be determined. Program will either be a video or discussion re hardening off.
February 16, 2011
There were 13 present at the meeting held on February 16, 2011, beginning at 6:25 p.m., at JB’s restaurant in Show Low: Denise Ball, Dodie Hall, Mary Gordon, Valerie Manrique, Ariana Manrique, Debbie Myers, Chris Schroeder, Robert Schroeder, Steve Shumaker, Jill Skaufel, Dan Vertz, Mary Alice Vertz.
President Mary Gordon made announcements regarding status of the club’s volunteer projects in conjunction with the current projects of other organizations:
Show Low Main Street Project. Denise Ball talked with Sandy at Perfect Paws, who is involved in the Project. Sandy asked that we give her a list of the perennial plants needed to be plant and the estimated cost, so that she can present to the Project board. Look for an upcoming announcement regarding the planting of perennials.
White Mountain Community Garden. The WMCG is currently diligently working on (1) extending the lease on the land; (2) the application for 5901(c)(3) status; (3) resolving the water issue; and (4) obtaining donations. Two gas pumps have been donated by Ed Cadenhead, which may need some work to get them running (Sandy Russell has indicated that she has someone who will work on them). The City of Show Low may be supplying water storage tank(s). Mary stated that the City was impressed with the sketch Dan Vertz made of a plan for pumping the irrigation water into a storage tank and then piping it from the storage across the south end of the land with periodic access. As the community garden will be totally organic, WMCG will be arranging to teach classes at the garden to talk about organic amendments. Compost piles have been started and the local food bank is bringing their spoiled produce for the compost. WMCG will probably be buying a large quantity of T-tape so that it is available for purchase at the community garden. Jan Mathis will be bringing her Master Gardener class to the community garden on April 9th for a demonstration on how to prepare a lasagna bed. Mary stated that we will need donations of leaves, etc. before then so that we have the materials to prepare the lasagna bed.
Mary Gordon announced that the website is active and 99% finished, but she is still busy working on setting up links to other sites. She requested gardening pictures be sent to her to post to the website. Valerie Manrique volunteered to help with the website, ours and/or WMCG’s website.
The next meeting will be at 6:30, March 16, 2011. We will meet at the home of Robert and Chris Schroeder, at 1058 Pearce Lane. Directions to the home are posted in 'events'. The program will be discussion of the lasagna method and the showing of the Lasagna Bed video by Kim Howell-Costion.
Fundraising was discussed, and there was a lively discussion regarding various gardening issues and a sharing of seed catalogs and seeds.