Bylaws 2004

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WARREN ST. MARKS COMMUNITY GARDEN WARREN ST. MARKS COMMUNITY GARDEN

Welcome! In the 1980s the Warren St. Marks Community Garden between Warren Street and St. Marks Place and 4th and 5th Avenues was transformed from a vacant lot full of debris into a working community garden by volunteer work of people in this community. It will be made a part of the Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust after further intensive volunteer work. In order to continue to provide this neighborhood in New York City with an opportunity to collectively garden a small area of land, we rely on a commitment from each member to help maintain the space. We ask that you sign the garden registration form indicating that you understand and agree to follow the rules below.

The mission of the Warren St. Marks Community Garden is to advance gardening opportunities for its members and to make our neighborhood attractive and fun to be in. We accomplish this by enjoying it from within and from without, and by working in it, walking in it, and by meeting and getting to know our neighbors.

Membership is open to anyone 16 years and older who pays a nominal annual fee and follows the garden's bylaws. We work with our local schools and other community groups to bring further gardening opportunities to more people. In recognition of our variety of members, we have both single-owner plots and group-owned plots; members are not required to tend a plot, nor are they guaranteed a plot of their own. In an effort to be responsible to our environment, we compost, and we do not allow the use of non-organic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers.

The running of our garden is overseen by a volunteer Steering Committee, but decisions are made by the entire garden community and by consensus by whenever possible. Grievances and complaints about individual members will follow a forthcoming procedure.

Steering Committee members include a garden coordinator, a treasurer, an administrative coordinator who also represents the garden to the Trust for Public Land, the Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust, and Green Thumb, and coordinators for plot distribution, membership, events, communications and fundraising. With the general membership, the Steering Committee sets the rules and regulations of the garden and approves any structural additions or alterations to any portion of the garden. Any member in good standing may join the Steering Committee when there is an opening and everyone is encouraged to take his or her turn running the garden. A household only has one vote. Two or more people may share a position and thus their vote. A member of the Steering Committee has a vote for every position they fill, i.e., if someone holds two positions they have two votes. At least one position must be filled by a resident of either Warren Street or St. Marks Place between 4th and 5th Avenues.

In an effort to keep everyone on the same page regarding garden policy, there is an annual meeting in on the first Saturday in February for the entire garden membership. The decisions and actions of the previous year are reviewed. The bylaws may only be revised at this meeting. All members are heartily encouraged to attend. Elections for the Steering Committee are held at this meeting. There will also be at least one formal meeting of the Steering Committee during the growing season, April through October.

Our garden is currently owned by the Trust for Public Land and we are also supported by GreenThumb of New York City. Ownership will move to the Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust, a form of self-governance currently under construction that is made up of 34 community gardens in Brooklyn and Queens. In order for this organization to take shape, our garden members must be involved in the planning process as well as the subsequent governing.

A member is adult who is current in his or her dues and signed the membership registration form. Other than household members listed in the form, members may not give keys to people who have not signed the form.

Members who share a household are welcome to sign up for a single membership, with a single key issued. A member must be 16 years or older. For safety reasons, members are asked not to allow their underage family members in the garden alone. Please let the membership coordinator know when someone joins your household or if you move.

Dues of $10.00 per year must be paid by April 1st each year. Members who are able are urged to pay up to $25 a year and to consider making additional financial and material donations. An installment plan for membership payment may be arranged. Anyone choosing to pay the annual fee over a period of time is requested to make their arrangements in advance so they have made full payment by April 1st. Anyone who joins the garden after Labor Day may skip a year and renew in the spring of the following year. When a member joins he or she will receive a key to the garden that should not be copied. The fee for a lost key is $15; please note that it can take several days to replace a key. Members are asked to return the key if they do not renew.

A school or organization that wants to join the garden and use it for their group can join the garden under an institutional membership. A person from the institution must sign a form indicating they understand the garden's rules and agree to abide by them. This person will be the contact person for the institution. The annual contribution is the same. A current garden member will orient the group representative, outlining the rules and pointing out the garden's concerns. Groups with children should include at least one adult per every 10 children.

The garden has communal flower, vegetable and herb plots. Individual plots are also available for planting. Only the vegetables and herbs are available for picking; please do not pick flowers from the communal beds. Please do not take produce or flowers from individual plots. Non-organic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers shall not be used in the garden. We have several composting areas and gardeners are requested to use them. Remember, the smaller you chop things up, the quicker they break down.

Each month, from April through October, the garden hosts an All-Garden Work Day. The April work day is on the First Sunday of the month, with a garden-sponsored pizza lunch; the rest of the season the garden work day is held on the second Sunday of the month. A potluck barbeque will follow each work day. The garden coordinators and other experienced gardeners will be available throughout these days to show members what needs to be done in the garden, including watering, picking up garbage, tending the compost, clearing weeds and debris from the paths, hosting open hours, etc. All garden members are strongly encouraged to attend as many monthly Work Days as possible. These serve not only as a way for us to keep up with work in the garden, but also as an opportunity for members to get to know one another, learn from each other and strengthen our sense of community. A chore board is posted in the tool shed. Members are also encouraged to participate in the non-gardening work, which include mailings, meetings, committees, fundraising, capital planning and coordination with the Brooklyn-Queens Land Trust.

Individual plots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Allocating those plots is the job of the plot distribution coordinator. Members wishing to acquire a plot, or increase or otherwise alter their current gardening space, or tend additional space, should consult this person.

Only members in good standing may have plots; members who do not pay their dues, work on their teams, or maintain their plots risk losing them. If you have a garden plot you are expected to actively maintain it and you must till your plot by the Second Sunday Workday in May. Plot-tenders must weed the walkway in front of their plots. Members are not allowed to work in another member's planting area without prior approval of that member. Members questioning the ownership of unharvested crops should contact the plot coordinator. Members who are unable to harvest their crops are asked to make arrangements with other garden members or contact the plot coordinator so that harvestable crops are not wasted. Produce and flowers not picked from individual plots by Marathon Sunday in November are up for grabs by all garden members.

The garden is the equivalent of three lots and requires a tremendous amount of work to maintain. Therefore, plot holders will participate on a seasonal garden team, such as watering, compost or administrative, to provide basic maintenance of the garden. They must attend the first work day in April to sign up for their team and meet with their team captain. Gardeners must actively participate in these teams or risk losing their plot. Participation in helping run the garden, including administrative assistance and attendance at the monthly work days, will be noted and taken into consideration when considering plot distribution the following season.

Our garden has several scheduled events each year.

Spoke the Hub's Local Produce Festival occurs in late April, and includes a bake-sale and membership drive. We also host movies, a mid-summer party, an end of the season harvest potluck, a bake-sale on Marathon Sunday (first Sunday in November) and activities for kids. Members also gather regularly for potluck barbeques on Sunday nights. Any event that is not regularly scheduled must be approved by the Events Coordinator, who will update a calendar posted in the chore box. Members may have individual parties in the garden but the date must be cleared with the events coordinator at least a week in advance and the general membership must be notified and invited. The garden may not be used for exclusively private parties. The garden charges a fee for commercial use.

Operating funds are set aside each season for garden materials, tools and scheduled events. Members wishing to request garden funds more than $5 must submit the Request for Funds form to the treasurer, along with approval from three of four coordinators: a general coordinator, a garden coordinator, an event coordinator and a treasurer. All reimbursement forms must be filed with the treasurer within 90 days of the purchase. Failure to follow these procedures may result in the member not being reimbursed.

Structural additions or alterations to any portion of the garden are subject to the approval of the Steering Committee before proceeding with plans. All notices, information and ornamentation not pertaining directly to gardening activities are subject to Steering Committee approval before posting or installing in or around the garden.

The garden should be an open and inviting place for those who pass by, especially during our official open hours, from Saturday 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and Sunday 2:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., April through October. At other times members are encouraged to leave the entrance gate open while in the garden, but note that you are responsible for anyone you allow to enter. Members under 18 years old are requested to lock the gate behind them when they enter, for safety issues. The gate must be locked when a member is not present.

Please be considerate of those living in the buildings adjacent to the garden and of all of our neighbors on Warren and St Marks. Registered dogs belonging to garden members in good standing are allowed in the garden. Please see the separate handout for the complete dog regulations. No persons will be denied access to the garden or be otherwise subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, handicap, marital status, sexual orientation or affectional preference. Members concerned with the observance of the garden rules as they apply to themselves or to other members should contact the general coordinators to resolve questions or disputes.