Showing posts with label Green Thumb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Thumb. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Community gardeners to rally at city hall tomorrow over remaining issues with new license agreement



Community gardeners across NYC will rally at City Hall tomorrow (Thursday) morning as they continue to be at odds with the Parks Department over a new license agreement to operate their volunteer-run green spaces.

The gardeners had a similar action planned last month,
but called it off after city officials extended the deadline for submitting relicensing documents to Sept. 20. The city also said they would adopt several of the gardeners' recommendations.

Despite the extension and updates, Charles Krezell, head of Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS), said that two sides are still at odds over several key points that he says are crucial to protecting community gardens and their stewards.

"The license negotiations are not going anywhere right now," Krenzell said in an email. "We met with Parks [officials] on Sept. 5 and they were not willing to concede anything new. We continue to ask gardens to not sign the license."

In April, community gardeners received a new four-year license agreement that they say substantially changes the relationship they've enjoyed with the city since 1978.

According to the New York City Community Garden Coalition, the 2019 Community Garden License Agreement and GreenThumb Gardeners’ Handbook contain additional requirements that are burdensome for both parties, and "which will hinder the community outreach and engagement that are hallmarks of community gardens in New York City."

Krenzell yesterday outlined what he and other gardeners consider the main sticking points:

• The liability issue:

"Gardeners and other volunteers have to assume working at their own risk in the gardens, releasing the city from any possible liability issues. The public is supposedly covered by the city but none of this is spelled out. The license imposes requirements on gardens to clear city-owned sidewalks, which could be construed to leave gardens liable for any injury resulting from sidewalks obstructed by snow, ice, garbage and the like. Gardeners tend to voluntarily keep sidewalks clear out of consideration for their members and visitors, but should not be bound to perform garbage and snow removal. There are three set of rules and regulations that gardens are now required to follow. They are confusing and, in some cases, contradictory. The regulations are not enforceable with the current staff at GreenThumb, leading to arbitrary and selective enforcement."

The permissions:

"Each garden is required to hold two public events a year. The new rules now stipulate that the events must be approved in writing by the Parks Department — even though Parks has nothing to do with the events themselves. This takes away the spontaneous spirit of the gardens and requires more paperwork. We are also afraid it will lead to fees for permits down the line, as per the Parks Department regulations."

The records:

"Garden records can be can be audited at any time. There is very little money in most garden accounts and some are just kept in personal accounts. This is looked upon as a push toward making each garden group become a nonprofit, having to file tax forms and more paperwork."

Officials for the Parks Department have downplayed any garden drama.

"These renewals happen every four years and always have small changes based on experiences from the previous four year cycle — this cycle is no different," Crystal Howard, assistant commissioner for communications at the Parks Department, previously told amNY.

The Parks Department has told groups that they won't be permitted to continue operating without signing the new licensing agreement.

The rally starts tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood's community gardens are currently hosting evenings during the eighth annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival.

Previously on EV Grieve:
City extends deadline for community garden licensing; Monday's City Hall rally cancelled

Community gardeners to rally at City Hall Monday over new license agreement

Concern over new GreenThumb regulations for community gardens

Saturday, August 17, 2019

City extends deadline for community garden licensing; Monday's City Hall rally cancelled



The city has extended an olive branch of sorts to community gardeners.

As reported yesterday, community gardeners across NYC planned to a rally on the steps of City Hall on Monday against what they're calling a new one-sided license agreement to operate their volunteer-run green spaces.

This morning, Bill LoSasso, director of the NYC Parks GreenThumb, sent the following letter to the GreenThumb gardeners:

As you know, we are in the process of relicensing GreenThumb community gardens operating on NYC Parks property. As we near completion of that process, we are extending the deadline for submission of the relicensing documents until Friday, September 20, 2019, and also making several updates to the Gardener's Handbook to better support our network of gardens and gardeners.

Please review the details in the attached letter. Your GreenThumb Outreach Coordinator will be happy to speak with you about any questions that you might have.

I hope that your gardens are doing well and in full bloom, and I look forward to seeing many of you again soon. Enjoy your weekend!

As a result of the extension and updates, Monday's rally has been cancelled. Here's a statement to us via Charles Krezell, head of Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens (LUNGS):

We are very happy that GreenThumb has extended the license agreement deadline to Sept. 20.

We hope to continue negotiating in good faith. We all love our gardens and want to continue to have a
good relationship with GreenThumb and the Parks Department.

In light of the new deadline we are canceling the Rally scheduled for Monday at City Hall.

We are very grateful for the vigorous support of our community gardeners. We continue to recognize that our strength is in unity; and our goal is to continue to help New York grow.

H/T Stacie Joy!

Friday, May 17, 2019

Concern over new GreenThumb regulations for community gardens



Several community groups and gardens are holding a town hall meeting tomorrow to learn more about and discuss the new GreenThumb licensing agreement. Here's more info via the EVG inbox...

Our community gardens are under threat again. This time not from bulldozers, but from new rules under a GreenThumb licensing agreement that if the gardeners sign, will change the focus of community gardens forever.

LUNGS, the community garden coalition, MORUS and Time's Up! are holding a citywide town hall to discuss the license agreement.

This new license contains many regulations, restrictions and new obligations that will change how we operate. GreenThumb appears to be taking on the role of an enforcement agency rather than garden-friendly enablers. This is very disconcerting to gardeners who volunteer their time and spend their own money to maintain city property.

It took the City more then four months to put this license together. Gardeners should be allowed more than one month to evaluate a document we are being asked to sign.

The LUNGS website has a copy of the new agreement, with the changes highlighted here. Some garden members worry that sections of the new license might discourage gardens from hosting events and even planting trees or installing rainwater capture systems.

The meeting takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery on Second Avenue at 10th Street.