Member Update for July 15, 2015

Hi gardeners! What a wet and weird summer it's been. As someone once said about Upstate New York, if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes, it'll probably change. 

We know there have been some challenges from pests at the garden this year. Woodchucks, deer...there has even been a nearby sighting of a bear just outside the village. So what are some things you can do to protect your garden from pests? You can help keep an eye out for damaged areas of the fence that might let critters in. If you see a weak spot, please let the Fence Maintenance Team know by emailing pygarden@yahoo.com and we'll repair it as soon as we get a chance. You may see that some gardeners have put out bars of soap (particularly Irish Spring) or mesh bags of human hair (from a beauty salon), both of which are said to have smells that repel pests. If you see any other signs of pests, like a woodchuck hole or a deer within the fence perimeter, please email pygarden@yahoo.com.

Lots of mulch has been delivered. Mulch and spread away! 

Just as a reminder, your Board of Directors is planning an annual meeting of the membership. This would be the voting meeting as required in the Garden's bylaws. At this meeting, elections will be held for a new coordinator, secretary, and treasurer. Nominations are sought for these positions and self-nominations are welcome. Descriptions of the three positions follow.

Secretary: 

The secretary takes notes at meetings; composes and sends Member Updates; maintains the website, Facebook, and Twitter; maintains records of membership; and maintains other records and documents as needed. The secretary has a key to the Post Office box and is responsible for physical documentation of the garden. The secretary should be reasonably comfortable with technology including Blogger, webmail, Excel, Twitter, and Facebook.

Treasurer:

The treasurer holds the responsibility for depositing the membership fees and other donations that may be made to the Community Garden as well as the responsibility for paying bills.   There is a non-profit organization tax form that must be filed.   The treasurer has a key to the Post Office box and must check the box at least once weekly.   Upon taking the position, the treasurer must fill out a signature card at Lyons Bank and arrange for receiving monthly bank statements.   The treasurer serves, with the President and Secretary, on the Executive Committee.

Garden Coordinator: 

·        - Answers emails and phone calls from members and FoodLink. 

·        - Coordinate garden bed assignments with members, maintain white board and Excel spread sheet with member names, phone numbers and email address. 

·         -Communicate with board members regarding garden issues

·        - Attend garden meetings and coordinate garden events (spring garden opening meeting, FoodLink, spring and fall cleanup).

·        -Purchase and monitor water supply

·        - Purchase and monitor soil and mulch requirements.

If you have any questions about these positions, or would like to nominate yourself or someone else, free feel to email pygarden@yahoo.com.

The Annual Meeting of the Membership will be held on Saturday, August 15 at Milly's Pantry from noon until 2pm. It will be a fun, social meeting; please bring a potluck dish to pass. We can't wait to see what you've grown this year.