June 2025 General Meeting Minutes
Agenda
- Approve May Meeting Minutes
- Open Garden Day Event (June 14th)
- Make Music New York (June 21st)
- MLT Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement [see Documents]
- Circular Pit Wall Repair Project Progress
- July Live Music Series
- August Live Music Series
- Re-evaluate Musician Travel Compensation
- Teo as a New Member (Key)
- Removing Extra Trash Cans and Other Clutter
- Buying Paint for the Garden
- Hazards in the Garden
- Cleaning the Back of the Garden
- Grow Together Conference
- Reallocating Garden Lumber [tabled]
- Agenda for the Next Meeting
In Attendance
- Albert Waks (E)
- Rochelle Pashkin (V)
- Elizabeth Bermudez (V)
- Gina Healy (E)
- Connor Davis (E)
- Ross Daisomont (E)
- Iris Sewell (E)
- Dominique Kalata (V)
- Karl Semancik (E)
- Jas Kaur (E)
- Evan Ressegger (V)
- Jackie McKenna (K)
- PJ Gormley (K)
- Teo Fleming
- Ava Danos
- Alex Arisso
- Xinru Li
[E: Executive Body, V: Voting, K: Key]
Meeting commenced at 6:40 pm at 418 E 11th St, New York, NY 10009.
Approve May Meeting Minutes
Connor moved that the organization approve the May 2025 Meeting Minutes.
The motion was adopted without objection.
Open Garden Day Event (June 14th)
We will advertise the event to the public via Facebook and Instagram. Do we have activities to do in the garden? Dominique is staffing the event from 11 am to 1 pm and will bring the coloring and drawing supplies. Jas will be there from 2 to 3 pm. Each volunteer will bring things. Dominique will leave the supplies so they can be used for the entire event. PJ has seeds from the conference and could also donate tie-dye and popsicle sticks.
Make Music New York (June 21st)
This is a city-wide event and we are participating on June 21st, 3 to 7 pm. Gina has organized the set list. The sound permit is being provided to us. We will have pizza and bagels donated. There will be a lot of new people, so we need to be on our best behavior. Al and Jas are going to design a painted background to be displayed behind the musicians.
MLT Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement
We had spoken about this at the previous meeting, and it was postponed. Each garden needs to sign this individually, but so far, no other gardens have signed it. The garden can still spend the money as we see fit; we wouldn't need to answer to anyone, as long as it's within the mission of community gardening. This is a work in progress, and there are some things that Dominique and Karl feel can be improved. Teo points out that we could have an exemption from sales tax, which alone would offset the MLT’s fee. Also, the cost would be going to a group we are affiliated with that supports gardens. It would be beneficial for us in the long run to work with them because any leftover money would go to supporting all 14 of the MLT gardens. When we agree to this, it would be indefinite unless both parties agree to amend the agreement, or we or the MLT terminate the agreement.
Dominique moved that the organization create the Fiscal Sponsorship Review Special Committee for the reading and negotiating of the document. Committee members being Dominique, Jackie, Teo, and Karl.
The motion was adopted.
Circular Pit Wall Repair Project Progress
Jackie, Connor, and Teo helped with the wall project. There needs to be leveling work done. Ross projects to get it done by the end of this week or next week. Ross estimates a solid two hours to get this done. Regarding the event this Saturday, it is the responsibility of garden members to watch over the blocked-off cone area if the construction is not completed by this weekend.
July Live Music Series
Gina moved that the organization hold July’s Live Music Series on July 26th from 3 to 7 pm.
The motion was adopted.
August Live Music Series
Gina already has people reaching out to her to play.
Gina moved that the organization hold August’s Live Music Series on August 16th from 3 to 7 pm.
The motion was adopted.
Re-evaluate Musician Travel Compensation
Last meeting, we approved a $30/event budget for travel. We haven't had an event since approving this, so we should postpone this item. We plan to offer this at the Make Music Event. PJ suggests we provide metrocards directly to musicians rather than cash, or to rent a U-Haul for moving equipment.
Connor moved that the organization postpone re-evaluation until the next meeting.
The motion was adopted.
Teo as a New Member (Key)
He attended his first meeting in April 2025. He drafted a document for a back fence rat protection project. Helped with the concrete wall project. He gets stuff done and has been a massive help to the garden. Teo had enjoyed working on the projects. He isn't a big planter but is committed to lifting heavy things, planning projects, and reading documents.
Ross moved that the organization accept Teo as a New Member (Key).
The motion was adopted.
Removing Extra Trash Cans and Other Clutter
Connor moved that the organization remove the following items from the garden:
- Old red umbrella with holes in it
- Decorative Trash Can filled with rocks
- Trash can missing wheels
- Rusty metal dolly
The motion was adopted.
Buying Paint for the Garden
Jackie suggests purchasing black paint for rusted chairs and purple paint to keep the purple chairs purple.
Jackie moved that the organization allot $25 for paint to renew items in the garden.
The motion was adopted.
Hazards in the Garden
There are three or more areas of the brick path that need to be fixed and leveled in the garden. Rochelle is bringing attention so they can be handled at some point. According to Al, there are also some loose bricks along the path. The loose bricks should be a simple fix.
Cleaning the Back of the Garden
It is mulberry season, so there are lots of seeds everywhere. There are lots of random items like heaters and kitchenware in the back of the garden. Those items need to be consolidated to one side of the garden to keep it tidy. Connor and Liz moved a bunch of wood stuff ,but on the other side of the music box, there are a ton of other concrete posts. It needs to be reworked. Liz suggests lining the walkway with these posts or getting rid of the bench. There are 13 cylinders. We also need to throw away these items.
Grow Together Conference
PJ attended the conference. We will go over the conference notes another time.
Agenda for the Next Meeting
Connor moved that the organization include the following items on the agenda for the May meeting:
- Review of Open Garden Day Event
- Review of Make Music New York
- July Live Music Series
- August Live Music Series
- Circular Pit Wall Repair Project Progress
- Re-evaluate Musician Travel Compensation
- Revisit plans regarding improving the brick walkway
- Vote out more items
- Revisiting MLT Financial sponsorship
- Taking a look at concrete tubes
The motion was adopted without objection.
Meeting adjourned at 7:56 pm.
Our next meeting will be held on Monday, July 14th, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, starting promptly at 6:30 pm.