2012 December Project ReportGROW F0C?'D:N0RTH-AJN4 PTON,1NC John Frey
00Bbl as49 ' CPA Staff Planner.
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
(413) 584 -0081 City of Northampton
GROWFOODNORTH.AMPTOMCOM Office of Planning & Development
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Adele Franks, President
Rebecca Fletcher, Treasurer
A=ieSulLivan- Chin.,
Tom Benjamin
Joe Blotnick
Seth Gregory
JenHartley
STAFF
Lilly Lorribard, Executive Director
Laura Hilberg
ADVISORY BOARD
Peter Barrer
Lisa B&skln.
CTIS Coffin
Dona Coy
Michael Docter
BenJames
Fhill(or man.
Jenny Ladd
DonnaLilhorn.
Heidi Nortonsmith
Jo1.7.n Ores sta
Steve Stximer
Meg Taylor
December 8, 2011
Dear John,
Please accept this end -of -year report regarding the status of
Grow Food Northampton's Community Garden project.
Given significant permitting challenges, GFN is moving forward
with developing the Community Gardens at a slower pace than
anticipated. This August, the Northampton Recreation
Commission and Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)
approved our site master plan (at its current specificity of
about 2S %) and the MDAR approved the installation of a short
asphalt access way to the site. We cover - cropped the site this
summer, and also applied rock dust this fall to improve soil
fertility. GFN hired the Regenerative Design Group to provide
technical assistance and professional oversight of the project,
and together we mapped out the highest priority tasks that
will allow us to have 100 community garden plots ready for
lease by late spring 2012.
We continue to research our options for establishing a water
source (shallow well, deep well or city hook -up) and, after
months of failed efforts to find a contractor to install an
irrigation system, we are now in productive conversation with
one promising company —River Valley Irrigation. We go before
the Conservation Commission tonight, Dec. 8, as part of an
RDA for our upcoming work including the access.way and
water source /irrigation system, and we will meet with MDAR
next week to discuss these issues and more. We are actively
pursuing approval of a conservation plan from the Natural
Resource Conservation Services for the 200' riverfront zone,
and are also in conversation with the Natural Heritage
Endangered Species Protection Service. Additionally, we will meet next week with City
-- Planner— Wayne - Feiden —to- discuss the - possible - installation- o -f -a- multi - use - trail -along a- por- tion --
of the northern length of the site. This meeting will also be a chance for the design teams of
both Florence fields and the Community Garden to meet and discuss overall site integration,
coordination, and voice concern over storm water & flood issues. We will also seek necessary
permitting from the Board of Public Works and the Building Inspection Office.
Finally, GFN has drafted rules and regulations for new gardeners, and will present these to the
Recreation Commission in February. It is coordinating a community garden registration day
with the Rec. Dept. so that residents can register for either community garden on the same
day and at the same location.
All other aspects of the project outlined'in our original CPA application remain to be
completed, and the timeline to complete the entire project is roughly three -four years.
There is one outstanding invoice that we will submit in late December from the contractor
who applied rock dust to our fields in late November 2011. His charge is $3600, but we will
likely ask the City for only $2600 in reimbursement since we will be receiving a separate $1000
grant toward the rock dust application.
I hope this satisfies your request for a project update. Please contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
Lilly Lombard