Background:

In September, 2008 the Town Council forwarded a resolution to the Go! Chapel Hill Active Living by Design committee (2008-09-22/R-5) encouraging the committee to propose options to create community garden opportunities in Chapel Hill. A partnering opportunity presented itself, and we are pleased to bring you this community garden proposal. This proposal is a collaborative effort between the Town Parks and Recreation Department, the Sustainability Office, the Campus Y, and Go! Chapel Hill ALBD Advisory Committee.

Proposal:

Under this proposal, a community garden will be established on a portion of the fourteen acre Town owned Homestead Sports and Arts property located on Homestead Road. The Parks and Recreation Department will assume responsibility for the project as the lead Town Department, the University of North Carolina Campus Y Homeless Outreach Poverty Eradication (HOPE) organization will manage the garden under a lease agreement with the Town, the Active Living by Design Advisory Committee will continue as the Town liaison committee, and a collaborative management committee will be established. The garden will include a large community plot that will focus on skills training for the homeless, and a small plot lease section that will afford citizens the opportunity to lease small plots for a nominal fee to establish family or small group gardens.

The campus Y has secured partial funding for the project, they have secured pro bono site design services from Professor Will Hooker’s NC State University Horticultural Science Landscape Design class, they are waiting for responses from two additional grant applications, and they are in the process of securing other donated assets for the garden such as garden tool, etc. A more detailed proposal from the Campus Y is provided as an attachment.

Partner Responsibilities

Responsibilities for the collaborating partners are outlined below.

Parks and Recreation Department

Review site plan prepared by Professor Will Hooker’s NC State University Horticultural Science Landscape Design class
Conduct initial tree removal and basic site preparation of site
Draft lease agreement with Campus Y
Sit on the HOPE Garden Management Committee

Campus Y

Submit site plan to Garden Management Committee for review
Submit final site plan to Planning Department for permitting
Secure funding for HOPE Garden
Sign lease agreement with the Town
Build garden with Campus Y volunteers
Establish garden etiquette standards
Establish plot rental procedures
Manage day-to-day operations of the garden
Sit on the HOPE Garden Management Committee

Go! Chapel Hill Active Living by Design Advisory Committee

Act as the Town liaison committee for the garden project
Review site design, garden etiquette standards, plot rental procedures, etc.
Sit on the HOPE Garden Management Committee
Look for additional garden opportunities in Chapel Hill

Summary

We consider this a viable collaboration, and believe this proposal will utilize an otherwise underused Town property to progress community gardens in Chapel Hill. We are very pleased by the cooperation and input this proposal received from both the Parks and Recreation Department and the Sustainability Office, and we believe that the Campus Y is well equipped to manage the garden. We sincerely appreciate your full consideration of this proposal.