Agenda Item 8AAGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
CITY COMMISSION MEETING
STAFF REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: Request from Beaches Habitat for Relief from Lien on Dutton
Island Road Lot
SUBMITTED BY: Jim Hanson, City Mana
DATE: April 14, 2011
BACKGROUND: Beaches Habitat for Humanity has recently acquired a vacant lot on
Dutton Island Road upon which the City of Atlantic Beach has previously
issued liens for tall grass and weed abatement. Habitat is requesting that
the City grant relief from these liens so that they can create a community
garden on the property. Letters from Ralph Marcello, Executive Director
for the Beaches Habitat and Jade Carlin are both attached for your
consideration.
This vacant lot was brought to staff's attention almost two years ago by
the COPS Officers indicating that this was one of a few lots in the
neighborhood that were creating problems because of their overgrown and
rundown condition. City crews had previously cleared some of the tall
grass and brush, although there were several old trees on the property,
some of which had fallen into the street. The lot has never been built
upon, probably because of its size measuring approximately 50 feet by 50
feet. Tax records show that it was sold in a tax auction in 1974.
This lot, along with some others, was brought to the attention of the City
Commission in November of 2009 at which time the Commission
authorized filing foreclosure suits to recoup the city's cost for maintenance
and to cause the lots to be sold or otherwise cleaned up by the owners.
Since November 2009, the City Attorney has worked on the foreclosure.
There have several problems involved on this particular lot revolving
around notification of the owners. It was in the name of a land trust and
the only address on file by the county was a post office box. Further, no
one would respond to the City's repeated letters. When the issue was
finally approaching foreclosure, the owner of the property quick claimed it
to Beaches Habitat. Habitat staff has since determined that it is too small
to build a house upon, and have proposed creating a community garden.
If a community garden were successful at this location, it would be not
only an asset to the neighborhood, but would eliminate a blighted lot
which has brought down property values in the area. However, it is not
AGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
assured that a community garden would be a success and the long -term
status of this lot is unknown.
BUDGET: The City's current lien amount on this lot is just over $5,800. As long as
the lot is owned and maintained by Beaches Habitat, the City does not
anticipate any further costs for maintenance.
RECOMMENDATION: A community garden on this property could become a real asset to the
neighborhood and the recent ownership of the property by Beaches
Habitat certainly brings some assurance that there is a responsible property
owner with the best interest of the community in mind. However, because
a long -term success of this project is not yet known, it may be best for the
City to keep the lien on the books for awhile but take no action to
foreclose on the property to collect the lien. This would provide a time for
the Beaches Habitat project to make the project work without having to
overcome the additional burden of paying off the City's lien.
Consequently, the recommendation is to maintain the lien, but agree to
take no further action as long as the lot is owned and properly maintained
by Beaches Habitat.
ATTACHMENTS: 1) Letters from Beaches Habitat (2)
2) Picture of the property from November of 2009.
3) Property map showing location.
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AGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
these youths will help plant a variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables. After its inception,
we will make weekly trips to the garden to teach the students about upkeep, nutrition,
growth and nature.
In addition to the assistance of the children, we will incorporate the homeowners and
offer them community service hours to help care for the garden. In order to qualify for a
Habitat home, potential applicants must pledge allegiance to the organization in a
willingness to partner. This means homeowners must dedicate a certain number of hours
before achieving eligibility to move in. Working in the urban garden will provide them
with a sense of ownership and responsibility within their community.
Aligning the youth and adults as caretakers of the landscape will foster a strong
relationship between parents and their children, a major focus of this year's after school
program and part of our Parents and Children Together (PACT) initiative. Also, it will
generate a sense of belonging and ownership within the community.
Our goal is to create not just a plot of land, but a neighborhood. To coincide with the
mission of Habitat's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI), this aspect will build a
unified community with the ability to sustain itself via the growth of nutritious produce.
Short Term Goals
We aspire to teach the students of the After School Program about self - sustainability and
gardening. They will each be given plants to care for. These will be planted in I 0-gallon
buckets (found on the worksite) and will later be transplanted into a lot. Each student
will monitor their plant and learn about the different phases of plant growth. After their
plant has harvested, they we will host a dinner to teach recipes that incorporates each of
their produce items. This will include both the parents and the children to promote a more
nutritious diet and emphasize our PACT (Parent and Children Together) initiative.
Long Term Goals
Create a full plot with fruits and vegetables. These will be chosen according to season.
Once the plants bear fruit we will harvest them. Harvesting will be done on an ongoing
basis and whoever volunteers will be permitted to take home the fruits and vegetables.
This will all be decided by the Garden Committee. Finally, the extra produce will be sold
at Jarboe Park or another local farmer's market. This money will be used to purchase
more supplies for the garden. Supplementary funds and their use will be decided on at
the discretion of the committee.
Management and Organization
We will implement a Garden Committee.
Roles and duties include:
AGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
Chairperson
• Plan and chair meetings in effective manner
• Ensure everyone has the chance to speak
• Be a leader and public face of the group when the group needs it
• Be fair and open in all dealings
• Make sure people do the things they agreed to do at meetings
• If the group employs staff ensure proper support and management systems are
implemented to support them.
• May also have financial responsibilities as a check signatory for example.
• Keep up to date with what is going on that might help your group
Secretary
• Make sure everyone receives all the information they need to make decisions
• Plan meetings
• Keep a roster of all members
• Create agendas for each meeting
• Send members the agenda, the minutes of the last meeting and any relevant reports
• Deal with letters, phone calls and questions about your group
• Keep and share information you find which might be useful for the group
Treasurer
• Keep a record of all money paid and received by the group
• Collect money from all sales of produce at Farmer's Markets or other ventures
• Ensure financial procedures are in place, adhered to and regularly reviewed.
• Provide regular financial reports for Committee members
• Budget for all group activities
• Look after the group's bank account
Staff Liaison
• Beaches Habitat staff member who can communicate with the office staff and ED
• Coordinate volunteers
• Keep up with timesheets and sweat equity hours given to home owners
• Monitor volunteer sign -in
PR and Fundraising
• Write out press releases for important events
• Come up with new ideas to generate interest in the community
• After a few years, help plan (along with other committee members) a fundraiser or
annual event.
Members at large
• Spend at least 2 days a month or 4 hours in the garden
• Decide on produce to plant in keeping with the seasonal guidelines
• Vote on where to spend revenue
The Lot
AGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
We hope to obtain use of the lot on Dutton Island Road before George Street in Atlantic
Beach, FL. This lot has a $5,000 lien. We are appealing to the city to waive this lien as
the project will be community based and benefit all the residents.
Clearing the space
Following acquisition of the lot, we will ask Beaches Habitat volunteers at the
construction site, to clear the lot of unwanted weeds and prepare it for planting. At most
this should take one day. We are willing to recruit and oversee volunteers if the
construction crew cannot accommodate our need.
Acquisition of Water
Water on the site presents a problem. We will get rain barrels for most of the water. We
will approach the neighbors to make use of their gutters in order to capture the most
rainfall. If the rain barrels do not provide sufficient water or there is an extended dry
spell, we will acquire water from a neighbor or from Donner center. In these extreme
cases, water can be transported. We are in the process of contacting the landowner next
door, Rev. Marvin Nash — 904.246.1426
Budget
Seeds Donated by America the Beautiful
Shovels
Watering cans
Hose
Hand trowels
Soil
Fertilizer Compost bins
Fruit Trees
Plants
Plant Food
Rain Barrels
Labor Volunteer based
Many of our supplies have been donated
Awaiting response from grant applications
Estimated budget $2,000
Implementation
To be completed in the early morning or early evening
Weekly chores:
o Watering
AGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
o Weeding
o Fertilizing
o Pest control
o Harvesting
Watering
Watering is best done in the in the early morning or late evening, when you will lose the
least amount of water to evaporation. Watering with a drip line (a hose or tape with holes
in it) will help you minimize water loss as well, because it will deliver the water exactly
where it is needed, at the roots. In sunny weather, you should do your best to keep water
off of leaves, fruits and flowers, where it will do little to benefit the plant and may lead to
scorching.
Because water resources are valuable, you should try to conserve water whenever you
can, and there are a few strategies that are useful to know. Water conservation tactics
include:
• Plant species well- adapted to the average rainfall in your region
• Apply mulch to the soil to help hold in moisture
• Weed regularly, because weeds will pull moisture from your plants
• Install a rain catchments system to make the most of rainfall
• Use drip irrigation to minimize evaporation
• Avoid planting or transplanting during dry spells
• Enhance sandy soils with organic mater, to improve moisture retention
Knowing how much to water depends on the types of plants you have in your garden,
because all have different moisture needs. It is most efficient to give your garden a good
soaking once a week, which will penetrate deep into the soil, rather than watering just a
little bit each day. As a general rule of thumb, a few types of plants need extra attention
to ensure their watering needs are met: transplants, seedlings, flowering vegetables and
fruits, and container plants. Also keep a close eye on plants that are in exposed parts of
your garden, who receive high levels of sunlight and /or wind.
Weeding
Pull out unwanted plants. Preferably during a time when the weather is hot and dry so
they are easy to pull out. Be careful not to disturb any of the surrounding plants. If using
a hoe, brush shallowly along the surface to avoid disturbing the roots of your garden
plants.
General Maintenance
Collection of any litter or yard debris (branches, twigs, etc)
Sweeping or raking up stray leaves on walkways /paths
Trimming/mowing any areas of turf
Keeping walkway edges clean
Raking gravel paths
Upkeep of sheds, fences, sheds, etc. through the occasional coat of fresh paint
Clearing moss from stone or brick walkways, which could become slippery
Maintaining any water features
AGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
Fertilizing
Completed once every 3 -5 months. Spread the compost over the area. Preferably
between seasons.
Pest Control
We are going to attempt to avoid using any kind of spray -on bug killers that may use
harmful chemicals.
Harvesting
Gently detach the fruit and vegetables that are ready for consumption. Who will take the
produce home or to the market is yet to be determined.
To organize these chores, we will have a monthly sign -up sheet. Hours will be signed off
by our staff liaison or any Beaches Habitat employee who chooses to oversee the lot at
any given time.
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AGENDA ITEM # 8A
APRIL 25, 2011
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