Fiscal Note
The impact of the revenue generated through this lease ($200 one-time payment, $1 annually in subsequent years) is intended to have a minimal impact. No appropriation is required.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute a 5-year lease with Community Groundworks, Inc., with one 5-year renewal for various community garden sites on city-owned land.
Body
WHEREAS, Community GroundWorks (CGW), Dane County UW-Extension (UWEX), the City of Madison, along with garden leaders and other key stakeholders began meeting in March 2014 to explore the establishment of a new and improved community garden program; and
WHEREAS, the three partners envision diverse, productive, self-sustaining gardens that have strong leaders and communities connected by a shared purpose, by a sense of belonging and by a deep socio-cultural understanding; and
WHEREAS, CGW, UWEX, and the City, agreed to further explore partnering in support of a new and improved program for 2015, with a commitment to programming for low and moderate income areas, people of color, recent immigrants, and children and youth; and
WHEREAS, the City of Madison hired Forward Community Investments (FCI) in September 2014 to meet extensively with the aforementioned corporations and develop a business plan for a new community gardens program for 2015, termed the “Gardens Network;” and
WHEREAS, the City is in the process of executing a formal Memorandum of Understanding with CGW and Dane County UWEX to define roles for the parties, especially for fundraising, land security, and long-term sustainability of gardens programming; and
WHEREAS, the Memorandum of Understanding will define the governance structure of the so-called “Gardens Network” and that structure shall be housed at Community GroundWorks, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, CGW is under contract with the City to be the primary administrator of community gardens programming, including providing staff time and general leadership to the daily ope...
Click here for full text