Meeting2008–04

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Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Network Meeting

April 8, 2008, Club Timbuktu

submitted by: Jan Christensen

Agenda

1. Introductions/Spring Happenings
2. Report on Urban Agriculture Center at Kellner’s Greenhouse Site by Janice Christensen
3. Sandy Folaron – questionnaire about Urban Agriculture project at the Domes
4. Julilly Kohler – planning for meeting with Rocky Marcoux
5. Who will organize next meeting: Margee Falk-Evans

Introductions:

Mary Lou Lamonda – Riverwest Co-op, Elaine’s project

Margee Faulk – working on publicity for solar and alternative energy event

Sandy Folaron – the Domes – planning urban ag project

Ron Deutch – Michael Fields – newest good idea: Sol-Ex (new material for greenhouse covering)

Susan Gravell – Michael Fields – working on next urban ag conference

Nichole Lightwine – Walnut Way – getting ready for spring planting and youth program

Steve Adams – Riverworks – vacant lots Center to Keefe, King to Holton – urban ag potential

Karin Long – Landlord training program – interest in river preservation

Julilly Kohler – Karin should teach chicken & bee courses to landlords – “lifting our legs on the lots”

Martha Davis Kipcak – Milwaukee Food Policy Group, Slow Foods

Dennis Lukaszewski – UW extension – apiary at county grounds – organic learning program – Firefly Garden – Underwood Parkway & Watertown Plank Road (across from Hanson golf course)

James Godsil – boards of Growing Power & Wellspring

Linda Reonalds – UW extension – apiculture

Lance Winehardt – sustainable neighborhoods, UEC – live local – medical college of WI, public health researcher – healthy Wisconsin project

Stacey Cushenbery – Academy Of Learning & Leadership – Teutonia Garden

Howard Hinterthuer – boards of Growing Power, Wellspring. Will Allen wants to do a project us.

Jackie Walzak – MUG – All People’s Church – new garden at 5th and Clarke (531 W. Clarke – remnant lot)

Erin Kanuckel – MUG – taking photos of 220 lots – 30th & Courtland – garden going up – Project at Kellner’s Saturday April, 12 – make a Container Garden

Howard Leu – Historic Milwaukee, April 24 – meeting on transportation

Laura Richard – Hunger Task Force

Mike Veith – City of Milwaukee – urban gardening coordinator – here to support efforts of urban gardening – DCD, now with Dept of Sustainability (with Ann) 286–3475 email mveith@milwaukee.gov

Aaron corbit – advocacy with Hunger Task Force

Omar – Welcome to Club Timbuktu

Young Kim – Exec. Dir. of Fondy Food Center – Fondy Farmers Market – Community Food Security board. Call for workshop proposals in Philadelphia. New Orleans – affordable fresh food plan. Johnsons Park Health Alliance – just got $350,000 grant from Healthy Wisconsin

Nichole Capizzi – Prairie Crossing Learning Farm – urban farming at UW Extension site

Discussion of meeting with City planned for Wednesday, April 9

Julilly Kohler – Met with Rocky to call him on his offer of remnant lots for urban farming. He needed some “cover” to move things off of development and into Urban Ag.

Tomorrow – meeting with Martha Brown, Mike Veith, Rocky, others?

We want land tenure, a process for acquiring the lots, chickens & bees

They want us to come up with a mechanism on how they give plots out. Standards. Lease? Sale? Land trust? Need to do research – what has worked in other cities?

Who gets what and when?

City is worried about making a committed transfer, then it “turning into weeds.” We need to show them that it takes the lots off their roles for maintenance & security.

Karin Long – Block grant used to take care of lots. Alderman had control over who got it. If nobody wanted it, city had to take care of it. Block grant said, can’t do it any more with federal money, now must be local money. Aldermen protective of vacant lots. Lots are not on tax rolls, city residents are paying to take care of them.

Julilly Kohler – looking for 2 very active committees. One doing research on what is working in other cities where they have an urban lot program. We need to develop criteria on what is used to make an award. Also another short-lived committee to find best practices. We need to pick groups who will work in the long run. Established organizations, 501(c)3s. We need to develop a conversation on our website so we can move on this. We want bees. We want chickens (4 chickens, no roosters) We want to get into every neighborhood plan and city plan. We want to be able to acquire buildable and unbuildable lots.

Erin - Dept of urban planning 2003. Philadelphia – procedures for reclaiming vacant lots. Will lend them for the meeting tomorrow. (Ron – chapter 2 of Philadelphia piece is important)
Godsil – American Community Garden Association.
Julilly – NOTE – we are a network – everybody needs to speak up.
Karin – CPTED – crime prevention through environmental design. Overlay on development considerations.
Ron Deutsch – city lots are a “bundle” of opportunities. This is another opportunity.
Jan Christensen – presentation on Urban Agriculture Center at Kellner’s Greenhouse.
(Please see attached Power Point and PDFs of brochure.)

Sandy Folaran – County has created a “Green Team.” Handed out survey developed by horticulturists. One horticulturist has signed up to get certified to do urban agriculture in Mitchell Park. “Greening of the Domes.” Green initiative for Milwaukee County at the Domes. Recently had 800 people turn up for green project at the Domes. Candy – went back to school. Ryerson University – urban agriculture courses. Undergraduate program. New greenhouse with educational component. Bees.