City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: _08/03/10__ Item Number: _A-4__
PRCS COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM: Designation of PRCS Commission
Representative(s) to Present the Commission’s Ideas on the Development of
Additional Community Gardens within Culver City at an Upcoming City Council
Meeting.
Contact Person/Dept.: Pam Robinson,
Acting PRCS Director
Phone Number: (310) 253-6655
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: (Email) Meetings and Agendas – Parks, Recreation and Community
Services Commission (07/29/10); (Email) Parks, Recreation & Community Service
Department Updates (07/29/10); (Email) Senior Citizens (07/27/29); (Email) Ms. Dollard
(07/27/29).
Department Approval: Pam Robinson
(07/27/10)
City Attorney Approval: N/A
Chief Financial Officer Approval: N/A
City Manager Approval: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS)
Commission designate one or two Commission members to present the
Commission’s ideas on the development of additional community gardens within
Culver City at an upcoming City Council meeting.
BACKGROUND:
At the June 1, 2010 Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission
meeting, the Commission crafted a statement on the importance of developing
additional community gardens within Culver City to be delivered in memo format,
through the Interim City Manager, to the City Council. The staff report relating to
June 1, 2010 Agenda Item A-1 is provided as Attachment A. The June 1, 2010 draft
Commission meeting minutes were included in the Commission packets for review
and possible approval by the Commission at this evening’s meeting. Over the
course of the two weeks following the June 1, 2010 Commission meeting, the memo
was drafted by staff and reviewed and approved by then PRCS Commission Chair
Daily Redholtz. It was then hand-delivered to a representative of the City Manager’s
Office on June 15, 2010. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the memo, dated June
14, 2010 (Attachment B), was not delivered to the members of the City Council until
the packets for the Council meeting of July 12, 2010 went out.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
The following notations on the comments made at the July 12, 2010 City Council
meeting relating to the Commission’s Community Gardens memo are based on a
review of the meeting webcast, since the meeting minutes are unavailable for
review:
Council member Cooper mentioned the memo during “Items from Council,”
first noting that the Community Gardens memo from the PRCS Commission
was dated June 14
th
and wondering why it took it so long to “float its way over
to us.” The Interim City Manager P. Lamont Ewell stated that he did not
know, but would look into it. Council member Cooper thanked the
Commission for discussing the item and stated that he would like to see them
follow through with it. Council member Cooper stated that he would like: “to
direct the Park & Rec Commission to further examine and come to the
Council with some ideas that are a bit more in-depth then what they have
given us in this memo….I would definitely like to pursue this…” Mayor
Armenta then asked Mr. Ewell if the Council could ask one of the
Commissioners to come before the Council with a little bit more of a
presentation on this. The Mayor then asked Council member Cooper if that is
what he was looking for. Council member Cooper said that: “that would be
fine, that, or just something a little bit more in detail and then maybe we can
give them directive to further pursue it, if we agree upon it.” Subsequently,
the Mayor stated that, “Maybe we could ask someone, maybe the Chair, to
come give us more of a presentation on this item.”
DISCUSSION:
This Item has been agendized for PRCS Commission discussion and action
pursuant to City Council’s direction at the July 12, 2010 Council meeting as
summarized above. Although a presentation by the Chair was referenced during the
Council meeting, staff believes that the Commission may designate any qualified
member of the Commission as representative(s) it so wishes, providing that they are
able to satisfy the Council’s request for a presentation on the Commission’s ideas
regarding the development of additional community gardens within Culver City. In
addition, the Commission may want to discuss the content of the presentation and
the date that they think would be best suited for it. Possible City Council dates
during the month of August 2010 include August 9 or August 23, since at the time
this report was written, there was no City Council meeting scheduled for August 16,
2010.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the discussion of this Agenda Item.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Agenda Item A-1 of the June 1, 2010 Parks, Recreation and Community Services
Commission Meeting: Consideration of Issuing a Statement to the City Council
Regarding Developing Additional Community Gardens within Culver City.
B. Memo dated June 14, 2010 from the PRCS Commission to the City Council
titled: Culver City Community Gardens.
MOTIONS:
1. Designate one or two members of the Parks, Recreation and Community
Services Commission to present the Commission’s ideas on the development of
additional community gardens within Culver City at an upcoming City Council
meeting;
OR
2. Provide staff with alternate recommendations.
MEETING DATE: August 3, 2010
AGENDA ITEM: Designation of PRCS Commission Representative(s) to
Present the Commission’s Ideas on the Development of
Additional Community Gardens within Culver City at an
Upcoming City Council Meeting.
ATTACHMENTS
Page
A. Agenda Item A-1 of the June 1, 2010 Parks, Recreation
and Community Services Commission Meeting:
Consideration of Issuing a Statement to the City Council
Regarding Developing Additional Community Gardens
within Culver City.
1 - 4
B. Memo dated June 14, 2010 from the PRCS Commission
to the City Council titled: Culver City Community
Gardens.
5 - 6
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: _06/01/10_ Item Number: _A-1
PRCS COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of Issuing a Statement to the
City Council Regarding Developing Additional Community Gardens within Culver
City.
Contact Person/Dept.: Pam Robinson,
Acting PRCS Director
Phone Number: (310) 253-6655
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Public Notification: (Email) Meetings and Agendas – Parks, Recreation and Community
Services Commission (05/27/10); (Email) Parks, Recreation & Community Service
Department Updates (05/27/10); (Email) Senior Citizens (05/27/10).
Department Approval: Pam Robinson (by
P. Mooney) (05/26/10)
City Attorney Approval: N/A
Chief Financial Officer Approval: N/A
City Manager Approval: N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS)
Commission consider issuing a statement to the City Council, through the City
Manager’s Office, emphasizing the need for developing additional community
gardens within Culver City.
BACKGROUND:
At the October 6, 2009 Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission
meeting, a member of the public came forward during “Public Comment on Items
Not on the Agenda” and requested that the Commission agendize a discussion on
expanding the Culver City Community Garden program. She stated that the
program had only 16 plots and the community had grown to 39,000 residents. She
also commented that the program had not been updated in 35 years, that her
neighbor had waited five (5) years to get her community garden plot and that there
was currently a minimum three (3) year wait for plots.
Later in the meeting during “Items from Commissioners,” Commissioner Stuart
requested and received consensus to agendizing the topic of community gardens at
a future meeting. Chair Daly Redholtz suggested that the Comprehensive Plan
Subcommittee meet with community garden stakeholders to discuss ideas for the
possible expansion of the program before the issue was brought before the full
Commission.
ATTACHMENT A
Page 1 of 6 City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
At the December 1, 2009 PRCS Commission meeting, Commissioner Kim reported
that she and Commissioner Greene, as members of the Comprehensive Plan
Subcommittee, had met with then PRCS Director La Pointe and members of the
community regarding community garden issues.
At the May 4, 2010 PRCS Commission meeting, the issue of community gardens
came up during Agenda Item A-1: Upcoming Agenda Items to be Considered by the
Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Commission and its
Subcommittees. Parks Manager Patrick Reynolds reported that the Parks Division
continually gets requests from the public to develop more community garden plots,
but unfortunately our parks do not have room for new community gardens. He
mentioned that the Redevelopment Agency staff was looking into developing
community gardens, at least on a temporary basis, on vacant Agency parcels. It
was noted that the issue of developing temporary community gardens on vacant
Redevelopment Agency parcels will not come before the PRCS Commission as an
Agenda Item, but could come back as an information item. Subsequently, members
of the Commission expressed the opinion that both the Commission and the PRCS
Department should have some involvement in the development of community
gardens within Culver City.
The Culver City Community Garden
Currently, there is only one designated community garden within Culver City. It is
located in Veterans’ Memorial Park, between the AmVets Building and the Boy
Scout Hut, at 10860 Culver Boulevard. There are 16 plots, access to which is
determined though placement on a waiting list; the plots are not distributed through a
lottery. There are currently 22 on the waiting list and the wait can be anywhere from
three to six years.
Eligibility criteria for placement on the Community Garden waiting list are: (1) Culver
City residency; and, (2) applicants must dwell in an apartment, condo, or townhome
with no gardening space of their own. There is an annual $30 rental fee of for each
plot, which includes water and green waste disposal service. Senior and Social
Services Disability Specialist Darren Uhl is responsible for overseeing the waiting
list, collecting the annual fees, issuing keys, resolving complaints and providing the
renters with occasional informational updates. It is estimated that about 40 staff
hours annually are spent managing the Community Garden.
Renters are required to have their plot weeded and planted so that the overall
garden looks nice and that weeds do not encroach on the neighboring gardens
either by ground or air. Gardeners are responsible for removing trash and gardening
tools from the area at the finish of each garden use. General maintenance and
green waste removal is overseen by the Parks Division; it is estimated that a value
of approximately $3,600 in Parks Division resources are expended annually on the
Community Garden.
Page 2 of 6 City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Community Gardens in Surrounding Areas
The Los Angeles Community Garden Council (LACGC; a non-profit corporation)
serves as a resource for those interested in local community garden programs.
LACGC connects people with community garden space in their neighborhood.
According to their website (www.lagardencouncil.org):
Approximately 70 community gardens are growing in Los Angeles County,
serving 3,900 families. Community gardens are vibrant, cooperative
organizations that build neighborhood self-reliance, and reduce poverty,
mitigate global warming and benefit the LA River and Ballona Creek
watersheds. Los Angeles devotes little taxpayer money to community
gardens yet they return abundant neighborhood benefit.
DISCUSSION:
The intent of this evening’s agenda item is to give the Commission an opportunity to
consider issuing a statement to the City Council, though the City Manager’s Office,
emphasizing the need for developing additional community gardens within Culver
City. Currently there are no plans to develop community gardens within our parks or
open space areas; however, if and when this situation changes, such plans would
come before the Commission for discussion and possible recommendation to the
City Council. A statement such as the one now being considered could be a way for
the Commission to convey its’ view regarding the importance of community gardens
to the City Council in a more general way. The statement might include the following
points, among others:
• Community gardens are important assets that improve the overall quality of
life
• Community garden programs are highly valued by the public
• Culver City currently has only one community garden, while thousands of
residents met the basic eligibility requirements to participate in the program
• The space in our parks is limited, highly programmed and does not lend itself
to the development of new community gardens at this time
• The Commission respectfully requests that when the City Council is
considering land uses within Culver City, the development of community
gardens be given a high priority
Page 3 of 6 City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the discussion of this Agenda Item.
ATTACHMENTS:
None.
MOTIONS:
That the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission:
1. Issue a statement to the City Council, through the City Manager’s Office,
emphasizing the need for developing additional community gardens within Culver
City;
or
2. Provide staff with alternate suggestions.
Page 4 of 6
9770 CULVER BOULEVARD CULVER CITY, CA 90232-0507
MEMORANDUM
DATE: June 14, 2010
TO: Honorable Mayor Christopher Armenta and Members of the City Council
THROUGH: P. Lamont Ewell, Interim City Manager
FROM: Chair Vicki Daly Redholtz and Members of the Parks, Recreation and
Community Services Commission
SUBJECT: Culver City Community Gardens
At the Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) Commission Meeting of
Tuesday, June 1, 2010, the PRCS Commission made a motion to issue a statement to the
City Council emphasizing the need for developing additional Community Gardens within
Culver City.
The PRCS Commission wishes the Council to know that:
• Community Gardens are important assets that improve the overall quality of life;
• Community Garden programs are highly valued by the public;
• Culver City currently has only one Community Garden, while thousands of
residents meet the basic eligibility requirements to participate in the program;
• Community Gardens promote urban learning;
• Community Gardens reacquaint the community with possibilities for urban
creativity;
• The space in our parks is limited, highly programmed and does not lend itself
easily to the development of new Community Gardens at this time;
Therefore:
ATTACHMENT B
Page 5 of 6 Page 2 of 2
FILE NAME: JUNE 14- 2010_COUNCILCOMMUNITYGARDENMEMO (2).DOCPRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
• The Commission respectfully requests that when the City Council is considering
land uses within Culver City, the development of Community Gardens be given a
high priority;
• The Commission encourages the City Council to work with private land owners
whose properties have not been used in a long time to utilize that space for
Community Gardens;
• The Commission suggests working with schools to identify school property that
might be used for Community Gardens;
• The Commission recommends identifying properties owned by other government
agencies within Culver City and investigating the possibility of use for
Community Gardens;
• The Commission asks that the City Council prioritize the development of
Community Gardens at the earliest opportunity.
Page 6 of 6