PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017, AT 3:00 P.M. ROOM 530 – 5TH FLOOR – ABBOTSFORD CITY HALL

AGENDA

1. CALL TO ORDER

.1 Introduction from the new Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee Chair

2. ADOPTION OF MINUTES .1 Minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting held

November 16, 2016 (attached)

(p. 2)

3. PRESENTATIONS None.

4. DELEGATIONS .1 Marina Gibson, Garden Manager, regarding information on a Community Garden

Project located near Abbotsford Community Services

- PowerPoint Presentation (attached)

(p. 5)

5. BUSINESS OUT OF MINUTES None.

6. REPORTS .1 Verbal Report from the General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture, regarding

the Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan

7. NEW BUSINESS

.1 Canada 150 National Park Pass:

To receive your Free Parks Canada pass use this link: http://www.commandesparcsparksorders.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/en/ProductDisplay?storeId=22953&categoryId=216870&catalogId=53407&productId=524527&error-ViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&top_category=216870&parent_category_rn=216870&langId=-1

.2 True Sport Launches National “Ride Home” Campaign. Changing the way Canadian Parents speak to their kids about sport video.

8. ADJOURNMENT

Minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting, held Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 3:00 p.m., in Room 530, at Abbotsford City Hall Committee Members Present: Councillor S. Blue (Chair); L. Bell; N. Bergen; B. Day; R. Kobes (part); R. Pauls; and L. Schlagintweit Staff Present: General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture - H. Enns; and Manager, Administration and MCA – D. Urquhart Others Present: None. Public Present: None. 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m. 2. ADOPTION OF MINUTES .1 Minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting held

October 25, 2016 Moved by N. Bergen, seconded by L. Bell, that the minutes

of the regular meeting of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee held October 25, 2016, be adopted.

PRC 040-2016 CARRIED. The Chair made a request to amend the agenda and add two verbal reports from the General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture and an update from the Chair. Moved by L. Bell, seconded by N. Bergen, that the

November 16, 2016 agenda be amended to add two verbal reports from the General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture, regarding, Parks Master Plan Timeline and the Parks, Recreation and Culture Draft Financial Report; and an update from the Chair regarding Committee Changes Commencing January 2017, as new items 6.2, 6.3 and 7.3.

PRC 041-2016 CARRIED. 3. PRESENTATIONS None.

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Minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting, held Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 3:00 p.m., in Room 530, at Abbotsford City Hall Page 2 4. DELEGATIONS None. 5. BUSINESS OUT OF MINUTES None. 6. REPORTS .1 The Pulse publication and Healthy Abbotsford 2016-2018 Plan The verbal report from the Healthy Abbotsford Community Coordinator was canceled and will be rescheduled. .2 Parks Master Plan Timeline The General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture provided a verbal update on the timeline for the Parks Master Plan which included: how the City is working collaboratively to ensure resources, and a community stakeholder consultative plan brought to council for approval mid-December. Moved by R. Pauls, seconded by L. Bell, that the verbal

report, from the General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture regarding the Parks Master Plan Timeline, be received for information.

PRC 042-2016 CARRIED. K. Kobes entered the meeting at 3:22 p.m. .3 Parks, Recreation and Culture Draft Financial Report The General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture provided a PowerPoint presentation. The presentation highlighted on the 2016 Parks, Recreation and Culture department’s successes, key issues and trends, projects and proposed budget for 2017. The City of Abbotsford 2016-2020 financial plan presentation can be found on the City website at: http://www.abbotsford.ca/Assets/2014+Abbotsford/Corporate+Services/Finance/Budget+Presentations/2016-2020+Financial+Plan+Budget+Presentation.pdf Moved by L. Bell, seconded by L. Schlagintweit, that the

verbal report and PowerPoint presentation, from the General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Culture regarding the Parks, Recreation and Culture Draft Financial Report, be received for information.

PRC 043-2016 CARRIED. Page 3 of 27

Minutes of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting, held Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 3:00 p.m., in Room 530, at Abbotsford City Hall Page 3 7. NEW BUSINESS

.1 Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee 2017 Proposed Meeting Schedule

A list of proposed 2017 meeting dates was presented to the Committee members. The Committee members requested a review of the meeting time. A survey will be sent out by email and a meeting time will be finalized.

Moved by R. Pauls, seconded by B. Day that the proposed 2017 Meeting Schedule for the Parks Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee, be accepted as presented.

PRC 044-2016 CARRIED.

.2 Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting December 21, 2016

to hold or cancel. The Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee decided to hold the meeting as scheduled on December 21, 2016.

Moved by R. Pauls, seconded by B. Day that the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting, on December 21, 2016, be held as scheduled.

PRC 045-2016 CARRIED.

.3 Committee Changes Commencing January 2017 The Chair announced all Council Committee Chairs will be changing in January 2017. Councillor Blue shared how much she has enjoyed serving on this committee and thanked everyone for all their continued commitment. 8. ADJOURNMENT

Moved by R. Kobes, seconded by L. Schlagintweit, that the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee meeting held November 16, 2016, be adjourned. (4:00 p.m.) CARRIED.

Certified Correct: Councillor Sandy Blue Diane Urquhart Chair Recording Secretary

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We’ve offered the Raleigh community

space-saving solutions for the past 10

years. We recommend Northwind Traders

to anyone who will listen to us. They

helped us reclaim over 700 square feet of

our house!” - Annie D. Balitmore

“What are you planting

today, for harvest

tomorrow?”

~Lailah Gifty Akita

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Who We Are The Garden Project is a partnership between

Abbotsford Community Services and Day 1 Ur-

ban Farm. Located in Downtown Abbotsford, we

share a desire to see our community grow and to

have our neighbourhod inspire well-being.

You can’t get more Local

The Garden Project is designed to grow produce

for the local market. We have the opportunity to

customize your per-

sonal produce bin to

best meet your re-

quirements. Contact

Marina Gibson at

604-302-6400 for

further details.

Of special interest for Restauranteurs is our Mi-

crogreens production. Sunflower shoots, cilantro,

basil (regular, purple or lemon), beet, quinoa,

garlic chive, and others are available. Call 604-

302-6400 to discuss your preferences and pro-

duction schedule.

Our Aim The goal is to keep things all~natural and

down~to~earth. The compact city location

evokes the way of homestead gardens in days

gone by. This means we

Harvest when crops are ripe

Plant in time-honored pairings for best flavour

Deliver immediately

Community Impact

Supporting the Garden Project means that you

can highlight to your customers your commitment

to source locally grown fruit and vegetables, and

that this commitment has a cascade effect of

supporting programs for community well-being

and social justice.

The focus is on a visual greening of the local

space, while drawing people to explore and

learn. We’re creating a place for hosting commu-

nity events and workshops related to all aspects

of food—from the ground up!

gar·den /ˈɡärdn/

grounds laid out for public

enjoyment and recreation

We’re taking barren urban space and making it

come alive with plants and people! We’re bringing

the country into the city, and farming land that

others used to walk past. We’re using this newly

created greenspace to

Grow fruit and vegetables

Sell home-grown produce

Teach others to include fresh food in their

lives

Connect with our neighbors

proj·ect /ˈpräjˌekt

a planned undertaking

This project has sprouted into a growing enter-

prise in a quick order. It’s a trending concept of

cultivating food within the heart of a city. The start

coincided with the October signing of the Milan

Urban Food Policy Pact signed by a hundred

cities world-wide in 2015

We want to highlight that personal and civic quali-

ty of life is rooted in our individual and communal

food supply.

Like us on facebook:

www.facebook.com/Day1urbanfarm

Contact Info:

Marina Gibson, Garden Manager

2408 Montvue Avenue

Abbotsford, BC

(604) 302-6400

day1urbanfarm@gmail.com Front gate Inspiration

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Day One Urban Recovery Farm Urban Recovery

means recovery of ‘dead’ urban space while offering opportunity for individuals

to ‘recover’ through work experience and the therapeutic activity of

tending a garden.

GOALS OF BETA PROJECT

1) Establish a ‘Green’ space in an unused Urban location

Model: Sole Food Street Farm - Vancouver, BC

Vancouver’s Sole Food Street Farm, for example, is a highly successful urban farming social enterprise whose mission is to “empower individuals with limited resources by providing jobs, agricultural training, and inclusion in a supportive community of farmers and food lovers” (Sole Food Street Farms, 2012). The

Urban Farming Guidebook – Planning for the Business of Growing Food In BC’s Towns & Cities p. 39.

“Five-and-a-half years into our existence … we are coming to the

point where we have our systems stabilized and we have more

product than we are selling,” said co-founder Michael Ableman.

“We are trying to marry a social goal with an agricultural goal, both of which have elements of the impossible about them,” said Ableman. “We are doing highly productive agriculture on pavement in the middle of the city and we’ve taken on a group of people who had no skills, many of whom hadn’t worked much more than a few months at a time, but we are finding ways to make all that work.”

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2014/05/26/vancouvers-urban-sole-food-farm-looks-to-open-retail-locations/ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=832472680114472&set=vb.132737610087986&type=2&theater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f306KTrIho4

2) Develop market for product

i) Community Garden Plots - ie. Rental plots for Urban core/Apartment dwellers A community garden typically provides growing space for residents who lack the yard space.

The concept is straightforward: provide a small patch of fertile soil and put it in the hands of

someone who wants to garden.

(a) Since 2008, about 150 plots are being used for organic gardening by local residents

at the Abbotsford Community Garden. At the time of writing this proposal, all plots

for 2015 were already allocated for the growing season.

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GOALS (CONTINUED…)

(b) Highland Community Church started their

community garden with 8 plots in 2009 and quickly

expanded to 50 plots. (pictured at right)

(c) Central Heights Community Church began with

approximately 15 plots last year, and have doubled

the number of plots for this year. It’s anticipated

there will be a doubling of the number of plots

again in the foreseeable future.

ii) Outreach Plots

(a) Shelters & Recovery Organizations One potential model for an ‘Outreach’ Plot is that a Recovery/Shelter organization provides individuals who supply volunteer/in-kind hours to a specific plot and some in-kind hours to the garden in general. The organization would be able to select which type of produce to grow in their plot.

(b) Food Bank Potentially, a similar structure to the above, OR have Community Donors sponsor a plot on behalf of the local Food Bank with the Food bank receiving the produce from the plot

(c) Others - tbd

iii) Sales plots The goal of the Sales plots is to achieve Economic Sustainability so the project can provide a wage for work experience in subsequent years. This could be accomplished by selling to:

(a) Farmer’s Market (b) Restaurants, (c) Theme Plots (eg. Pizza plot, Pumpkin Soup, Chimichurri, Fruit Salad, Smoothie Plot;

recipes provided)

Sole Food last year produced 20 tonnes of fruits and vegetables for 37 restaurant clients, 100

families who buy weekly vegetable baskets and their farmers market stands on 4.5 acres of land

in and around the Downtown Eastside. The farm employs 20 people with a variety of

employment challenges from the neighbourhood. Their recent expansion into a two-acre farm

site in downtown Vancouver was supported through in-kind and financial donations from a

variety of organizations including Vancity Credit Union, the Radcliffe Foundation, and Concord

Pacific (Vancity, 2012). https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-sole-food-grow--3

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GOALS (CONTINUED…)

3) Develop awareness of project i) Networking in Ist year

Initial contact with community members has begun. Priority is to develop a ‘Board of Advisors’

ii) Promotional & Educational Events in 2nd year and beyond

Children’s workshops (with some specific focus for Foodbank clientele)

Local chefs in cook-off using Foodbank supplies;

4) Create aesthetic for Term of project

NEEDS CURRENTLY IDENTIFIED: Location

Perimeter/Security Fencing

Planters: lumber, cardboard, newspaper, green & brown layers, compost, raw tree grindings,

Shed for tool/supply storage

Tools

Water Collection/Storage/Irrigation

Clean wash station

Compost setup

Latrine

Pergola for pumpkin/squash, strawberries

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Garden Project site before:

Google street view before, November 7, 2015

The activity on the site has turned a bare gravel lot …

2408 Montvue Avenue, Abbotsford Page 11 of 27

Garden Project site after: … a bare gravel lot turned into Abbotsford’s premier Urban Farm

Google street view after, November 2016

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Vancity Credit Union,

Blackwood Building Centre,

Healy Hay & Strawdust Supply,

Net Zero Waste,

Klassen Landscaping,

McConkey Arborist Services, and

City of Abbotsford

Community Support from:

have all contributed to the thriving start Page 13 of 27

Project Goals:

connect people to their food source

increase knowledge and experience with growing produce

provide skills development for the underemployed, and

become economically sustainable

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the site has 19 vegetable beds

each production bed

is: 16’ long x 4’ wide x 2’ deep

a combined total of

1206 sq. ft. of growing space

Site Specifics

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Lasagna Gardening

The garden beds used by the Garden Project were filled using a method called Lasagna Gardening.

A ‘Lasagna Garden’ is created by composting materials in layers in one spot. You can use whatever organic material is at hand. It will eventually all rot and provide a great soil for your plants.

It’s most effective if you alternate layers of:

1. Carbon (‘brown’ dried layer), and

2. Nitrogen (‘Green’ layer made of living material)

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The beds were layered using fall leaves, straw, grass clippings, and animal manures.

Only the top 6-8” is purchased topsoil.

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A variety of seasonal produce is Grown on site

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1st Season: marketed via weekly produce bins, and the Abbotsford Farm & Country Market

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2nd Season: Expand number of weekly bins Other Farm Markets Restaurants

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Microgreens are niche product for

Farm Markets

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Most popular is the Salad Blend with a mix of: Sunflower Shoots, Pea Shoots, Quinoa, Kale, and/or Asian Greens

Radish, Broccoli

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ACS Programs using

Garden Project site and/or produce

ESL

Best for Babies

Newcomers

Diversity (Adults w disabilities)

Youth Resource Centre (Community Service)

South Asian Community Resource Office

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Community interest in the Garden Project

Local Schools (K-12 classes)

Restorative Justice

Workshop participants

Gardeners

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City of Abbotsford’s support Use of Delair Rd. Greenhouse space for Microgreen production during winter months

Advice, planning & collaboration from City of Abbotsford’s Water Quality & Resource Coordinator

Proposed partnership for WaterWise workshops hosted by City

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