Project Guidelines

Prospect Heights Community Farm Project Guidelines

Adopted: 3/3/2018

Have a great project idea?

  1. Read the “What is a Project?” description below to determine if what you are interested in doing is a project or not.
  2. If it seems like a project, talk to your fellow gardeners, bring it up at a meeting, or send your idea to the listserv to gauge interest.  If you want to make sure it gets on the agenda, contact the General Coordinator(s) at contact@phcfarm.org.  They – along with the other coordinators – can also help you determine if it is a project or not.
  3. If you get positive feedback and you would like to pursue a project, think through the logistics of the project.
  4. Draft a one-page Project Proposal including:
    1. who will be undertaking the project
    2. how the project promotes our mission
    3. timeline of project
    4. project budget
    5. which portion of the garden will be impacted
    6. sources of funding (garden, fundraising, grant*)
  5. Submit the proposal at least two weeks prior to a garden meeting via the listserv at prospectheightsfarm@yahoogroups.com in order to educate the garden members about the proposed project.  Also send it to the General Coordinators at contact@phcfarm.org and ask to be put on the agenda.
  6. Present your idea at the garden meeting following the submission of your proposal  and make a motion to have your proposal go to a garden member vote.
  7. The garden members will then vote to accept or decline the proposal at the meeting by a simple majority vote.
  8. Once your proposal has been accepted, follow up with the PHCF Treasurer to coordinate the best way to obtain funds for your project and find out how to take advantage of the Garden’s tax exempt status as a member of BANG by shopping at particular stores.  The Treasurer may be able to order materials directly, or you will have to follow the guidelines for reimbursement in the PHCF Rules.

* Grant proposals can only be submitted after garden member approval and they must be signed by the at least one of the General Coordinators. Grant source and timelines for grant compliance must be clearly outlined before submitting your proposal.  

What is a Project?

If you can answer yes to one of more of the following, you have a project that should follow the above guidelines.

Does your project:

  • Modify the physical garden space?
  • Impact (e.g. physically, or ecologically) other areas of the garden or other gardeners?
  • Require scheduling over a period of time and/or involve multiple garden members?
  • Cost over $300?

Examples of projects:

  • Changing Plot Boundaries: 1) Modifies the physical garden space
  • Mosquito Abatement with Garlic Spray: 1) Physical impact(ecological) on the garden space.
  • Cutting down a tree: 1) Physical impact on the garden space; 2) Cost (possibly)
  • Building an arbor: 1) Physical impact on the garden space (shade and structure); 2) multiple members and scheduling; 3) Cost.
  • Having a concert in the garden: 1) Involves multiple garden members
  • Planting a tree: 1) Physical impact on the garden space (creates shade)

Examples of tasks that should not be considered projects:

  • Rebuilding a compost bin for <$300 cost because it is maintenance, doesn’t exceed the cost requiring a garden vote, replaces something that already exists and is a sub project of a project that already exists.
  • Building shelves in the greenhouse for <$300 cost because it doesn’t exceed the cost requiring a garden vote, doesn’t have any impact on the rest of the garden and is a sub project of a project that already exists.
  • 5 people decide to take cuttings of all of the roses in the garden to sell at the plant sale in two years.  This doesn’t answer yes to any of the factors as long as permission is sought from stewards.
  • Having a summer barbecue and reimbursing a member for buying the supplies because the cost is not over $300 there is precedent for this having happened previously.
  • Leaf Drop and Plant Sale because it is a standing project that we do every year, and so doesn’t have to be decided upon every year.

Version History:

3/3/2018 – Ratified at the Annual Meeting.