This is Adam Honigman speaking as an individual community gardener. I must say that I am delighted that the NYC Community Gardening fraternity has finally been informed by Ms. Stone, Director of Green Thumb, about our new insurance status.
However, the period between when Ms. Stone knew about NOSC's discontinuation of our insurance, in July/August of this year, and mid-October, when she finally decided to let us all know, albeit with some prodding from concerned and vocal community gardeners, is extremely troubling. Again, this observation is by me, as an individual community gardener. NYC's community gardeners are out there, keeping our community gardens clean, safe and welcoming, shovelling snow, hauling garbage, running events, doing alot of stuff that makes our gardens and Green Thumb look good. The very least I would like, as an individual gardner would like is for the Green Thumb, the community gardening organization that I'm involved with to, pretty please, disseminate information on a key issue like insurance to its gardeners, in a timely matter. I don't like hearing about an adult matter like public space liability insurance the way teenagers used to learn about sex - via the grapevine. To not have received timely information on our community garden liability insurance seems, on the face of it, to be awfully negligent on the part of Greenthumb. Of course, I'm speaking as an individual here. Others may be less concerned.... As an individual, I like making Green Thumb look good - they gave me a plaque and all, (see, http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org ) and I am a longtime supporter of NYC Parks Gardens because I believe that under Parks our gardens will always be accessible to the communities we serve - not private garden clubs functioning under the community garden label. However, timely communication on key safety information, like liability insurance coverage, is essential. As an individual, I got more timely events information from Lily's Bar, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, ( an establishment that Ms. Stone has or had an ownership interest ) than I do, or the Green Thumb garden that I'm associated with got, on its liability insurance. A matter of priorities, methinks. Again, speaking as an individual gardener, it seems that community gardening organizations, like Gateway Greening in St, Louis, or Seattle's P-Patch, have managed to do a better job, especially in organizing and keeping gardeners informed of issues essential to them, than we have managed to do here in NYC. And Gateway Greening and Seattle P-Patch Publications manage to reach me, via snail mail, faster and in a more timely fashion than those from Green Thumb. I know that we involved in community gardening in NYC can do better - and perhaps in the future, will. I know that Ms. Stone and NYC Parks Green Thumb has worked very hard for NYC's community gardens and gardeners - this gardener, again, speaking as an individual, just believes that this city's gardeners deserve a bit more transparency in governance and communication, from a community gardening organization funded by our federal tax dollars, via federal block grants, please. Happy Thursday, Adam Honigman, speaking as an individual, Volunteer, Clinton Community Garden ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
