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GRO1000 Gardens & Green spaces Grant Awards ProgramMasterpiece on the Mississippi TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: GRO1000 Gardens & Green Spaces Grant Awards Program DATE: November 27, 2012 Dubuque kital All- America City II 111! 2012 Sustainable Community Coordinator Cori Burbach recommends City Council approval of a GRO1000 Garden & Green Space $25,000 grant application submitted to the US Conference of Mayors in partnership with the Dubuque Rescue Mission. No cash match is required of the City. Grant funds would be used to purchase a greenhouse that would extend both ends of the growing season for the Mission garden. The expansion would also include a partnership with the Multicultural Family Center, Dubuque County Conservation Board, and others to expand the educational and volunteer opportunities available onsite. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. kri,„ Michael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach, Sustainabile Community Coordinator THE CITY OF Dui Masterpiece on the Mississippi TO: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Cori Burbach, Sustainable Community Coordinator DATE: November 26, 2012 SUBJECT: GRO1000 Gardens &Green Spaces Grant Awards Program Dubuque had All-America City ' 11' 2007 INTRODUCTION This memo requests City Council approval of a Gro1000 Garden &Green Space grant application submitted to the US Conference of Mayors in partnership with the Dubuque Rescue Mission. BACKGROUND The Gro1000 Garden &Green Space Grant Space Grant program is part of a partnership between the US Conference of Mayors and Scotts MiracleGro. The program will recognize mayoral leadership in the development of green spaces and will award innovative projects in the areas of edible gardens and sustainable landscapes that have a community -wide impact. DISCUSSION In 2008, the City of Dubuque entered into an agreement with the Dubuque Rescue Mission to provide land at the former United Rental location to be used as a community garden for Mission residents. The Mission currently has two large raised beds on the site. The garden project has created a considerable food cost savings to the Mission during the growing months. It provides residents with access to healthy, local, home -grown meals on a regular basis. In addition, the gardens provide a place for participants of the Rescue Mission to learn the skill of gardening, to enjoy the healing art of gardening and the serene beauty of this green space. The City submitted the grant application on behalf of the Mission. Grant funds would be used to purchase a greenhouse that would extend both ends of the growing season for the Mission garden. The expansion would also include a partnership with the Multicultural Family Center, Dubuque County Conservation Board, and others to expand the educational and volunteer opportunities available onsite. The program intends to make awards of $25,000: $15,000 cash and $10,000 in -kind. RECOMMENDATION I respectfully request Council approval of the attached Gro1000 Garden &Green Space application in the amount of $25,000 (cash and in- kind). GRO1000 Gardens & Green Spaces Grant Awards Program (Online Application: Submitted 10/26/12) 1. Title of Garden or Green Space: Dubuque Rescue Mission Community Garden 2. Please indicate if this is a new project or expansion of an existing garden or green space? Expansion 3. Mayor's Contact Information Roy D. Buol rdbuol @citvofdubuque.orq 563 - 589 -4110 4. Project Contact Information: Jenny Lawler Ammon, Dubuque County Conservation Board 563.556.6745 dccblawlera!mwci.net Cori Burbach, City of Dubuque 563 - 589 -4110 cburbach@cityofdubuque.orq 5. Project Description The current green space, located at a prominent south entrance of the city, is owned by the City of Dubuque (known as the former United Rental location) and is currently being used by the Dubuque Rescue Mission as garden plots through a unique partnership. The Mission has two large (18 feet by 116 feet) raised gardens. There they grow a variety of produce to offset some of the food cost for their free meal ministry. In addition to providing housing, job and life skills training and counseling to its homeless residents, the Rescue Mission serves three meals a day to homeless men, women and children. Upwards of 260 individuals attend these free meals each day. The garden project has created a considerable food cost savings to the Mission during the growing months. It provides residents with access to healthy, local, home -grown meals on a regular basis. In addition, the gardens provide a place for participants of the Rescue Mission to learn the skill of gardening, to enjoy the healing art of gardening and the serene beauty of this green space. It is truly helping to transform participants' lives. Mayor Roy D. Buol, the Dubuque City Council Members and the Dubuque City Manager approved this unique garden space and the special project the Dubuque Rescue Mission offers there, on April 16, 2008. The garden was one of the first community gardens in Dubuque and has served as a model for other gardens that serve at -risk populations. Community gardens have been one of the most engaging ways for residents to participate in achieving the Sustainable Dubuque vision, which was defined a by a 40- member community task force in 2008. The vision is that "Dubuque is a viable, livable and equitable community. We embrace Economic Prosperity, Environmental Integrity, and Social /Cultural Vibrancy to create a sustainable legacy for generations to come." 7. How does the garden impact the lives of the residents? Currently, the Mission incorporates many of their residents, community service participants and volunteers each day in their gardens — planting, weeding and harvesting fresh produce. The produce is then either used immediately to provide meals or preserved so that healthy meals are available year -round at the facility. This grant will allow them to purchase and construct a green house on -site to significantly extend their growing season on the front and end and to begin their own seed starts for transplanting. The Mission is planning on partnering with The Multicultural Family Center and Dubuque County Conservation Board to provide year -round education and volunteer opportunities for all ages. 8. Opportunities for volunteers of Scotts Miracle Grow Labor, volunteers, and expertise 9. Describe how Mayor has supported gardens or green spaces in the city. The City has been meeting with Iowa State University Extension Office Local Food Coordinator, the County Naturalist, Waste Education Coordinator, Multicultural Family Center, St. Marks Community Center, Community Garden Coordinators as well as the Rescue Mission to reach out beyond the existing audience. We hope the green house and garden will serve as a classroom, efficient growing space for food, demonstration site for composting, and continue with the great progress the site is making. The hope of our partnership is to make the site similar to Milwaukee's Growing Power Urban Gardens. 10. Identify the square footage of the space and geographic boundaries The green house would be 20 feet by 48 feet long (960 sq. ft.). It would set over half of the south raised garden plot of the former United Rental location. 11 a Has the soil of the potential location been tested? Yes 11 b If so, when? April 2008. New top -soil and ten tons of compost were brought in to create these plots. It was an important request of the Dubuque Rescue Mission that the soil be organic and free of any chemicals or heavy metals. 12. How would project benefit from in -kind donation? The project will benefit from the in -kind donations by being able to put other funds toward the purchase of plants, seedlings, grow lights, trays and compost bin structures. By ScottsMiracle- Gro providing the essentials we can then utilize funds to insure we have a diverse seed base for the growing season and having plants to grown year- round. 13. Describe plans to sustain the project for the next 5 years. If the grant was awarded, the City of Dubuque in partnership with the Dubuque Rescue Mission and the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque would solicit funding and in -kind matches for the project from local businesses who have provided volunteers, plants, and supplies in the past and are committed to garden's future. The Rescue Mission Garden helps to achieve the Sustainable Dubuque principles of Healthy Local Foods, Community Knowledge, and Native Plants & Animals. Performance metrics for the City's sustainability plan will include, among other indicators, square feet of community garden space and number of volunteer hours performed, both of which will increase through this project.