Notes from October 25, 2011 Meeting

Advisory Committee: Envisioning UUC grounds

Notes from October 25, 2011 meeting

7 pm    Library UUC

OUR NEXT MEETING: November 15, 2011 at 7:00 pm, UUC Room A

Present: Dan Brown, Susie Fry, Gloria Heath, Marquita Hill, Diane Jackson, George Lally, Ben Logan, Bonnie Moreno

Need for Secretary – no offers as of yet

The components already on the UUC land are shown below as are ideas for future uses.

Dan Brown

• Sometime this week, he will email a draft of the Charter to this Committee in enough time for us to approve it (via email)before taking it to Buildings and Grounds, and to the Board for their November 10 meeting, and to the Congregation
• He will sketch out the existing facilities on UUC land
• A caution from Dan to everyone: before anything is dug, know where the power lines are.  Dan noted that Goldie Terrell (surveyor) will be a good resource for issues relating to the grounds such as power lines or the amphitheatre

Bonnie Morreno

• Congregational support: even though we have no plan yet, let’s lay the groundwork. She will set up a bulletin board on the wall between chair storage and the windows in Elarth Hall. Dan will get a graphic of the land on the wall
• She emailed Holly Scuggins, VT horticulturist at VT. Holly is willing to advise us, but not be formally involved (e.g., VT classes most probably cannot help). She will help us with the plant list. Marquita will also be contacting her as regards native habitat.

George Lally

• His draft document for the Circumferential Meditation Path and other hopes/plans of Committee members was placed on the web. He wants more input on the path
• Neighborhood outreach and Congregational outreach:
• He will do homework on outreach: talk with Bruce Fergenson and others involved in the planned building extension; speak with members of this committee and show the grounds to grounds to any interested person, and ask for more ideas and/or objections
• He has acquired 200 small orange flags and will use these to mark the outlines of the proposed meditation path
• As re: neighbors, he will first contact UUC’s nearest neighbors
• He has written an item on this unnamed committee for the upcoming UUC Newsletter

Ben Logan has been working on our blog

Gloria Heath brought along a book she considers very useful, which she is willing to lend to us: Bringing Nature Home, how native plants sustain wildlife in our gardens

Bill Clarkson has asked to be replaced as Chair of the Garden Committee. He has also been point person for the Community Garden

Marquita Hill spoke to governance and decision-making issues. We are still early enough in the process that this may not yet be a problem.

Susie Fry suggested that at our next meeting we have a list of what we’d like to see happen

As we have input from members of the committee, there are four concepts that we need to keep in mind:

• INTEGRATION
• MAINTENANCE including month by month plan
• MONEY
• SUSTAINABILITY

Diane Jackson was here representing the Earth Spirit Sisters (ESS). She made a presentation to the group, and handed out a brochure describing the labyrinth (which also shows its logo)

• ESS has set up the labyrinth and wishes to do a sun service to formally present it to the Congregation – its presence and what it is for. It is always open to the Congregation as an outdoor sanctuary. Members of ESS would be glad to take people on walks although they can walk it by themselves also.
• ESS asked permission to list the site on the worldwide labyrinth locator. The decision to do this rests with the Board
• They will come up with signs for the labyrinth in a sign style that they will choose and present that to this committee for approval. The Board would also need to approve (?)
• Maintenance: as long as ESS exists, it will be maintained. They have planted some perennials along the pathway and may plant more.
• A suggestion was made to Diane: have a group covenant to pass on labyrinth maintenance to future ESS members as long as the group exists. If it ever ceases to be maintained, then it would become free for other uses

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Components of UUC grounds

In place

• Labyrinth
• Memorial garden
• Crescent garden
• Wildflower garden
• Community garden
• Butterfly garden
• Foundation plantings
• Picnic shelter

Ideas

• Circumferential Meditation Path
• Natural amphitheatre
• Natural habitat for small creatures: include water

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