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Elma C. Lomax Community Garden Proposal March 2012 For the purposes of 1. Strengthening the Elma C. Lomax Farm Incubator by developing additional volunteers, community supporters, and community linkages; 2. Strengthening the Elma C. Lomax Farm Incubator adding an additional revenue stream for operating cost; 3. Providing opportunities for community garden allotments that allow food production, and education for new gardeners, and; 4. Strengthening charitable contributions of local food. We propose a community garden be established at Elma C. Lomax Farm Incubator. This garden is to be located in farm plots B, C, and D, which and consists of two parts. The first section is to be io feet by io feet plots leased to individuals on an annual basis for a fee of $32 (calculated as 1 penny per square foot per week for a 32- week season). The second section is a larger area (roughly 6,000 square feet) that is leased to a group that will grow food for charitable donations to Central United Methodist Church Outreach, Cooperative Christian Ministries and /or Mt Pleasant Food Ministry. The fee on the charitable food area will be determined annually. Fees are to be paid upon acceptance to the garden. The community garden would be marked with 5 feet sections of conduit driven 1 foot in the ground at the corner of each plot. These gardeners will receive access to a fertile gardening site in full sun with irrigation and deer fencing. Gardeners will be responsible for all management decisions in their plot, including what crops to grow (within guidelines), and when to plant, weed or irrigate. Gardeners would also have access to the front parking lot and to bathrooms in the office building. Gardeners would not have access to a storage container. They will be asked not to enter the post - harvest handling facility, high tunnel, or greenhouse unless as a guest of Cabarrus county or at the invitation of a participant in the Elma C Lomax Farm Incubator program. As part of the application process, gardeners will fill out an application. The application will include an agreement to follow certain guidelines: The application is attached. Garden spots will be limited to of the io by io feet plots for the first year to work out any difficulties. The eventual goal is 75 plots, which would generate about $2,000 annually or roughly 12% of operational expenses. Charitable garden spot is to be reduced as new io by io plots are needed. This group expects another property to become available within 2 years, although there is another spot on the Lomax farm (plot KK) that could be developed if necessary. Attachment number 2 F -7 Page 124