Board approves minutes and outlines garden club staffing, summer cleanup series and outreach plans

The District 1 neighborhood board moved to approve its February minutes at the start of the April 1 meeting and then turned to communications and new-business items, including garden-club staffing and a summer cleanup series.

Board members noted that several garden-club volunteers had left and recommended recruiting two to three people per gardening session to avoid single-person coverage gaps; staff said compost bins and gardening tools were available and recommended outreach via approved flyers to libraries, schools and recreation centers.

The board also approved planning for a summer "My Park / Sunrise" cleanup series: the proposal calls for short weekly cleanups at small neighborhood parks (7–10 a.m.) across different districts, with council members selecting parks in their areas. Organizers proposed a passport-style incentive program—participants who attend three events would receive Kelby merchandise or a similar small reward—and asked board members to recruit volunteers and sponsors.

Members discussed seeking in-kind donations (for example, trees from retail partners) and possible grant-writing support from board volunteers. The group also considered recruiting student photographers from high-school or college journalism and communications programs to document events in exchange for volunteer hours.

Next steps: staff to circulate signup and flyer drafts, work with council members on park selection, and coordinate sponsor/in-kind requests and student outreach.