FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How much is my membership? $30 per year per plot, or $15 for seniors. How do I apply? We encourage applicants to spend some time in the gardens, participating in the maintenance and upkeep of the park at our Community Participation Days, joining in events and programming before submitting an application. The application deadline for 2011 was March 15th. Applications for Summer 2011 are no longer being accepted. Visitors are always welcome! Is there a wait list? There is for 2011, although we would like to phase out the practice in the future. Our plan for the 2012 season is to hold several information sessions for interested applicants. Those who attend these sessions will meet our gardeners, tour our gardens, and be offered opportunities to attend workshops in their areas of particular interest. Applications for 2012 will not be available online, only at one of our information sessions. We feel that this will build a stronger community of committed gardeners in the Victory Gardens. I am already a gardener in the Victory Gardens. When do I renew? Early renewal begins in December online. But you will receive a notice in the mail in mid-January with a return date of March 15th. What if I did not receive my renewal? If by February you have not received your renewal, call the FGS Hotline at (617) 267-6650 and one will be mailed out to you. Once I am a member can my garden be revoked? Yes. Revocation is covered in the Guidelines and Regulations established with the City of Boston Parks Department. Abusive behavior, non-compliance with Park regulations, and underutilization may result in revocation or non-renewal. FGS reserves the right to revoke or refuse renewal of plots. What is an Area Director? This is the FGS member in your row who has volunteered to keep tabs on what’s going on there. He or she can help connect you to the resources of the wider community, and is there to answer questions and help find answers. ADs are usually gardeners with more than a year’s experience. Who is my Area Director? To find the Area Director, you will need to know what section of the park you are in and your plot number(s). Locate your section on the map below: Boylston Section Coordinator: Ed Hommel (FGSSCBoylston@gmail.com) A Row - Leo Romero (A01) B Row - Zach Daniels (B06) C Row - Charles Martel (C04) D01-09/D18-25 - Carmen Musto (C14) D10-D17/D26-D31 - Iova Dineva (D11)/Nick Peters (D16) E01-E09/E17-E25 - Holly Bartel (E02) E10-E16/E26-E30 - Jenna LaRochelle (E10) F Row/G01-04 - Suzanne Comtois (A16) G05-07/H Row/I Row - Richard Dunshee (A30) Park Section Coordinator: Peter Bullis (FGSSCPark@gmail.com) J Row - Arturo Garcia (J03) K01-K10 - Ellen Gallery (K07) K11-20 - Steven Sorkin (K15) L01-L05/L11-L15 - Tim Ney (L02) L06-L10/L16-20 - Ricardo Slevira M Row - McKenzie Boekholder (M20) N01-N10 - Tony Siracusa (N03) N11-N24 - Reiney DiBiase (N14) O Row - Ben Carpenter (O22) P Row - Sarah Herbert (P11) Center South Section Coordinator Phillip Lindsey - U15 - FGSSCCS@gmail.com Q/S/T Rows - Phillip Lindsey (U15) U Row - David St. Jean (V21)/Phillip Lindsey (U15) V Row - Bonnie Thryselius (D07) W Row - Tim Horn (W09)/Trina Arpin (W15) Center North Section Coordinator Donna Frissel - Y22 - FGSSCCN@gmail.com Row W - Tim Horn (W09)/Trina Arpin (W15) Row X - Annie Wu (X02) Row Y - Karen Wepsic (Y07) Row Z - Van Khang (Z20) How do I get hold of my Area Director? The best way is to get to know them and talk to them when you are in the gardens. They will give you their prefered method of communication in person. You can also contact your Section Coordinator at the emails listed for them above. What is a Section Coordinator? The SC coordinates the ADs in a given section of the Park. The SCs are also non-voting members of the Executive Board. They can help you if your AD is not readily available on-site. When are the Community Participation Days in 2011? You can find all the Community Participation dates here. What kinds of activities do we do on Community Participation Days? Turning the compost, picking up litter in the common areas of the park, mending fences, repairing the irrigation system, and miscellaneous maintenance and upkeep activities as needed. Do we have to bring our own tools to Community Participation Days? If there are special tools FGS will provide them. Otherwise most tasks we ask that you be prepared to use yours. What do I do if someone breaks into my plot? Alert your Area Director and your neighbors. If the damage is significant or there was vandalism or theft you may wish to call the BPD at 617-343-4250 and file a police report. What do I do if I see illegal activity? Call 9-1-1 and then follow the instructions here. What do I do if I feel in danger? Call 9-1-1 and follow the instructions here. Call out to your neighbors. If you are in a secluded area, leave the area immediately for a well-lit and well-traveled area -- Boylston or Park Street. Report any suspicious characters or activities to the police and inform your Area Director.