Drafter
Clerk 03/24/2011
Title
A MOTION relating to the King County Community Garden Program Implementation Plan; adopting the plan and requesting the executive to implement the plan.
Body
WHEREAS, community gardening has been recognized for its many benefits, such as promoting healthy eating, providing an outdoor recreational activity, addressing food security and building vibrant communities, and
WHEREAS, community gardening has shown strong demand in recent years, as evidenced by growth of formal and informal local groups promoting gardening and food cultivation as well as significant wait lists to participate in two major local gardening programs, Seattle's P-Patch program and Marymoor park's community garden, and
WHEREAS, the 2008 King County Comprehensive Plan directs the county to explore ways of creating and supporting community gardens, farmer's markets, produce stands and other similar community-based food growing projects to provide and improve access to healthy food for all rural residents, and
WHEREAS, the 2010 King County Board of Health's Guidelines for Healthy Communities identifies community gardens as one of several strategies that encourage access to healthy, affordable foods for county residents, and
WHEREAS, King County currently hosts six successful community gardens on county-owned properties, and
WHEREAS, Motion 13221 requested that the executive develop an implementation plan for creating and managing community gardens on county-owned property for the purposes of improving public health, building community and addressing hunger, and
WHEREAS, the executive transmitted The King County Community Garden Program Implementation Plan in November 2010, and
WHEREAS, the implementation plan includes an inventory of King County-owned properties with potential for community garden sites, and
WHEREAS, the implementation plan includes specific actions King County will take to implement the King County Community Garden Program and a timeline for those actions, and
WHEREAS, the implementation plan's recommended program model relies upon partnerships with community-based organizations and other entities to establish, manage and sustain the garden sites and could be launched immediately;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The King County Community Garden Program Implementation Plan, Attachment A to this motion, is hereby adopted.
B. The executive is requested to implement the King County Community Garden Program Implementation Plan.
C. The executive is requested to prepare a status report on the implementation of
the King County Community Garden Implementation Plan to be electronically filed with the clerk of the council by August 1, 2011.