CROPS is a dynamic network of community gardens and its leadership group developed by residents of Rochester and the Rochester Area Foundation in the Fall of 2009. We are a passionate group of gardeners who strive to provide residents with the opportunity to grow their own vegetables, right in their own neighborhood.

The CROPS community gardens are located on private as well as city owned remnant parcels of land, which the Rochester Park and Recreation Department has allowed for gardening. In all cases, vacant and underutilized areas are transformed into vibrant focal points of the neighborhood as the network of CROPS gardens expands.

If interested in a community garden near you, here are the current garden plot availability maps and 2014 applications http://www.rochesterarea.org/learn/community-initiatives/crops.php

Leadership update,

The Slatterly Park Neighborhood Association had very successful elections at our annual meeting in October, and we have a full board of newly elected, and current re-elected board members. At our annual board meeting this past week we nominated board positions, and I am happy to announce after almost 10 years as president of the Slatterly Park Neighborhood Association, Randy Schubring was appointed the new president of the Slatterly Park Neighborhood Association. Randy comes with a strong leadership background that includes his current position as the Public Policy Manager at Mayo Clinic in which he has worked with federal, state and local governments, is a graduate of the Leadership Greater Rochester, and a past president of a St Paul neighborhood association. I was re-elected to the board, and will gladly help with the transition and make a smooth transition for Randy, and will continue to be involved. Please welcome Randy, and make sure that Randy is copied on any and all communication that relates to our downtown neighborhood in the future, and feel free to pass this along to others who are in leadership roles that I may have missed.

It is with gratitude and heartfelt thanks as past president of the Slatterly Park Neighborhood Association to have represented our downtown neighborhood residents, and have worked/partnered with the City of Rochester, Olmsted County, RNeighbors www.rneighbors.org , Rochester Area Foundation www.rochesterarea.org and PRIME www.rochesterprime.org , and so many other great organizations, and I welcome continued connections with Randy, and the Slatterly Park Board. We have an opportunity to redevelop our downtown neighborhood, and follow the Destination Medical Center progress, as we have certainly taken steps ahead of the wave of redevelopment with our Imagine Slatterly Vision Plan, which was developed in concert with the Rochester Downtown Master Plan, and adopted last March. We look forward to progress, that strengthens the integrity of our downtown neighborhood, and will have our Imagine Slatterly Leadership team in tune with any upcoming developments, along with our engaged board.

Regards,

Wayne Flock
www.slatterlypark.org