Barracks Lane Allotment Committee Meeting Minutes

Meeting Sunday 15^thSeptember 2019

3-5pm

The Orchard

Contents

1. Attendance
2. Minutes
3. Finances
4. Membership
5. AGM
6. ODFAA 24^thSeptember/ Lease B-field
7. Poly tunnel layout/maintenance/allocation
8. Plot Inspections (Autumn)
9. Orchard Tree Management
10. Memorial Plates
11. Paths
12. AOB- Wendy House/ Date of next meeting

 

1. Attendance

Liz Bentley               (LB)  Association Secretary  (Plot A28)

Stephen Pegg            (SP)  Field Secretary

James Doyle             (JD)  Committee Member     (plot A39)

Pam Wilson             (PW)  Treasurer                     (Plot A22f)

Rebecca Mead         (RM)  Committee Member     (Plot A16)

Jane Olorenshaw    (JO)   Committee Member

Apologies:

David Mead            (DM)  Committee Member

Matt Fry                  (MF)  Membership Secretary  (Plot A37)

Megan Harcourt    (MH) Poly-tunnel Co-ordinator

 

 

2. Minutes dated 8^thJuly 2019

Risk assessment forms put together by Corinne Prescott are excellent and have been used for all the working parties. SP still needs to talk to Mahmood about water usage. Doug has completed the tree felling in Forest school. Three six-seater benches will be ordered and delivered in October. Try to find someone to build a BBQ next spring.

 

3. Finances (PW)

Bank balance is £6026.52. Open Day raised £80. Invoices from Council (£140 twice a year) including the Oriel College one again; PW to contact Emma Taylor again.

PW reported leak to Thames Water again. RM to ask Franco to look at the two taps that are dripping near the bottom of the site.

Decided that we should keep the membership fees the same as last year(full-plot £55.00 per annum, with a half-plot at £27.50 and a quarter-plot fee of £13.75).

Skip hire: PW has two quotes but was decided that we postpone getting a skip until spring and then clear the Forest school area.

 

4. Membership (MF via email)

Membership news is we still have one-half plot empty, and a whole load of people emailing since the open day, though I still need to process them.
Water news is that it was definitely still leaking at the Thames Water side stopcock at the end of August. It also looked like there might be a very slow leak on the plot somewhere. Not sure how we pin that down.

5. AGM

Proposed date of AGM Thursday 7^thNovember at The Regal. PW to book room.

Committee needs to give 21 days’ notice of AGM date, place and agenda by email and in writing on the noticeboard.

JD proposed that we should try to organise an event that would give people an opportunity to talk about their successes and failures. An Evening Exchange in the Poly-tunnel next April/May time. JD to approach people on site to gauge interest.

 

6. ODFAA 24^thSeptember/ Lease B-field

Meeting on the 24^thSeptember to discuss the draft copy of the Lease.

Lease for B-field still not complete; golf course is still discussing their lease with Magdalen College and cannot give us the sentence we need until Magdalen College get back to them.

We need completed Risk assessments for Forest school for Megan and Lucy; SP to email Lucy and Megan about RA’s and insurance.

Grants from the Council have been announced. We applied for £700 for water harvesting for the poly-tunnel and we will get half of it. This will be ratified at meeting.

SP circulated OCC allotment rules; Committee to send comments before meeting.

 

7. Poly tunnel layout/maintenance/allocation

Put two paths in poly tunnel with beds in the middle; woodchip the paths.

Wood for staging would be about £400; poly-plotters to decide if they would like staging.

Potentially 4-5 poly-plots currently available but need to check with MH. LB to email allotment holders about availability. PW to email MH about poly-plot fees in November. Fees are £12 per year from 1^stJanuary to 31^stDecember.

 

8. Plot Inspections (Autumn)

SP plans to do plot inspections with MF in mid-October. Need to give at least 14 days’ notice of plot inspections.

 

9. Orchard Tree Management

JD has arranged for Louise Allen, a professional pruner, to come and assess the trees in the Orchard this afternoon. Suggested we allocate space in Forest school for bonfires to burn excess wood but they would be Committee organized bonfires.

 

10. Memorial Plates

Two brass plates will cost £50; to put on the planters or benches

 

11. Paths

JD volunteered to be “path monitor”. Plot holders are responsible for the path to the left when facing the central path.

 

12. AOB- Wendy House/ Date of next meeting

Wendy House needs to be put together more securely.

LB to email everyone about apples in the Orchard. PW to contact Tiddly Pommes at the end of September to collect any remaining apples.

Date of next meeting Sunday 13^thOctober to discuss AGM.