GEWA GARDEN CLUB

GEWA GARDEN CLUB

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

CONSTITUTION

Article I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the GEWA Garden Club, hereafter known as the club.

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of the Club is to promote gardening as a healthy and productive activity. This will be accomplished by operating a clearinghouse for information on the growing of vegetables, ornamentals and flowers; by promoting good practices for the conservation and productive use of the soil; by encouraging the beautification of the environment through the growth and maintenance of attractive gardens; and by providing, as available and at a reasonable cost, gardening plots for the use of the Club members.

BY-LAWS

Article I - Membership

Section 1. Membership in the Club may consist of the following groups of employees and priority should be given to each group in the order herein listed: (1) GEWA members as defined in Article III of the GEWA Constitution; (2) Contractors who work on the Center more than 20 hours per week or who have near-site assignments; (3) retired GSFC-Greenbelt Civil Service employees; (4) immediate families (household members) of the above three groups; and (5) other contractor, grant or affiliated employees performing services for the GSFC-Greenbelt under current valid contract as verified by LISTS and their immediate families. When a person no longer qualifies for Club membership as defined above, through termination of employment or contract, Club membership must be terminated by the end of that calendar year.

Section 2. Annual dues of membership shall be established by the Officers and approved by a vote of the membership. Membership dues shall be payable at the time of application and shall be effective until the end of the calendar year.

Article II - Meetings

Section 1. Regular meetings of the Club shall be held as determined by the Officers.

Section 2. The Annual Meeting of the Club shall be held in December at which time Officers will be elected to take office at the beginning of the following calendar year. A simple majority of those voting shall elect.

Section 3. Ten percent (10%) of the membership of the Club shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any duly called meeting.

Article III - Officers

Section 1. The elected Officers of the Club shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Officers shall be elected from the general membership. All Officers shall serve a one (1) year term coincident with the calendar year.

Section 2. The President shall call and preside over all meetings. The Vice President shall assist the President in the carrying out of his or her duties, and shall perform the functions of the President in his or her absence. The Secretary shall keep a record of all the proceedings of the Club, and shall conduct the correspondence of the Club at the direction of the Officers. The Treasurer shall have custody of the Club’s funds, and shall disburse such funds as may be approved by the membership. He or she shall report to the membership as requested, prepare the Club’s budget, collect dues and fees, and maintain the Club’s account books.

Article IV – Committees

Section 1. The President shall appoint chairmen of committees. Such chairmen, in turn, may select committee members with recommendations and suggestions from the Officers. Committee chairmen shall serve terms coincident with the calendar year.

Section 2. Committees of the Club may include the following standing committees, together with other such committees as are deemed necessary to carry out the activities of the Club.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Membership Committee to send out membership forms, and to maintain the membership, plot assignment and plot waiting lists.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Program Committee to make plans and arrangements for the meeting of the Club and to develop useful and interesting programs for the Club’s monthly meetings.

MAINTENENACE COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Maintenance Committee to maintain the Club’s rototillers and any other equipment the Club may acquire.

TRAINING AND SAFETY COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Training and Safety Committee to demonstrate proper operation and safety procedures for use of the rototiller(s), schedule the use of the machines(s), and collect tiller fees.

NEWSLETER COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Newsletter Committee to prepare and distribute announcements of the Club activities, and other material, which furthers the purposes of the Club.

SOIL IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Soil Improvement Committee to investigate means of obtaining materials for soil improvement.

PLOT INSPECTION COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Plot Inspection Committee to inspect garden plot areas for compliance with the Club’s rules.

WATER INPSECTION COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Water Supply Committee to consider methods of improving water availability to the garden plot areas and to report to the membership on the feasibility, cost, and practicality of implementing these methods.

ANIMAL CONTROL COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Animal Control Committee to properly employ and maintain Hav-A-Hart traps owned by the Club for use in the plot areas.

BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Beautification Committee to consider gardening projects which would beautify the appearance of the grounds and to report to the membership on feasibility and cost of such projects.

AWARDS COMMITTEE: It shall be the duty of the Awards Committee to select members for wards for noteworthy Club contributions or noteworthy plots and to prepare or obtain the award using funds as budgeted by the Club.

SPECIAL PROJECTS COMMITTEE: The Special Projects Committee is made up of volunteers for one-time efforts, such as painting shed, storage area construction, water supply projects, beautification projects, picnic, etc.

Article V – Amendments

The Constitution and the By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the members voting at a duly assemble meeting, provided that the proposed amendments have been distributed to the membership by means of the newsletter prior to the meeting.

Article VI – Rules of Order

The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of all meetings of the club, except as provided in these By-Laws.

Article VII – On-Site Garden Plots

Section 1. The location of garden plots shall be determined by GSFC and GEWA officials in coordination with Club Officers. The size and layout of the plots shall be determined by the Officers. Up to one plot may be assigned to members on a first come, first served basis. Additional plots may be requested by members, to be provided in extra plots exist; otherwise, said requests will be added to the waiting list. More than one member may share assigned plots. Plots may be retained by members in good standing, if properly used, until relinquished.

Section 2. Each plot holder shall keep his plot reasonably free of weeds and other debris, and shall grow no plant prohibited by Federal or local laws, or by GSFC regulations. Failure to comply may result in forfeiture of said plot and may also result in ineligibility of the member for a plot in subsequent years.

Section 3. Inspection of plots shall be made occasionally by Club Officers or their duly appointed representatives to assure that they are reasonably maintained and lawfully used.

Section 4. There shall be no gardening by members who are active Civil Service or Contractor employees during normal duty hours except during a normal lunch break or on officially approved leave time.

Section 5. Produce grown on-site may be taken off-site only for personal or non-profit use. Sale of produce may only be made at GSFC.

Section 6. Children of plot holders must be under their parents’ control at all times. Because of the proximity of the new gardening area to the rifle range, no person under 16 years of age is permitted in this area at any time.

Section 7. The Club’s rototiller(s) and other gardening equipment may be used only by Club members, and only on the designated plot areas. In order to use a Club tiller, members are first required to attend a rototiller operation and safety demonstration for each growing season. Such demonstrations can be conducted only by members of the Training and Safety Committee.

Section 8. Fees for garden plots, equipment usage and other purposes shall be determined by the Officers and approved by the membership.

Section 9. Plot holders may grow a cover crop mulch (such as rye, clover, alfalfa) on the plots assigned to them provided this mulch is kept cut to a height not exceeding six inches and provided the same area within a plot is not cover crop planted for two consecutive summer growing seasons, unless evidence of severe soil problems is presented to the Plot Inspection Committee.

Section 10. No inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, etc. may be used on those plots designated by the Membership Committee as being "organic."