Minutes of the OPEN Committee Meeting of the Paignton Home Garden & Allotment Society held at the ROAB Club, Paignton on Monday 2 June 2014

Present: Keith Parker, Jane Parker, Flis Cotton, Liz Barnes, Gary Buckingham, Jacqueline Green, Lin Cane, Margaret Webber, Joe Wallis, John Webber, Steve Marriott, Pat Marriott, Alan Smith, Christine Guiver, Catherine Ambury, Nigel Philbey, Alan Burgess, R C Weymouth

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1.    Apologies: Phillip Moore

2.    Minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved

3.    Matters arising from the minutes:

• Sec has contacted webmaster.  Agreed to bring website up to date.  Chairman said we would monitor the position in view of the offers from 2 others to run the site.
  
• Pinnacle – secretary agreed to email them to decline to help as this had been overlooked from last month.
  
• Oakleigh shed is now on site. It is not quite finished yet.  The chairman thanked those involved for doing a good job.
  

4.    Correspondence

• See by plot below
  
• Several requests to go on waiting list – replies sent to each
  
• Chairman had received a request from plotholders on DR to build a clay oven.  Whilst they would personally meet most of the expense, they asked for a contribution to their outlay by way of 12-18 concrete blocks.  Drawings were passed around.  Discussion followed and it was agreed that it was a good idea.  Chairman proposed to offer a maximum of £50 contribution.  Everyone present agreed.
  

5.    Chairman’s Report

• Nothing to report.
  

6.    Vice Chairman’s Report

• AS reported that the Oakleigh toilet was nearly finished.
  
• Discussion about rubbish being dumped on the path near the bottom corner. Nobody had been seen actually doing it, so it was not possible to know exactly who the culprit was. Please could everyone get rid of their own rubbish!
  

7.    Treasurer’s Report

• Current Account             £652.34
  
• Deposit Account          £2,543.86
  
• Fees received              £3,571.80
  
• Cheques/money out:

         - Phil Moore                         maintenance LP                            £21.27
         - SWWater                            Water LP                                       £17.39
         - Trago Mills                        Safety glasses – Oakleigh              £14.89
         - Jewsons                             Oakleigh Toilet                           £100.00
         - Keith Parker                       Pyrography kit – site no’s.            £79.99
         - Lloyds bank                       Fee – represented cheque              £4.00
            (sec to write to recover from plotholder concerned)       

8.    Sites

• Sec reported that she did not have a signed tenancy agreement for all plotholders and wondered if this meant that they were not covered by insurance. Discussion followed and it was agreed that paying the rent indicated that plotholders agreed the terms of the Society. Sec to give tenancy agreements to site reps from each site to get every plotholder signed up, even if rent had already been paid.
  
• Chairman reported that the rotavator left on site still needs repairing – the pull cord was broken.
  

   Derrell Road

• 8A  - tenants appear to be out of contact.  Plot can be relet.
  
• 10b – ongoing problem with this plot.  Only dug in parts and keeps overgrowing.  Site reps to monitor position.
  
• 16b –  giving up – ok to relet.
  

   Lower Penns

• 10b – difficult to let as so overgrown – 3 people rejected but sec will keep going down the list. Also shed is full of rubbish and needs to be cleared. Chairman asked if somebody from the site could strim and so make it more presentable. It was agreed that it is quite a small plot in any event due to large shed, chicken run and tree.
  
• CG reported that she had been told about attempts to break in to the shed although there was no evidence of this. Discussion followed – the site shed is insured but not individual sheds on plots. If any more attempts at break-ins, report to police and get crime reference number
  

   Oakleigh

• 3c – new plotholder giving up. Joe Wallis reported that overgrowth was so high it would have to be strimmed before it could be let and that the path to the plot was so overgrown, it was quite dangerous to just get to the plot.
  
• 7a – terminate as not paid or cultivated.
  
• 16 – termination letter sent – no reply. Plot so overgrown it could not be let in its current state. Steve Marriott agreed to strim as weeds were impacting on his plot.
  
• 30a – no cultivation or contact. Sec agreed to try and contact plotholder/send termination notice.
  
• 41/42 – no reply to letter 1. Plot is very neglected/not cultivated. Sec to write to say Society expects it to be cultivated (not just strimmed/rotavated) or one plot will be removed. Monitor position. If no improvement, agreement will have to be terminated.
  

9.    Any Other Business:

• Discussion about whether casual workers on the sites should sign in (if they were just helping plotholders out and not on tenancy agreement). It was agreed that this was unworkable. If regular assistance was being given, plotholder would have to have extra person on tenancy agreement and pay insurance.
  
• Discussion about when a person contacted by sec rejected a plot. Did they get knocked off the list or could they stay until a more suitable plot became available? It was agreed to adopt a ‘3 strikes’ rule.  
  
• Pat Marriott asked whether the Society could look at buying a cultivator/tiller/aerator for the Oakleigh site. Cost would be in the region of £400. It was agreed not to get one just yet.
  
• Plotholder on LP asked if anyone wanted to take over his bee hives. Due to illness he will have to give them up.
  

10.   Date of next meeting:

• Monday 7 July 2014 @ 7.30pm at the ROAB Club.  
  

Meeting closed at 8.45pm