1.     Brief description of project:  This project was a public process to design a multi-faceted community garden to be located in Magnuson Park.  A landscape architecture firm was hired and a series of neighborhood meetings were held to gather community input for the design.  These neighborhood meetings included interactive workshops in which all participants could join in creation and critiquing of alternative designs.  With guidance from a steering committee of representatives from a coalition of organizations with interests in the Community Garden, and from staff of the Sand Point/Magnuson Parks Division, the architects produced a master plan for the site that identifies the major components and uses of the 3.5+ acre garden.

2.     It has actually been 2 full years since a group of neighborhood volunteers began this project.  The entire duration has been a learning experience for all involved, especially so during the period covered by this grant, when the pace of work accelerated dramatically.  I believe we have accomplished everything we intended to accomplish, with the possible exception of some soil testing.  We were dependent on outside experts for guidance on soils testing and most of this guidance came too late for us to implement the testing within the grant timeline.  This is not to say that we accomplished nothing with regard to soils testing.  Our volunteers obtained information from prior soil testing in Magnuson Park and worked with experts to have the results interpreted at no monetary cost to the project.  This interpretation has helped to determine what testing is still need and to identify the appropriate sites and techniques for testing.

On the other hand, I believe that our main objective, to produce a master plan for the Garden was accomplished to a much higher standard than I believed was possible in the span of 6 months.  The plan was praised during its review by the Seattle Design Commission.  We’ve gained the attention and support of several neighbors who professed to having been initially skeptical or opposed.  And the support and interest in the project is growing very rapidly now that we have a master plan in hand.

3.     The ultimate impact of this project was to solve the problem it was addressing, i.e., to provide a master plan for the Community Garden that had been recommended for early implementation in the Magnuson Park Conceptual Design (Seattle City Council Resolution 30063).  The project exceeded my expectations in the high degree of consensus in support of the final design; with many different groups and interests in various components of the Garden, there was potential for considerable disagreement about the design.  There were approximately xx people actively involved in the Steering Committee for the Magnuson Community Garden Coalition.  The public design meetings were typically attended by about yy people.

4.     Changes or advice to someone starting a similar project:  If your “Small & Simple” project is really a phase or component of a very much larger project, be realistic about the complexity of chairing or coordinating the project.  Be sure to get someone to take charge who can commit a large amount of time to or who has demonstrated ability to lead and delegate!  The overall context of the project is what determines whether it is really “Small and Simple.”  In many ways, our project is not.

5.     The procedures for invoicing and reimbursement were confusing to us, perhaps because of my inexperience in such matters.  Some very clear, step by step instructions for the neighborhood organization and the fiscal sponsor might help in cases similar to ours.