Title
Approval of a Resolution Authorizing an Intergovernmental Services Agreement with Thurston Conservation District for Urban Agriculture Services
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve a resolution authorizing an Intergovernmental Services Agreement with Thurston Conservation District for urban agriculture services.
Report
Issue:
Whether to approve a resolution authorizing an Intergovernmental Services Agreement with Thurston Conservation District for urban agriculture services.
Staff Contact:
Sylvana Niehuser, Director of Parks Planning and Maintenance, 360.753.8068
Presenter(s):
None
Background and Analysis:
Thurston Conservation District (TCD) educates and assists Thurston County residents in managing natural resources. For three years, TCD has partnered with Olympia to deliver urban agriculture services. This includes:
* Building and maintaining community gardens
* Linking vacant landowners to growers
* Providing workshops and on-site technical education to gardeners
The 2025-2029 proposed contract will provide five years of support to existing community gardens and gardeners throughout Olympia and build additional gardens on suitable sites. The contract also supports urban farmland preservation and connection through the Farm My Yard program. The City of Olympia staff will continue to operate and maintain the Sunrise Park and Yauger Park community gardens and TCD will provide technical assistance to gardeners. The contract will not supplant existing resources allocated to the City's operated community gardens but rather provide additional resources to support urban agriculture.
This contract supports long-range goals in the City's Comprehensive Plan:
* GL25 Local Thurston County food production is encouraged and supported to increase self-sufficiency, reduce environmental impact, promote health, and the humane treatment of animals, and support the local ec...
Click here for full text