Bill Text: DE HR40 | 2013-2014 | 147th General Assembly | Draft

Delaware House Resolution 40 (Prior Session Legislation)

Draft

Bill Title: Requesting The Formation Of A Working Group To Facilitate The Use Of State-owned Property To Expand Opportunities For Community Gardening In Delaware.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Republican 10-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-06-26 - Passed in House by Voice Vote [HR40 Detail]

Download: Delaware-2013-HR40-Draft.html

SPONSOR:	Rep. Dukes & Rep. Smyk & Rep. Miro & Rep. Hudson;
	Reps. D. Short, Briggs King, Gray, Spiegelman, Wilson, Q. Johnson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

147th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 40

REQUESTING THE FORMATION OF A WORKING GROUP TO FACILITATE THE USE OF STATE-OWNED PROPERTY TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY GARDENING IN DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, gardening provides a host of physical, psychological and economic benefits for its practitioners; and

WHEREAS, gardening potentially provides the freshest, most nutritious, and locally sourced food for state residents at the most affordable cost; and

WHEREAS, many Delaware residents lack the resources needed for successful cultivation; and

WHEREAS, community gardening provides such individuals with an opportunity to grow their own fruits and vegetables; and

WHEREAS, there are limited examples of state entities offering community gardening opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Bellevue State Park has for more than 20 years operated a community garden program that attracts 160 participants annually; and

WHEREAS, Omnia Humanitas, Inc. operates Kranz Hill Farm, a farm-share effort located on 13.3 acres in White Clay Creek State Park.; and

WHEREAS, the popularity and success of these efforts indicates that expanding the availability of such throughout the state would be welcomed and supported by the public; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware owns thousands of acres of land suitable for gardening; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) operates 15 state parks and numerous wildlife areas; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture maintains large tracks of state forest land in all three counties; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation often acquires land for projects years in advance of it being subject to construction and has surplus land with limited marketability following the conclusion of projects; and

WHEREAS, a portion of this state-owned land could be safely and efficiently used to provide community gardening opportunities without impacting the constituencies currently using this properties or negatively effecting state operations; and

WHEREAS, facilitating the opportunity for citizens to produce their own nutritious foods promotes both good health and self-sufficiency.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 147th General Assembly of the State of Delaware that a working group be formed to identify state land in all three counties that could be used to create additional opportunities for community gardening and non-profit farm share initiatives.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretaries of the departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; Transportation; and Agriculture appoint one staff member from each of their respective agencies to serve on the group, with the DNREC appointee serving as the chair.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the three state agencies shall cooperate to collectively provide any resources needed for the execution of this resolution.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following also be requested to participate in this working group: a representative of Omnia Humanitas, Inc. (the operators of the Kranz Farm); a staffer from Bellevue State Park familiar with the operation of their community garden; a representative of the Delaware Nature Society (the operators of a Community Supported Agriculture program at Coverdale Farm Preserve); and a representative of the Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids program.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that once formed, the working group may, at the discretion of the group, add members as it sees fit to carry out the objectives of this resolution.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this group shall fashion a plan to expand community gardening opportunities on state land in each county, and distributed throughout each county.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this plan shall identify these opportunities; any state resources that will be needed to create them; any General Assembly action that will be needed to enact the plan; the estimated number of people that could benefit from the plan; and an estimated timeline for implementing the plan as soon as it practicable.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this plan shall be delivered via e-mail to all the sponsors and co-sponsors of this resolution returning as part of the new 148^th General Assembly no later than January 1, 2015.

SYNOPSIS

This resolution requests the departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC); Transportation; and Agriculture to form a public-private working group to identify opportunities for expanding community gardening opportunities on state-owned property and to fashion a plan for carrying out this objective.