| Name | Melonie |
|---|---|
| Last Name | Lusk |
| Home Address | 8823 Igou Gap Road Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 United States |
| Organization Name | Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga, Inc. |
| Describe Your Role In The Organization | I serve as the Executive Director |
| Organization Address | 1000 E 30th Street Chattanooga, TN 37407 United States |
| Website | https://www.crabtreefarms.org |
| Best Phone Number To Reach You | 423-493-9155 |
| Alternate Phone Number | 931-314-0097 |
| Email Address | director@crabtreefarms.org |
| Alternate Email Address | mlusk@crabtreefarms.org |
| Please Describe Your Project In Detail | Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga seeks funds to move forward Equitable and Healthy Chattanooga, a series of land improvements, to enhance equitable nutrient-rich food access and create a safe space to encourage outdoor activity within disenfranchised neighborhoods. We believe our neighbors deserve and desire a beautiful space to grow, learn and connect with the land and each other; and that Crabtree Farms is uniquely positioned to provide a safe space to offer this. Based on the intensive work that was put into crafting our 2016 master plan, the proposed Riverwalk extension through our property, and the recent Local Foods, Local Places community engagement activities, we propose that now is the time to move forward with these improvements to the Farm, and our unique corner of the City. Utilizing the City’s land that we have been stewarding for the past 20+ years, we propose to create a family-friendly, park-like setting along the forthcoming extended trail system, integrating fruit trees and bushes, vegetable beds and herb gardens to increase accessibility to locally-grown, nutrient-rich food to residents of our South Chattanooga neighborhoods. We believe making the healthy choice an easy choice will work toward decreasing food-related health disparities amongst our neighbors while increasing their food security. We further understand that food and outdoor spaces combined prove to be a powerful modality to build community and we seek to assist in building upon and retaining the strong sense of community within the beautifully diverse neighborhoods in which we are centrally located. The key components of the Equitable and Healthy Chattanooga initiative include: A trailhead located at the 32nd Street access of the land in preparation to receive the Crabtree Connector portion of the Riverwalk extension to include 5 parking spots, a small shelter, seating, freshwater access, a natural play yard, a bicycle station, fruit trees, berry bushes, and hardscaped community gardening space; A property perimeter trail along the 22-acre site designed for natural terrain walking and casual mountain biking; An innovative urban foraging food forest with signage creating an interactive community space to both learn about and increase access to low-maintenance, nutrient-rich foods such as apples, paw paws, berries and herbs; and Infrastructure improvements to address storm water issues and water access across the property to maintain the foundational integrity of the urban farm and maintain a safe space for community engagement and learning. Opening the City’s Right of Way along Crescent Circle, and connecting 30th and 32nd Streets. |
| Please explain how your project meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan | Crabtree Farms is uniquely positioned to take quick action in addressing a number of the goals outlined in the new OneChattanooga strategic plan in response to the American Rescue Plan. Having created a master plan several years back and strengthening engagement with our neighbors over the past eighteen months positions us to build upon current momentum. Upon review of that plan and adjustments to meet updated community needs we seek to move forward with implementation. We believe this trajectory will provide generational reduction in both food access insecurities and food-related health disparities in the historically underserved neighborhoods of East Lake, Clifton Hills and Alton Park. This significant investment creates a safe outdoor space and helps advance progress toward the following goals outlined in the OneChattanooga strategic plan: • Address racial and socioeconomic disparities in public health outcomes • Ensure all Chattanoogans have access to fresh, healthy and affordable food • Leverage and improve outdoor spaces to advance public health • Investment in historically underserved neighborhoods • Modernize our transit system and build a multimodal street network • Investment in sustainable and resilient infrastructure • Advocate for local control over local policy and issues at the State and Federal levels Per the Federal Register definition and use allowances outlined in the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds document, the Crabtree Farms Equitable and Healthy Chattanooga initiative addresses defined needs of residents within a Qualified Tract Census as a non-profit entity working alongside disproportionately impacted populations and communities, providing programs or services to facilitate access to health and social services. Specifically, we do this by meeting outlined areas of approved funding including Public Health and Economic Impacts – Responding to Covid-19 – Addressing Disparities in Public Health outcomes and Responding to Negative Economic Impacts – Exacerbation of Pre-existing Disparities. |
| Where would your project take place? | The Equitable and Healthy Chattanooga proposed activities would take place on the 22-acre plot located at 1000 E 30th Street Chattanooga, nestled behind the Clifton Hills neighborhood and centrally located between the Alton Park and East Lake neighborhoods. This land, owned by the City of Chattanooga, is under a long term lease to Crabtree Farms of Chattanooga with the understanding that the organization remain good stewards of the land and maintain agricultural functions. This location is uniquely positioned to advance equitable nutrient-rich food access and health-benefiting activities in disenfranchised neighborhoods based on the expertise of the 24-year-old agricultural institution, continued community engagement efforts within the 3 neighborhoods listed above and by being positioned to be a point along the extended Riverwalk project. |
| How much will your project cost in total? | 1750000 |
| Do you have any matching funding sources from other local governments, private entities, non-profits, or philanthropic entities for your project? | No |
| Please describe the source and list amounts of any other funding. | |
| What portion of the project are you asking the city to fund? | |
| If funded, when would your project start? | July 1, 2022 |
| How long would your project take to complete? | 18 months |
| What milestones would you use to measure your project’s progress? | Utilizing an aggressive project management approach based on the limited timeframe, Crabtree Farms commits to crafting a calendar of activities with minimally fluid deadlines. With community support already building and a previously created master plan for infrastructure needs we are confident that we can quickly move into action by solidifying the proposed steering committee and crafting the eighteen-month plan of action. The plan of action document would guide our progress and allow for the recording of barriers and challenges. A regularly scheduled steering committee format fosters a systematic method to both monitor progress while providing an opportunity to address challenges as they arise and formulate solutions. |
| How would you ensure accountability and transparency throughout the project lifecycle? | Crabtree Farms is committed to working with neighbors, board members, staff and professional contractors to create a project-based steering committee to ensure that project goals and expectations are in alignment across both community desire and the mission of the organization. We propose to set discussion opportunities to approve plans and to select contractors with the intention of utilizing minority-owned businesses when feasible. Crabtree Farms is committed to post public announcements as required and share written plans and progress reports as requested within reasonable timeframes. |
| If successful, how would your project benefit the community? | The Equitable and Healthy Chattanooga initiative presented by Crabtree Farms will bring a multitude of community benefits both immediately and for generations to come to our immediate neighbors and the city at-large. This proposal provides a safe space to walk and pursue leisure and exercise, encourages engagement with nature and increases access to nutrient-rich foods, and strengthens the voice of residents by seeking to follow a social equity approach including the tenets of: inform, consult, involve, collaborate and empower to create a platform in which neighbors help drive decisions in the design elements of this proposal. We believe that significant investment into disenfranchised neighborhoods such as Clifton Hills, East Lake and Alton Park strengthens our city at-large. Equitable and Healthy Chattanooga is a step toward decreasing the disparities in health, wealth and overall well-being, including mental well-being, for our most immediate neighbors while strengthening cross-cultural communities across race, socio-economic standing and age. We hope this model of engagement, action and results will serve as a model to other neighborhoods throughout our greater-Chattanooga community. |
| How will you attract community buy-in for your project? | Crabtree Farms has allocated significant time resources over the past eighteen months in engaging our most immediate community, primarily our neighbors throughout the East Lake, Clifton Hills and Alton Park neighborhoods. In 2021, as a recipient of the EPA sponsored Local Food, Local Places technical assistance program and in partnership with the Blvd. Action Committee, we have brought together community members to have conversation and set goals to advance the economic vitality within a framework of local food initiatives, of businesses along the Rossville Blvd. corridor and residents within the adjacent neighborhoods. In our commitment to dive even deeper and hear the voices of our LatinX neighbors in particular, we have continued to seek opportunities to learn how the farm can best be an asset to our neighbors. One example is a focus group conducted at East Lake Elementary School in October 2021 which was conducted in Spanish amongst a group of 15 Spanish speaking families to gather such information. These exercises have allowed us to build trust with our neighbors and uncover concerns and desires of our micro-community including learning their interest in and concern for accessible produce with an emphasis on fruits and berries. In addition, we learned how important it is to provide access in a capacity that embraces the whole family. Understanding that the farm is positioned to provide a linkage between Alton Park and the greater East Lake area with the expanded Riverwalk, partnership building with the Alton Park community has also taken precedence. Over the summer of 2021, in collaboration with the Trust for Public Land and Net Resources Foundation we hosted a six-week program with Alton Park teens to explore Bipoc Heritage in Sustainable Land Practices. This well-received and impactful programming was a first step in introducing the farm as a safe space for our Alton Park neighbors to gather to grow, learn and connect with each other and the land. These efforts are ongoing. The above examples are a launching pad into the continuation of this important exploration of relevancy of the farm to our most immediate neighbors. We are excited to continue this walk alongside our neighbors in discovery and action to be a equitable, approachable and relevant asset. |
| Name | John Sweet |
| Contact Information | jcsweet3@gmail.com |
| Name | Raquetta Dotley |
| Contact Information | raquettadotley@gmail.com |
| Name | David Johnson |
| Contact Information | david.johnson@tpl.org |
| Name | Heather Herweyer |
| Contact Information | blvdactionplan@gmail.com |
| Name | Rosonia Burton |
| Contact Information | Rosonia.burton247@gmail.com |
| Name | Blythe Bailey |
| Contact Information | bbailey@chattanooga.gov |
| Is there anything else you would like us to know about your project? | Thank you for taking the time to review this proposal. We hope for the opportunity to discuss further and answer questions. |