Crown Point Ecology Center

“Corporate member - the members of the corporation are the prioress and council of the dominican sisters of peace, inc.”

“Decisions subject to member approval - the board of directors may not take any of the following actions without the approval of the corporate members: 1) election of new members to the board of directors 2) hiring or termination of the executive director 3) the sale, transfer, exchange, lease for more than one year, or pledge/mortgage of the corporation's real estate 4) the alteration or addition to buildings or other improvements on the corporation's real estate, or the making of any contract, option or other agreement with respect thereto, if the transaction involved has a value in excess of 50,000 5) approval of the annual budget 6) incurrence of any debt 7) the merger, consolidation, or reorganization of the corporation 8) the amendment of the code of regulations of the corporation 9) acceptance of a gift or grant with restrictions as to its charitable use, when compliance with such restrictions would have a significant impact on the purpose, plan or mission of the corporation 10) any significant change in the purpose, plan or mission of the corporation”

“Review of form 990 - form 990 is reviewed by the finance committee and then presented for approval to the board of directors.”

“Monitoring of conflict of interest policy - each year, board members are asked to read and then sign the conflict of interest statement. If any board members have a conflict on a vote being taken, the board member abstains from voting and the reason is recorded in the minutes.”

“Review of compensation for executive director - the board of directors reviews the performance evaluation of the executive director and also obtains comparable salary data before deciding on the compensation for the next year. Salaries are included in the annual budget which is approved by the board of directors.”

“Availability of governing documents - copies of crown point's governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements are available upon request to the executive director.”

“Fy 2019/2020 highlights the 2020 harvest was one of the best in recent history. There were 16,233 lbs. Harvested by early october. Our farmer spent time enriching the soil with compost, manure and leaves. Weed management, including the laying of very large tarps in the field weeks before planting, was scheduled to kill weeds with solar heat. The raspberry harvest was heavy with a spring and late summer yield. Large and juicy sweet berries were a highlight for the csa shareholders as was the u-pick cherry tomato garden with 13 different varieties. New items grown this year included microgreens, hakurei turnips, celery root and black radishes. It was a perfect year for kale, spinach, napa cabbage and even broccoli did better than in past years. Crown point hosted seven farm interns this year staggered throughout the seeding, growing and harvesting season. We were able to utilize both full time and part time interns increasing scheduling flexibility for both crown point and the interns. The 2020 csa (community supported agriculture) provided shares to 116 local families. Crown point's csa program is the longest running csa in ne ohio. Shareholders received a share of the harvest for 20 weeks over the season. The csa is traditionally market style. This year we implemented a prepacked vegetable share with touchless pick up. The 6-week winter share (2019) was full of tomatoes, onions, white and sweet potatoes, peppers and eggplant. Through crown point's first fruits program, a crown point priority, over 4,300 lbs. Of fresh organic vegetables were donated. The 16th annual certified organic plant sale, right smack in the middle of the covid-19 lockdown, was able to continue with an online store. Over 700 orders were placed for 10,674 plants and were packed by a team of dedicated volunteers and staff while social distancing in the greenhouses. Touchless delivery was implemented. We were able to donate over 1300 plants to community gardens supporting marginalized communities in akron and cleveland - over a 5,000 retail value. Through a grant from the acf - dilley foundation, we were able to hire three akron/summit county interns in late february for early seeding in our heated greenhouse. This early start was a game changer for having large healthy plants for the plant sale, for plant donation and for our own farm fields. Over 50,000 seeds were planted including over 300 annuals, native perennials and vegetable varieties. Despite the pandemic, we were able to continue utilizing volunteers to support many of our key farm functions. Our faithful farm volunteers continued to manage the children's garden, perennial garden and herb garden along with countless hours of weeding, harvesting, and packing produce. We were able to host students and adults from st. Albert the great (north royalton) and hudson high school to support farm projects. In march 2020, 55 pollinator trees were planted along the driveway. These trees will support crown point's bee and bird population. This was a usda funded project. Overcoming challenges of required social distancing, seven couples celebrated their wedding on the property; a 75% decrease over what was scheduled for the season. Many scheduled events canceled or postponed to 2021. The 22nd annual taste of earth dinner and auction went virtual with over 200 guests making reservations for a tasty take-home dinner, wine and cocktails. The event also hosted an online auction, fund a project and raffle along with a short zoom program for attendees. A grant through the acf/community response fund for non-profits allowed crown point to establish a new raised bed garden. This garden, first planted in july, contributed over 60 lbs. To the donation harvest. Going forward, the garden will be planted, maintained and harvested by volunteers with 100% of the harvest going for donation. While a smaller than expected harvest this year, the garden will be available for years to come. The harvest is expected to increase signif”