Annual Report 2024
Activity summaries of De Groene Poort Oost foundation, its core group and volunteers.
Including: signing the lease agreement, planting a food forest and hedge, a connecting path through the park, the park’s festive opening, 12 DIY days (including collaborations with Serve the City, UWC, CNME) and 5 published newsletters.
January
- 1 January: visited the new year’s reception in Aen de Wan
- The stand (Citizen’s Budget project) has been completed!
- Graffiti on the entrance board: fortunately, it was easy to remove
- Consultation with local law enforcement
- 20 January: Kern met Pit meeting in Ospel: we reached 2nd place with the food forest and received the title Kern met Pit as well as a cheque worth 1000,- Euros
- 27 january: Alex Frints gives a mini-course in pruning the fruit trees at the DIY day
February
- Message from Boeken voor Mensen: they are sponsoring a slide
- 8 February: the lease agreement is signed!
- 20 February: we were present at the domain meeting of general affairs on citizen participation. Earlier we gave the municipality input on our experiences with citizen participation.
- 23 February: planting day: food forest planted: large turnout
- DIY Day 24 February: the slide was installed, the hornbeam was planted. (at least 450 trees, plants and hedges were planted in two days!)
- 28 February: City director Roland Olvers joined our meeting
March
- A department of the municipality used the park for a team activity (jigsaw puzzle)
- 11 March: consultation with fellow neighbourhood park Boschpoort
- 16 March: NL Doet day: opening of the picnic bench by PLUS grocery store’s Sven Beckers, made letters on the fence to replace the banner, the stairs’ concrete was renovated.
- 23 March: we participated in the National Compost Day; this time local residents could pick up bags of compost. After 1.5 hours all the bags were gone.
April
- 5 April: we planted a willow circle.
- 8 April: Cerfontaine laid the connecting path. A playtunnel was installed.
- Final completion of the 2022 Onze Buurt/Our Neighbourhood financial prize (container, water pump, tools: a vital food forest and storage space for Neighbourhood Park De Groene Poort Oost in Maastricht.)
- Food forest video made (Annabel).
- April: Arie’s garden, which borders the park, was renovated.
- Play sand supplied.
- 20 April DIY day: letters put on the fence to replace our banner.
- Starting 30 April, 5000 flyers were spread through Heer and Scharn to announce the park’s official opening.
May
- 4 May: we participated in Heer’s Remembrance Day
- Regulations made and placed on website
- Information boards placed at the two entrances
- Signs with names of the food forest trees: made by two UWC students
- Grand opening on 12 May: with a scavenger hunt by IE-Quest, dance performance, music, guided tours, scouts, speech by the mayor and presence of the children’s deputy mayor, food and drinks. There was a large turnout
- 17 May: consultation with Sara from youth organisation Juupu
- 24 May: brainstorm session with 5 Porta Mosana students (in the pouring rain)
- 25 May: DIY day moved to 1 June due to wet weather
June
- June: A GroenLinks delegation visited regarding the Groene Lintje/Green Ribbon nomination
- 7 June: tour for the Sleedoorn residents
- 5 June: Groene Lintje/Green Ribbon presentation
July
- Final park regulations posted on the website
- 18 July: gift from Marc van Houten Koppen (two nesting boxes)
- 22 July: Land Registry established borders
- 28 July: food forest map drawn
August
- 21 August: Jelle van Doornplantsoen visited during a meeting. He visited the park a few days later and offered advice.
- The bee hotel fell and was repaired
- Submission for Limburgs Landschap Foundation competition (pond). Unfortunately it was rejected.
September
- The pruning team completed the pruning calendar.
- Placed the horizontal bar.
- 10 September: present at the UWC student info market (CAS fair), 3 UWC would help this year.
- 22 September: visited Grueles’ open day in Gronsveld.
- 22 September: Elisabeth Strouvenf fund agreed to spend 7500 Euro on pond and education.
- 27 September: as part of the “Week of the Meeting” we lunched together in the park and played a game of kubb.
- 29 September: participated in the Aen de Wan info market.
October
- 4 October: Mark Frank CNME offered advice in the park
- 6 October: present at Heerder October meeting; we came in 3rd place at the tree sawing competition
- 18 October: Nelle of the CNME (park- and play specialist) visited the park and offered advice
- 18 October: we were present at the information market for Porta Mosana students via Juupu DIY day with (unfortunately less than expected) UM employees; made a park chair, among other things
- 30 October: we received a donation of 1500 Euros for park furniture and trees (in honour of birthdays, money was collected at a party for our neighbourhood park)
November
- 1 November start eco toilet.
- 17 November: we participated in the Salon Maastricht talkshow on the subject of citizen participation.
- 29 November: tree planting day with Solabia Nutrition. The company paid for the trees.
December
- 13 December: the municipality replaced dead trees
- 13 December: 5 Porta Mosana students started helping with social media
Elzien Lochs, secretary
