Transformed: Where there was only soil, now there is an engaged space - and engaged people
Transformed. If given one word to describe what has taken
place over the past year in front of the Chase Near Eastside Legacy Center (CNELC),
a facility of the John H. Boner Community Center, transformed
is the word I choose.
It’s easy to see how the word applies to the physical space.
What was an open field of rocky compact soil left from the building of the CNELC,
is now a vibrant, living, interactive and engaged place with over 10,000 square
feet of raised earth growing produce, two re-purposed shipping containers
serving for storage and community education space, as well as two covered decks
for sheltered outdoor activities. It is nothing short of an urban agriculture
center in and of itself. The transformations don’t end with the place though.
Transformed. Kate Franzman! Kate came to Growing Places Indy
as a summer apprentice in 2013. She wanted to leave her professional career in
advertising, and get back to the land. Kate was different from most apprentices
in that her goal was to farm. We have come to learn that when Kate sets her
mind to something, she achieves. When Growing Places Indy received a Specialty
Crop Block Grant from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) to
create this additional urban farm site at the CNELC,
we knew Kate was up to the challenge. With barely 6 months training under her
belt, Kate fearlessly and fiercely dove into the role of stewarding this site
from barren to blossoming. Kate ran the summer farm stand and delighted in
welcoming the individuals and families who came for “u-pick” hours. If you walk
around the backside of the CNELC today,
you’ll see an additional 10,000 square feet wasn’t enough. She’s building out
more growing space there for flowers and more vegetables!
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| The completed outdoor education space by the UPick Site. |
Transformed. Students, parents, coaches, friends, fans all
pass by this space, as it is located adjacent to the Arsenal Tech High School
football stadium. Now they see food growing and people working, learning and
purchasing fresh produce. It normalizes gardens and urban farms as part of the
urban landscape and invites them to participate as they feel comfortable and
curious.
Transformed. Last summer over a dozen families participated
in 4-week class series in which they learned to cook fresh veggies and herbs,
garden, and do simple yoga stretches and breathing exercises. This summer
nearly 20 families will grow together, learning
and exploring in the outdoor education space through the Growing Places Indy
Family Class Series.
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| Families got to spend quality time together learning to cook with fresh garden produce and practicing yoga. |
Transformed. One day a member of the CNELC stopped on his
way out to say, “I’ve been watching you.” He went on to explain how he’d been
watching the process we’d used of spreading woodchips 18 inches deep across the
whole area, and then building garden beds by layering chopped leaves and
compost soil. He went home and applied the same method, and was delighted to
share how well his tomato plants were now growing.
Transformed. From June through September, the new growing
space made produce available to Near Eastside neighbors through an on-site farm
stand on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. In addition, customers had
the option to “u-pick” available veggies during farm stand hours. This was
especially popular with children, such as one little girl who came each week
with her mother and delighted in eating the veggies she picked right there and
then – even raw eggplant! Also delighted were the individuals who came for our
Thursday afternoon by-donation yoga and Ayurveda classes at CNELC. They could
double the positive impact of a one-stop trip by combining the class with the
farm stand offerings!
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| Two-year-old Olive enjoys an eggplant fresh off the vine. |
Transformed. It is not easy task to spread over 10,000 sq ft
with woodchips 18 inches deep, nor to build-out layers of garden beds one
wheelbarrow at a time. This project relied on the help of many volunteers who
came out and helped wheelbarrow what seemed like endless piles of woodchips and
leaves and compost soil into a living urban farm. Some individuals came nearly
every week – in the cold, the heat, the sun and the rain - tirelessly
contributing to what felt at times like a task that would never be completed.
We were transformed by their commitment and their smiles.
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| Our volunteers hard at work distributing wood chips. |
Our vision didn’t end with the transformation of the land.
We imagined an outdoor education space for gathering community, a sheltered
farm stand, and the addition of so much more growing space necessitated
additional storage space, a large walk-in cooler for harvested produce, and a
more robust harvest and hydro-cooling station. The John H. Boner Community Center
was fully on-board with the vision, and partnered to help us secure funding for
the education space through a Lilly Endowment
grant. Additional grants from the Indy Food Fund, Subaru of Indiana and Scripps-Howard
provided the funding necessary for the additional farm infrastructure. In total,
together with the initial farm expansion grant from the ISDA, the project was
made possible by $65,200 in grant funding.
Transformed. Architectural design classes must design
buildings and structures that exemplify theories on giving form that transforms
spaces into places. Many do not get the opportunity to apply their theoretical
designs to real projects and built structures. Three classes of Ball State
architecture students worked together to imagine, design and then actually
figure out how to transform their theoretical renderings into functional form.
We are amazed at the results of their creativity and innovation, and they
received a deeper learning experience from working with a real client to
implement from design to construction.
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| One of the first renderings created by the talented Ball State design classes. |
Transformed. Two used and slightly damaged shipping
containers were donated by Pac-Van for the project, providing a structure to
work from in building to our vision. Other donated and re-purposed items were
given new life through this project, including former RCA Dome material
purchased from People for Urban Progress and transformed by Ball State students
into an eye-catching dome cover over the deck of the education space. AAA-Roofing
in Cottage Home donated sheets of metal, which contribute to a rainwater
catchment system by Circle City Rain Barrels. Tom Battista donated old school
chalkboards that Ball State students gave new life as tables and message boards
in the education space. Larry Jones donated a three-basin sink for the harvest
and hydro-cooling station.
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| The covering of this structure was made from RCA Dome material. |
Transformed. As with every grant-based project I’ve ever
worked on with a non-profit, the grant funds never quite match the ideal
budget. Just as material donations help to transform shortfall to abundance, so
to do community relationships and creativity. For many months, Indianapolis
tree companies delivered truckload after truckload of woodchips, used as the
base for the growing space. When we got to the infrastructure projects, other
relationships helped make ends meet. Walk-in coolers require insulated walls,
which had to be built inside the shipping container. The education space needed
a durable slip-safe floor for potentially muddy and wet feet traipsing in and
out. A visit to Sun King Brewing Co. unexpectedly brought solutions to both,
and the walk-in cooler now has the same walls as Sun King’s own beer coolers in
the Cole-Noble production facility and the education space has the same durable
non-slip flooring!
And as is the case in any transformation process, there are
a number of other contributors, influencers, and activators involved in the
process. This project has truly been a community effort, made manifest by
cumulative efforts and contributions of many. In addition to those who have
been mentioned above, RATIO Architects, Inc. - specifically Dustin Eggink - was
critical, donating time, expertise, and assistance with the permitting process
to keep the project in compliance. Dustin also introduced us to the two
phenomenal Ball State professors who took on this project with their classes: Lucas
Brown and Tim Gray. Lucas and
Tim, together with their band of future architects, dedicated great amounts of
time, sweat, and brainpower to this project. The team came up with thoughtful
designs and clever uses of materials that will benefit the farmers who work on-site
regularly, other visitors and those using the education space, as well as
providing inspiration for other urban farmers and garden educators.
Transformed. For Growing Places Indy, this project has
already and will continue to transform our potential to provide more fresh
produce, more educational programs and more community gatherings. Through this
project we have created jobs for a new farmer, for small local businesses that
helped with fabrication, for contractors who helped on the nuts and bolts of
construction. We have connected with community members in new ways, welcomed
new volunteers, and sparked many to imagine new possibilities and new potential
to “Grow well, Eat well, Live well, Be well” relevant to their own spheres of
influence.
In 2015 the Summer Farm Stand will be open on Thursday
evenings from 4-7 p.m. beginning June 18 and continuing weekly through September
24th. Customers can shop from what is already harvested, or “u-pick”
selected items each week during farm stand hours. Harvest tools and instruction
on how to harvest each crop are provided by GPI staff and volunteers. SNAP
benefits are accepted and matched through the Fresh Bucks program. By-donation
yoga and Ayurveda classes will be offered again this summer on Thursdays from
4-5 p.m. beginning June 18th and continuing through August 13th. When the weather is nice, classes will be
held outside on the covered deck of the education space.
