Carson City Greenhouse Project breaks ground

A year-round supply of fresh leafy greens and other nutritious foods has been the wish of Penny Reynolds, culinary arts director for Carson High School. And now those hopes will soon come to be as The Greenhouse Project, a community-based greenhouse and garden, takes root in Carson City.

A ground-breaking ceremony held on Friday marks the beginning of a project that many believe will be a model for Carson City, the state of Nevada and the nation. Construction will begin next week.

After three years of persistence and a belief that "solutions for problems present themselves continuously," Greenhouse Project creator Karen Abowd marked Friday's ceremony with warm gratitude to Carson City citizens.

"This is truly a community effort," said Abowd, who is the newly-elected and soon-to-be member of the Carson City Board of Supervisors, co-owner of Adele's Restaurant in Carson City and a member of the Carson City Cultural Commission, which propelled her as Greenhouse Action Group chairwoman.

"I originally envisioned a concept of producing hanging flower baskets for Carson City's downtown business district," said Abowd. "The idea just exploded from there and grew to incorporate plans for a greenhouse that would grow healthy food for people in need and teach kids about growing their own food and eating healthy."

Abowd was joined by, among others, Carson City School District Superintendent Richard Stokes, Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell, Carson Nugget General Manager Star Anderson, and Jenny Scanland, recreation trails program manager for Nevada State Parks.

"Carson City is a great place to live. This is a great symbol of what the community can be," Crowell said.

The Carson City School District has provided the land at Carson High School for the Greenhouse Project. Once finished the commercial-sized greenhouse will span 2,160-square-feet. It will provide indoor and outdoor community gardens and trails that aim to provide educational and vocational opportunities for students, youth groups and special needs individuals. The entire site will be ADA accessible and designed to provide for persons with disabilities access to the gardens.

The greenhouse will be designed to be self-sustainable with energy collected by way of solar panels and a ground source heat pump that will manage the soils and the growing environment. Through education programs, students will cultivate and distribute vegetables for school culinary classes and local food banks and produce flower baskets for the downtown Carson City corridor.

Phase one of the project will cost around $300,000. The project is funded through multiple sources including a $29,000 HUD grant and $11,000 from Carson City Community and Youth programs. The remainder of the project will be funded through more than $80,000 in private funds and donations, including the Carson Nugget, which made a $2,000 contribution to the project on Friday. Carson Nugget General Manager Star Anderson presented Abowd with the donation as well as the Nugget's Community First Award.

A $200,000 grant through the Recreation Trails Program of Nevada Division of State Parks also serves as a large boost in seed money.

"Nevada State Parks and the Recreation Trails Program goal is to unplug children and families from the video games, television and computers and 'reconnect them with nature' through outdoor education and trails," said Scanland of Nevada State Parks. "This project is a perfect partnership and we are looking forward to seeing The Greenhouse Project grow and develop into something very special for the community and as a model for the state."

In addition to providing youth educational and vocational opportunities, The Greenhouse Project will also serve the needs of Carson City's low-income community by increasing access to fresher, more nutritious food supplies. The project also promotes revitalization of Carson City's downtown commercial corridor by enhancing its appearance through horticultural arts.

The Greenhouse Project will be a great way for children to connect to the Earth, said Dan Kaffer, RC&D Coordinator for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. "You can really change lives by those who become physically involved with the soil."

Abowd sees the project as being larger than food and flowers.

"I want these students to be engaged in their community, develop business skills that can take them beyond the classroom, and be a part of making local schools better," said Abowd.

The Greenhouse Project will be a learning opportunity for all ages, from master gardener volunteers to children and their parents. Trails will also accommodate special needs children and adults. The project will also provide growing areas for the Community Sustainable Agriculture programs the students will develop to help sustain and operate the Greenhouse Project. There are multiple curriculums being developed for all ages including assistance from Nevada Cooperative Extension and Carson High School Future Farmers of America that will provide multiple training and education venues for all ages.

— Kerri Garcia and Carson Now contributed to this story