Harrisburg board backs moving forward on William Penn greenhouse garden; staff to draft agreement

At the Harrisburg City School District meeting on March 25, 2025, the board and receiver gave unanimous informal support to pursue a proposal from The Bridge and Ngozi Inc. to use the greenhouse and fenced space at the William Penn campus for the 2025 growing season, and asked staff to work with the solicitor to draft a memorandum of understanding for committee review in April.

The proposal, presented by Rafika Muhammad, executive director of Ngozi Inc., and Gary Gilliam of the Bridge/Foundation, would rely on community volunteers and outside fundraising. Gary Gilliam summarized the plan: “we wanna utilize the greenhouse area there and create a food garden, a healing garden,” and said his group would provide materials and some funding. Rafika Muhammad described long experience running urban agriculture programs and said the project would aim to bring students and neighborhood residents into hands‑on growing activities.

Board members and staff focused questions on three issues: funding, site preparation and security. Dr. Stokes, presenting for business services, told the board the $10,000 district contribution discussed that evening was not in the current budget and would require identifying a funding source if the board approved moving forward. Operations staff told the board the greenhouse and surrounding area need cleanup and notable repairs; operations staff said the greenhouse had not been maintained in recent years and would require volunteer and possibly district support to clear debris and overgrowth. Operations staff also flagged that William Penn has recurring trespass and vandalism issues, and that existing 24/7 security staffing is under review because of budget constraints.

Administrators and the community proposed practical steps to reduce risk and make the project workable. Gary Gilliam and Rafika Muhammad said volunteers and partner organizations could support summer maintenance and training; Gilliam noted existing volunteering relationships with local schools and programs. The Bridge/Foundation said it would contribute $5,000 toward a roughly $15,000 program estimate (presenters described the larger figure as a farm‑manager/service fee), with the district responsible for site clearance and a proposed $10,000 district contribution for the 2025 growing season. Dr. Henry and other administrators confirmed the district could explore alternative district‑owned sites if William Penn proved infeasible.

Receiver Dr. Suske asked the elected board for an informal show of hands on whether administration should proceed to draft an agreement with the presenters; after discussion he said, “we will move forward,” and reported that the show of hands indicated unanimous support. That straw poll was explicit: the board asked the solicitor to prepare a memorandum of understanding and return it for consideration at the April Committee of the Whole meeting rather than executing an immediate lease or contract.

Next steps are procedural: administration will work with the district solicitor to draft an MOU reflecting proposed roles, a limited term (the presenters described the request as the 2025 growing season, with options to wind down in November if needed), and responsibilities for cleanup, insurance and use. Any MOU or contract will return to the board for formal approval; no binding agreement was signed at the March 25 meeting.