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Advisory board backs expansion of Stimmel School community garden to serve North Salina
Summary
K‑State Extension and local partners described a plan to expand the former Stimmel School community garden with raised accessible beds, an orchard, donation plots and school programming. The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board voted to recommend the project move forward while staff and partners pursue floodway approval and grant funding.
The Salina Parks & Recreation Advisory Board voted to recommend moving forward with an expansion of the community garden at the former Stimmel School site, city staff said. Presenters from K‑State Research and Extension and local partners outlined a plan to improve access, add raised accessible beds and make the site a hub for school and community gardening.
Jason Graves, horticulture extension agent with K‑State Research and Extension, told the board the site is "in the North Salina food desert" and that the expansion aims to improve local access to fresh produce and gardening education. The proposed plan, for a site just under two acres, would add handicap‑accessible raised beds, a community area for rented raised beds, school plots for students, an orchard and dedicated rows for produce donations to the local food bank.
Graves and collaborators said the design borrows features from a successful food‑bank garden that supplies roughly 3,000 pounds of donated produce in recent years. The presenters also described benches, drip irrigation, shade structures and potential high‑tunnel (season‑extension) structures to lengthen the growing season. Lakewood Discovery Center staff said they will partner on outreach and youth programming.
Staff noted regulatory and funding hurdles. Because portions of the site are in a floodway, the team is pursuing a "no‑rise" certificate that would permit installing raised beds and other low‑impact improvements. Presenters said grant funding will be necessary; they are pursuing grants and have discussed a potential block grant application with city staff. Parks staff also discussed preparing a memorandum of understanding to clarify city support for grant applications and said master‑plan funds could contribute to the orchard component.
Board members asked about transportation access; presenters said OCCK (Salina’s transit agency) had been added as a partner so a bus stop could be added near the garden to reduce transportation barriers. Presenters also described community events — spring planting days, summer pickings and fall harvests — and partnerships with Kansas Wesleyan for student mentoring and seasonal stewardship.
After discussion, a board member moved and the motion was seconded; the board approved the recommendation to proceed by an all‑in‑favor voice vote. Staff and presenters said the next steps are to obtain the no‑rise certificate, continue fundraising and return with specific grant requests or city funding proposals when those details are available.
The board vote conveyed support for the project concept; staff cautioned that construction or expanded infrastructure cannot proceed until floodway approval and sufficient funding are secured.
