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Grand Rapids’ Blandford Nature Center asks House panel for $500,000 to build year‑round classroom
Summary
Blandford Nature Center representatives told the House Appropriations Subcommittee the center lacks a safe year‑round classroom and asked for a $500,000 LDSI appropriation for construction of an accessible classroom, kitchen and restrooms to sustain farm‑based education across 11 counties.
Blandford Nature Center asked the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor and Economic Opportunity for $500,000 to build a year‑round, accessible classroom at its Grand Rapids farm to support educational programming.
The request, introduced by Rep. Betsy Glanville, was described as “in limbo” because the project was affected by a pending court case tied to prior work‑project funding cuts. Glanville said the funding would help guarantee the project moves forward and highlighted Blandford’s growth from an original 17‑acre gift to a 264‑acre urban nature center serving students from 11 counties.
Stacy Stout, Blandford’s president and CEO, told the committee, “We do not have a functional year round classroom facility at the farm. Our current structure is very unsafe and nonfunctional. There are no working toilets, no proper hand washing stations, and no climate control space for students.” She said those limitations force cancellations during winter months and on extreme‑heat or poor‑air‑quality days, and that a modern classroom (seating for about 25), a commercial kitchen and accessible restrooms would allow year‑round programming.
Stout said Blandford serves more than 100,000 visitors annually and thousands of students across Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana and Ottawa counties. She described the requested state funds as construction dollars that would be matched with private fundraising; she noted Blandford recently received a separate $1,500,000 state allocation for a Highlands pavilion that is nearing completion.
Committee members asked about the timeline and administrative costs. Stout said the state dollars would be dedicated to construction and that Blandford is fundraising private match; she said the organization is staging the project after completing the Highlands pavilion and that work is on hold pending resolution of legal issues and fundraising. No committee vote on the appropriation was taken at the hearing.
The subcommittee’s next step for this request was not announced at the end of the meeting.
