Durango School District 9-R recently received a $50,000 donation that will go toward the SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab’s outdoor grow dome.
The district received the donation from the La Plata County Colorado State University Extension Office.
The garden and learning space is home to over 90 garden beds and available to students in the district and residents.
The grow dome is part of Phase 2 of the SOIL project. The outdoor learning lab officially opened to the public during the summer of 2023 with a September grand opening ceremony at Riverview Elementary School, signifying the completion of Phase 1.
The 42-foot grow dome will allow students to grow crops year round, despite Durango’s harsh winter climate.
Students and residents will be able to explore innovative horticultural practices, such as aquaponics and technology integration. The district intends to welcome La Plata 4-H members into the dome when it is completed in the Spring of 2024.
“The SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab at Riverview Elementary gives students from across the District an opportunity to discover something new every time they visit. A plant, an insect, a vegetable they never tried,” said Darrin Parmenter, Extension County Director & Specialist in a Durango School District 9-R community update. “The garden – indoors or outdoors – allows them the chance to get dirty, to study, to learn. And to smile. Go check it out for yourself – no matter what else is going on in your life, a smile can always be found in the garden. Part of what makes this space so special, is that it encompasses everything that Colorado State University Extension – and our 4-H Youth Development program – value: an inclusive opportunity to teach both youth and adults, the value of gardening and agriculture.”
Phase 1 included the planting of the gardens, while the other phases will include building the remaining infrastructure for the project.
It also involved implementing a 700-foot water line from the elementary school to the garden at the west end of the parking lot, as well as electricity for the garden’s future phases in addition to laying the actual garden beds. The construction of a tool shed is the only addition left for Phase 1.
An additional $125,000 is needed to finish the project, according to information provided by the district in September.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
