Durango School District 9-R is celebrating the completion of phase 2 of its SOIL Outdoor Learning Lab and community garden at Riverview Elementary School in northeast Durango.
Durango School District SOIL Lab Specialist Charlie Love and Superintendent Karen Cheser attended a Durango City Council meeting last week to explain the completion of a grow dome, a year-round indoor grow and research facility at 2900 Mesa Ave., and what is in store in phase 3 of development.
Cheser said over 2,500 students have taken field trips to the community garden and nearly 400 Fort Lewis College students have interned at the SOIL Lab and worked with grade school students. The SOIL Lab is also hosting free community workshops. Forty-seven volunteers have logged over 225 hours and almost 500 pounds of produce has been grown in the garden and donated to families in need through Manna soup kitchen.
She said the SOIL Lab is a multigenerational education and community resource. Students and children can visit the lab to see how aquaponics and hydroponics work and learn about sustainability from adults growing in the garden.
“The school district is committed to continuing to fund all of our operations and project manager, and all the things that we need to make it a success,” she said.
Love said the grow dome will accommodate student field trips year-round and allow for new and improved community programs, public events and public access.
“For both students and community members, I’m really excited about opportunities for innovative techniques, technologies, research that wouldn’t happen in a normal garden because of some of the technology we have in there and some of the more innovative equipment and things. I would just say come see it. It’s pretty cool,” he said.
Over the past few months, students have taken trips to the grow dome while it was under construction. They designed experiments, building models and shared ideas about how to make the grow dome the best facility it can be.
“We’ve incorporated a lot of those into the design,” Love said. “The way SOIL’s always been, we’re always engaging with community members and students, even in the design process.”
The grow dome contains 1,400 square feet of indoor growing space and will feature year-round STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) lessons and growing demonstrations. Construction was fully funded by grants from the Colorado Garden Foundation, Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative and La Plata County Extension/4-H, according to a presentation by Love.
Cheser said there’s not another facility like the SOIL Lab.
“Nothing like this is happening around the country. In fact, Charlie has been on the road a little bit, presenting at different conferences, such as the North American Association for Environmental Education,” she said. “We are spreading the word around the country about this type of partnership.”
The city partnered with the school district to support the SOIL Lab. Both partners pay for a garden manager’s salary and the city pitches in about $35,400 for operation costs annually, said Scott McClane, assistant parks director. The city also provides portable toilets on-site during the summer.
The SOIL Lab hosts 50 community garden plots that residents can reserve and use for growing space. With the completion of the grow dome, Love said work has shifted to phase 3, which consists of development of The Hub, a center with interactive, interconnected, hands-on education stations themed on environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability.
The SOIL Lab is finishing fundraising construction of The Hub, and construction is planned to start this summer, he said.
“This is the phase I’m actually the most excited about, personally,” he said. “It’s going to be the most publicly accessible and really, for me, this whole thing is about bringing people together and building community. I think this one’s going to impact the most people the most often.”
He said residents often tell him the SOIL Lab should be a model for other school districts, cities and communities – and he agrees.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the city to expand the model and grow and inspire community here in Durango, and that’s our tagline: ‘Grow and inspire community,’” he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
