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This $1.3 million investment from the Economic Development Administration has boosted our total campaign fundraising to $7.28 million!
Do you own an investment property? You can donate your property to the Agriculture Park, we’ll liquidate it and use the cash to finish building the park.
With many things being put on hold, we still have amazing progress at the Agriculture Park.
The Build This Town: Campaign for the Agriculture Park has secured 50% State Tax Credits to help you lower your tax burden.
There is a lot of progress at Columbia's Agriculture Park this summer. The MU Health Care Pavilion is being joined by several other buildings this summer! Several raised beds and concrete pads have been installed along side the new buildings that are being constructed. Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture's Barn/Greenhouse is taking shape quickly! Check out these recent action shots.
Over the past few weeks the importance of a resilient food system has been made clear. Below is a message from each of the Columbia's Agriculture Park organizations are working to support our community with local agriculture during this uncertain time. ~
This was written before the COVID-19 pandemic came to our community. The new reality economic implications of the virus has us re-evaluating feasibility of the timeline mentioned in this article. We'll be keep a close eye on the situation and share more details soon. ~
“Twenty-seven years ago, we had the vision for this, that we needed a permanent village,” Kuebler said. “I’m excited the dream came true.”
The Columbia Agriculture Park reaches a milestone on Saturday with its grand opening and the return of the Columbia Farmers Market to Clary-Shy Park.
"Any town that you go to that has a permanent structure, where farmer's markets take place, they're meeting places. They're community social meeting places. It's much more than just a place where farmers to come and sell our produce," Graznak said.
When Columbia Farmers Market go its start in 1980, the members originally had a roof to meet under. They met in the same location as today’s Agriculture Park, back then it was the Boone County Fairgrounds…
The Agriculture Park is SOOOOO close to opening this spring! We're sad to say the May 18th date is looking unlikely now due to the rain...
A team of 8-12 AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members will be coming to Columbia on April 12, 2019. They will work full time for three months to help build Columbia’s Agriculture Park…
We recently got word from our contractors that the winter weather has finally caught up with us, and has triggered a delay to the timeline.
“The new additions will also include a playground and a second outdoor classroom….The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant will also be used to support the construction of an urban garden, an outdoor classroom and a 40-car parking lot.”
The Agriculture Park has been humming the last few weeks, and major progress has been made. Almost all of the base layer for the market pavilion pad is down and much of the grading has been complete!
“The second reading of our plan will happen during the May 21 City Council meeting,” Saunders said. “After this meeting hopefully our contractor can start construction at the end of May or early June.”
We need your help to raise $300,000 in the next four weeks! Contractors have submitted their bids for the project and we have the opportunity to include some phase 2 components in this year's construction. Your donation or pledge in the coming weeks is crucial to helping us speed up the timeline.
Watch the fly-over video!
When we come together, we create change.
This park impacts everyone in our community. After all, everyone eats.
Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve accomplished:
A year-round covered facility for the Columbia Farmers Market. This space is available to the community outside of farmers market hours.
An interactive urban farm where you can learn about how food is grown. The food grown at the park also provides meals to struggling families.
An outdoor nature playground where you can bring the little ones to explore the natural world around them. School groups and summer camps use this fun outdoor space when they visit the Agriculture Park.
Outdoor recreational trail. There are paved and gravel trails throughout the park, getting you up close and personal with the farm, food forest, gardens, and native habitats. The Boulder Hop Trail takes you down into our one-acre wetland among the cattails, frogs, and birds.
Coming in 2025…
A Community Welcome Center with a food and agriculture resource center, a community kitchen that supports hunger relief, nutrition education, and local farmers, and event space for educational programs and special events like weddings, conferences, and parties.
What else can this park do for you? Like an onion, there are many layers to this project. As organizers continue to receive input from the community the list of features and benefits continues to grow.
Imagine sitting on a bench in the shade of an apple tree, biting into a fresh peach you just bought from the farmers' market.
