City of Lenoir building new pavilion at Community Gardens

LENOIR, NC (August 15, 2024) ⇒ The City of Lenoir is building a new teaching and learning pavilion at Unity Park & Community Gardens. The pavilion will provide covered space for programs and events at the gardens.

The pavilion will be 30 feet by 24 feet, which equals 720 square feet. It will include counter space for demonstrations and gardening prep work. The floor of the pavilion will be concrete, and the roof will be corrugated metal. There will also be a dedicated restroom for gardeners and visitors.

“We are really excited about the new teaching and learning pavilion,” Garden Coordinator David Horn said. “We had some delays, but we persevered. Construction will start soon.”

Mr. Horn and City staff have been working on the teaching pavilion project for about six years.

In 2019, the City partnered with Appalachian State University to develop an improvement project at the gardens. The plan was for architectural design students to design a modular pavilion, build the pavilion in sections in the classroom/lab in Boone, and then assemble the new structure on site. The App State students visited the gardens in the fall of 2019, talked with Mr. Horn and staff about the project, and then returned to the university to create their plans.

“The students came up with some really interesting ideas and designs for the new pavilion,” Mr. Horn said. “They even built small models to show us when we visited at the end of 2019.”

But, like so many things, the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately delayed the project. The lockdown protocols in 2020 prevented the App State students from finishing the pavilion.

However, Mr. Horn kept the plans, and City staff continued to look for funding for the project.

Last year, the State of North Carolina gave the City $125,000 to build the pavilion. Mr. Horn created a design based off one of the App State concepts. Brushy Mountain Builders submitted the lowest bid for the design.

“Once completed, we’ll have a larger space for demonstrations and programs like the recent Tomato Blast event,” Mr. Horn said. “It’s going to be a great addition to the gardens.”

Brushy Mountain Builders can start construction as early as this Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, and the pavilion must be finished by the middle of November, barring any extreme weather delays.

The City of Lenoir Council approved the project during the June 4, 2024, Council meeting.

Unity Park & Community Gardens was built around 2010 in partnership with Caldwell Memorial Hospital. The purpose of the gardens is to encourage Caldwell County residents to eat healthy and to educate people about gardening. Community gardens are a great way to increase access to affordable, healthy foods. Click the following link to learn more about the gardens, Unity Park & Community Gardens.

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