05/17/2016
Dear Friend of FFA,
At the Fort Cherry School Board Meeting on Monday the board members will be asked to vote on paying for concrete for our new greenhouse.
Dr. Craig and I have secured funds for the actual greenhouse but the concrete will not be covered under grants. Our maintenance director has received a very reasonable bid on the concrete. We just need the board to approve the payment in order to move ahead.
Will you please consider contacting your local board members to let them know how important the Fort Cherry Ag Dept and H.G. Parkinson FFA Chapter is to our school and community? We currently have 116 FFA members. Over 50 of these stduents do an SAE which is a supervised agriculture experience on their own at home!
Our current greenhouse was donated approx. 17 years ago and was built by former students and Mr. Fred McGivern. It was a used greenhouse that Mr. Ray Johnston found discarded in a pile of high grass in our district!
It has been a great addition to our horticulture program but in the last few years it has become a safety issue. The electric is unsafe and often times the breakers are off due to wiring issues that have come with wear and tear. The greenhouse heat and cooling is also very inefficient due to the cracks in the wood, the cool damp gravel floor and poor quality covering. Our maintenance dept has been good about helping me with our basic maintenance issues but lately the issues have become more serious and not worth investing in an old greenhouse.
Our horticulture program has been a student favorite for years. We also sell our products to the community. With our new greenhouse we will have a longer growing season and therefore we will be able to plant an even larger variety.
Please consider contacting your local board member or even attending the meeting! We appreciate your support.
