Jail project ready to plant

The students shown here on Day 4 of the project (April 14) are some of the many students who have worked on the project. Supervision (and a lot of the work) has been by Harry Born and Chess Long. You can see the infrastructure here is almost ready for planting to begin.

 

There is about a yard of topsoil yet to add in the lower planting section and granite gravel for the steps and walk, and then the plants will go in. The effort and dedication these youngsters have put in is truly impressive. I'm not sure that Harry, who himself is a volunteer at the campus,  knew quite what he was getting into by supervising this.

 

Here is a front view showing the structure for the steps on the left and the tiered planting areas. The total area to be planted is approximately 300 sq. ft. which is a bit more than Bill Bradshaw had designed for due to our adding the lower bed in the forefront of the photo. Bill, who recently passed away, was a Landscape Architect Emeritus and donated his time.

 

We have spent $600 on plants which are about to be picked up from Backbone Nursery which gave us a great price and some extra plants. The topsoil has been donated by Horseshoe Bay and the granite gravel by Collier Materials. The silt fence was loaned by Cactus Companies. The cedar timbers you see were donated by Foxworth-Galbraith. Hauling of topsoil and granite gravel was done in part by Hill Country Recycling. Buck Burdett kicked the project off with his backhoe tearing out the old, rotted railroad ties and loosening up the soil so the students could more easily work it. We will spend around $250 to install a drip system and a bit of money more on mulch but the purchasing is about done.

 

The City of Marble Falls has placed a water connection so that the students can maintain the plants until they get established. We are very confident that God will thereafter furnish adequate rains for these drought-hardy plants! Funding was furnished through the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ using funds remaining from the old Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Regional Tri-Commission for Economic Development which was an early economic development effort in the area. 

 

This photo shows the end result of the dirt and timber work with the main planting areas. Not shown are 3x9 planters on each side of the building.

 

Many of the Marble Falls Career High School Students have labored at the site. Quite a few of them had never had a shovel in their hands nor helped carry a 10 foot long 6x6 inch cedar timber. Sweat equity!  Just watching them work and listening to the banter, along with the fact that most of the students on the entire campus have wanted to participate, tells me that they have gotten a lot of benefit from participating. It will be fun to see the response as the planting is done and the transformation begins for sure.

 

Yes, it's a ratty old worthless building but it will no longer be an eyesore and the experience of the children:  priceless.

 

Supervision of the students has been by Harry and Chess with campus Principal Peggy Little delivering pizza or Subway sandwiches. Oversight of the project has been by co-chair Rotarians Jim McCrocklin, Gil Jones, and Ed Cole.