The Parks and Recreation Department of the city requested the Public Works Committee to approve the staff to advertise for bids for the Parks Greenhouse Project, which the committee recently approved.
If the City Council now also approves the request, the work on the new city greenhouse can begin as early as November. The new facility will be larger than the current one and will have environmental controls for heating and cooling, with remote access. The estimated cost of the greenhouse project is $351,000.
For decades, the city greenhouse has been situated off Canyon Lake Drive near McKeague Field and the Sunken Gardens area. The greenhouse is responsible for developing more than 25,000 flowers and plants, which are then planted in flower gardens in city parks, frontage areas, and medians and are also used by city departments.
Scott Anderson, the City Parks Division Manager, stated that the new greenhouse would be constructed next to the current facility, allowing for a flexible timeline for construction. Thirty feet of the current greenhouse facility will remain for seeding operations. “After the completion of the new greenhouse, the majority of the current facility will be dismantled, which will provide room for the parking lot, which will be lost during the construction,” said Anderson.
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