US (KS): School board approves $335K for greenhouse, learning center

Members of the Silver Lake Unified School District 372 board of education approved on Wednesday construction of a greenhouse for the district’s students that has been several years in the making.

Superintendent Tim Hallacy said the $335,000 price tag for building the outdoor learning center on the east side of Silver Lake Jr./Sr. High will be paid out of capital outlay funds. A shelterhouse and rain garden also will be part of the project.

District officials have looked at similar greenhouse projects in Perry-Lecompton USD 343 and Royal Valley USD 337 while planning the project.

Jennifer Hannon, of HTK Architects in Topeka, is overseeing the project, which will be built by Topeka-based Murray & Sons Construction. She said work will start immediately with soil testing and will move to construction of the greenhouse and outdoor learning area in the next several weeks.

Completion is targeted for late September or early October, Hannon told board members.

While Murray & Sons hasn’t previously built a greenhouse, Hannon said, the company has worked on Topeka USD 501’s Boisen building and on Seaman USD 345’s North Fairview Elementary.

“They’re good guys and want to make sure you guys are happy,” she told board members, adding that benches, tables and irrigation will be included in the project that will allow for future expansion.

Read more at The Topeka Capital-Journal