Spring 2012 Grantee Updates

8/2/2019 Spring 2012 Grantee Updates

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The mission of Live Wright is to partner with Wright County citizens to increase physical

activity, healthy eating and reduce tobacco use by changing behaviors in the environment

where we live, learn and work.

Grantee Updates

March, 2012

City of Buffalo:

Park & Trail Plan: They are using their plan as a tool withtheir park planning. Lee said they have some projects comingup that this will come in handy.

Trail Markers: This Spring, they will check the quarter milemarkers to see if any were lost due to plowing, or other winteraccidents, and, if so, install new ones. They will also becompleting a section near Wild Marsh, where the new Hwy 12went in last Fall. Efforts will be made to promote use of theseto foster healthy living! They are thinking of putting "You arehere" labels on the kiosks. Use of the trail markers and kiosks are hard to measure, but theyhave received nothing but good feedback

Community Garden: They hope to get some educational literature up for the bee area, andtry to get something started in the area for the food shelf. The Community Garden had a goodfirst year, with approximately 10 plots rented

Suggestion for a focus area: Something that can make an impact, and hopefully on morethan one thing. Something like gardening- it's not only good for what food choices we make,but also a good way for people to get out in the parks and move their bodies. It's also a lost artwith the youth these days

City of Delano:

Park & Trail Plan: the City has continued to utilize the tools andresources developed as part of its partnership. The City has launched arevised, updated website with the trail mapping tools as a front-and-center element in the Parks and Recreation section. The City has alsopromoted its trail signage in the local newspaper and on its social mediaoutlets, encouraging people use the amenities available. Last fall, the


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City worked with a local organization to utilize its trail network and mapping resources as partof a first-ever youth triathlon.

The Parks and Trails Master Planning effort has been a tremendous success as well. Followingthe completion of this plan, the community has rallied around implementing portions of theCentral Park master plan elements. Community organizations committed $190,000 to therenovation of ball field facilities and support buildings (concessions, storage, etc.) at CentralPark. A group of organizations are currently working with the City to solicit additional grant

funds to rehabilitate the restrooms and picnic shelter at Central Park. All of these projectswere identified as part of the master planning process. Lastly, the City has produced a flyer fordistribution in the community to help educate residents of the proposed improvements long-term at Central Park.

In summary, its been a busy year as the City has implemented many of the good things the

Live Wright grant helped to put in motion. The City is appreciative of the opportunity toparticipate.

Monticello Middle School:

Farm to School: Curriculum is built around teachingstudents the importance of eating locally grown foodsand teaching them to garden in the indoor classroomgardens. Two indoor gardens are also being used at theMonticello High School in the culinary classes forstudents in grades 9-12. They have aligned the middleschool and high school curriculum so what is taught in8th grade is reinforced and strengthened at the highschool.

Farm to School Fridays in September were

implemented by the 8th grade staff with a culminatingday the last Friday in September. The entire day was devoted to Farm to School withguest speakers, stations, and many wonderful activities for the 8th graders toexperience to enrich their learning about Farm to School.

Received a grant for $150.00 in February 2012 from the Minnesota Department ofAgriculture (Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom Grant) to be used for soil andseeds and any other indoor gardening supplies needed this spring and into next year.

The FACS teacher at the Monticello High School and Mrs. Smith presented at aworkshop on Farm to School in February, 2012 for FACS teachers in Minnesota on what

they do in their classrooms with the SHIP Farm to School program. They will alsopresent their curriculum to the Monticello School Board in May of 2012

Mrs. Smith has been working on an evaluation project with a U of MN student that isworking on their Masters in Public Health and Nutrition. She is interviewing/surveyingthe farmers, teachers, students, administrators, and anyone else involved in the SHIPgrant. She will analyze the data and it will be used to further the work of educating thestudents, staff and parents about Farm to School/Nutrition/Buying Local/ Gardening.


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Discovery Elementary:

Grow Lunch: Nothing new, except the project continues.Last year, students who were surveyed reported that manystudents had not previously been willing to eat lettuce, butate and liked the lettuce that we grew in school. This year,upon informally surveying students, they report that they

are more willing to try other new foods, including othervegetables, since starting the salad project.

Resurrection Lutheran Church:

Community Garden:Provided food from one plot ofthe garden for the Monticello food shelf. They offered abasic gardening class to the community and gardeners

through a Master Gardener. Filled the garden plots andallowed another group of gardeners to experiencegardening and grow their own produce. The presence ofthe garden has stirred interest in gardening. The gardenteam members enjoy and support continuation of thegarden. People have continued from one year to the nextto rent garden plots.

Suggestion for focus: Support of healthy eating and exerciseare great focuses.

Buffalo Community Education:

Opening Doors Garden Club:The GardenClub harvested crops that had been plantedby disabled adults. The approximate weight ofthe crops grown (almost entirely vegetables)was 550 pounds. A fall Harvest Festival washeld to celebrate the first year of the club andthe bounty picked. The Harvest Festival(where we used produce grown by GardenClub members for part of a meal) wasattended by approximately 75 Garden Clubmembers and support staff. The event was held at Functional Industries in Buffalo.Members of the education and training sub group (part of a larger 30 member planninggroup) were awarded a Minnesota Community Education Association Innovative ProjectAward for work in developing the material needed for conusmer and staff trainingconcerning basic gardening principles and techniques.


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The process of recruiting volunteer groups including new interns from the Wright CountyMaster Gardener program has started at the beginning of 2012. This group will serve toprovide leadership , time and the labor needed to maintain and expand the Opening DoorsGarden Club.

Suggestions for focus:The connection between healthy eating, healthy cooking and health andwellness of the community.

Wright County:

Trail and Bikeway Plan: Provides communitiesplanning information at a regional level, by themincorporating their local trail plans in a regional plan, itallows them to open funding avenues that would not beavailable with out the larger picture. For example; St.Michael received a $500,000 Trail Legacy Grant for asignificant regional route and the City of Monticelloreceived grant funds from the TransportationEnhancement program that based the project on regional

qualities.

It provides local decision makers with policy and guidelines for establishing and markingbikeways on County Roads, which in the past was not allowed. A small component of theoverall plan, but integral to future projects!

The plan has provided the county with several other key components, such as; prioritizingprojects, funds, identifying routes and locations.

Documents

Spring 2012 Grantee Updates