COLUMBUS — A $5 million gift will extend the outreach arm of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The gift creates the Franklin County Extension Building Capital Fund, which will be used for construction and maintenance of new Franklin County Extension offices and learning spaces on Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory.
Waterman consists of 261 acres of farmland located northwest of West Lane Avenue and Kenny Road. Waterman is designated for a major renovation into a research, learning and outreach hub. The new office will engage the community in demonstration gardens, large urban farm enterprises, nutrition kitchens and day camps.
Construction
Pending approval from the Board of Trustees, construction will begin in 2017.
The donation comes from a longtime Ohio State supporter who wishes to remain anonymous.
“Community outreach, along with outstanding teaching and cutting-edge research, is a key goal of our college,” said Lonnie J. King, interim vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. “With that in mind, we’re grateful that this generous person recognizes the accomplishments of OSU Extension and Ohio 4-H. This gift will enhance the college’s outreach and that of Franklin County Extension.”
Currently, the Waterman site houses dairy cows in a fully operational milking facility, as well as numerous faculty and student projects.
“As a result of this generous investment, we will be well positioned to become a world-class innovative model of cooperative Extension,” Franklin County Extension Director Laquore J. Meadows said. “The centralized location will help us to be more accessible to Franklin County residents. The close proximity to our campus colleagues will allow us to capitalize on and enhance ongoing collaborations.”
Extension
Last year, Franklin County Extension helped expand the availability of fresh urban foods, advised small agribusiness owners and traditional producers, and provided community development classes in financial literacy and homebuyer education. Ohio State and other funding sources contributed $1.1 million of Franklin’s nearly $1.3 million operating budget last year, the agency’s most recent budget documents show.
“Franklin County is proud of its long-standing partnership with OSU Extension in providing quality educational programs and outreach in the areas of urban agriculture, family and consumer sciences and 4-H,” said John O’Grady, president of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners. “I am thrilled to learn of this generous gift that will allow this work to go even further for the benefit of Franklin County residents.”
The state office will remain at the Agricultural Administration Building on Fyffe Road.
