City of Bedford considering new parks department greenhouse

by Chad Jones

At its most recent meeting on Tuesday, May 27th, the Bedford City Council discussed approving a new city greenhouse.

Though the council opted not to vote, instead tabling the issue for a later meeting, the greenhouse in question is one Bedford Parks & Recreation Director James Hughes is certain will see the light of day (good pun, no?).

"The greenhouse is going to be built at the Parks Service Center," Hughes said. "The city's Beautification Commission will man and maintain the greenhouse for their projects within Bedford."

This greenhouse will replace the one the Commission had at Boys Ranch Park a little over eight years ago, and like the last one, it will be used to grow replacement plants (shrubs and trees) and plants for bed projects at City Hall, Boys Ranch and other city facilities.

"The original greenhouse was up for eleven years and hundreds and hundreds of plants were grown and planted at city facilities," Hughes said. "When the new greenhouse is approved, the frame of the old one will be set up alongside it and used for the intermediate step before planting. This area is called the 'hardening area.'"

"Hardening" as in the frame, covered with a breathable cloth and reflecting the direct sun light, will expose the plants to the outside elements, thus allowing them to adapt and get stronger before getting planted.

But there's still a ways to go before sun will shine (eh?) on this plan; the greenhouse project has twice come in over budget. As such, the Bedford City Council must talk with the Beautification Commission at their next meeting to determine which way to go — either reducing the scope of the project, approving additional funding or scrapping the project all together (the latter being pretty unlikely). This decision will then be brought back to the city council for approval.