Construction kicked off yesterday on a ‘rain garden’ in front of the Knox Community Elementary School. Last year, Knox faculty members Jamie Shireman and Marge Wood received $11,000 dollars worth of grant money to bring an outdoor nature lab to the school.
The site they picked for the project is on the West End Playground, in between the first and second grade hallway entrances. During the Knox School Board meeting Monday evening, Elementary School Principal Glenn Barnes presented a video of Shireman explaining the special project, “We chose this site, we know that the erosion is really bad down this hill. It’s full of sand, that’s all the kids do is play in the sand. So we wanted to kind of spruce up this area with our grants. And we’ve dubbed it the Outdoor Odyssey”.
Shireman then showed the board a drawing of the plans for the nature lab. It will feature a metal ‘Outdoor Odysey’ sign, an instructional patio with seating, a chalk board for teachers to utilize and a rain garden on either side of the trees.
Safety measures have been taken to ensure students aren’t in any danger while construction is underway. A safety fence has been installed surrounding the construction area. Children will still have access to the playground, the black top and the swings but will be temporarily unable to use the kickball field. Construction workers have agreed to do cutting and block laying in the mornings and afternoons so students won’t be exposed to any potential dust or debris during the process.
