Progress Evident at Ag Heritage Park
By: Robert Hensarling, Ag Heritage Park and Alumni Relations Director
We are making progress on several of our major projects at Ag Heritage Park.
The AU Agricultural Heritage Park is a site devoted to the past, present and future of Auburn's agricultural program and is located off Samford Avenue in Auburn. Focal points of the development are a building known as the Old Red Barn and the university's former milking parlor.
The barn–built in 1929–is an architecturally unique landmark in Auburn. It is being renovated for historical and structural integrity, and will include a visitors' center and agriculture exhibit area. In addition, the milking parlor site is being renovated to contain a dairy product area for ice cream and milk shakes.
Other improvements will be made to the area, which will encompass 44 acres upon completion. An open-air pavilion that will seat approximately 200 people will be built near the barn. An amphitheater, complete with a covered stage and lighting and sound equipment, also will be developed at Heritage Park for outdoor performances and events.
Long-range plans for Heritage Park include the development of fish ponds, a nature demonstration the area's native plant and animal life and a walking trail that will encompass the nearby historic Old Rotation field and other historic and interesting sites related to AU agriculture.
The area also will provide a venue for special events, such as Roundup and Taste of Alabama, and a meeting place for CoAg alumni and friends during football season and other special events in Auburn. Plenty of parking will be available in the area to accommodate crowds.
To date, construction estimates have been received on both the Pavilion (which is being sponsored by the Alabama Farmers Federation and ALFA Insurance Company) and the barn. If consensus is reached on a few modifications for these projects, they should be placed on the Aug. 29 AU Board of Trustees agenda for review.
The Catfish Demonstration Pond is under review by the Facilities Division for structural compliance with campus standards and safety specifications. Charles Bush, formerly with Natural Resource Conservation Service, has been retained to review previous designs and offer an alternative design that will fit future expectations for the park.
Several cleanup operations also are under way with help from the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station's Research Operations division and Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity. Research Operations personnel provided expertise, labor and equipment to move tons of soil to an area north of the dairy barn to raise and level the previous topography. Approximately 30,000 square feet of turf was then planted in front of the dairy barn, which should expand the event possibilities for the green space.
Research Operations provided most of the labor for installing the turf in this area as well as remodeling the front porch on the herdsman's house, an old structure located at the site that will be used as office space for the Ag Heritage staff. Members of AGR helped clean out the herdsman's house in preparation for future renovations. Plans are underway to move into the new office space in the herdsman's house by mid-August 2003, before the Game Day Tailgate events begin.
The Ag Alumni Relations staff is looking for help to spread the word about Ag Heritage Park and the College. The staff will soon begin distributing information about upcoming activities via PowerPoint presentations either as e-mail attachments or as CDs for Ag Alumni Association members. The staff will be asking for volunteer speakers to use these presentations whenever there is an appropriate agriculture-related event in their area.