The domes on the river are a busy place. Here’s an update.
First, we have to report that they were spared damage from the flooding San Juan River, not by luck, but by sound local engineering work and architectural design that raised the ground level some 10 feet, and by the hard work that brought grant funding into our community to pay for the design, and foundational and infrastructure work that followed. We are grateful.
Then there is the maintenance work that is coming along nicely. Take a turn on the Riverwalk and stop by. You will notice replacement of polycarbonate panels damaged by hail — very visible in the entry ways, all new; of the tape that seals the polycarbonate triangles, also new and tight. Inside, notice the insulation on the north side, new and also tight; at the top those small chimney-like structures, reverse fans that suck the hot air out while the regular fans at the bottom pump in cool air. If you look real carefully, you will notice an occasional new strut. This is the Education Dome, which is open to visitors on Saturday mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. The other two domes are works in progress.
That is a lot of work multiplied by the other two domes, but not surprising given that these structures have endured our Colorado climate for eight and nine years.
We are again grateful for community participation in our Breakfast with Balloons fundraiser and to the El Pomar Foundation for grant funding.
Very soon, the Colorado Gives campaign will begin, and we hope the community will help us meet our goal of $5,000.
Just why is this investment important? In the Education Dome we have resumed classes. This year we are hosting GOAL High School students; once the Community Garden dome is functional, we will be introducing community gardeners; and the Innovation Dome will continue to produce cash crops to support the bottom line when it is again functional. All this is in support of our mission to teach sustainable gardening practices in the production of food locally and to demonstrate the efficacy of geothermal heat.
There is more to learn. The surrounding gardens, the Rotary xeric and Audubon native plants, exemplify gardening practices that need to spread widely in this time of climate change.
Finally, we know that locals and visitors alike just enjoy the experience of walking though our domes full of healthy, growing plants, ripening vegetable and blossoms any season of the year.
Our goal is to increase the number of open hours to accommodate the public and, in order to do so, we are looking for folks who have a couple of hours that they would enjoy spending with us as dome docents. If that sounds interesting, drop by Wednesday or Saturday morning and let us know who you are.
By the way: If you need some parsley or chives, both are still growing outside in the metal tubs, planted during our summer Wednesday evening social gardening parties.
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