Middleburgh Central School is looking to replace its greenhouse, demolished by Mother Nature is a September storm.
High winds in a September storm left the structure, donated to MCS years ago by the Hayes family and used by the FFA and in the district’s plant science electives, twisted and destroyed.
“But we’re going to move forward and look at this as an opportunity,” Superintendent Brian Dunn told school board members at their meeting Wednesday.
“You really value our ag program. Let’s fire up some grant opportunities. If we can find some savings at the end of the year…let’s find a way to make this happen.
Though in theory, schools can include greenhouses in capital projects, administrators said it’s almost impossible to get them approved by the state.
Instead, they said, they’ll begin looking for grants.
One resource might be Tractor Supply’s Grants for Growing, which awards FFA chapters grants from $500-$5,000 to develop or improve an agricultural project.
The Grants for Growing are funded by donations at the TSC checkout during National FFA Week.
Deadline for applications is the middle of February.