The Whole Kids Educational Farm may soon be on the move, now that the Alpharetta City Council has approved a donation agreement with Whole Foods Market.
Alpharetta agreed to accept the demonstration farm’s buildings, tools, program materials, memberships and other assets – everything but the land at 1180 Upper Hembree Road.
Farm assets to be moved to city-owned land at 860 Old Rucker Road include an outdoor classroom, in-field trellis, greenhouse, and a picnic pavilion (available as soon as reasonably possible, likely in late 2018); redacted program materials including printed and digital garden classroom curriculum, literature and teaching guides; and tools, equipment and supplies, the agreement says.
Whole Foods “will cover all costs of deconstructing, relocating and re-building all above outlined uses, unless specifically stated otherwise,” up to $150,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, according to the agreement. The city will pay to remove and relocate farm field soil, and will market and promote Whole Foods in various communications for two years.
First-year operating costs of the farm are projected at $244,475, according to a staff memo to the council. However, it’s expected much of the cost will be offset through sponsorships and other income opportunities.
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