LCRA, City of Lampasas award $12,359 grant to Lampasas Community Gardens

New raised garden area will accommodate people who have difficulty tending to plants at ground level

Nov. 8, 2023

LCRA and City of Lampasas representatives present a $12,359 grant to Lampasas Community Gardens for an ADA-compliant garden area. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Melissa Unger, Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce executive director; Sonja Kraeff and Stephanie Fitzharris, Lampasas Community Gardens supporters; Steve Dyer, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Julia Westbrook, organization supporter; Nancy Eckert Yeary, LCRA Board member; Kelvin Barkowsky, First Texas Bank president and CEO; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Ladonna Bishop, First Texas Bank vice president; Carol Freeman, LCRA Board member; Annie Trotter, First Texas Bank vice president; Janet Crozier, organization president; Torie Palmer, First Texas Bank marketing and customer satisfaction; Herb Pearce, Lampasas mayor; Bob Stockman, organization site coordinator; Layne Friedrichs, organization gardener; Karen DeZarn, organization education director and Texas A&M AgriLife county extension agent; Jim Crozier, organization supporter; TJ Wright, Blue Springs Pool and Construction owner; Stacie Fester, Irvin Steel Construction representative; and Ross Oliver, chamber membership and events executive.

LAMPASAS, Texas – Lampasas Community Gardens is constructing an ADA-compliant garden area, thanks to a $12,359 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Lampasas.

The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with almost $16,000 in matching funds from the community gardens, community donations and grants from the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, will help provide a concrete area with six raised garden beds tall enough for people to reach from a standing position or while sitting in a wheelchair. The area also will have irrigation specifically designed so gardeners can water plants without having to carry water to the beds.

“Building this area will allow people in wheelchairs or who are unable to garden at ground level an opportunity to grow their own vegetables and enjoy the company of other gardeners,” said Janet Crozier, president of Lampasas Community Gardens. “Our gardens are here for everyone to have a place to learn about and practice gardening techniques, healthy nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.”

Crozier, a certified Square Foot Garden instructor, and other gardeners offer advice based on their experience to help new gardeners get started. Books and classes are offered on gardening, herbs, trees, benefits of pollinator gardens and how to preserve a harvest. Nutrition classes are offered to help reduce chronic health challenges such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

“Our aim is to encourage people to eat nutritious foods by giving them a place to grow their own food or giving them the information they need to grow it at home,” Crozier said. “We show people how to take the foods they like to eat and tweak them so they are substituting healthier ingredients in their recipes.”

Crozier said the benefits of gardening reach beyond the traditional sense of providing sustenance.

“When people are gardening, they are getting fresh food, exercise, fresh air and the camaraderie of others – gardening is really a holistic approach to feeding people,” Crozier said. “When we were first getting started, there were times when I wondered if there would even be enough people who might be interested in what we are doing, but the response from individuals has been gratifying.”

Gardening can be shared across multiple generations of families, as shown by a grandmother, daughter and grandson who have multiple beds in the community garden, she said.

“The grandmother originally came along to help her daughter and grandson, but when she saw the gardening success her daughter was having, she wanted a gardening bed of her own,” Crozier said. “The 2-year-old grandson even has his own little watering can, and when I see him out here watering the plants, it just warms my soul.”

The community grant is one of 45 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. The City of Lampasas is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

About LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.

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