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Hello, everyone! As of this writing, I have just passed my sixth anniversary with Bellingrath Gardens & Home. This is a milestone that I am happy to have reached, but one that seems to have come so suddenly. Yes, time does fly by – even in a lovely garden!
Over the past several months, we have continued our work on multiple projects – as always – and have also started several new ones. Three of the high level ones deserve mention here. All three of these projects are supported by our successful “Laying the Groundwork for the Centennial Master Plan” capital campaign that we conducted over the past year. We thank all donors who made this campaign a whopping success!
1. Electrical Infrastructure – You probably never would think that a bona-fide Horticulturist could write, excitedly, again and again (and again) about electrical infrastructure. Right?! Well, as we said back when I lived in Tulsa, “this isn’t my first rodeo.” Both when I worked at the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden in North Carolina, and then later at Tulsa Botanic Garden, we had to build out the electrical grid, including the main service line. As such, coming to Bellingrath six years ago led me, almost as if it was my fate, to begin the process of addressing deficiencies in our electrical grid here at BGH. With the work we completed earlier this summer with Hargrove Engineers and Constructors on designing a new electrical infrastructure master plan, we’re now identifying the proverbial “next steps” to take to start building out the new grid. While this high-level work is proceeding, Harold Fischer’s Maintenance Department has been rebuilding essential components of our current grid. We’ve found several puzzling issues with the existing infrastructure, such as non-standardization of breaker panel boxes (we literally utilize three different brands of these, instead of picking one). We’ve also begun the process of purchasing and installing heavy-duty electrical components from electrical supply companies instead of the lower grade materials we formerly procured from box stores. We’ve literally replaced GFCI outlets throughout the gardens with new, commercial grade ones, for instance. Ultimately, we want you, our visitors and supporters, only to notice that the lights are on and that systems are functioning. But, we know that BGH must always be vigilant in maintaining and modernizing our electrical systems and infrastructure, which we are now doing.
2. The Security Building – Most people don’t really notice the historic, ancillary structure that we refer to as the Security Building, a wooden service building painted dark green with tan trim that is located to the north of the Café. Despite its inconspicuousness, this building originally served as one of the ticket points for visitors to enter Bellingrath Gardens & Home. Over the past several decades, it has existed as a general purpose storage building with an office for our Security Guards. With support from the Laying the Groundwork capital campaign, we recently hired Dakin Street Architects (Mobile, AL) to redesign this building so that it could be converted into office space that is greatly needed due to our growth over the past six years. To our pleasant surprise, we will be able to fit six offices into the building, plus a small conference room, and also restroom facilities. With architectural work now complete, we are now determining how best to proceed in rehabilitating this building in coming years.
3. A Future New Maintenance and Horticulture Complex – Just as with the Security Building, we expect that only a very few visitors realize the magnitude of structures that we have in our non-public areas at BGH. Y’see, operating a public garden and historic home requires a multi-faceted staff team – Maintenance, Horticulture, and Lighting Events, for instance. The Horticulture department alone has Greenhouse/Nursery, Display, Landscape/Turf/Irrigation, and Design units. Currently, all staff who fill these roles are based out of a multitude of outdated and inadequate structures, ranging from an old barn to a house converted into offices to an entire complex of old greenhouses needing replacement. More importantly, however, is the reality that these departments, which interact every day, are located in separate facilities. Our maintenance barn, which we oddly call the “Warehouse,” is so old that it cannot be covered by a wind insurance policy – an obvious problem in the hurricane zone. As such, to remedy this overall bad situation, we commenced conceptual design work in July on a new facility that will house all of these departments and units. The design team consists of 3.fromme Design (Sanford, FL), our lead designer for the Centennial Master Plan and the Magic Christmas in Lights master plan, Sitework Studios (Asheville, NC), Cummings Architecture (Mobile, AL), and Orion Engineers + Constructors (Mobile, AL). This project, one of great complexity, would not be possible without the support that has been given to our Laying the Groundwork capital campaign. But, the completion of this project is essential for our future growth, development, and continuance as the leading public garden and historic estate on the Gulf Coast.
One day, y’all, perhaps I’ll just write about flowers and exciting plants. Today, however, I hope I have given you a peak at the scale of our efforts to bring Bellingrath Gardens & Home into its second century of existence. We so appreciate all of the support that you bring to us, and we, as always, look forward to seeing you at BGH!