The public will have an opportunity tomorrow to help shape the future of the Toledo Botanical Garden during an open house and unveiling of preliminary sketches for the garden's new master plan.
The event will run from 4 to 7 p.m. in the garden's conference center, and feature a presentation by the landscape design firm that was hired in February to produce a finalized master plan for the 60 acres of the garden's south side.
The intent is to incorporate suggestions and comments from the public into the final documents, said Tres Fromme, an associate with the Dallas-based MESA Design Group who is scheduled to make the presentation.
"We really feel that the more [input] we get through the process, the better the plan will be," Mr. Fromme said.
The garden began soliciting suggestions for its future in January and continued through the summer with visitor surveys.
Janet Schroeder, the garden's executive director, said the majority of respondents indicated they wanted the garden to be "many things to many people," a space that would be a blend and balance of horticulture displays, cultural events, and quiet spots for contemplation.So far, the plan's preliminary sketches call for adding a conference center and banquet facilities, a new children's garden, a greenhouse-like conservatory, a new visitor's center, along with new plantings and improvements to landscaping and the general layout.
The groundbreaking for the first phase of the plan, the children's garden, is set for next year.
"What we're trying to do is link these areas of excellence and thread them through more cohesively," Ms. Schroeder said.
The MESA group has been working on the plan with a design group that includes the garden's managers, members of the garden's board of trustees, community volunteers, and representatives from the Toledo Area Metroparks. The garden has been affiliated with the metroparks since last year.
The $115,000 planning cost was paid through private donations. Along with design work, the MESA group has facilitated meetings and helped gather community input, Ms. Schroeder said.
Search
advertisement
