If at first you don’t succeed…
A couple of years after his first effort to help area kids “back to nature” in the form of a mini-farm withered away, Leroy Brooks is trying again.
The Lowndes County District 5 supervisor picked up a key supporter Wednesday as the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority board agreed to lease the 32-acre Southside parcel for five years. The land’s owner, Larry Ellefson, is providing the land at no charge. The site is located off 15th Street South near Newell Paper Co.
“It’s not going to cost the parks department anything,” Brooks said Thursday. “We just needed an entity to serve as a conduit for our fund-raising, through grants and donations.”
Brooks said he hopes the new version of his original idea will manage to capture the interest of area children.
“The first time we tried it, it was just a mini-farm,” Brooks said. “This time, we want to expand it to include more things. We want to clean up around the two ponds out there so kids can fish. We might also clear out some of the underbrush on the back side of the property for a camping site.”
Brooks said he hopes to solicit broad community support for a project he feels will not be costly.
“My whole thing is, let’s try something different. If it doesn’t work, all that is lost is some time. We want to keep costs at a minimum.”
Brooks said he still believes there is a need for this kind of project.
“You know, it’s different for kids today. I remember when I was working with the kids at I.C. Cousins Community Center. I took them out to the country and some of them had never seen a cow before, if you can believe that. I asked them where they thought their food game from. They said food came from a grocery store.
“But coming up as a kid, there were so many things to do, simple things. Now, a lot of kids don’t have those opportunities. That’s what this is all about.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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