Over the summer, Greeley had two major hail storms that were devastating to not only the city, but to the Greeley West greenhouses. The greenhouses were built in 1960 and have been left untouched over the years. That all changed when Ms. Samantha Maxwell decided horticulture needed a face-lift.

The greenhouses will be rebuilt with plastic instead of double sided poly. Double sided poly insulates the greenhouses, but when it has holes it doesn’t capture the heat like it’s supposed to.  “With plastic it will be much more durable and without glass we’ll be able to have a four-season green houses,” said Maxwell.

As of right now, the first greenhouse is being worked on, considering it will take the longest, it should be up and functional in May. Next they’re working on the third greenhouse and it’s estimated to be done in November. All the greenhouses will be worked on and renovated, as well as the landscape around the agriculture and horticulture classrooms.

“My goal is to create a community space people will enjoy, not destroy,” said Maxwell. Fencing was donated to the Horticulture program by Greeley Green Garden Club for around the garden. The Garden is hopefully being transformed into a student garden and plant identification gardens. “Plots will be labeled with what is in that spot. It will get students to interact more with plants,” said Maxwell.