HOL youth got up early on a Saturday to wash and paint tires for the new Outdoor Learning Center.

Slow but steady progress is the best way to describe the Wesley Homes project’s current status.

Most action regarding the project has been behind the scenes, including numerous meetings between the City of Longmont, The Inn Between, the contractor, the architect and Wesley Homes team members, but there is also some visible progress on site.

On Saturday, May 27th, BASIC youth rolled out of their beds early to tackle washing and painting tires for the new Outdoor Learning Center. The colorful tires will be bolted together, filled with sand and provide endless hours of tactile exploration and creative fun and learning for Wild Plum infants and toddlers. Fortified with donuts, the youth did an awesome job!

The storage building on the former Wild Plum playground will be moved during Mission Work Week in June. The basketball pole and hoop will be cut and removed. A new wrought iron fence will be installed in July. Astroturf will be laid and bin blocks painted to look like Legos will also be put in place around the perimeter. The goal is to have the Outdoor Learning Center completed by the time Wild Plum resumes school in August.

Jean Malchow and Karl Scott have done an incredible job in seeing the playground completed.

Clint Schahrer has been a good resource in planning meetings and overseeing the relocation of the Wild Plum storage unit and the removal of the basketball hoop.

Core drilling took place on June 7. The contracted company marked the utility locations and drilled cores in various places on the Wesley Homes property. These cores are for testing and analyzing soil samples and will be used for planning and construction of subsurface structures.

Meetings with the City are going smoothly. It is a complicated process involving much planning around water and sewer lines, electrical connections, and fire mediation.

It is exciting and fulfilling to see this project moving forward. We’ve had good financial support with contributions from several members and non-members, plus grants from several organizations in Longmont. To date, we have covered over 90% of the project costs.

If you feel called to donate toward the Outdoor Learning Center and Wesley Homes land transfer, you can mark your contribution accordingly.

Contact the Wesley Homes team for more information via the church office.