BOISE, Idaho — After the city gained ownership of this historic West Boise Ranch, little by little they saw progress.
- Spaulding Ranch, a historic 20-acre ranch in Boise, is being transformed into an educational and agricultural learning center.
- Upcoming infrastructure improvements include paving roads, adding restrooms, and building connections with agricultural organizations.
- The city plans to create pathways that connect the ranch to nearby parks and reserves, enhancing accessibility for residents.
- This weekend, the ranch will host a pumpkin patch festival to welcome the fall season.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter Jessica Davis getting updates on a 20-acre ranch that's being transformed into a gathering space for the community.
"It's one of our last urban farms and we as a city felt like it was really important to preserve this area on this side of town," says Lisa Duplessie, Superintendent of Open Space for city of Boise Parks and Recreation.
Spaulding Ranch is a 20-acre ranch with deep roots in the City of Boise spanning back to 1896.
The city bought the property in 2016 and has been undergoing a transformation, becoming a gathering space mixing education, agriculture and history.
"This is different from any park that we've created, says Duplessie. She continues, "as partners come in or as different opportunities arise the space is very changeable, and it can really meld what the community needs."
Recently the city has been focusing on infrastructure like paving a road to access the park.
Over the next two years they'll be working on getting restrooms on the property, a wash station for veggies, and building their connections with agricultural organizations.
Duplessie says, "We have worked with global gardens we actually have a farmer that's out here this year that's been great .and we hope to work with the University of Idaho in the coming seasons. One of the other big things we're working on is getting pathways into the property that way neighbors can really come out and enjoy this community space."
The future park pathways will connect visitors from Hyatt Reserve Hidden Lakes to Goddard Pathway, behind Capital High and Milwaukee Park.
The ranch will feature park like settings alongside the agriculture space where parkgoers can learn about harvesting plants, different soils, and more.
"Whether it's in schools, or even adults who don't know agriculture and it's such an important piece of what our city is built off of its really a great opportunity for us to offer those types of educational options," says Duplessie.
It's still a long road to completion, but the space is open for events to get neighbors and residents acclimated to the new space. like this weekend on Saturday there will be a pumpkin patch at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and on Sunday there will be a fall festival from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
