Agricultural center takes root

By Jake Menez Staff Writer

BRENTWOOD A $2.24 million Agricultural Innovation Center may soon sprout up in Brentwood after an April 24 meeting of the Agricultural Enterprise Committee in which it was unanimously recommended that the City Council approve funding at a future meeting.

“In my opinion, it’s amazing,” Mayor Joel Bryant said. Bryant and Vice Mayor Susannah Meyer make up the Agricultural Enterprise Committee. “It’s exactly what I was hoping to see – never thought I would - happen out here.”

The project was brought before the committee by Harvest Time, a Brentwood organization that promotes agriculture tourism. The organization has been around since the 1970s, according to their website, and its goal is to promote awareness of local U-Pick farms, farm stands, country stores and local wineries.

Harvest Time’s proposal, if approved by the City Council, would see the city assist in funding the project through use of its Agricultural Mitigation Fund, according to the agenda packet. The proposed Agricultural Innovation Center would be built on a seven-acre parcel of land at 3900 Sellers Ave. known as the Nail Property. It was purchased by the city in 2007.

“This conceptual design was crafted

Equipment from page 5 public, especially in other cities. He says that isn’t much of a problem in Brentwood, where the department has the support of the community it serves.

“Community engagement is the most important and being transparent is the most important thing,” Herbert said. “We can’t police without the support of our community. If the community is not going to be supportive of us, and be able to step forward and be witnesses and help us out, then we’re not going to be able to solve crime. And that comes with transparency and trust.”

Councilmember Tony Oerlemans at- with a focus on youth, education, agricultural development and the farming community,” Harvest Time President Jessica Enos said in a video presented to the committee that outlined the project proposal. Enos also spoke at the meeting in person, alongside Harvest Time board members Sean McCauley and Bryan Lucay.

Features of the proposed innovation center seen in the video included a community garden, a historic farmhouse that would be converted into conference room spaces and 4H livestock pens that could be rented out to children in the program who would not otherwise have the space to raise livestock.

“I think there’s a lot of potential for strengthening our identity as an agricultural community,” Meyer said following the video presentation while expressing interest in the space being used as a potential tourist attraction that could host events as well. “This is a great opportunity to strengthen it even more.”

Following the recommendation from the Agricultural Enterprise Committee to have City Council approve funding of the innovation center, the project will be brought before City Council in an upcoming meeting where they can vote on it.

The full meeting can be watched at https://bit.ly/442a7tj. More information about Harvest Time is at www.harvestforyou.com tended Tuesday’s meeting and also stressed the importance of the transparency behind what the police department is trying to do.

“The reason for this is education,” he said. “Most people don’t trust things they don’t understand, right? So, if you can educate them and get them to understand why an AR-15 is a needed piece of equipment, then all of a sudden you’ve taken away that mystique, the rumors, and they realize there’s a purpose for that gun.”

“Then all of a sudden all the distrust starts to kind of fade away, all the garbage rumors start to fade away, because they start to understand what these guys do.”