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CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE MAP DATA COURTESY OF COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS The map above shows a possible route for the trail, named Mary’s Way after the late Mary Donahoe, who with her husband, Rick, donated land for the trail. Mary’s Way will begin on East Enon Road just south of Yellow Springs High School and travel through wooded areas and around wetlands and farm fields to arrive at Agraria’s historic barn. crossing a driveway via arrangement with another local landowner, Gary Shorter. In addition, Community Solutions is in negotiations with the Yellow Springs school district regarding the sale of about one acre of land from the southern edge of the high/ middle school campus for the beginning of the trail, according to Diamond. The two parties initially explored an ease- ment arrangement, but state law regulating school property doesn’t accommodate the permanence of use that a project like a paved trail requires, Diamond explained. Currently, most people reach Agraria by car via Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, as the roadway is far from hospitable to bikes. With the new trail, visitors to Agraria will have an eco-friendly way to reach the prop- erty, according to Diamond. “This is a fundamental piece for us as an environmentally oriented organization,” he said. Since its launch in 2017, Agraria has hosted more than 480 schoolchildren and 500 adults for field trips, workshops and conferences, according to a recent Com- munity Solutions press release. The 128-acre property west of Yellow Springs village limits was purchased by Community Solutions and local supporters at auction in early 2017, and subsequently became the nonprofit’s headquarters, as well as the site of a variety of regenerative land use projects. Upcoming events include conferences on food systems, native plants, climate and biodiversity, and workshops on mushroom cultivation and outdoor kitchen design, among others. Local schools also make regular use of the site for field trips. Bluebird monitoring and an ongoing soil study have brought stu- dents from Mills Lawn and Yellow Springs middle and high school out to Agraria about 16 times over the past couple of years, according to Diamond. “We seek to build a connection between students and the land and soil,” he said. That connection will be strengthened by allowing students to walk or bike to the property rather than being bussed, as is currently the case, he added. And new this May, Community Solutions is planning to open a farmstand on the prop- erty. The farmstand intends to sell cover crop seeds, compost made at Agraria, prod- ucts from area herbalists and microgreens Stor y times • Preschool story time for ages 3–6, with an adult, will be held Fridays, Jan. 10, 17, 24 and 31, 10:30–11:30 a.m. Ms. Janet will share stories, songs, rhymes and crafts. • Baby song and rhyme time for babies and toddlers up to age 3, with an adult, will be held Wednesdays, Jan. 8, 15, 22 and 29, 10:30–11:30 a.m. Ms. Janet will present a short, interactive program, followed by open play time. Activities for youth • Anime Club, for ages 12 and up, will meet Thursday, Jan. 9, 4–5 p.m. Partici- pants watch anime, make art and crafts and eat snacks. • “LEGO in the Library” for ages 5 and older will be held Tuesday, Jan. 14, 3–4 p.m. Kids are invited to come in after school for a snack and open playtime with LEGO and DUPLO blocks. Activities for youth and adults • Ages 13 and up are invited to join local quilter Shari Brindley in a sewing class on quilt blocks on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 6–7:30 p.m. Each month, Brindley will show par- ticipants how to sew a different quilt block, all in Dresden Plate variations. Participants must already know how to use a sewing machine; five sewing machines will be provided, and those who have machines are asked to bring them if possible. All sup- plies will be provided, and the class will be limited to 10 participants. Call 352-4003 in advance to register. • “Songs of Freedom and Struggle for the Justice Journey” for both adults and youth ages 9 and older will be held Thurs- day, Jan. 16, 4–5 p.m. Cathy Roma and friends from the World House Choir will lead participants in singing freedom songs in unity. A T T H E L I B R A R Y Activities for adults • Carmen Milano will lead participants in gentle yoga on Sunday, Jan. 12, 1:30–3 p.m. Participants are asked to dress comfortably in bright colors, if possible. • Yellow Springs artist Laura Norris will lead participants in creating gesture drawings on Monday, Jan. 13, 5:30–6:30 p.m. Gesture drawings are quick, simple sketches of the action, form and pose of a model or figure. Call 352-4003 in advance to register. Book discussions for youth and adults • Taste of Mystery Book Club for ages 18 and older will meet Thursday, Jan. 9, 6–8 p.m. to discuss “The Library Book,” by Susan Orlean. Light snacks will be pro- vided. • The Tweens Read Book Club will meet Wednesday, Jan. 15, 3–4 p.m. The group will read and discuss “The Schwa Was Here,” by Neal Shusterman. Young readers are invited to pick up a copy ahead of time at the library, read it and return for book club, and then keep the book afterward. Participants will enjoy snacks, book trivia and an activity based on the book. • The Middle School Book Club for grades 7–9 will meet to discuss graphic novels on Thursday, Jan. 23, 4–5 p.m. Participants are invited to bring favorite graphic novels and their journals and discuss. • The Gardening Book Club, which has typically met at the library, will meet in the Agraria conference room, located at 131 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, on Thursday, Jan. 23, beginning at 7 p.m. The group will discuss “The Secret Life of Plants,” by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. Copies of the book are available from the library via OhioLink and Search Ohio. All are welcome to attend. grown by students at Thurgood Marshall High School in Dayton, among other items. “So much growth has happened at Agraria. We look forward to people coming out to see everything,” Diamond said. Community Solutions also seeks to raise additional funds from the local community to support the construction of the new trail. The Clean Ohio Trails Fund requires a 25% match in local funds and in-kind donations. Community Solutions leaders hope to raise a higher amount, up to $300,000, to sup- port both trail construction and ecological restoration around the trail, according to Diamond. “As we put in the trail, we will do some invasive removal and replanting,” he said. The wooded areas of Agraria are cur- rently home to dense thickets of invasive Amur honeysuckle. As those are cleared, Community Solutions will plant hickories and oaks and woody understory plants such as native spicebush. A food forest designed for Agraria by permaculture expert Peter Bane is also being planned for areas along the new trail. “It will be a much healthier and more diverse woods,” Diamond noted. The trail will cross Jacoby Creek at a couple of points, requiring bridge construc- tion that respects the ecologically sensitive nature of the waterway, which is currently being restored in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy. Educational and interpretative signage is also envisioned for the trail. Though the project price of up to $800,000 may seem high to some, the envi- ronmental planning, design and engineer- ing and construction of a one-mile paved trail is no small undertaking, according to villager Eric Oberg, who informally advised Community Solutions on their grant sub- mission to Clean Ohio. Oberg is director of trail development for the Midwest office of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, as well as an advisory board member for the Clean Ohio Trails Fund. “Community Solutions getting this is a big deal,” Oberg noted. Twenty organizations out of 32 applicants around Ohio were awarded Clean Ohio Trails Fund monies in 2019, according to the Community Solutions press release. Oberg said that $6.25 million for trail construction is awarded annually through the trails program, one of four Clean Ohio conservation funds administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, or ODNR. A biking enthusiast, Oberg believes that the new trail will be a boon to villagers and visitors, allowing people to access Agraria easily for events — or just enjoy a walk or ride out to the property. “It’s a beautiful place. I’m looking for- ward to going for an evening walk or bike ride,” he said. And Oberg is enthusiastic about how local students will use, and learn from, the trail. “The benefits are obvious for our school kids — with research projects, field trips and physical education oppor tunities increased,” he said. The Clean Ohio grant is one of sev- eral Community Solutions has received recently, according to Diamond. A $25,000 grant from Patagonia will support a silvo- pasture project at Agraria; silvopasture refers to the practice of integrating trees, forage and the grazing of animals in a single site. And a $15,000 grant from the Morgan Family Foundation will support organizational development at Commu- nity Solutions, which has largely refo- cused its mission and activities around Agraria. “All of this fits together to continue to make Agraria more accessible,” Diamond said. Contact: ahackett@ysnews.com A new trail from village to Agraria Xenia Ave., East side; woodcut print by Gail Kort, 1981 Name _____________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________ City _____________________________________ State ______ ZIP _______________ Phone ( _______ ) __________________ Email __________________________________ Come by the office, mail a check to the address below, or use your credit card online at ysnews.com/subscribe. Stay connected with the community: Subscribe to the News Yellow Springs News | P.O. 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Village Council Annual Retreat Wednesday, Jan. 15 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Antioch Midwest, Room B105 9 a.m. Village Team Update and Pending Projects 11 a.m. Council Goals Discus- sion and Working Lunch 12 p.m. Council Time Management • Agenda Setting • Council/VM Roles 1 p.m. Board and Commis- sion Effectiveness Discussion: Review Existing Boards and Commissions re: Alignment with Goals 1:45 p.m. Council Roles/Man- agement Team Roles re: Boards and Commissions 2:30 p.m. Which B&Cs Should be Retained/Which Merged or Eliminated: Council Liaisons 3 p.m. Executive Session • For the purpose of the discus- sion of the potential sale of real estate 3:30 p.m. Adjournment The next regular meeting of the Council of the Village of Yellow Springs will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Januar y 21, 2020 in Council Chambers, John Bryan Community Center, 100 Dayton Street. — Public Notice — WINBURNÕ S JANITORIAL SERVICE Phone: 767-7639 HERSHELL WINBURN 246 N. 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