DACC campus adds garden gateway

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November 18, 2008

BY ANNA HERKAMP The Commercial-News Tue Nov 18, 2008, 09:44 PM CST

DANVILLE — The Danville Area Community College campus will be a bit more beautified this spring, thanks to a generous donor and some enterprising landscape design students.

A garden gateway featuring 12 pillars and a trellis that leads from the Main Street parking lot to Vermilion Hall has been constructed this fall, following the board of trustees’ approval in March.

The pillars are similar to those from demolished buildings on the DACC campus.

In March, trustees approved a contract with McDowell Builders of Sidell for $73,107 for the project. The funding for the project comes from donated funds.

“The donor at this time wishes to remain anonymous,” said Tracy Wahlfeldt, executive director of the DACC Foundation.

Wahlfeldt said the amount the donors actually paid wouldn’t be announced until after it’s finished.

Once completed, the structure will bear the inscription “Knowledge is the gateway to endless possibilities.”

Wahlfeldt said the donation is one of several types the college foundation accepts.

“We have donors who do things for students directly and also do things to enhance the community college and the programs we offer,” she said.

“Other donors have … donated funds to buy new equipment… there are always lots of needs at the community college. There’s always something for someone if they have a personal interest in it — there’s a need that could fit their desires.”

Landscape designer Amanda Krabbe’s landscape design students are working on a design for the gateway’s flowerbed, which will be planted in the spring.

Krabbe said her goal is to make people want to walk over to the gateway and enjoy the new look of the lawn.

“We hope it will draw attention to the monument,” she said.

The flowers, which will include roses, will be a low-maintenance variety, she said.

The design will be balanced and symmetrical, said Brock Smith, a second-year student studying landscape design.

Smith said the design will be appealing to the eye, but also multi-seasonal, meaning it will have flowers appropriate for every season.

The class will make sure the flowers are pleasantly scented, but don’t attract too many bees. They might also plant flowers that would attract butterflies, he added.

Every student will draw a design that will add to the overall plan, Krabbe said.

The project is like many that Krabbe’s students take on — most of them involve real-world projects. Most of them are for people’s homes, she said.

Andrew Thomas, who is studying golf course management, said he likes the practical, hands-on applications. Another recent project they completed was a sand bunker located on the west side of the horticulture building.

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