June Fundraising Deadline

UPDATE: This was written before the COVID-19 pandemic came to our community. The new reality economic implications of the virus has us re-evaluating feasibility of the timeline mentioned in this article. We'll be keep a close eye on the situation and share more details soon. 

Columbia’s Agriculture Park has come a LOOOONG way in the last few years.   A huge thank you to everyone who’s supported this effort. The groundswell of support shows the generosity, pride and passion Columbia has for its parks, farmers and educational spaces. These donations helped lay the foundation of this Park and give momentum to this unique public private partnership! 

Here’s what we accomplished so far:

  • Grand opening of the MU Health Care Pavilion on July 13th 2019!  Middle ⅓ of this pavilion was completed and all utility and concrete work completed! 

  • Outdoor Classroom Building and CCUA Barn & Greenhouse are both under construction and will open Spring 2020. 

  • Demo gardens, Planting for the Pantry plots and teaching spaces are fully funded!  These areas will be taking shape over 2020 and years to come.

All of this progress has gotten us over halfway through our Master Plan for the Ag Park. 

The remaining components of the Ag Park are estimated at $4.0 million dollars and will be installed over the coming seasons as funding allows. Here is what’s up next:  

  • East & West wings of the MU Health Care Pavilion  (UP NEXT!!!)

  • ~10,000 sqft multi-purpose building which includes: Event Hall, Kitchen, and Resource/Welcome Center.  

  • 48 more parking spots

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We have the opportunity to FINISH the MU Health Care Pavilion and provide shade and shelter to ALL the farmer vendors and customers next season! If we raise an additional $350,000 by June 6th, we’ll be able to start construction on the roof in Winter 2020/21.   We need your help to "FUND-Raise The Roof"!  Note: See main page of BuildThisTown.org for up-to-date progress toward this goal. 

June 6th also serves as a deadline for the UPDATED DONOR WALL within the MU Health Care Pavilion. This new donor wall will be printed in the summer of 2020.  


Let’s FUND-Raise The Roof

The completed pavilion will provide shade and protection from the rain for all of the vendors and customers at the Columbia Farmers Market.  Putting everyone under one roof has long been the dream of the market and its customers. This basic protection from the elements improves the shopping experience and takes some of the risk out of farming that our growers encounter. Currently only ⅓ of the vendors and shopping space is covered during the full summer markets.  Furthermore, the roof enables better functionality for large events throughout the year: trade shows, car shows, craft shows, festivales and more are prime potential users of this facility. 

The winter months are the only feasible timeline for construction of this roof without disrupting the weekly Columbia Farmers Market.  During these winter months, the CFM vendor count reduces to 30-40; a size that can fit within the existing central third of the pavilion.  During spring, summer and fall, the number of vendors expands out of the middle third, and would not be compatible with a construction project.  Thus, if we miss the winter 2020/21 construction window, we’ll need to wait another year to winter of 2021/22. 

June 6th is our key date to make construction happen in Winter 2020/21.  If we can beat this goal within this time frame we’ll be able to start the bid process over the summer and have a contractor mobilized in late fall to build through the winter in time for spring market 2021.  We need your help to FUND-Raise The Roof!    

Event, Kitchen, & Resource Center

The biggest component remaining in the Master Plan is a 10,000 sq ft building that provides capacity to the programming of the site and adds many more layers of this BIG onion we call the Ag Park.   Three main functional areas are within this building:

  • Flexible Space/Event Hall:

    • 4,000 sqft of flexible space for: classes, meetings, clinics, farm-to-table events and more.  This area would seat ~175 for dinner, and many more in a presentation/movie screening format. 

  • Teaching/Commercial Kitchen:

    • 2,000 sqft kitchen for: cooking classes, nutrition education, and rentable workspace for entrepreneurs.   CCUA will employ a Kitchen Manager to coordinate all of these functions and network with the many partner organizations who will utilize this kitchen and event space. 

  • Resource/Welcome Center:

    • 3,500 sqft resource center for: welcome center, resource library, meeting space, and office space for Ag Park Programming Staff (CCUA, CFM, and TBD).  This park has a very robust programming presence, and thus, a permanent staff presence is needed to provide the needed depth of service to the community. 

Additional Parking:

A second cell of parking will be installed with 48 more parking spots. This area drains into a vegetated bio-swale to help slow the flow of water and filter out possible contaminants. 


Would you consider making a contribution to help us FUND-Raise The Roof?  If you’ve already given to the capital campaign, please consider repeating or increasing your level of giving/pledge again.  If you’ve not yet given, this is your chance to get on the next donor wall printing and help push this unique project forward!  

Your support will help us reach this short term deadline and set in motion construction to complete the MU Health Care Pavilion over the coming year.  Make a gift or pledge at www.BuildThisTown.org/donate


50% State Tax Credits! 

WHILE THEY LAST! 50% State Tax Credit benefits are available for donors who give over $5,000.  This tax benefit is especially helpful when donating mature stock. Learn more about all of these options at www.BuildThisTown.org/Tax-Credits

Interested in learning more or helping FUND-Raise The Roof?  Contact Campaign Director Adam Saunders at 573-356-9392 or Adam@ColumbiaUrbanAg.org for more details!

Billy Polansky