Phase 4 Updates to the Urban Farm
This is the plan for the Phase 4 updates to the urban farm after the 2026 summer season and a tornado! That tornado did a lot of damage, but it reset our resolve to improve Mezzacello in some dramatic new ways. Many new construction and changes.
The New Infrastructure
The big takeaways will be new steel classrooms and covered spaces, a “Make It Work” maker space, upgrades to the biodome and animal care, new energy systems, and infrastructure for growing food and purifying water. All of these systems are overdue, especially after the lessons we learned in that September tornado!
Finally, a steel, covered and functional Narnia Classroom, and a steel covered and large (10’ x 28’) glass and steel classroom attached the house. This will serve as the workstations for outdoor teaching, and data labs and food prep stations that are safe and water tight. In the Horbeam allee, the steel arches remain, but the grass will be replaced with green pavement that can’t be killed or flooded.
There will be a new structure over the pond to provide shade, pull out and provide water for the purifier, and provide solar panels to provide backup power for the pump systems.this structure will also store batteries for backup phone and laptop charging and a wifi repeater for the classrooms.
Breezeway Upgrades
The Breezeways will both be updated. To the north, the current breezeway will be reconfigured to serve as a Make It Work Invention and planning station. The Bioengineering shed will be reconfigured to better serve the needs of this new invention center, The BioLab will get a reconfigured three bay steel sink and solar powered warm water and water purification systems.
To the south, the breezeway will be updated (finally) to a matching steel structure that will withstand snow and better house the chickens, ducks, and brooder birds. The steel structure will house an expansion to our solar array, and allow us to better collect rainwater from all three structures.
More Renewable Energy
The Energy Shed will get an entirely upgraded power system with enough amperage and watts to run the entire farm for three days. It will. be charged by solar and wind and the dump load will go into the existing batteries in storage. All portable power systems will be stored and deployed fro this new center. Two new wind turbines will be added to the Narnia Classroom.
Food Production and Growing
Currently, the raised beds and INCA graden beds can grow a sufficient amount of food. The addition of a testing bed system that is automatically watered and fertilized will be added to the south lawn between the parterre gardens and new data/food lab attached to the house. Food conservation and preparation stations will be added to the BioLab.
