ZEELAND CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich — The historic rains that put a strain on Michigan farmers, has also delayed the move and expansion of a deep-rooted educational farm in Ottawa County.
The Critter Barn, located on Adams Street in Zeeland Township, recently announced it was moving to a 36-acre property on 80th Ave. Staff broke ground on the property on May 14.
The staff was struggling more and more to accommodate a growing number of visitors.
"We expected to have our infrastructure done in early July, but Mother Nature had a different plan," said owner Mary Rottschafer. The educator opened the Critter Barn at her farm in 1990.
The heavy rains limited time construction crews could install pipes, septic systems and other infrastructure. They now expect that to be complete in late September, when they hope some buildings will go up.
"Farming is something that we all have to be patient with," Rottschafer said. "So when the weather doesn't serve our purpose I think you can find some other ways to dig deeper and do some other planning, and I think we have."
The infrastructure installation is part of "phase one" of the $6 to 7 million Critter Barn expansion. The first phase costs around $3.2 million.
Rottschafer and her team are using the weather delay to continue fundraising efforts. They need around $500,000 to complete phase one.
"The time that it's taken for the rain to settle and the beginning work to get done, it's OK because we've stayed busy with that," she said.
In the meantime, the Critter Barn solidified a partnership with Baker College in Muskegon. Rottschafer is also working with the Michigan State University Extension agriculture program.
"We can build these beautiful barns and have this nice setting, but programming and people to help us sustain that programming long-term is really critical, so we're very happy to see partnerships growing," she said.
The new Critter Barn campus will include a pond, overnight bunks and more access for people with disabilities.
"It will be huge," said Josh Hall, who has worked at the Critter Barn for almost six years. "More impact, more people coming through, more kids learning."
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