I am pleased to report that Secrest recently received approval from college administration to pursue a comprehensive master plan. At a cost of $75,000, an impressive proposal from Columbus-based MKSK, a collective of planners, urban designers, and landscape architects, will represent the next step toward the arboretum's future. A plan of this scope will serve as an essential blueprint for maximizing the sustainability, utility, and appearance of the arboretum over the next 20-plus years. It will be vital to improving Secrest's role as a multifaceted resource to OSU and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) and an everexpanding range of professional stakeholders. Finally, it will ensure that the arboretum flourishes as an indispensable amenity to Wooster residents and the entire region.
Like any other resource, the value of arboreta and gardens like Secrest is dependent on their fitness for purpose. Exemplary university gardens are safe, accessible, appropriately staffed facilities featuring modern infrastructure and high-quality plant collections. They are as functional as they are beautiful. These characteristics, when coupled with key mission-centric programs and services, determine their relevance to those they serve—or may serve in the future.
Secrest Arboretum is overdue for a visionary look into the future that provides a roadmap to excellence and guarantees it remains fit for purpose. The most recent Secrest Arboretum master plan, dating back to 2003, is now outdated and inapplicable. An updated plan will consider our current realities and unrealized potential. This means addressing the needs of visitors and other users, as well as the operational requirements of maintaining an attractive and sustainable environment.
Important topics will include expanding our network of paved walkways, enlarging the gardens around the Barnhart Rice "Stone House," and overhauling Secrest's aging plant propagation and nursery facility.
MKSK (https://mkskstudios.com) boasts a track record of successful, award-winning projects all around the country. These range from complex urban and campus plans to innovative designs for public parks and horticultural institutions like Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus. In our case, we look forward to a finished product that considers Secrest's many strengths, unmet needs, and strategic opportunities to create a compelling path forward. Via a combination of technical analysis and stakeholder input, the plan will:
- Establish a vision for the best possible version of Secrest Arboretum and illustrate how it should look and function within 10-20 years.
- Outline a framework for the logical phasing of physical improvement projects that benefit a wide range of users, from The Ohio State University faculty and students to Wooster residents who cherish the arboretum as a source of physical and psychological well-being.
- Provide costing estimates for upgrades that improve operational efficiency, expand public services, and enhance access, circulation, and safety.
- Designate areas within the arboretum for new gardens and botanical features that inspire and educate visitors while promoting the art, science, and business of horticulture.
- Maximize the purpose of the Secrest Welcome and Education Center as a hub for visitor engagement and outreach.
- Identify sources of non-traditional revenue and operational strategies capable of setting Secrest on a path toward fiscal self-sufficiency.
- Assist Secrest and CFAES Advancement staff in communicating the arboretum's needs andopportunities to potential funders.
Secrest has been tasked with raising the full $75,000 needed to fund the plan and we are currently working with colleagues in the CFAES Office of Advancement to ramp up our fundraising efforts. We have already received generous pledges of financial support from the invaluable Friends of Secrest Arboretum organization (https://www.friendsofsecrest.com) and a contingent of community members who want to see the arboretum continue to improve. However, fully funding the planning process will require additional contributions from others who share our vision. For more information about this critical opportunity or to find out how you can help, please contact me at veil.11@osu.edu or (330) 202-3582.
–Jason Veil, Curator veil.11@osu.edu