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Jerry Chenault, regional extension agent for urban and new nontraditional programs with Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, and his wife, Michelle, visited Warsaw Biblical Gardens Wednesday.
Chenault was awarded a grant by Alabama A&M to gather information on biblical and ecumenical gardens to develop educational resource material that can be made available to the people in Alabama. Alabama A&M and Auburn universities are responsible for the cooperative extension system in Alabama, similar to the extension services offered out of Purdue University in Indiana.
There currently are no gardens of this type in Alabama, but the benefits have been proven, according to Chenault. In the cases studied, the plants and gardens have become teaching tools and places for prayer and meditation as well as sources of physical, emotional and spiritual healing.
Jerry learned of Warsaw's Gardens by searching the Internet. His initial contact was with Toshika Gunter, local master gardener, who he said "was very knowledgeable." Arrangements to visit were made with Kevin Zachary, president of the Gardens' board of directors. Although Gunter was unavailable for the visit, Saralee Levin, who has been closely associated with the Gardens since its inception, and Jon Garber, Warsaw Parks director, and Zachary met with the Chenaults.
Zachary and Levin provided background information on how the initial idea for Biblical gardens came about. The Gardens are built on the original site of Myer Levin Scrap Yards, which has been in business in the Warsaw area for 90 years. Twenty years ago, the city wanted the Levins to move the scrap yard out of the Center Lake Park area. When the scrap yard was moved, a fountain in honor of the Levin family was built on the site, and the land became the property of Warsaw. When Saralee Levin learned that a parking lot might be built around the fountain, she visited the fountain and while there, she said, "I had an inspiration from Almighty - to do something meaningful with the area, something green and biblical.
"Since there were only four gardens of this type in the country at that time, I had to do research in Fort Wayne. We also had to address funding and feasibility. The Saemann Foundation assisted in the fundraising efforts and the local Lake City Bank always has supported the Gardens. The Warsaw Community Development Corp. provided the 501(c)3 non-profit connection we needed for funding and arranged a 99-year lease with the city for the land.
"We hired a company in Chicago to do a feasibility study. They said, 'It's doable, but not easy.'"
Architect Patrick S. Brown, with SiteScape in Mishawaka, designed the Gardens, which were dedicated June 23, 1991.
Zachary also shared future plans to develop a more comprehensive docent program that would allow for scheduled staffing of the Gardens' facilities during the summer, which also would make guided tours available anytime the Gardens are staffed.
Jerry Chenault said, "We're taking pictures to incorporate into our training and teaching to be used throughout Alabama. Our target audience includes churches and communities, but so far has been more for educational purposes and through lay people than through the clergy.
"From here we're going to visit gardens in Dayton and Worthington, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pa.; and on into New England."
