$357,000 Grant Transforms Dirt Lot into Valley Academy ‘Wellness Garden’
Education and air quality officials joined community leaders in El Centro to cut the ribbon on a new 16,000-square-foot outdoor space at Valley Academy, transforming what officials described as a former dirt lot into a lush, multi-purpose “Wellness Garden.”
Funded primarily by a $357,101.39 grant from the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District, the project was developed in partnership with the Assembly Bill 617 Community Steering Committee under the Community Air Protection Program for the El Centro-Calexico-Heber Corridor.
The initiative aims to address both environmental and socio-emotional challenges in a border region heavily impacted by agricultural emissions, industrial facilities, and intense vehicular transit.
“This project is more than about just improving the campus,” said Imperial County Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Finnell during the unveiling ceremony. “This isn't about looking nice. This creates a space that supports our student wellness work that we do. It's about recreation for our students, outdoor activities, and connection with nature, while also improving the air quality, providing shade, and conserving water through efficient landscaping and irrigation.”
The transformed 16,263-square-foot space at the alternative education site features water-efficient landscaping, shade structures, and an expanding agricultural program managed in coordination with local educators. Urban greening projects of this nature reduce greenhouse gases by absorbing carbon dioxide while filtering particulate matter out of ambient air.
Abigail Arballo, a representative from the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District's grants team, highlighted the broader public health implications of the project.
“This project will not only help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it will also provide students, faculty, staff, and the community with a green space for them to come together,” Arballo said, encouraging other local agencies to pursue similar urban greening efforts across Imperial County.
By Arturo Bojorquez, Editor
Imperial Valley Press