The Carr Fire sparked the imagination of north state artist Charles Lasater to create a one-of-a-kind geodesic globe sculpture located near the Knighton Road exit halfway between Redding and Anderson. The new I-5 icon community art sphere is the gateway to Providence’s Farm of the Future and the Riverland Park trail and riparian corridor along a beautiful picturesque part of the Sacramento River.
The globe symbolizes the park and farm theme of Making a Better World Growing Healthy People, Plants, Parks and Planet.
The sculpture creators, Charles Lasater and Robert Lasiter (unrelated), were inspired following the horrific Carr and Camp fires of 2018 to provide inexpensive temporary housing for fire victims with geodesic dome homes. After extensive research Charles found Robert Lassiter of DarwinDomes had designed a unique geodesic model. Charles added his own artistic touch.
Charles was at the Redding Home Depot requesting donated waste lumber for dome construction when he met at the checkout counter, Bud Hancock, CEO of non-profit www.ProvidenceInternational.org. A conversation and relationship ensued that led to the construction of the community art globe sculpture artfully placed on the base of an old dairy farm silo. This art adorns the highly visible gateway to Riverland Park and Farm of the Future.
Fitting to Providence’s Riverland agritourism site, this eye-popping art links well to Providence’s theme of transforming trash to treasure and waste into wealth into this new green garden of hope project. This unforgettable icon catches the eyes of 130,000 people a day passing the Knighton Road/Airport Road exit.
Providence will take site tour reservations beginning January 2020. The tour will feature state of the art technologies, animal and plant species and organic growing best practices demos. School age children 12 and under attend free. Each guest family can take home a free plant.
Riverland Park
Riverland Park is one of California’s most beautiful natural resources situated on the Sacramento River between Redding and Anderson on Interstate I-5. Riverland Park is an agriculture agritourism designed model park and farm of the future that combines the latest state of the art in water, wind and energy production and conservation with the distinctive goal of being a 0 net energy site. The site will feature aquaponics, permaculture, and greenhouse technologies for healthy organic food production, a river front riparian corridor of trails and native plantings.
The vision for this signature park includes a river walk, a healthy food production hub for California fruits, nuts and vegetable crops, riparian and native plantings and water, wind and solar energy production and conservation. It is a recreation and education interactive and interpretive adventure for healthier living.
RIverland Park and Farm is managed by Providence International Enterprises, a Redding based non-profit 501c3 organization, dedicated for the past 20 years to building job creating partnerships to free families from poverty and dependency locally and globally through enterprise development, work experience, housing, job training and placement. This centerpiece riverfront I-5 open space zoned property is owned by the City of Redding. The river trail links to the Bureau of Land Management 200 acre river front property. Nichols, Melburg & Rossetto architects have donated their services in the site planning as a community and public service.
The City of Redding Council approved unanimously a 15 year extendable lease to Providence for the central parcel farm of the future. Providence has cleared the land over the past 4 years and produced five winter hay crops and planted a 375 fruit and nut tree orchard donated by the Fruit Tree Foundation and Sierra Gold Nurseries. In-kind and cash improvements of $1.2 million donated for the site to date. Fence, irrigation infrastructure and electric power are installed. A $1.4 million grant has been awarded for parking, restrooms and trail upgrading and finish.
An irrigation pump capable of providing drip irrigation and fertigation for the site has been donated and installed by J&J Pumps. John Tiedeman USDA has done the topo mapping, soil testing and site drip irrigation system. Sponsors include: Hawes Farms, J&J Pumps, Cresco/CAT, Dr. Randy Smith, Wagner Electric, Aamigo Irrigation, Taylor Motors, Emerald Kingdom Greenhouses, Sierra Pacific Industries, PACE engineering, Crystal Creek Aggregate, Home Depot, Strange&Sons Fencing, Shasta Redi Mix, Tyndale Fund, McConnell Fund, Stewardship Trust, Farm Supply, Redding Landscape Design, EBJ Construction, Northern Roots and Big Valley Sanitation
The 2019 plan is to seek approval of a agritourism county ordinance, complete construction of two state of the art greenhouses, install solar arrays and expand the water system for drip irrigation, relocate the parking area to trailhead entrance, feature farm art, expand construction of the river trail and the orchard by 100 fruit/nut/citrus trees. Providence invites sponsors, grants, donor and memorial gifts for the project. The 2200 foot extension of the south riverfront trail is cut and plantings of native plants along the riparian corridor began in the spring of 2019.
Providence is enlisting green companies in the provision of solar and other state of the art energy and water saving generating equipment, completing the drip irrigation system for sustainable perennial plantings, beginning work on new entrance and parking and engaging service clubs, grantors and the public in project participation. Site plans and design guidelines and an aerial video are available on request.
Contact: Bud Hancock www.ProvidenceInternational.org Phone: 530-243-3373; Email: Providence@charter.net City Contact: Kim Niemer, COR Director of Community Services 530-225-4085
