The Prairie Loft project moves another step closer to opening after a $1,000 donation from the American Council of the Blind at a meeting Tuesday.
Doug Carter, president of the Prairie Loft Corp., said the gift was unique because of the organization involved.
“When Barb presented me the check, she said, ‘This was a donation so people could see the barn,’” Carter said. “It’s awesome for a local organization of non-sighted people to want other people to see this project. They contacted us and said they wanted to make a donation.”
The Prairie Loft group owns an acreage that includes a large barn that was used in the 1930s, Carter said. The group also is fundraising and writing grants to put a new roof on the 120-by-60-foot barn so it can be used as a learning center for youth.
The barn needs a new roof before visitors can be allowed inside, but it will cost about $100,000 because of the size of the building, Carter said.
In addition to the barn, Carter said the Boyd family and Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Hastings donated a house and garage, formerly owned by Dr. John Yost, to Prairie Loft.
The old barn stands on land west of Hastings previously owned by the state of Nebraska. It was part of the farm operation at the Hastings Regional Center.
Carter said groups that would utilize the facility include Eagle Scouts, farm service agencies and 4-H organizations, as well as middle school students who soon will be in the area.
“Our focus is to restore the barn and have agricultural awareness education,” he said.