Jamestown contractors raise barn

JAMESTOWN – About two dozen carpenters and contractors worked to raise a barn two weeks ago at the Jamestown Community Farm.
When complete, the 1,300-square-foot barn will store tractors, farm equipment and vegetables. The 11-year-old nonprofit farm grows about 15,000 pounds of vegetables a year to donate to local food banks around the state.
“We started with nothing other than a guy who donates the use of the land to us and gradually we’ve been putting some infrastructure together,” Manager Bob Sutton said.
The farm currently keeps most of its equipment in hoop houses covered with canvas. Sutton said those structures – that resemble pop-up carports – do not withstand snow and rain well. Also, a barn on the property donated by a neighbor is too small to accommodate all the farm’s equipment.
The new barn – being built entirely by volunteers – will create space for not only equipment but also room to clean and store vegetables as well as eggs from the farm’s 70 chickens.
To pay for the materials, the farm raised about $28,000 last fall, largely from Jamestown residents. Jamestown-based Estes/Twombly Architects designed the barn at no cost and a local contractor poured the foundation at no charge last fall.
“It’s been a good Jamestown community project,” Sutton said.
Sutton said there’s no timeline for completion. Work will proceed based on the weather and the availability of volunteers.