GLOVERSVILLE – City police are donating a variety of items to two local agencies, including equipment that could help grow fruits and vegetables.
During Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, the council approved a resolution that allows the police department to give a variety of growing equipment, bicycles and tennis equipment to the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Board of Cooperative Education Services and city recreation commission.
Police Cap. Marc Porter said an HFM BOCES environmental conservation instructor initally wrote to the department to obtain any equipment it could for its aquaponics and hydroponics programs.
The instructor stated the equipment would be used by students to help raise talapia and grow tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and other vegetables with hydroponics equipment according to the letter sent to the police department.
Jay DeTraglia director of career and technical education at BOCES, said the vegetables and herbs are then given to the Culinary Arts program.
Porter said the items were part of a police investigation into marijuana growing and were cycled-out during an inventory under the department’s audit process.
DeTraglia said HFM BOCES got an initial donation from the state police of hydroponic equipment several years ago that helped get the program running.
“It’s taking a negative and turning it into a positive for educational purposes,” DeTraglia said.
DeTraglia said the program of using vegetables grown by students to make meals in the culinary arts program not only saves money, but it is environmentally friendly and nutritious.
Along with the growing equipment, the police department is also donating bicycle parts to go towards a hydroelectric program at the school. DeTraglia said the items will be used in a project by the students.
Porter said he thought the idea was a creative one when the educators approached them about the possibility of donating the items.
Recreation Commission will be given three tennis racquets that were found at Darling Field back in 2007.
Porter said when the owner never came for them, the person who turned them in couldn’t be found, the department inquired if the commission could use them.
“I can’t think of better way to use these items than for education or outdoor sport activities to get kids outside,” Porter said. “I’d like to see it continue. I’m glad we could have a partnership with outside agencies and with city officials support.”
Kerry Minor covers Gloversville. She can be reached at [email protected].
