Aloha Noblehouse Inc. continues greenhouse project
<p>Kay Midro, holding shovel, breaks ground at the location that the greenhouse will be built on the outskirts of Pablo. Land owners Bill Paullin and Tim Brick, Aloha Communications Director Richard McClung, LCCDC Executive Director Gypsy Ray and LCCDC Business Development Center Director Marie Hirsch, Tribal Councilwoman Carole Lankford, and investors were among some of the attendees Thursday morning. </p>
Aloha Noblehouse, Inc. Executive Director, Kay Midro, plunged a gold-painted shovel into the farmland that will eventually house a 260,000 square-feet greenhouse and up to 24 three-bedroom affordable housing units. Although the construction won’t actually begin for several more months, Thursday’s “groundbreaking ceremony” was a symbolic showing of the progress that has been made on the part of Aloha Noblehouse, Inc., its investors and the Lake County Community Development Corporation to continue a large project that will bring organic food and affordable housing to Pablo and the surrounding communities.
Aloha Noblehouse, Inc. received $27,000 in grant funds from the Big Sky Economic Development Trust to aid the company with a Solar Engineering report that will determine the layout of the solar panels that will be used in-part to power the greenhouse. $2,000 of the $27,000 goes to the county, $20,000 goes directly to Aloha and $5,000 stays with Big Sky Economic Development Trust Fund until the solar engineering report is returned, at which time the remaining funds will be given to Aloha Noblehouse, Inc.
Lake County Community Development Corporation played a large role in receiving the money to make the initial feasibility study, as well as the solar engineering report, possible.
Marie Hirsch, Business Development Center Director at LCCDC, played a large role in obtaining the grants for the solar engineering plan. Hirsch and LCCDC act as a conduit of funds for Aloha Noblehouse, Inc. rather than a partner. Their assistance with putting together the grants made it possible for the project to continue.
The LCCDC looks into new businesses and invests in those that they feel will be successful and helpful to the community.
“Our hope is to create jobs,” Gypsy Ray, Executive Director at LCCDC said. “When we create jobs it boosts the economy.”
The greenhouse is projected to bring 35 jobs to the Pablo area as well as affordable, modern housing that will give the workers at the greenhouse a place to live and according to Finance Manager, Gerry Fritts, will also reduce the impact on housing in the area.
The housing units would also help keep the costs of transportation low and stay with the companies green philosophy.
“Our carbon footprint, if we can provide housing there, will be extensively low,” said Fritts.
Aloha put in a grant proposal for a $2 million dollar grant last November to help fund the sustainable housing project, but didn’t receive the money. They are looking into new ways of funding the housing project.
The company hopes to have the greenhouse finished by May or June of 2017 with the first crops being sold to market in the fall of 2017.