(WACO, Texas) – Faculty members and students in Texas State Technical College’s Building Construction program at the Waco campus recently rebuilt a pergola at a butterfly garden at the Cameron Park Zoo.
“This is a tiny space but a massive collaboration to get here,” said Krisi Webb, executive director of the Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society, the nonprofit support arm of the zoo.
The project involved tearing down the original pergola and using the design to create a new place for families to sit and take in the zoo’s natural beauty. The work took place over the span of Fridays in May and June.
“We specialize in hands-on learning but community service is a big part of what we do,” said Joshua Lynn, an instructor in TSTC’s Building Construction program.
Tearing down the old pergola took less than an hour, Lynn said. Then, work began to cut wood, dig holes, mix concrete, set posts and bring a new pergola to life.
Rigo Sanchez, a third-semester Building Construction student from Groesbeck, said the hands-on experience of building gives him the freedom to create. He considered the pergola project a bonding experience in getting to know his instructors better.
Miguel Martinez, of Hewitt, is a fourth-semester student in the Building Construction program. He said appreciated being asked to participate in the project to help make the zoo a nicer place.
It’s a great experience,” Martinez said. “Anything I can apply from school in real life is great.”
The flower and greenery bed also got special attention from the Master Gardeners of McLennan County. Louie McDaniel, a member of the organization, said most of the new plantings are drought-tolerant.
Staff from Green Ackors Landscaping and Irrigation of Woodway planted the new herbs in the butterfly garden, along with salvias, redbuds, flame acanthus and other plants.
Webb said the renovated space will enable zoo staff to make it more interactive.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.