After three years of careful and detailed design, Kay’s Garden officially breaks ground this Friday, November 2 at 10:00 AM at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center. Kay’s Garden will be a world class Japanese garden that will become a destination filled with serenity and breath-taking views. It will offer inspiration, accommodate contemplation and serve as a venue for life changing experiences.
Kay’s Garden is being made possible through a legacy gift from the late Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Kay E. McFarland. Her lead gift accounts for 65% of the $6.44M project budget and also establishes a permanent endowment to maintain the garden into perpetuity. “The remainder of the funding will be achieved through a combination of private donations, earned income and designated ½ Cent Countywide Retailers Sales Tax,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley.
During Friday’s ceremony, the community will have the chance to meet Koji Morimoto. Koji is the Japanese Garden Master hired by local general contractor, KBS Constructors, Inc, to make sure the project design authentically transitions into the living project.
The initial work will begin with storm water management of much of the East half of Gage Park. This will be followed by utility work that result in about half of the parking lot in front of the Zoo and the Helen Hocker Theatre being removed. “If you have been to the park this week, you might have already noticed that a construction trailer is in place and may have seen crews out marking existing utility lines.”
Over the next four to five months, things are going to be a bit of a mess,” said Wiley. During that time, people visiting the Zoo, Helen Hocker Theatre and the Big Gage Shelter House may need to use parking areas more in the center of the park. “We will make sure that signage is in place to direct patrons to the best parking areas. We are also working on a temporary shuttle service to accommodate peak times.”
The project planners expect that by the end of March, the storm drainage along Zoo Parkway will be completed and to have a new parking lot in place just South of the Helen Hocker Theatre. As spring and summer visitors return back to Gage Park, they will be able to see progress being made on Kay’s Garden and the affiliated Gallery and Event Center.
Kay’s Garden is expected to take 15 months to complete and will open to the community in the spring of 2020.
For more information or to learn how to donate to the “Kay’s Garden – Tell us your story” capital campaign, contact Brendan Wiley at 785-506-3797 or bwiley@topeka.org .