The Friends of Holcomb Farm (FOHF) is one step closer to realizing its vision of providing customers with fresh, locally grown produce and locally made goods year-round.
At its meeting on May 19, the Granby Board of Selectmen voiced unanimous support for the concept of repurposing the former West Granby United Methodist Church (WGUMC), now owned by the town, into a year-round, vibrant hub for food production, distribution and community engagement. The town and the Friends will now move to negotiating the details of the Friends’ responsibilities in assuming control of this town-owned building.
At the meeting, Jenny Emery, president of the FOHF, and its Farm Manager Joe O’Grady, presented a comprehensive report on the state of the Friends of Holcomb Farm and a plan for repurposing the church property, which was part of Holcomb Farm before Tudor and Laura Holcomb gave it to the WGUMC in the early 1970s.
The vision for the Friends’ use of the building includes:
• Moving produce wash and pack, which is currently done outdoors (limiting the seasons when it can be performed) indoors and greatly expanding cold storage.
• Moving the small CSA pick-up and public Farm Store from its current home in a corner of an uninsulated, former tobacco barn into the center of the larger, heated building.
• Transforming the existing kitchen into a commercial kitchen to support the value-added production of products (e.g., pesto, crushed tomatoes, sauces).
• Creating much-needed break/lunch space and lockers for the farm crew, as well as offices to support the organization.
Key to this transformative opportunity, according to Emery, is its promise to support winter production and sales of Holcomb Farm produce, which is projected to generate the annual income necessary to cover the costs of operating the building. “There is a lot of demand for quality, locally grown produce throughout the year, and meeting that demand can stabilize and improve the financial strength of our nonprofit organization. We simply cannot meet that demand without year-round infrastructure. This building, once renovated, will change the equation.”
Town Manager Mike Walsh praised the project, saying, “I see no downside, and lots of opportunity for this to benefit Granby.” First Selectman Mark Fiorentino asked for and received assurance that the Friends would engage the entire Granby agricultural community in utilizing the Farm Store, once completed, to distribute their products. Emery assured him that this was part of the excitement, as hundreds of CSA members visit weekly, many from outside of Granby, and they will be great customers for local producers. The Friends also hope the space can support area arts and crafts producers.
A preliminary floor plan and renderings have been developed by local architect Dana Warren, and the preliminary estimate of the investments necessary to fully transform the building is $400,000-$500,000. The Friends plan to phase the transformation over the next two to three years, allowing time for fund raising and to seek grants. One grant of $50,000 from the State of Connecticut already has been awarded.
The property and funds to build the church were given to the WGUMC by Tudor and Laura Holcomb, and the church was completed in 1975. The local congregation closed in late 2021 and, consistent with the terms of the original deed, the property transferred to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
In September 2024, the town worked with the foundation to repatriate the property to the Town’s Holcomb Farm, at no cost, for the stated purpose of strengthening the Friends and its mission: “To preserve, promote, and utilize an historic New England farm, for the benefit of the community.”
The five acres and barn fit easily into the Friends’ current farming operations. The question was whether retaining the church building itself was also a benefit to the Friends. A task team was formed, assessments undertaken, and evaluation conducted by the board of the Friends. This culminated in the May 19 report, recommending the town retain the building for use by the Friends.