Mennonite World Review

HESSTON, Kan. — Construction on a unique walkway that will connect Hesston College to Schowalter Villa, Dyck Arboretum and beyond is expected to begin this fall.

The $30,000 walkway is a cooperative effort between the college, the villa, and the city of Hesston. Hesston College and Schowalter Villa will contribute $7,500 each. The city will provide in-kind services, such as marking a crosswalk and installing crosswalk signs on Hickory Street, which will connect the walkway to existing sidewalks and trails at the Arboretum.

A total of $15,000 in funding for this project was provided by the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans, a Topeka-based philanthropic organization with a mission to help improve Kansans’ health.

Project co-director Dwight Roth said the walkway’s purpose is “to connect the elements of a seamless campus on the city’s south side,” involving Hesston College, Schowalter Villa, the Hesston Community Child Care, Dyck Arboretum, Lake Vista and the Hesston Wellness Center. Roth is a Hesston College sociology professor and director of the Lifelong Education and Development program.

“We are trying to blend these entities into a seamless campus where the different organizations share resources and everyone benefits,” Roth said. “That’s different from the traditional model, where each entity has its boundaries and operates independently of each other.”

The walkway will be about 10 feet wide between Hesston College and Schowalter Villa, then 4 feet wide as it meanders from Schowalter Villa to Dyck Arboretum. The crosswalk on Hickory will also connect to existing sidewalks leading to Lake Vista and the Hesston Wellness Center nearby.

Other project components include landscaping, lights, construction of one or more gazebos, benches with shade structures and signs.

“The signs will describe the different stages of life, provoking spiritual and intellectual thought and growth,” Roth said. “That’s why we’re calling the walkway the ‘Journey of Life Walkway.’ ”

James Krehbiel, CEO and president of Schowalter Villa, said: “The walkway will allow residents from our Independent Living, Assisted Living and Health Care residences easy access to the college campus… . [It] also allows college students to be a part of Schowalter’s campus to interact with our residents and the children at Hesston Community Child Care.”