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Foodbank To Close South Side Farm Amid Lease Dispute With Landowner

midohiofoodbank.org

The Mid-Ohio Foodbank says it will close its Groveport Road farm on August 2 after it failed to secure a new lease from the charter school that now owns the property. 

Accel runs the South Columbus Preparatory Academy. It's parent company bought the land last year from Columbus City Schools. The school says the food bank has been operating without a lease and using city utilities, costing it several thousand dollars. The food bank says it asked for a new lease and did not receive a bill for the services.  The 5-acre farm produced 42 thosuand pounds of produce last year. 

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.