The flowers are still free to visit at Reiman Gardens, thanks to a special contribution from Roy and Bobbi Reiman, the gardens’ founders.

“The Reimans are just wonderful people, and we greatly appreciate the gift,” said Murray Blackwelder, vice president for External Affairs.

Blackwelder announced last week that the Reimans volunteered to donate the amount of money that admissions revenue would have brought in for the next year. Without the donation, the gardens would have charged admission to help fund the growing attraction.

“It is a win-win situation,” Blackwelder said. “It gives us another year to study the situation and come out with the right revenue projections.”

Administrators have been considering charging admission to the gardens for several years, Blackwelder said.

Last month he met with the Reimans at the Big 12 Basketball Tournament in Kansas City and discussed the admission charges with them. The Reimans decided to give the extra money so people wouldn’t have to pay a fee to enter the gardens.

Blackwelder said Reiman Gardens will be free to the public until the conservatory and butterfly wing open, which is projected for October 2002.

Teresa McLaughlin, Reiman Gardens manager, said she was thrilled the Reimans were donating the extra money to the gardens.

“We’ve been struggling with the need to hire more staff,” she said. The gardens have grown to 14 acres of cultivated land, with little funding for extra staff to take care of its growing needs.

McLaughlin said ideas for funding the gardens have come from five different sources. In-house catering, rental rates and an eventual gift shop and caf‚ will all bring revenue into the gardens. But she said charging admission has always been the biggest block of prospective funding.

The Reimans’ gift will give the staff and administration the ability to put things into place, McLaughlin said.

“I hope once things are up and running people will see the brand new conservatory complex and see the value in the educational programs,” she said.

McLaughlin said she hopes future visitors won’t mind paying the admission, and she was thankful to the Reimans because the community will have another year and a half to appreciate the gardens free of charge.

“It’s a vote of confidence for the gardens and the city of Ames,” she said.