Created through Park Pride's community-driven Park Visioning Program, this conceptual park master plan for Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park (formerly Boone Park West), captures English Rain Avenue community members' Garden dreams for their park. O parkLIVER PRIVATE RESIDENCE S PARKPRIDE.ORG | FALL 2018 TREET Your Support Makes Community Parks Possible A Park at the Heart of English Avenue PRIVATE LOTS Imagine living in a neighborhood without a park. Your kids and grandkids don’t have a safe place to play. There is no beautiful greenspace to host outdoor community gatherings or family picnics. On top of that, imagine your neighborhood experiences devastating floods regularly. The neighborhood described above was, ceremony where she, along with Atlanta unfortunately, Atlanta’s own English City Councilmember Ivory Lee Young, Jr. Avenue just a few years ago. However, and Department of Parks and Recreation due to thePRIVATE persistence LOT of English Avenue Commissioner Amy Phuong, revealed residents combined with the support of the official new name of the greenspace Park Pride and dozens of partners, this formerly known as Boone Park West— neighborhood is experiencing a renewal, the Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park. starting with greenspace. Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park is English Avenue, situated within the the third in a series of parks proposed Proctor Creek Watershed on Atlanta’s in the Proctor Creek North Avenue Westside, has long suffered from Green Infrastructure Vision (Park Pride, damaging combined-sewer overflows 2010) to address stormwater runoff and related to stormwater runoff, economic create park space. The park is expected in this issue disinvestment, social and educational to manage up to 3.5 million gallons of challenges, and a lack of greenspace. stormwater per year, capturing runoff from adjacent streets and routing the Tips for a Stronger, Healthier rd However, on August 23 , the community water into a series of rain gardens, Community [1] page 3 and partners (including Park Pride, stormwater swales, and underground The Conservation Fund, Chattahoochee chambers. These features will clean and Celebrating Community, Riverkeeper, and the City of Atlanta) detain the stormwater, reducing flooding Family, and Diversity gathered to break ground on a long- page 4 and sewer overflow events. anticipated greenspace that will both How to Build Sustainable mitigate flooding in the neighborhood “While Kathryn Johnston Memorial Trails and address the lack of access to parks. Park will alleviate flooding,” explained page 5 City of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Park Pride’s Director of Park Visioning, Parks are the Heart of Bottoms presided over the dedication Andrew White, “it more importantly has Green Street Community continued on page 2. page 6 Improvements ENGAGING COMMUNITIES TO ACTIVATE THE POWER OF PARKS A Park at the Heart of English Avenue from page 1 spread the word: the potential to become the heart of Additionally, area residents will the English Avenue community.” In participate in workforce training vote yes on 1! 2016, White and English Avenue through a partnership with the This November, Georgians leaders formed a steering committee Greening Youth Foundation and play have the opportunity to create of neighborhood residents to direct a hands-on role in building the park. a dedicated source of funding the creation to support clean water and of a park The Kathryn state and local parks by voting master plan Johnston YES on Amendment 1, the "For a project to truly be Georgia Outdoor Stewardship through Park Memorial community-supported, residents Park also Amendment. Pride’s Park must be at the table..." Visioning preserves By dedicating a portion of the Program. ~ Tony Torrence, Co-Chair, a powerful existing sales and use tax on outdoor sporting goods, the As the plan Proctor Creek Stewardship Council legacy in Atlanta’s Georgia Outdoor Stewardship developed, Amendment, or GOSA, is a once- history hundreds in-a-generation opportunity to of community members gave input. of civil rights. In 2006, Kathryn commit more than $200 million “This plan reflects what a community Johnston, a 92-year-old grandmother, to land and water conservation wants to see in their park, increasing was tragically killed by members of over the next 10 years! the Atlanta Police Department in her the likelihood that the park will While 8-out-of-10 voters become a beloved greenspace.” English Avenue home. This park will expressed support of GOSA in a preserve her memory and sacrifice, recent poll, the fact remains that Tony Torrence, an English Avenue serving as a reminder to prevent many voters are unaware that this resident and Co-Chair of the Proctor future tragedies. ballot measure is awaiting their Creek Stewardship Council, agrees. decision as they head to the polls “For a project to truly be community- Once completed, the Kathryn to cast their ballot. supported, residents must be at the Johnston Memorial Park will provide table,” stated Torrence. “Community English Avenue residents a safe place residents have been engaged every to relax, exercise, play with their step of the way in developing the families, and meet their neighbors. plans for this park." In addition to the water retention amenities, the park will include a playground, fitness station, and open greenspace for pickup games of soccer or flying kites. We look forward to sharing progress as the park moves toward completion and a ribbon-cutting celebration. Follow along on the Community members and partners join Park Pride blog for updates: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to break parkpride.org/news. ground at Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park. Do your part to support clean 1.Additional partners and funders that have played a key role in bringing Kathryn Johnston water and state and local parks Memorial Park to fruition include: the City of Atlanta’s Departments of Parks and Recreation and this November. Watershed Management, the City of Atlanta’s Office of Resilience, Invest Atlanta, the Proctor Creek Spread the word to vote Stewardship Council, English Avenue Neighborhood Association, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and YES on Amendment 1, the the National Recreation & Parks Association (visit the Park Pride website for a full list of our Georgia Outdoor Stewardship valued partners and funders: bit.ly/kjmp2018). Amendment! Park Pride’s Park Visioning Program helps communities create a park Learn more at master plan thanks to the support of our donors. Your contribution georgiaoutdoorstewardship.org. means that more children and families in English Avenue and in neighborhoods across our service area will have access to greenspace. 2 parkviews | fall 2018 Whether you're mulching trees, removing invasive plants, or planting a garden like these volunteers at Chapel Hill Park, volunteering is a great workout! Activate Your Park Tips for a Stronger, Healthier Community by Veronica Squires, Chief Administrative Officer at The Good Samaritan Health Center and Co-Author of How Neighborhoods Make Us Sick: Restoring Health and Wellness to Our Communities Ten years ago, if you had asked me about the importance of of safety, family-friendly amenities, and preservation of the “built environment” on lifespan, I would have returned nature that resulted in both improved health outcomes and a blank stare. I didn’t have any exposure to the kind of blight a stronger community. that, over time, weathers neighborhoods and can take years off your life. I offer this personal example as a call-to-action: get involved and activate your park—your health, and the health and Studies show that a person’s lifespan is influenced more happiness of your community, depend on it! by their ZIP code than their genetic code. This is linked to the impact of several factors, including: lack of access Tips to Activate Your Park: to healthcare, community violence, presence of toxins and • Organize a volunteer day. Volunteering keeps predatory businesses, and lack of educational and career the environment clean and helps neighbors form opportunities. Any of these determinants in isolation would relationships. If you’re pulling weeds, spreading mulch, be stressful, but the combined impact on the body has or picking up trash, you're getting a workout, too! been likened to a steady trickle of water hitting a sidewalk. A day’s worth of drops hardly hurts anything. A month’s • Walk with a doc. Get your steps in by walking worth of drops might discolor the concrete. But years of your park with a doctor. Forming a walking group drops erodes the pavement. In the body, the steady drip of strengthens the bonds between members and environmental blight at every turn can cause chronic illness, improves neighborhood safety with increased eyes mental health issues, and disease. on the park. You can also organize other community events that promote health, such as festivals, pick-up This information begs the question: when the streets are sports games, and more! lined with vacant houses, lots are overgrown by kudzu, trash is scattered everywhere, and the corner store is the only • Plant a garden. Community gardens provide place to buy groceries—do parks even make a difference? nutritious vegetables and fruits to communities (especially significant to those in food deserts). They They do. also connect neighbors over a shared interest and reduce social isolation. Parks can catalyze improvements in health and strengthen communities. When the Rev. James Orange Park received • Form a Friends of the Park group with Park Pride and Park Pride’s Legacy Grant in 2012, it spurred additional work towards installing park amenities through the city investment that resulted in a new pool, splash pad, and Grant Programs that encourage healthy behaviors, such playground. The residents coalesced around a shared vision as fitness stations, basketball courts, or a walking track. Interested in activating your park to improve individual and community health? Reach out to Kayla Altland, Friends of the Park Associate, to discuss ways to get started: [email protected].