November 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 31

The green stormwater infrastructure components at this revitalized park capture
and filter pollutants from approximately
230,000 gallons of water each year.

including Rebuild Johnston Square
Association, to re-envision the park.
" Great things are happening, and
the possibilities are just endless here, "
Hammond says. With the NRPA
Great Urban Parks grant, Parks &
People led the park revitalization effort
with green stormwater infrastructure
components integrated throughout the
design. Strategically engineered landscaping planted with native grasses
and hundreds of other plants and trees
replaced the broken asphalt. Gentle
slopes guide stormwater to a large bioretention area designed to slow stormwater and capture runoff before it can
transport pollutants to the Chesapeake
Bay. In total, the park captures about
230,000 gallons of stormwater a year
and helps prevent nuisance flooding in
the surrounding neighborhood. It also
includes a splash pad, walking paths,
automated lighting features, resurfaced
basketball courts, bathrooms and an
updated swimming pool.

Ripple Effect of
Improvements
The NRPA grant started a ripple effect in the park that has spread into
the surrounding community. " We
activated the community, " says Terrell Williams, IAF/BUILD organizer. " It has been quite a wonderful, incredible, complex journey. "
That activation has unleashed
support through other funding, new
volunteers and new policies, and
has inspired nearly $100 million in
renovation investments in the surrounding neighborhood through rebuilding homes and creating business
areas, Williams adds. Civic groups
and neighborhood associations, like
Rebuild Johnston Square Association,
are overseeing this economic stimulus
to avoid displacement of current residents and encourage home ownership.

Generating Community
Interest and Support
According to Steve Preston, park
construction and design manager for
Parks & People, the mixture of funding and support provided the creative
solution this area needed. The neighborhood previously had been categorized as not worth the financial risk of
investment. Once NRPA showed up,
however, other funds and supporters
followed, Preston notes. And, after
completing revitalization of the park,
the community organizers finally had
the pressure and partnerships in place
to activate the government to demolish nearby abandoned housing to expand the park.
Throughout the entire project, Parks
& People involved the surrounding
community. Preston brought design
ideas to neighborhood meetings, and
residents identified which features
they liked, as well as other components they wanted the park to include.
Now that it is complete, community
members and steady volunteers from
The 6th Branch, a military veterans
organization that transforms vacant
lots throughout Baltimore, maintain
the space and the green stormwater
infrastructure facilities. Approximately 30,000 hours by more than 700
volunteers have contributed to the
park's development and upkeep. A
grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust
also supports ongoing maintenance
through a training program for community volunteers led by Blue Water
Baltimore.

Park Ownership and Pride
Partners initially were concerned
about vandalism, but, after being
open for more than a year, nothing
has been destroyed or damaged. " The
neighborhood respects it. People
waited their whole lives, decades, for
a space like this, and now that they
have it, they treasure it, " Preston says.
" This is now a world-class park, "
Preston affirms. It helps connect people to water by teaching them about
stormwater and the importance of
water resources. The volunteers who
maintain the park are also trained
to recognize what native plants are,
which help to capture stormwater.
" [It] has really been a great connector to the environment for people
otherwise isolated from the water
downtown, " he adds.
These neighbors and families rely
on Henrietta Lacks Park for a safe
play space among trees and nature, a
gathering place for social celebrations,
an inclusive outdoor recreation zone
to stay active and a nature-based solution to localized flooding and pollution. That's why in Johnston Square
neighborhood and other historically
neglected communities across the
country, parks matter.
Check out this Parks & People
Foundation video of the Ambrose
Kennedy/Henrietta Lacks Education Park transformation: https://
youtu.be/5oef1K_7HZg.
Jennifer Fulcher is NRPA's Communication Manager
(jnguyen@nrpa.org). Wende David is NRPA's Senior
Conservation Program Manager (wdavid@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

November 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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