Time goes by way too fast, doesn’t it? Yesterday’s snow sure was a signal that it’s just about the end of the 2019 KGCB season, so I thought I’d take a moment to send you an update so you can see what we’ve been up to. Just so you know, this doesn’t include all of the wonderful things you’ve done this year!
Cultivating Our Community Update:
- We’ve taken on the project of updating and replanting the gardens at the Flint Farmers Market
- More than 1000 plants were planted in gateway gardens this season
- Planted a new Butterfly garden at MLK and Williams
- Planted flowers around the Flint DDA building and in the planters on Kearsley St.
- Worked with some new sites and welcomed some new garden Adopters
Adopt a Park Update:
- Installed a playground at Bundy Park
- Installed playgrounds at Bassett Park and Windiate Park through our partnership with the Make An Impact Foundation, the United Way, the Community Foundation, and the City of Flint
- Windiate Park’s basketball court was resurfaced, new backboards, rims and bleachers were installed, and working with the Flint Public Art Project, a mural was painted on a building next to the park
- Dougherty Park was cleared opening up the sight lines making it less likely to be used for dumping
- The hillside at Mott Park was cleared of underbrush and downed trees
- Martin Park and McCallum Park’s basketball courts were resurfaced and new backboards and rims were installed
- Iroquois Park is getting a new playground
- Old hazardous playground equipment is being removed at Rollingwood Park and some new equipment is being added
- New picnic tables were put at Windiate, Iroquois, Martin, Oak, Dougherty, McClellan, Delaware, and McCallum
- Cook Park is getting a gate at the end of the parking lot, Dewey Park’s ballfield is getting a facelift, and picnic tables are coming to Clara Hilborn, Cook, and Eldorado Vista using some funding provided to us by the United Way and the Bruno Mars Foundation
- Installed a net barrier between the ballfield and the playground at Berston
- Repaired playground equipment at Berston and topped off the safety surfacing
- New basketball backboards and rims were installed at Hasselbring
- Dumpsters finally made it into the parks
- 16 Park Adopters requested funding for programming in their parks from our Community Foundation programming grant
Everyone:
If you’ve already turned in your final report, thank you! If you haven’t, please get those to us. Our Ruth Mott Foundation proposal is due on November 22 and I’m using the data to help frame our request.
I’ve attached a flyer about some free training that you can participate in to become a Certified Walk with Ease Leader.
Staffing Update:
Please help us welcome our newest staff members, Samantha Cardenas and Roxanne Adair! Samantha has joined Diana Johnson as a Program Coordinator for the Cultivating Our Community Program. Roxanne, along with Shareka Howard, are the Program Coordinators for the Adopt a Park Program. Here’s everyone’s contact info!
Diana Johnson: djohnson@gcparks.org, 810-209-6014
Samantha Cardenas: scardenas@gcparks.org, 810-209-6014
Shareka Howard: showard@gcparks.org, 810-209-6012
Roxanne Adair: radair@gcparks.org, 810-209-6013
Please do stop by the office if you have a chance, we’d love to see you. You’ll walk away with our THANKS and a little token of our appreciation for having shared your time, talents, and huge hearts with the community and with us! As always, please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback.
Thanks,
Nancy A. Edwards, MA, LPC, CTA, CPSI
Recreation Programs and Grants Officer
Keep Genesee County Beautiful
Genesee County Parks & Recreation Commission
502 Church Street
Flint, MI 48502
Phone: 810-209-6011
Fax: 810-820-8462
nedwards@gcparks.org
geneseecountyparks.org
