Basketball Court Dedicated At Gwynns Falls Park (MD)

Baltimore, MD, 8/19/2006: The Trust for Public Land (TPL) dedicated a new basketball court at Lower Gwynns Falls Park today in conjunction with the Academy of Success Unity in the Community cookout. The park is easily accessible from Frederick and Wilkens Avenues and is on the Gwynns Falls Trail, which runs through more than 30 neighborhoods in west Baltimore.

“We are pleased to be able to provide yet another amenity along the Gwynns Falls Trail,” said Denise Schlener, director of The Trust for Public Land Chesapeake and Central Appalachians Field Office. “The entire community can now benefit from the transformation of the old, dilapidated court to a new state-of-the art play space.”

At the park, TPL and the Academy of Success have conducted park clean-ups with over 60 volunteers who removed invasive plants and dilapidated and dangerous equipment, and built and planted a garden with the parks department. TPL also led a participatory design workshop with about 40 community members (adults and children) to develop a master plan for park improvements including re-located basketball courts to improve access and safety. TPL worked with the community and city officials and determined that a new basketball court would provide the largest benefit to the community’s children and families.

Approximately 40,000 individuals live within walking distance to the park-about one third of them children. The Academy of Success, which has a facility at the park, serves over 200 youth daily with after-school academic support and instruction on healthy lifestyle habits, including the benefits of exercise. The group and it’s constituents will be a heavy user of the new court.

“The basketball court has enhanced programming at the Academy of Success, the appearance of Lower Gwynns Falls Park and public safety,” said Benjamin Barnwell, Academy of Success president.

MetLife Foundation provided lead funding for the $75,000 project, with additional funding from Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods, The William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, and The Abell Foundation.

“Outdoor play spaces contribute to young people’s healthy development and the overall quality of community life,” Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “We are delighted to join TPL and the other funders in creating this new community resource for Baltimore youth and families.”

From 1995 to 2005, The Trust for Public Land worked with public and private partners to acquire land and build the 14-mile Gwynns Falls Trail. The trail follows the Gwynns Falls stream valley from Leakin Park near historic Franklintown, through 2,000 acres of parkland, more than 30 neighborhoods, and numerous historic and cultural sites before arriving at the Inner Harbor and the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River.

From 1995 to 2005, TPL worked with public and private partners to acquire land and build the 14-mile Gwynns Falls Trail. The trail follows the Gwynns Falls stream valley from Leakin Park near historic Franklintown, through 2,000 acres of parkland, more than 30 neighborhoods, and numerous historic and cultural sites before arriving at the Inner Harbor and the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The Trust for Public Land conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. For more information, visit www.tpl.org/Maryland.