Parks across Atlanta are destined for some sweet upgrades in 2018

Good news for ITP green space enthusiasts.

More than a dozen parks across Atlanta and DeKalb County are slated for upgrades and capital improvements thanks to more than $1 million in grants from Park Pride.

The organization, which supports the creation and improvement of green spaces throughout the metro, helps more than 100 community groups through various programs.

According to a press release by the organization, this year’s grants constitute the largest contribution Park Pride has been able to make in a single year.

Parks in the City of Atlanta slated for improvements thanks the grants include:

• The first phase of Armand Park, destined for the neighborhood just south of Lindbergh, will be constructed. The park will serve as a much-needed community gathering space and as the trailhead to the South Fork Trail. When completed by the Friends of Armand Park, the greenspace will include a playground, pathways, and landscape improvements.
• Development of the new Atlanta Memorial Park nature trail, including footbridges and a boardwalk, will be undertaken by the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy. The project also includes rain gardens, landscaping, and drainage improvements, as well as the transformation of a gravel area into an open lawn.

Curbed Atlanta

• Sara Gonzales Park in northwest Atlanta will undergo a comprehensive redesign to optimize usage of the park. Improvements include an expanded playground, a playing field, and connectivity to the surrounding community, which officials say is a priority for the Friends of Sara Gonzales Park.
• The Friends of Channing Valley Park will replace aging play equipment and add seating to create a safe and engaging play space for the neighborhood in Buckhead, along Northside Drive, per Park Pride.
• Phoenix II Park in Summerhill, between GSU Stadium and Grant Park, will be “cleaned and refreshed” by The Friends of Phoenix II Park group, per officials. An existing playground will be spruced up to engage more neighborhood children with the addition of toddler equipment.
• Findley Plaza in Little Five Points will be transformed into a vibrant, welcoming community space by Little 5 Alive. (Exactly what that entails wasn’t specified).
• Knight Park in Historic Howell Station will get a new walled garden from the ruins of an old brick building, creating a gathering space for this active community, thanks to The Friends of Knight Park.
• Rosa Burney Park in Mechanicsville will receive new, raised garden beds and a solar-powered irrigation system connecting to an existing 3,000-gallon cistern, thanks to the efforts of Habesha.
• South Atlanta Park will get new benches to provide seating at a newly installed playground, installed by The Friends of South Atlanta Park.
• The Friends of Noble Park will enhance the small triangular Morningside park with landscape and hardscape improvements and a new playground.

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Meanwhile, in unincorporated DeKalb County, park improvements include:

• The Friends of Briarlake Forest Park will implement Phase I of their master plan that includes a circulation trail and park amenities.
• The Friends of Frazier-Rowe Park will build a pavilion with an accessible trail that connects to other areas of the park.
• The Friends of Hairston Park will add three fitness stations and a nature trail to provide activities for a broad range of users.
• Last but not least, the Friends of N.H. Scott Park will implement Phase I of park improvements, which includes wayfinding signage and a community garden.
• Park Improvements Coming to Greenspace Across the City [Park Pride]