We’re excited to share the details of several grants we’ve recently been awarded and the Upper Westside projects they’ll be funding! First is a Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) Grant that was awarded to NPU-D to create Blandtown’s first pocket park. The $6,000 grant will fund the creation of a custom bench and art for “Huff Hill” Pocket Park at the south-east corner of the Huff Rd and Ellsworth Industrial Blvd intersection. The bench will be built adjacent to the existing MARTA bus stop. A huge shout out to the Blandtown resident who identified the pocket park location and to Selig Enterprises for graciously allowing our CID to open their land to the public. We are currently entering the design phase, so expect more details in the coming months.
We also received a $64,000 grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Livable Centers Initiative (LCI). This grant will allow Upper Westside CID to examine pedestrian safety and incorporate creative placemaking at existing transit stops along Huff Road and Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard. A request for proposals (RFP) for this grant should be launched in July, and the study will be completed in 2022.
Finally (drum roll please), the Waterworks Greenspacewas awarded a $100,000 Park Pride Legacy Grant for construction of the first phase of the Waterworks Playscape at 17th St and Northside Drive! This grant is the result of a longtime collaboration between Park Pride and Friends of Waterworks Greenspace and would not have been possible without the assistance of Councilmembers Dustin Hillis and J.P. Matzigkeit. The first phase will include an amphitheatre, playmounds, stairs to the skyline overlook, and other interpretive play elements. Construction will start this summer and should take about two months to complete.
