ATLANTA—Today Mayor Kasim Reed joined residents, partners, foundations and businesses to celebrate the opening of the first park in Atlanta’s English Avenue neighborhood. Inspired, driven and built by community members wanting to improve their environment, local economy and quality of life, Lindsay Street Park is now a place of pride that provides cleaner water and a safer, more welcoming place for kids to play and neighbors to gather.  

“My administration is committed to enhancing quality of life by creating and expanding greenspace which will allow all City of Atlanta residents to be in walking distance of a park. We commend The Conservation Fund, Park Pride and all other partners for aiding us in our mission with the establishment of Lindsay Street Park,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “I’m certain that this new addition to the English Avenue community will be treasured and enjoyed for years to come.”

The creation of Lindsay Street Park—led by The Conservation Fund’s Parks With Purpose program in partnership with Park Pride—offers multiple educational, natural and community benefits throughout its construction and ongoing management. Four residents received workforce training from the Greening Youth Foundation’s Atlanta Youth Corps and were hired to help construct the park, which includes a playground and green infrastructure that will help absorb stormwater, decreasing flooding for nearby homes and improving water quality in the headwaters of Proctor Creek.

“This park matters because it changes the way you feel about the community,” said Mackenzie Bass, Greening Youth Foundation participant & neighborhood resident. “When you come out of the house, you are affected by what is around you. If you are always seeing drug addicts, abandoned houses and trash on the ground, you are going to feel like, ‘I live in an area that is not being cared for and is not worth anything.’ But by putting a park here, you build the self esteem of the community.”

“Lindsay Street Park is truly a Park With Purpose. Not only has it brought neighbors, city leaders, businesses, foundations and others together around a shared vision of hope, it will also improve the health of the community and quality of life for residents by providing much needed greenspace in a highly urbanized neighborhood,” said The Conservation Fund’s Georgia State Director Andrew Schock. “We believe that revitalizing a community starts by working together to build parks and to reimagine neighborhoods, block by block. We are honored and grateful to work hand in hand with all of our partners to create this very special park.”

The unique collaborative nature of the Lindsay Street Park attracted funding and support from a variety of organizations and groups, including The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Invest Atlanta, U-Haul and Waterfall Foundation. Additional support was provided by Boise Paper, City of Atlanta Parks & Recreation, Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, Defoors Trust, Georgia Power and Park Pride.  

“The creation of Lindsay Street Park is a perfect expression of transformative collaboration,” stated Penelope McPhee, President, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “This park stands for more than just building a much needed quality public space; it stands for a sense of renewal on Atlanta’s Westside.”

“U-Haul is proud of its partnership with The Conservation Fund and involvement with the Lindsay Street Park project,” said John Hairston, President of U-Haul Atlanta West. “Just as people need mobility, greenspace should also be accessible to everyone, regardless of economic or social standing. U-Haul customers come from all walks of life. It remains our goal to provide our customers with exceptional products and services and to connect to and give back to the communities where we live, work and play. The creation of Lindsay Street Park is aligned with those goals.”

Since 2003, The Conservation Fund has acquired and protected more than 200 acres of green space for 22 parks across the City Atlanta. Thanks to a $375,000 commitment by U-Haul, the Fund and our partners will continue to engage residents in workforce training, construction efforts and expansion activities at three more Parks With Purpose in Atlanta including the nearby Vine City Park.

Lindsay Street Park Community Partners
Alliance for Community Trees
Arbor Day Foundation
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
Community Improvement Association
Eco-Action
Ed Castro Landscaping
English Avenue Neighborhood Association
Families First
Georgia Build-Up
Greater Vine City Opportunities Program
Greening Youth Foundation
Historic Westside Gardens
Lifecycle Building Center
Proctor Creek Stewardship Council
Southern Environmental & Demolition
Trees Atlanta
West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
Westside Atlanta Land Trust

About The Conservation Fund
At The Conservation Fund, we make conservation work for America. By creating solutions that make environmental and economic sense, we are re-defining conservation to demonstrate its essential role in our future prosperity. Top-ranked for efficiency and effectiveness, we have worked in all 50 states since 1985 to protect more than 7.5 million acres of land, including more than 94,000 acres in Georgia.

About Park Pride
Founded in 1989, Park Pride is the only organization that works with communities all over Atlanta and DeKalb to improve their parks. The nonprofit engages communities through volunteer projects, community gardens, community-led park redesigns and by receiving grants for their parks. Park Pride is active in greenspace advocacy and educating both civic leaders and the general public about the benefits of parks, and annually hosts the Parks and Greenspace Conference. www.parkpride.org

Release Contact:
Ann Simonelli | The Conservation Fund | 703-908-5809 | asimonelli@conservationfund.org