Landscape Architect Articles

Renovations of Recreation and Athletic Spaces In North Carolina06-10-16 | Department

Renovations of Recreation and Athletic Spaces In North Carolina

By Jeff Fenner, B Communications

Project EverGreen volunteers lent their time and talents to help restore and revitalize athletic fields at Red Maple Park in Durham, N.C. The project scope included installation of new plant material and trees; infield excavating, grading; and replacing infield surfaces with a new clay mixture.

At Penn-Wright Stadium in Greensboro, N.C., volunteers helped by contributing weed control, fertilization, reseeding, application of soil top dressing, and sod installation.

Project EverGreen, a national non-profit promoting the value of preserving and revitalizing managed green spaces, brought its "Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids."™ initiative to parks in Greensboro and Durham, N.C.

Working in partnership with the cities of Durham and Greensboro Parks and Recreation Departments, Project EverGreen and industry volunteers provided materials and labor – valued at more than $21,000 - to restore 135,000 sq. ft. of playing surfaces at Greensboro's Penn-Wright and Levette baseball fields and Durham's Red Maple Park.

The parks' playing surfaces were given a needed facelift to provide the thousands of aspiring local athletes who use the fields for recreational league and tournament play with a safe place to play games and practice. The initiative also contributed to the positive economic impact each park offers to their community, and continues to foster a sense of community in each city.

The work included weed control and fertilization; reseeding and application of soil top dressing; installing infield arc and outfield edge sod; and excavating, grading and replacing the infield surfaces with a new clay mixture. Volunteers installed new plant material and trees, removed brush, trimmed trees and cleaned-up green spaces.

North Carolina green industry volunteers that supported the Durham Red Maple Park project included Albaugh, LLC; Brickman Group, Cardinal, Nufarm and SipcamAdvan. Joining the efforts were several Durham community volunteers including Patricia Nobles James, a Red Maple Park community resident and founder of the Durham Long Ball Project benefitting inner-city youth baseball players.

Greensboro project contributors included Nature's Select Premium Turf Services and partner company, New Garden Select, Site One Landscape Supply and Syngenta Lawn & Garden employee volunteers.

"Our mission is to preserve and enhance green spaces where we live, work and play," said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. "Parks, sports fields and recreational play areas are vital to healthy, thriving communities. One of the ways we demonstrate our commitment is by mobilizing generous local green industry contractor volunteers.

As seen in LC/DBM magazine, June 2016.