This year, NRPA teamed up with Great Rivers Greenway to create Trojan Park for the community of Wellston, Missouri. Wellston, home to slightly more than 2,000 Missourians, was once a vibrant manufacturing and shopping district. As the years passed, its economic vitality declined as businesses either moved out or closed their doors. Today, Wellston is one of the poorest cities in Missouri. Residents strive to keep the community together, but they face challenges that affect basic city services such as schools, police and maintenance. Before the creation of Trojan Park, the city lacked a place for children to play and a central area for community events. The creation of the park not only fills a void for this community that has seen its share of success and loss, but also provides much-needed recreation facilities along Missouri’s St. Vincent Greenway.
NRPA’s Parks Build Community initiative has been transforming communities, one park at a time, for the past seven years. In each of those years, NRPA worked with the local park and recreation agencies in the cities where its Annual Conference is held to identify and either revitalize an existing park, or create a new one for a community in need. NRPA then partners with industry and nonprofit organizations to provide the funding and materials necessary to complete the project.
Parks Build Community “allows us to demonstrate to the public, the power that we bring to communities through parks,” says NRPA President and CEO Barbara Tulipane. “Through the program, hard work and generous donors can create a long-lasting impact on those communities that could use a helping hand. Just a little over a month ago, Trojan Park opened to the community of Wellston providing a gathering spot and greater sense of place to a city that needs it.”
A Team Effort
Great Rivers Greenway, the partner agency on the Trojan Park project, has worked since 2000 to develop trails and greenways to connect parks and communities throughout the greater St. Louis area. One of Great Rivers Greenway’s core projects, the St. Vincent Greenway, was established to connect St. Vincent Park to the University of Missouri — St. Louis campus. This greenway provides conductivity to these two major sites and access to several MetroLink stations along the route.
“Trojan Park was one of the more complex projects we have ever done, but it was absolutely the most rewarding,” says Susan Trautman, executive director of Great Rivers Greenway. “The collaboration with the city of Wellston and all the amazing donors brought to life a dream come true for the children and families in this community. I have never witnessed so many people, so happy in one place at one time. It was a powerful experience and a tribute to how partnership can transform a community.”
To fully understand the needs of this community, Great Rivers Greenway teamed up with Beyond Housing, a community development charity, and Forum Studio, a full-service architecture practice, to conduct stakeholder meetings with Wellston’s Mayor, Nate Griffin, and community members to define their needs. “What we wanted to do is make the community the center of the project,” explains Neil Eisenberger, an associate principal and senior project manager at Forum Studio. This attention to detail helped create a park that is specific to the needs of this population, from the young children who wanted a place to play, to the adults who wanted a place for social interaction and community events.
Trojan Park was designed to integrate play equipment with benches and social areas in the immediate vicinity so caregivers could watch their children play while they socialized. The state-of-the-art playground, splash pad, picnic areas and shade structures provide for a variety of activities. ADA-accessible fitness equipment offers health opportunities for those with physical limitations, and music fills the air with outdoor musical instruments. The pavilion provides a place for family events and serves as a community gathering place. For Mayor Griffin, the park is about Wellston’s future. “We have so much pride, dedication and commitment to our community,” and this park “will change the culture of our city,” he says.
The full-court basketball court is a favorite among the Wellston residents who remember the record wins of the local high school’s basketball team. Although the school no longer exists, the park is named after the school’s mascot — the Trojan. Mayor Griffin recalls that the school “won three state titles, made seven state appearances, had more than 10 league titles and over 15 district championships.”
Valued at $2 million, Trojan Park would not have been possible without the generous contributions from project donors. They understand that their efforts result in much more than a physical structure. “NRPA’s Parks Build Community initiative doesn’t just build or renovate parks, it helps transform the communities around them,” says Jeff Rogers, vice president of Musco Lighting. “We’re proud to donate our industry-leading LED system and are excited to see the impact Trojan Park will have on the Wellston community.” Brian D. Johnson, vice president of marketing and product development, BCI Burke, adds: “Giving back and leaving a positive mark on all of the areas we visit through Parks Build Community is such an amazing concept and one we at Burke support entirely. It ties directly back to our mission to bring a higher level of play to all children, in all communities.”
“It is an honor and privilege to have been part of the project at Trojan Park, a truly national effort that brought to reality yet another Parks Build Community initiative by NRPA,” says Sam Mendelson, president and CEO of Greenfields Outdoor Fitness, Inc. “Through their persistent philanthropic efforts, NRPA recruited many manufacturers to participate in this effort to bring a tremendously important amenity to a community that really needed it. This is Greenfields’ fourth consecutive year, and we look forward to continuing this effort for many years to come.”
A Bright Beginning
As if on order, a crisp, sunny day marked Trojan Park’s opening celebration on Saturday, October 8, and the pride of the community was on full display. First on the scene was a roaming band of drummers, whose infectious rhythm was like a siren call, drawing young and old from the nearby neighborhood to the park. They were soon joined by hundreds of community members who either participated in or followed a parade that wound its way from the old school to the new park. Many in the crowd were decked in red and black, the community’s old high school colors and, as the dignitaries offered their remarks to the crowd of mainly adults, the children proceeded to enjoy every piece of the park’s new equipment. Soon, the smell of burgers and hot dogs on the grill wafted through the air, and this once-vacant lot, now home to a beautiful park, was overflowing with activity. From the laughter, smiles and animated conversations, it was evident that Trojan Park has already begun to transform this resilient community.
The Next Community Transformation
“We invite you to join us next year in New Orleans, Louisiana, as Parks Build Community once again creates change for a community,” says Tulipane. “Over the next several months, we will work closely with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and generous donors to bring this project to life.”
The New Orleans project will feature another lot-to-park transformation by reimagining a portion of the Lafitte Greenway, a designated parkway in the Crescent City that will connect underserved communities to sports fields, playgrounds, water features and numerous family gathering spots. Learn more information about Parks Build Community projects, or contact Gina Mullins-Cohen by calling 703.858.2184.
Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a Freelance Writer located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
