“Camp kids want to be outside, they want to be active and are happier when they are,” says Lacy, who enters her eighth year at the park and whose kids participate in the center’s programs. “We have organized activities but many times they will make up games on their own and the green spaces allow them to do that.”

Lacy says the athletic and recreational green space at Southwest Community Center is often the only green space some of the children have access to and that is why it is so important to have safe, playable surfaces.

The center’s ball diamond, which serves as home to more than 25 boys’ baseball and girls’ softball leagues plus local adult teams and surrounding green spaces where kids can play and adults relax, is an important part of the community.

Following the Project EverGreen GreenCare for Communities renovation project in the fall of 2015, Lacy and the center not only enjoyed the benefit of safer, more durable and easier to maintain playing and recreational surfaces but earned an additional benefit of a “come together” green space for parents and visitors.

“The renovated green spaces behind the ball diamond became a place where parents would set their chairs and let siblings play while they watch practices and games,” says Lacy. “The green space became a gathering spot and built a spirit of togetherness we didn’t have before. All of this has made the center more attractive and valuable to the community.”

Project Scope:
10,000 sq. ft of turf and playing surfaces renovated
Soil aeration
Fertilizer application
Soil topdressing
Excavating and grading of baseball infields
Repair and installation of new irrigation systems
Water conservation techniques