In 2019, NeighborSpace acquired a half-acre parcel of land in the historic Dundalk neighborhood of Turner Station.
This parcel became the subject of the NeighborSpace 2020 Giving Tuesday campaign. Throughout that campaign, former NeighborSpace Executive Director Barbara Hopkins detailed in three articles (article #1, article #2, and article #3) the complex history of Turner Station and the importance of addressing neighborhood challenges and investing in neighborhood revitalization. The NeighborSpace Board and community responded and the campaign was a success, raising over $4,000 for the park design and initial plantings!
In 2021, with the help of community partners from the fantastic Turner Station Conservation Teams, NeighborSpace hired Morgan Landscape Architecture student Kimberly Young, who worked with the Turner Station community on the park design (shown above). With this design in hand, NeighborSpace applied for and won a $34,070 grant from Chesapeake Bay Trust to build the park in early 2022. Over the summer, construction began, and on the lovely autumnal evening of October 14th, Turner Station Conservation Teams and NeighborSpace hosted the official ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening celebration of Chestnut Park.
NeighborSpace was delighted by the level of community interest and engagement with the Chestnut Park opening. The event was enjoyed by local government members, Turner Station Conservation Teams members, and NeighborSpace Board and staff, but most of all by community members. Neighbors from the surrounding neighborhood, including several of the houses bordering the park, stopped by. Several were even on their way to other destinations, but still took a moment to explore their new neighborhood gathering space before heading along.
During the ceremony, three Green Jackets were awarded – to President of Turner Station Conservation Teams, Gloria Nelson, and to community members and leaders, Edie Brooks and Davied Alexander – for their dedication and efforts in Chestnut Park and in the Turner Station community. With the aid of a young Girl Scout volunteer, the ribbon was cut, the ceremony was completed, and Chestnut Park was officially opened and welcomed into its community. As the light diminished and sunset approached, community members and attendees could still be found walking the park, milling about the snack table, and conversing with one another late into the evening.
Community leader Edie Brooks, in her speech celebrating the partnerships and hard work that brought Chestnut Park into being, said it best: “We dedicate Chestnut Park to those who came before us. That old sycamore tree still stands tall as a witness to our forebears’ gatherings and celebrations, their work and play, the joy, peace and love, that happened here. This ribbon-cutting marks a new beginning for current and future residents and visitors to Turner Station – right here on the gateway of our community.”
NeighborSpace would like to thank everyone who had a part in the creation of this park. We would like to thank the members of the Maryland State government; the Baltimore County government, including County Executive John Olszewski and his team; and the Baltimore County Council. We would like to thank our partners and funders at Chesapeake Bay Trust, BGE, and Johns Hopkins Bayview. We would like to thank our community partners Turner Station Conservation Teams and Edie Brooks for their generous donations of time, effort, and funds. We would like to thank Kimberly Young, Jack Leonard, Live Green Landscape Associates, and all of the contractors and volunteers who worked to transform this patch of field into a beautiful community gathering space. And we would like to thank you, members and donors of NeighborSpace, for supporting us every step of the way. Thank you!