The Trust For Public Land has received a major boost in its work to transform local elementary school campuses into a vibrant and accessible community schoolyard: $250,000 of bond funds from Hamilton County Government to fund play and recreation improvements at the site.
TPL’s community schoolyards program reimagines school playgrounds into vibrant public parks that are accessible to the entire community outside of school hours.
The program is another facet of TPL’s mission to ensure that everyone in America lives within a 10-minute walk of a park. With 90,000 public schoolyards spanning 2 million acres across the U.S., TPL is working to scale this model nationwide, bringing safe, accessible parks within a 10-minute walk of home for millions of Americans.
Ground broke on the community schoolyard transformation of East Side Elementary, the program’s first local site, in August 2024. Upon its completion later this year, the East Side Community Schoolyard will provide new opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and connection for its students and nearby families.
TPL has now selected the site of their next community schoolyards initiative: Hardy Elementary School in the Glass Farms neighborhood of East Chattanooga. The $250,000 investment from Hamilton County Government will be supplemented by a $50,000 grant from the USDA Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) program.
This grant will be used to fund tree planting, in partnership with green|spaces through its Understory program, log seating, and an outdoor classroom made of repurposed wood.
“The most rewarding aspect of TPL’s community schoolyard projects is the direct and meaningful input we receive from students and neighbors about their vision for these new spaces – they belong to the communities and we appreciate every bit of feedback we receive through this process,” said Noel Durant, Tennessee State Director for TPL. “We are excited to keep working with Principal Caldwell and Hardy’s students, teachers, and families to bring the outstanding health and social benefits of a great new neighborhood park to East Chattanooga.”
“Hardy Elementary’s campus is ideally positioned to serve the surrounding community 365 days a year, and I’m excited to see the school become a year-round community hub with this investment,” said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. “We’re grateful for the Trust for Public Land’s vision to transform underutilized school property into fun spaces that serve neighborhoods and children.”Hamilton County Schools also recently named TPL as its Future Ready Partner for the organization’s work on its local community schoolyard projects.
To learn more about the Trust For Public Land, visit tpl.org.