Green spaces like Raleigh’s Sanderford Road Park are critical in offsetting the ‘heat island’ effect and providing the surrounding area with cooler, cleaner air. They also offer a multifaceted array of benefits that make neighborhoods more livable, healthier and enjoyable for residents.

Delivering those ‘green’ benefits was the goal of the national nonprofit Project EverGreen and its partners with the renovation of Sanderford Road Park. The renovation took place March 18-20, with more than 40 volunteers working to update and improve the park’s green spaces.

Joining Project EverGreen in the effort were the city of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, Ruppert Landscape, Professional Grounds Management Society, students from North Carolina State and local corporate and community volunteers.

“A single group or individual cannot make these park transformations a reality. Project EverGreen builds coalitions of businesses and individuals to bring needed change to public green spaces,” said Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen. “Cities with healthy and well-maintained play areas and recreation spaces improves the social fabric of a community by connecting people to green spaces that are beneficial to the environment and physical and mental well-being.”

The Sanderford Road Park project included:

• Prepping landscape beds and digging new beds, adding top dressing of 50/50 compost-top soil mix in front of the community center and in island located on the entry pathway to the park.
• Excavating soil for new landscape beds around the baseball field.
• Installing new native meadows for perennial and annual plantings to attract pollinators.
• Plant more than 1,000 perennial and annual flowers, ferns and grasses in key areas of the park.
• Limb up low hanging tree branches for safety and improved sightlines.

Stephen Bentley, director, city of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, said the city was eager to partner on the project.

“Raleigh Parks was excited to partner with Project EverGreen on the landscape improvements at Sanderford Road Park,” said Bentley. “Improvements like this make the park more welcoming, pollinator friendly and continue to show that our green spaces are essential to the environmental and the physical and mental health of our community. We are thankful for all our volunteers this week and the leadership and generosity of the Project EverGreen team.”