Pollinator Garden Grant Awarded as Community Calls for Greater Transparency

Over the past several months, many Grant Street neighbors have taken time to imagine what the future of Grant Street North Park could become. Through neighborhood listening sessions, surveys, and community conversations, residents shared ideas for making the park a safer, more welcoming gathering space for children, families, and neighbors.

We wanted to provide an update on what we've learned over the past few weeks and outline where we go from here.

A Pollinator Garden Has Been Funded

The biggest piece of news is that the Durham Parks Foundation has been awarded funding through the Burt's Bees Foundation for a pollinator garden and gathering space at Grant Street Park North. According to Durham Parks & Recreation (DPR), the Foundation will now work with the community to determine what that project will look like.

We are genuinely excited about this investment. Any new resources coming into Grant Street North Park are worth celebrating, and we look forward to helping ensure the project reflects the vision residents have already shared.

We also want to express our appreciation to Councilmember Matt Kopac, who took the time to investigate our questions and personally connected the Grant Street Community with the Burt's Bees Foundation. That introduction will allow neighborhood leaders to learn directly about the grant, better understand what is being funded, and begin building a relationship with the Foundation as future opportunities arise.

Why We Still Have Concerns

While we're thankful to see new investment coming into the park, we also want to be transparent about a concern many neighbors have raised.

Earlier this year, nearly 20 neighbors participated in a community listening session about Grant Street North Park. Additional residents completed a survey so their voices could also be included. We compiled that feedback and shared it directly with Durham Parks & Recreation, where it was later discussed during a follow-up meeting.

What surprised us was that, after all of the work neighbors put into the listening session and after being told during that meeting that funding was allocated for our park, but unsure about how much, we were later told that there were no funds available for improvements to our park. Around that same time, we learned that approximately $100,000 had been allocated for improvements to Grant Street Park South, specifically for a new trail. This understandably created confusion among residents, as we were receiving mixed information from Emilie McIntosh with DPR about what funding existed and how decisions were being made.

Because of that confusion, we reached out to Councilmember Matt Kopac to help us better understand how funding was being allocated and how grant opportunities for the parks were being pursued.

What surprised us even more was learning that a grant application had already been submitted for Grant Street North Park based on ideas shared during our community meetings, yet the Grant Street Community was never informed that an application was being prepared or notified after it had been submitted. We only discovered the existence of the grant application months later after asking additional questions through Councilmember Kopac.

For us, it's about communication, transparency, and resident leadership. When neighborhood ideas are used to pursue funding, the people who live here deserve to know an application is being submitted, have opportunities to shape it, and receive updates throughout the process. Community engagement should not end after a listening session.

We appreciate Councilmember Kopac acknowledging that better communication throughout the process would have strengthened the partnership between DPR and the neighborhood.

What's Next for Grant Street North Park?

While we've learned a great deal over the past few weeks, we've also identified several important next steps that will allow the neighborhood to become more formally involved in caring for and improving Grant Street North Park.

1. Grant Street Community Will Apply to Adopt the Park

One thing we recently discovered is that the Grant Street Community needs to complete Durham Parks & Recreation's Adopt-a-Park application.

Doing so will officially recognize what many residents are already doing. By adopting the park, we'll formally commit to organizing at least six park cleanups each year while strengthening our partnership with Durham Parks & Recreation.

2. We'll Walk the Park with DPR

Before we can begin planning additional improvements, we first need to understand what is actually possible within the park.

Karl Galloway with Durham Parks & Recreation is working to schedule an on-site visit with Denise, Robert, and neighborhood representatives. Together, we'll walk the park to identify its boundaries and better understand what improvements are feasible, particularly in light of the creek, floodplain, and environmental protections that run through Grant Street North Park.

This conversation will give us the information we need to responsibly plan future improvements that respect both the land and applicable regulations.

3. We'll Continue Building Resident-Led Partnerships

Once we have a clearer understanding of the park's opportunities and limitations, we'll be able to move forward with greater confidence.

We're grateful that a local property owner and developer who has invested in our neighborhood has already expressed interest in partnering with residents to help improve Grant Street North Park. Rather than proposing projects before we understand the site's constraints, we want to complete the planning process with DPR first so we can clearly communicate what residents want—and what can realistically be built.

Our goal has always been resident-led development. The people who live closest to Grant Street North Park should have the strongest voice in shaping its future, and we're committed to building partnerships that honor that principle.

Looking Ahead

This update reminds us that meaningful community development requires more than funding—it requires trust, communication, and partnership.

We are grateful for the Burt's Bees Foundation's investment, thankful for Councilmember Matt Kopac's advocacy and willingness to connect our neighborhood directly with the Foundation, and appreciative of everyone who has taken the time to listen to residents throughout this process.

As we move into the next phase, we'll continue keeping neighbors informed every step of the way. We look forward to working alongside Durham Parks & Recreation, the Burt's Bees Foundation, and community partners to ensure that Grant Street North Park becomes a space that truly reflects the hopes, dreams, and stewardship of the people who call Grant Street home.