A Celebration at Waterworks Park

On May 14, the Friends of Waterworks Park and the Upper Westside CID hosted a community gathering—complete with live music, free Greek food, and the best pistachio ice cream ever!—to celebrate the opening of new unique playscape.  

Meant to represent the water treatment cycle as it goes from the Chattahoochee River to your faucet, this playscape invites children of all ages to pretend they’re a water molecule as they climb, crouch, and run. Its custom design uses repurposed pieces from an old water treatment building, made colorful by the work of a mural artist.  

This new amenity is not called a “playground” as it is meant to be a multi-general space intended for more than just play, but for exercise, fitness and whatever other uses park visitors can come up with (as illustrated by the group using the storm drain columns as seating).  

This playscape was completed with support from a $105,000 award through Park Pride’s Grantmaking Program, the first major award from Park Pride to support a greenspace managed by the Department of Watershed Management. What’s more, we were able to attract and secure an additional $8,000 grant from the Henry Len Defoor Charitable Trust to support this project. 

Park Pride is proud of the role we played in this project to expand access to recreation and play for people of all ages and abilities in a neighborhood with limited greenspace. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Department of Watershed Management to explore more such opportunities in the future in neighborhoods across the city! 

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