A quiet walk in the park was not in the cards for Park Pride Program Manager, Kayla Altland, and her one- year old … nor was it meant to be! Approaching Freedom Barkway on a clear Saturday morning in May, Kayla’s son was delighted by the cacophony of howls, barks, and yips that surrounded him. Park users and their human friends were out in full force to cut the ribbon on recent improvements that had a transformative effect on this popular dog hangout.
Park Pride provided a $99,000 award from our Grantmaking Program–which was matched with funds from Atlanta Councilmember, Amir Farokhi–to support these improvements. Together, the dollars funded the building of retaining walls with large boulders for erosion control and the installation of a shade structure the both the small and large dog areas.
The park has already seen an increase in use so much that the Friends of Freedom Barkway has applied for a Small Change Grant to add trash cans and make it easier for park maintenance crews after a busy weekend.
The care and passion that the community puts into this small but mighty greenspace is heartwarming and gratifying, and Park Pride is proud of our role in this park’s success!