Community Cleanup - April 29, 2017 from 9-11 AM

Come join us for as long as you can to work on cleaning up 

The Wagner Greenspace!

What to bring:

• Work Gloves (to protect your hands from sharp objects)
• Shovels, rake or hoes (or all of them if you have them)
• We could also use 1-2 wheelbarrows, if anyone is able to lend them for the day.
• We will be providing some type of snack and water! We will also have heavy duty trash bags.

Other information:

• Major work already done: One of our neighbor has already done a ton of work clearing vines and major debris (Thanks Grant!), but there are a bunch of little things where if we can have even 10 of us out there we could make a real difference picking them up. 
• Increase safety of using the Greenspace As-Is: If you have walked on the property you may have noticed there is debris left over from demos, including broken glass and sharp metals. This is posing a safety issue for pets and kids. I know some dog feet have been bothered by the glass/metal.
• Necessary pre-req to regrading the land: Additionally, we recently had a landscape architect (who also designed Emancipation Park) come out to look at the property to create a design. Out of that meeting we learned one of the fundamental things that needs to happen is the land needs to be regraded where there are ruts and holes. He said before re-grading the land the debris will have to be picked up. So we can get a jump start on that!

Go on. Get out there!

Well folks, we have a park. It may be a "baby" park, still a blank canvas, but it also is YOUR neighborhood park. It's in the impressionable stage of it's development and how it grows up will be determined by what the community chooses to do with it.

We also seem to hosting California weather in Texas at the moment, and you know this brief window before the summer unleashes itself on us is precious. In the words of your mom: GO OUTSIDE.

The obvious play is to make your dog happy and go for a walk to the park. But, my friends and neighbors, I am encouraging you to think bigger than that. Be creative. To that end, here are some ideas to get you out to the park.

Beginner ideas-

GAMES- One of our cool neighbors rolled up to Neighbor's Night Out with a wagon carrying a badminton set up. It was inclusive and fun. Frisbees are easy, so are soccer balls. You can get kids giggling with simple races, and the egg spoon run is always fun. If you wanna go for broke, show up with water balloons or confetti eggs and silly string.

PICNIC- It is a scientifically proven fact that food tastes better and moods improve when you eat food outside. Ok, ok, OK! I made that up. You should not trust me as source for science. But I know what I like, and what works at my house. Sure a leisurely week-end picnic is optimal, but honestly? You will be a rock star if you surprise your family on a Tuesday by saying hey, we're picking up tacos and eating at the park. You are safe trusting me on this one.

Intermediate ideas-

PARTY- I recently threw an old fashioned birthday party at the park. Cake, balloons, simple games. It was a blast. The backyard birthday party needs to be brought back into vogue, in my opinion. The money you don't spend on a venue (because NO ONE wants to go to Chuckie Cheese) can be spent on nicer food and cake. My party was for a 12 year old, but expect to see me and my friends out there in May for my birthday.

MEET UP/ TRAIL WALK- Make the park a meeting place for friends/ neighbors and start your evening/ outing there. You can serve cocktails, which of COURSE will be non-alcoholic, and then walk the awesome new trails over to the restaurants in the Heights or over on Heights Blvd.

And... an Advanced idea. Which you totally SHOULD do and invite me to.

MOVIES- So, umm... how hard would it be to rig up a sheet and projector and get a classic/family movie going in the park one evening? I'm picturing BYOB- bring your own blanket, folding chairs and a potluck style dessert table.

So, what do you think? Do you have any ideas for other ways to enjoy Wagner Greenspace? Please comment and share!

THANK YOU for a great Neighbors Night Out

Neighbors Night Out Recap

THANK YOU for making Neighbors Night Out on March 30th a fun event. We were very excited to meet everyone, eat delicious desserts and share information about the future park!

By our count we had 51 people attend (including kids).That is an amazing turnout!

If you missed it at the party, we have a survey we would love for you to fill out. It is asking basic information about what you would want in a park and how you want to get involved. Find survey at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DB76GBZ

If you missed the party but want to stay updated...

1. Follow us on Instagram
2. Like our page on Facebook
3. Let us know you want to get our newsletter by sending an email to friendsofwagnergreenspace@gmail.com and make the subject "Subscribe"
4. Keep an eye out for volunteer and fundraising opportunities here on the blog and in our newsletter

Next Steps

The next steps we are looking at to keep improving the greenspace are:

• Planning another neighborhood event (suggestions welcome)
• Setting up volunteer opportunities
• Getting "Friends of Wagner Greenspace" ready for fundraising activity
• Continuing to tidy up the greenspace