Residents of Greenbelt Station can now make use of and enjoy Central Park without travelling all the way to New York City; they have a Central Park of their own right in the middle of their neighborhood. On Saturday, June 1, as part of the Greenbelt Day Weekend festivities, residents of Greenbelt Station gathered at the new, large green space to officially dedicate the park for use by the community. The event was celebrated with a ribbon cutting by councilmembers, the unveiling of a plaque marking the day, and a few remarks given by Mayor Emmett Jordan.
In his remarks, Jordan said that of all the events of Greenbelt Day Weekend 2019, this park dedication is the most important. He said that creating and maintaining green spaces as well as open spaces is a priority for Greenbelt. He added that the city is committed to continuing its support for activities in the park. Jordan also acknowledged and thanked the many people and groups involved in making Greenbelt Station Central Park a reality. He also thanked the community members in attendance and said, “It takes people like you to make it a vibrant community.”
Kristin Weaver, chair of the Greenbelt Station Recreation Committee, commented that she wasn’t sure people knew that the park was now available to be used and she hoped that this event would help get the word out. Weaver listed several ideas for activities in the park such as showing movies in the amphitheater at the western end of the space, hosting community parties such as the Greenbelt Station homeowners association summer party scheduled for mid-June, and a myriad of daily informal uses from playing sports to having picnics, to simply sitting and sunning on the green. Other ideas were suggested throughout the course of the dedication such as staging concerts and plays and organizing festivals. Councilmember Judith Davis suggested to Weaver that the community put up a holiday tree and schedule a lighting that could be included as a part of Greenbelt’s Festival of Lights event in December. Weaver said she was “excited to have this space and is looking forward to working with the city” on planning and support of events.
For more of this story, see the June 6 News Review.