An evening with Urban Resources Initiative

Meet the staff, board members, and volunteer leaders of URI over wine and cheese in one of New Haven’s newest parks.  Find out how we plant New Haven’s trees, create local green jobs, and support grassroots groups to improve our neighborhoods. Learn what’s happening at the intersection of urban revitalization, climate change adaptation, and recidivism reduction. Your support is what enables us to do it.  We hope to see you!  Get tickets by donation here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening-with-urban-resources-initiative-…

Cherry Ann Park is New Haven’s newest park, transformed from a dumping site into a beautiful 5-acre park.  It was founded by coalition of neighbors led by Miss Connie Vereen, a resident of Cherry Ann Street, who fought for the neighborhood children to have a safe space to play.  After a decade of lobbying, Miss Connie worked with the City, URI and her fellow neighbors, to turn this dream into reality. Since 2014, Cherry Ann Park volunteers have welcomed a lovely wildflower field, swing sets and playground sets, benches, fishing pier, native pollinator swale, and a walking trail. This summer, the group beautified the entrance gardens, cleaned up trash, and removed the overgrowth of weeds that blocked out previous plantings. The volunteer group also surveyed the neighborhood for what they would like to see in the park. The survey found overwhelming support for a splashpad. This summer’s Common Ground student green jobs crew were of tremendous help and made significant ecological improvements to the urban oasis by restoring native plantings. In partnership with Yale F&ES, a private donation has made it possible to install a pavilion and splash pad, which are coming soon!