In 2022, realtor Ann Foster and Firefly Trail Board of Directors member Lisa Baynes prepared an application for the National Association of Realtors’ Placemaking Grant.
They were awarded $4,500, which was used to help build the Joel McRay Memorial Garden beside the Firefly Trail segment in Union Point.
Earlier this year, Baynes and the Lake Country Board of Realtors submitted another grant application to revitalize the pocket park located behind CJ’s BBQ at the corner of Hwy. 77 and East Peachtree Street in Woodville.
“I really wanted to see the area in Woodville utilize the space adjacent to the trail in the same capacity and I knew they did not have the financial means to make it happen,” Baynes explained.
Recently, they were awarded $7,500 for the Woodville project and immediately got to work.
They used part of the grant to paint a Firefly Trail mural on the back of CJ’s BBQ. They also planted perennials to attract butterflies and purchased a bike rack, trash bin, bench, and planters.
Baynes said the goal was to create a space where trail users could rest or enjoy a meal and cold drink from CJ’s.
“I feel like revitalizing areas like [pocket parks] fosters social interaction and enhances the sense of community among the residents,” Baynes said of the project’s impact. “I think that is an important connection between the community's citizens and visitors. It also creates a sense of welcoming one into an area, which hopefully will increaseboth mental and physical health of both the locals and visitors alike. Pocket parks just create a more vibrant, sustainable environment that could potentially have far-reaching importance, such as economic development.”