NeighborSpace and Northeast Towson Improvement Association are excited to share that Adelaide Bentley Park has received a makeover! Thanks to the expertise and manpower of GWWOrks volunteers and the generous financial support of the Wiltondale Garden Club, Adelaide Bentley Park once again provides a place of respite in Historic East Towson.

GWWOrks is a monthly volunteer effort, run by architect Dave Ritter, that encourages staff of GWWO Architects to contribute their skills and manpower to enhancing local communities. For Adelaide Bentley Park, the GWWOrks team sketched a multi-phase improvement plan that would establish a “sense of place” and allow neighbors and visitors to more easily use the park to gather, entertain, garden, and enjoy the natural surroundings.

If you’ve been following NeighborSpace for a while, you will know that we struggle with a formidable invasive seed bank at Adelaide Bentley Park. The landscaping that was installed in 2017 is still present and the native plantings have continued to grow, but so have the invasive vines, and come summer the trail through the park can be difficult to navigate. GWWO’s proposal focused on establishing a sense of arrival and providing a gathering space.

On Thursday September 14th, roughly 40 GWWO volunteers donated a full day of their time to weed, mulch, and build. The result is a much more enjoyable park, complete with an arbor, 6 benches, and a platform for speaking, singing, or performing. Both entrances invite visitors to stroll down the widened and newly mulched paths. Not far from the East Pennsylvania entrance you will come across two large raised beds, which the Historic East Towson community plans to use in the spring to grow vegetables and flowers.

While GWWO provided the design and labor, the community needed to provide the materials. Thanks to a $2,800 donation from the Wiltondale Garden Club, NeighborSpace was able to purchase the lumber and other supplies needed for the benches, arbor, and platform, as well as two large raised beds. The Garden Club has already proved to be a wonderful partner in maintaining the Park, and its members are looking forward to now also sharing their expertise in raised bed gardening. If you’d like to learn how to grow your own food or to support Adelaide Bentley Park, stay tuned for sessions this spring!