FY 2011 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2011 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 10

Neighborhoods F From new outdoor initiatives to further development of literacy Today, we have “ a park facility we can all be proud of. ” “It was important to us that every detail in this new playground, programs and continuation of community assistance initiatives, the no matter how small, was considered,” said Stephen Booher, a City of Arlington positively impacted residents’ quality of life during member of the Helping Restore Ability Board of Directors. “Today, we the 2011 fiscal year. have a park facility we can all be proud of.” A partnership with Chevrolet and EcoMedia funded green Outdoors improvements at Randol Mill Park. EcoMedia’s EcoAd program, which Chevrolet participates in, sets aside a portion of advertising Arlington opened its first barrier-free playground at Randol Mill Park to accommodate the City’s 6,000 children with disabilities. dollars for eco-friendly projects. Chevrolet’s EcoAd grant funded The playground, designed to allow every child easy access to all the upgrades to the park that included sustainable landscaping around play structures, was made possible by funds approved by voters in the playground, newly planted trees, and solar panels on new the 2005 Parks Bond Election, a $1,000 grant from the Arlington buildings. Tomorrow Foundation, and community partnerships with Crown Plaza and Source Corp. the City collaborated to create a first-of-its-kind community garden. Along the green theme, the University of Texas at Arlington and Seventy-eight garden plots were created on the university campus to encourage healthy eating, promote sustainable food production for the local community, and preserve open green spaces. As part of the lease agreement, plot owners agree to donate at least half of their harvest to nonprofits like Mission Arlington, which received its first harvest in July. For the outdoor enthusiast, a new 4.2-mile paddling trail on the Trinity River at River Legacy Parks was dedicated in 2011. It is the second paddling trail in Arlington, Lake Arlington’s 11-mile paddling trail opened in 2008. Popular Annual Financial Report for 2011 10 “Challenge, Change, Celebrate, Congra