Where to Start

Raquetta’s Story

The Alton Park Connector will be the first urban neighborhood section of the Tennessee Riverwalk, a 25-mile greenway that runs from the Chickamauga Dam through the heart of downtown and along a revitalized riverfront, with plans to reach Southside Community Park.

“Daniela wanted to hear about our efforts to get the kids outside and to the parks. This was already a part of our afterschool and summer programs*. Kids need to run and play and using parks is a regular part of our programming, and it’s affordable,” Raquetta said. “When she asked what else we would do if funding was available, then I started to get excited!”

The Alton Park Connector will be the first urban neighborhood section of the Tennessee Riverwalk, a 25-mile greenway that runs from the Chickamauga Dam through the heart of downtown and along a revitalized riverfront, with plans to reach Southside Community Park.

“Daniela wanted to hear about our efforts to get the kids outside and to the parks. This was already a part of our afterschool and summer programs*. Kids need to run and play and using parks is a regular part of our programming, and it’s affordable,” Raquetta said. “When she asked what else we would do if funding was available, then I started to get excited!”

The Trust for Public Land has an overall goal that was a perfect fit for Net Resource Foundation. They want communities to inventory available greenspaces, create activities around those outdoor assets, share the experiences, and grow the interactions.

Four areas were identified for Put the Park Back in Alton Park:

  1. Children’s education (asset mapping, outdoor games, wayfinding)
  2. Neighborhood events (church in the park, walking events, Strut the Park)
  3. Park beautification (tree planting, wayfinding designs, artwork)
  4. Staff training for outdoor skills (first aid, conferences on greenspace use)

“Start with the kids and the adults will follow!” Raquetta said. “We asked the children to do drawings of ‘My Perfect Park.’ Of course, they all wanted a playground. Daniela saw those drawings and got us preliminary funding to expand our civic engagement program.”

The Net Resource Foundation launched the plan for a year-long series of community festivals, educational activities and beautification plans around the three parks in the South Chattanooga community of Alton Park.

“The immediate goal was to increase use of the community parks, and it worked! This neighborhood enrichment plan will strengthen our case for the future projects,” said Raquetta. “Along the way we created fun outdoor activities that can be done without major expense or extensive planning, so we decided to share some of that information with others.”

*See Youth Programs on for more information about the Net Resource Foundation’s afterschool and summer programs.

Urban Neighborhoods ​and Church Influence

“We might sit on the front porch on a pretty day or walk to a neighbors’ house, rather than go rock climbing or drive 30 minutes to find a hiking trail in a forest,” Raquetta said. “We may ride our bike to the store, because a bicycle is transportation and for others it’s purely exercise. We asked for and received community input and built our use of neighborhood green spaces around their ideas, like having church outside, or a park gathering with games, food and fellowship. This is how our community connects to nature in Alton Park. It’s more communal.”

Where are the people of color in outdoor spaces?

During the year of engagement activities some of the staff attended conferences where these questions were asked. They discussed environmental leadership roles and advocacy for outdoor activities. The number of African Americans in environmental careers is growing. Acknowledging cultural differences is part of awareness. Even at one of the outdoor first aid training sessions the Net Resource staff were the only people of color who attended.

The faith-based community offers a strong base for expansion of green spaces. Churches, especially black churches, have long been the center of neighborhood spirit and can be the “trailhead” for development of outdoor engagement activities. Churches can think about how to link their mission to appreciation and reverence for natural resources. (See Letter from the Pastor)

City Park Adventures​

Even before the effort to energize use of the neighborhood parks, the Net Resource Foundation (NRF) was taking the Alton Park kids to explore the Chattanooga city parks during the afterschool program, Westside Youth Leadership Academy.

“They need to run around because they are kids! We took them to Blue Goose Hollow which is a park along the river,” executive director, Raquetta Dotley said. “We walked there because it was within five miles of our neighborhood, plus it’s relatively inexpensive programming and great exercise.”

The NRF focuses on civic engagement so the children feel part of something beyond the immediate neighborhood. Community-building helps them understand their value and see the bigger picture. The afterschool program for 2019-2020 school year included 15 children from kindergarten through eighth grade who ultimately experienced the journey through Blue Goose Hollow Park, and all the way to downtown Chattanooga.

“We were originally trying to get to the playground at Ross’s Landing on the river downtown, but the kids were stopping to take pictures, talking to people sitting on their porches, playing with dogs of nearby residents, and we ran out of time,” Raquetta said. “The next week we drove to Ross’s Landing to play on the playground.”

Additional field trips to the Walnut Street Bridge, an historic walking bridge adjacent to Coolidge Park meant they could see the playground at Ross’s Landing and think about how their neighborhood was connected to the heart of downtown Chattanooga.

“They had all the pieces connected from home to the Walnut Street Bridge,” Raquetta said. “We also took them to Sculpture Fields at Montague Park to see the giant outdoor art sculptures.”

VIEW THE “PUT THE PARK BACK IN ALTON PARK” PROJECT

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