Extension partners with City of Forrest City, Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas on Beech Grove Park renovation
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
June 7, 2024
Fast Facts:
- Updates to park include new ADA-accessible playground equipment, paved walking trail
- Renovation funded by Feeding America Community Accelerator Initiative, CDC’s High Obesity Program
- Ribbon cutting, resource fair held May 30
(528 words)
(Newsrooms: With photos)
FORREST CITY, Ark. — For communities to thrive, it’s crucial that residents have access to safe, accommodating public spaces. The Cooperative Extension Service, the City of Forrest City and the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas recently celebrated the renovation of Beech Grove Park, which now offers more opportunities for community members to gather, exercise and play.
“This partnership between the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, the City of Forrest City and the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provided a unique opportunity for a park renovation,” said Christie Jordan, CEO for the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas.
On May 30, local residents, families and members of community organizations watched as Larry Bryant, mayor of Forrest City, cut a red ribbon to unveil the newly updated Beech Grove Park. Bryant said the renovations are a significant improvement for the city.
“This means the residents will have a safe place to send their kids and come with their children, walk around the walking track, swing on the swings, and even have little picnics,” Bryant said. “It’s a new asset to the city. We had it in the past, but now it’s upgraded, and it will make quality of life in this neighborhood much better.”
Plans for the renovation began in September 2021. The updated park features new playground equipment with ADA accessibility, including ramps for each area, as well as a new pavilion and paved walking trail. Bryant said the ADA-accessible equipment will make the park more available to individuals and families.
“This should expand the population of people coming to the playground, now that we have ADA access to everything out here,” Bryant said. “It’s something that we didn’t have before, but now people who are in wheelchairs, or are disabled, they have a way to come and enjoy the new equipment we have.”
The renovation project was funded through the Feeding America Community Accelerator Initiative, which focuses on improving food insecurity through community partnerships in the Delta Region, as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s High Obesity program.
The Arkansas High Obesity Program is an initiative through the Cooperative Extension Service, the research and teaching arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, to address obesity in eleven Arkansas counties, including St. Francis County.
“We have been honored to have the opportunity to work with the City of Forrest City and the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas to create what we hope is a positive physical activity environment for the community surrounding Beech Grove Park,” said Jessica Vincent, extension community and public health outreach specialist for the Division of Agriculture.
“Hopefully, we can help get people up to 5,000 steps a day on our walking track,” Bryant said. “It’s a nice track, it’s not underwater, everything is in good shape out here. We’re trying to have a place where it can be safe for everyone.”
Following the ribbon cutting, community organizations hosted a resource fair at the park, including St. Francis County Care Center, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the Forrest City School District Family Resource Center. Firefighters with the Forrest City Fire Department also grilled burgers and hot dogs for attendees.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061