State health foundation awards Greeley $1.1M grant

GREELEY — The Colorado Health Foundation has awarded the city of Greeley a $1.1 million grant for its East Memorial Neighborhood improvement plan.

The three-year grant will help the city develop a 17-acre grassy lot into a community and child-led adventure play area in an effort to bring improved recreational opportunities to families in the East Memorial neighborhood. The foundation’s Healthy Places initiative helps support the development of communities throughout the state into thriving healthy environments for families.

As part of the process, a weeklong study completed in February by the Urban Land Institute established that the East Memorial neighborhood in Greeley was an opportunity to change existing physical, socioeconomic and environmental barriers to create a stronger, healthier community. The Urban Land Institute is a global, member-driven organization that studies and gives advice about responsible urban development to cities and communities.

The six main areas recommended as part of the study were to enhance healthy parks and encourage healthy foods, incorporate best practices, foster community engagement and empowerment, build a vision for urban design, involve the private sector and non-profit partners and make better connections with other parts of the city.

The East Memorial neighborhood, situated to the east of Greeley, is a densely populated area with approximately 7,200 residents, of whom 37 percent are under the age of 18 years. The area covers a high percentage of youth with limited access to city-wide recreational activities and parks.

The project calls for resident outreach and engagement, as well as additional programming involving not only the undeveloped East Memorial Natural Area, but also adjacent public areas including Balsam Park, East Memorial Park and Delta Park.

Other areas in the State of Colorado receiving grants include the south side of Commerce City, the Montbello neighborhood of Denver and southeast Colorado Springs.

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