A New Beginning for Carroll Watkins Park

June was a monumental month for NeighborSpace’s newly dedicated Carroll Watkins Park, formerly known as Flannery Lane Park.

Starting June 2nd, NeighborSpace worked with Mentoring Mentors and the Piedmont Learning Center to begin the mulching process in preparation for all of the planting to come. The mentees from the Center, who are middle and high school students from charter schools across Baltimore City, and their mentors were a huge help in hauling and spreading mulch throughout the property. With the guidance of Jessica, a Baltimore TreeKeeper, the middle and high school volunteers also assisted in planting trees at the site, including an Eastern Redbud they named “Ryan”. Hopefully they’ll come back and visit him! 

The following weekend, on Saturday, June 4th, NeighborSpace and the Gwynn Oak Community Association held a planting event for the surrounding community. There were plenty of native herbaceous perennials and shrubs that were ready to elevate the community’s outdoor space, and the volunteers who came out did not disappoint. Many neighbors showed up to get their hands dirty and support the project, as well as staff members from Blue Water Baltimore. Nearly a thousand perennial plugs and quarts were planted, as well as a few dozen shrubs. It was an amazing turnout!

The event was also graced by family members of Carroll Watkins, community leader and past president of the Gwynn Oak Community Association, who sadly passed away in 2020. His passion for and devotion to his community led to the park being dedicated in his name, as Carroll Watkins Park. In her remarks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and dedication, Ms. Rosa Griffin, President of the Gwynn Oak Community Association, emphasized how this park will help to preserve his legacy. Mr. Watkins was very involved in the neighborhood, removing abandoned cars from a nearby street and even reducing crime. He hosted annual flea markets for the community and movie nights for the children. He was not only past President of the Gwynn Oak Community Association, he was also a member of the Cherry Hill Optimist Club, where he inspired youth to be the best they could. The club hosted boil roasts and National Night Out, an event everyone, especially the children, looked forward to. He was always finding ways to help others, and, to this day, people still come to his daughter, Tracie Randall, with tears expressing how much they miss him.

The generous support of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the United Way of Central Maryland, Victor Stanley, Inc., and many private donors paved the way for the official opening of Carroll Watkins Park on Saturday, June 18th. The opening was attended by many members of the community, who displayed joy and excitement at the park’s completion. Councilman Julian Jones offered remarks, giving a special citation to the family of Carroll Watkins in his honor. NeighborSpace honored those who had made special contributions to the park’s completion with green jackets. They included Ms. Rosa Griffin, President of the Gwynn Oak Community Association, our stewardship partner for the site; Mr. Tony Baysmore, a former member of the County Executive’s staff, who was instrumental in securing the site; Mr. Ray Heil, park landscape architect; and neighbors Trisha Kyner and David Friedheim, who donated the sculpture now on loan at the park.

Without the help of all of the community members and volunteers who supported this project, this park would still be a dusty half-paved lot. Thank you to every single person who dedicated time and energy to transforming this park into a community hub for years to come!