City Council Accepts the Reimagining Outdoor Spaces 2025 Grant

The Wills Group, owner of the Dash In scheduled for construction on South College Avenue awarded the City of Newark their Reimagining Outdoor Spaces 2025 grant in the amount of up to $65,000 to make improvements to Folk Park. After soliciting feedback from the community, the following projects have been approved by city council and will begin in summer 2025:

• A stone dust trail through the existing trees connecting on both ends to the paved path.
• A food forest area featuring edible plants and shrubs on one side of the stone dust trail.
• A habitat/pollinator/sensory garden on the opposite side focused on plantings with varied textures and scents.
• Additional seating and educational signage along the path.
• A strong emphasis on native species for all plantings.

The Wills group will fully fund the design, development, and construction of the finalized plan. Representatives from the City of Newark Parks & Recreation Department and the Wills Group sincerely appreciate the community’s valuable feedback, active participation, and collaborative spirit that helped bring this project to life.