Grid_Perks_Restaurant_7.12.18 (updated card).pdf 1 7/12/2018 11:54:55 AM
Tonnetta Graham, president of the Strawberry Mansion CDC, worked hard to ensure the Discovery Center is inclusive. “We want to make sure [it] is connected to the residents so that they feel welcome.”
said in the interview. “As a CDC (community development corporation), we were there from the beginning,” says Graham. “The groups had minimal conC nection to the neighborhood. How could they align with needs of the residents?” She recalls M several outreach meetings over the years of Y planning, “some heated but productive. We CM want to make sure the Discovery Center is MY connected to the residents so that they feel welcome. This is for residents that are here CY now,” in a community concerned about gen- CMY trification. “We want to make sure it’s a place K they can call their own.” On September 28, Audubon PA and Outward Bound cut the ribbon on the $18.5 million dollar Discovery Center. In addition to a ropes course and space for Outward Bound activities, the center includes environmental educational exhibits and a lab for research into urban ecology. Graham highlights the importance of community space in the Center: “The center has a multipurpose room to hold community engagement meetings. It also provides us with another place we can decompress,” she says, noting the opportunity to address the neighborhood’s health challenges. The reservoir grounds will be open to the public five days a week, May through October, and three days a week November through April. “We as a community are rediscovering this place,” Graham says. “It gives us that opportunity to take that deep breath and respite from our daily lives [and] do some nature exploration as well. I have a 13-year-old now, and my son will be the generation to take advantage for decades to come.”
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