Linwood Park In Ardmore Honored For Sustainability Efforts

ARDMORE, PA – A Lower Merion Township park that was formerly a parking lot has earned recognition from a local sustainability group, the township said.

Ardmore's Linwood Park won the 2018 GSI Award of Excellence from the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN) and its Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Partners, the township announced Wednesday, May 23.

Linwood Park was presented with the award in the category of public projects at a ceremony on May 17, according to the township.

"What once was an impervious, barren site is now the green, social nexus of the neighborhood," SBN said of the park. "Linwood Park is a lively community center, theatrical venue, outdoor classroom, and versatile recreational setting."

The Friends of Linwood Park group provides upkeep for the park, which opened in 2009 after the township secured an Open Space Grant from Montgomery County to purchase a one-acre parking lot and convert it to a park.

SBN called the purchase and conversion a "community-driven process" with a "highly collaborative nature."

Lower Merion Township and the planning and design team – which included Salt Design Studio, Studio Gaea, Yerkes Associates – partnered with public institutions and organizations such as the Lower Merion Conservancy and Household of Faith Church as partners for fundraising, community outreach, and educational campaigns for the park.

A celebration of the park's eighth birthday will be held on June 2

The GSI is a priority initiative of SBN formed to support the success of "Green City, Clean Waters," with a mission to advance the local GSI industry, innovation, and the local economy as it relates to GSI.

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