Ribbon cutting Thursday for renovated Kelly Park | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Ribbon cutting Thursday for renovated Kelly Park Ribbon cutting Thursday for renovated Kelly Park Published: September 12, 2018 Author: Erin Blasko Kelly Park South Bend Venues Parks & Arts (SBVPA) will host a ribbon cutting for the newly renovated Kelly Park, 750 Howard St., at 6 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 13). Led by students from the University of Notre Dame Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) along with community members Lu Ella Webster and Beth Sanford, SBVPA renovated the 1-acre park over five years with support from dozens of volunteers and corporate and community sponsors. The renovated park, located four blocks south of Notre Dame in the Northeast Neighborhood, features all-new benches, sidewalks, landscaping, basketball courts, playground equipment, fencing and a picnic shelter. The project dates to 2013, when RCLC students decided to improve the deteriorating park as part of Engaging Youth, Engaging Neighborhoods (EYEN), a collaboration between Neighborhood Resources Connection and Notre Dame faculty that seeks to involve youth in community change. Working with Webster, adult programs coordinator for the RCLC, and Sanford, a local architect, the students secured a $1,000 EYEN grant for the project and worked with local architects to develop a master plan for the park. They also sold commemorative bricks and benches to help finance the project. In addition to Webster and Sanford, several city and community leaders will be on hand for the ribbon cutting, including South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, SBVPA Executive Director Aaron Perri and 4th District Councilwoman Jo Broden, who represents the Northeast Neighborhood on the South Bend Common Council. “It’s been five years in the making, and to finally come to a point where we can say, phew, we did it, is so exciting,” said Webster, who lives across the street from the park. “It’s really a fantastic example of what it means for a neighborhood to come together around their park,” Perri said, adding, “We’re going to celebrate this in a fashion that I think we’ve seldom celebrated a neighborhood park.” For more information, visit the Kelly Park Renovation Project on Facebook. Contact: Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu Posted In: Community News Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related September 30, 2022 New prison education initiative joins Center for Social Concerns September 19, 2022 Notre Dame Stories: Helping the Last of the Instrument Makers September 15, 2022 South Bend offers free, pre-approved house plans with input from Notre Dame September 12, 2022 Notre Dame dedicates new hydro facility along St. Joseph River in South Bend August 30, 2022 School of Architecture’s community regeneration efforts lead to $2.4M development grant for South Bend For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn