A crowd sourcing campaign to help bring a transportable park with a focus on youth activities to Howell has begun.

The National Main Street Center has offered a $3,400 matching grant to Howell Main Street to be used towards bringing a Pop Up Park downtown. Earlier this fall, Howell Main Street along with staff members from the Downtown Development Authority attended and presented at the International Placemaking Conference in Amsterdam. Meeting with urban developers from around the world, they shared ideas and were inspired by a variety of projects. Howell Main Street Chief Operating Officer Cathleen Edgerly said that one of the ideas they heard struck a chord and lined up with a community desire for more green space and youth-based activities. That idea is the Pop Up Park. Edgerly said the 25 foot by 25 foot mobile park would be the first of its kind in the United States. It would offer outdoor seating, games, and activities for kids of all age groups. She said they envision tying it in to existing events like Rock the Block and the Food Truck Rally to begin with. Howell Main Street has until December 29th to raise the $3,400 to receive the matching funds.

You can learn more about the project and make a donation at https://www.ioby.org/project/pop-parks. A check can also be mailed to Ioby at:

Ioby
PO Box 4668 #74253
New York, NY 10163-4668

(Photo: ioby.org)(MK)