By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Downtown Bowling Green will see more parklets next year thanks to a $50,000 donation announced this morning.
“Thank you for the humongous check,” Bowling Green City Council member Rachel Phipps said as she received the $50,000 from a representative of T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant Program.
The donation will be enough to build three to five new parklets, plus upgrade the existing three in front of Grounds for Thought, Juniper Brewing Co., and Kabob It, Phipps said.
“This will allow us to bring more foot traffic to the downtown, which will benefit everyone,” said Tony Vetter, executive director of Downtown BG.
Bowling Green City Council member Jeff Dennis applied for the grant from T-Mobile.
“We are so proud that Bowling Green was one of just 25 communities nationwide to be selected for T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant Program,” Dennis said. “With the economic challenges facing small cities and rural towns today, companies like T-Mobile stepping up to lend a hand is going to make a huge difference. We can’t thank them enough for supporting our efforts to revitalize our community and improve the quality of life for those who live here.”
So far, more than $70,000 in private investments have been received for the parklet projects. Thursday morning’s gathering at Juniper was organized to thank all those who have supported the project.
“There’s a lot of heart behind it,” Phipps said.
“I think the response has been super positive,” Phipps said. “We don’t have many places to sit down here.”
Dick Newlove, president of the Downtown Foundation, voiced his support for more parklets. “I think they’re great,” said Newlove, who recently returned from Petoskey, Michigan, where there are several parklets lining the streets.
Chris Tracy, who owns Juniper Brewing Co. with her husband Zach, said they are thrilled with the parklet in front of their business. The space has allowed their customers to sit outside while eating or drinking coffee.
“We’re over the moon excited,” she said. “Anything to bring folks downtown and enhance the beauty of the downtown.”
Each of the parklets are 36 feet long and 6 ½ feet wide, with flower planters on the ends and on the street sides. The merchants provide the seating.
The parklets will stay put until November, and then will return next April.
Located in the parking lane adjacent to the curb, parklets are designed as an extension of the sidewalk. They have the potential to increase outdoor dining options and gathering spaces downtown, where narrow sidewalks limit outdoor seating.
Legislation to permit parklets downtown was passed by BG City Council in April.
Originally, the plans were announced as a solution to social distancing requirements for COVID-19. But since those restrictions were lifted, the parklets have become a way to help downtown businesses, according to Phipps, who has spearheaded the effort.
The parklets were built by Ellen Fure Smith, artist and owner of Little Bare Furniture, with the assistance of faculty and staff from Bowling Green State University School of Art’s Integrated Studio.
The Parklet Project has been a community effort. While Smith led the build on BGSU’s campus, Wolf’s Blooms and Berries planted flowers to add color to the three parklets. The parklets and planters were loaded and transported downtown by Jim Palmer Excavating Inc.
Parklet Project members include Ellen Fure Smith, Chris Mowen, Jeff Dennis, Tony Vetter and Rachel Phipps.
