Vote for Orlando's First Urban Orchard!

By Mark Baratelli
We told you on Episode 31 of our podcast that the City could get its very own apple orchard (or one of two other projects) if the City of Orlando Parks & Rec department was selected to win a $20,000 grant from t.he “Meet Me at the Park” Earth Month campaign.

They won!

Now it's up to locals to decide if the apple orchard will be constructed or if one of the two other ideas will instead. Locals will make the final decision of which one that will be executed through online voting or *text PARKS to 31279* and receive a link to vote online.

Residents vote April 1-30 on one the following projects:
  1. Hankins Park Orchard – Planting a fruit tree orchard in the park will provide increased access to fresh produce and let children in recreation programs discover the joys of working with nature and reaping the results. This would be constructed at Dr. I. Sylvester Hankins Park near the neighborhood center building at 1340 Lake Park Court
  2. Ivey Lane Fitness Area – Installing fitness equipment in Ivey Lane Park will offer healthy, no-cost opportunities to be active outdoors in this community.
  3. Engelwood Neighborhood Center Adjustable Basketball Goals – Installing six basketball goals that adjust to any height between four feet and 10 feet will allow young children and people with disabilities to participate in the sport of basketball as well as older teens and adults.
In 2015, 2016 and 2017, FPR successfully secured grants through this process, enabling the Department to make improvements at Bill Frederick Park and Engelwood Neighborhood Center.

Should one of these projects be selected for grant funding, the City of Orlando will be asked to enter into an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NRPA upon approval of City Council March 19th.

Made possible through the support of Disney, ABC, and ESPN, the Meet Me at the Park Program aims to improve local parks through projects that connect children and nature, help children and families live healthier lives, and increase children's access to sports.

Listen to our Orlando Opinions Podcast and read our Monday Morning Email

This is a rendering of an Urban Orchard created for a project in Memphis.