Scottsdale Leadership in partnership with Keep Scottsdale Beautiful is revitalizing Pride Park as part of the Project Lead It Forward community service projects for Scottsdale Leadership’s Class 36.

The Pride Park Opening Social is set to take place on May 4 at 5:00 p.m., located at 8006 East Coronado Rd. at the corner of North 80th Place and East Coronado Road. Scottsdale Leadership, Keep Scottsdale Beautiful, community leaders and corporate partners will be on hand to dedicate the new mural by local artist Laura Thurbon and the new park amenities.

Keep Scottdale Beautiful representatives Susan Armanovs and Heather Schlichting asked that this PLIF team create a sustainable urban oasis that would become an asset to the neighborhood, enhancing the quality of life for the residents, while attracting pollinators like butterflies, bees and hummingbirds, according to a press release.

The on-site project work is currently underway and will continue through the end of April 2022. 

A revitalized Pride Park will include:

• Six new trees, and over 60 new pollinator-friendly plants
• A mural by Laura Thurbon, who has created a design to honor Park McDowell’s history and support of pollinators
• Concrete pad to be used for sidewalk chalk art, games of four square, picnicking, yoga or tai-chi
• New irrigation system to sustain the trees and plants
• Several “pollinator palaces” to promote pollination within the park
• Little Free Library so visitors can easily find something to read and share with others

Pride Park is a pocket park located within the Park McDowell neighborhood that was developed in the 1950s by Dorothy E. Shahan with F.A. Holmquist a local engineer, planning the layout of the neighborhood. 

The homes were designed by Frank R. Fazio, who worked side-by-side with Ralph Haver in the infamous Architect Row in Phoenix. The homes were built by Farmer and Godfrey Construction.

Scottsdale Leadership class members worked alongside Keep Scottsdale Beautiful and the City of Scottsdale and several parties including local landscape architects and Laura Thurbon on the overall design of the park. 

The class members canvassed the neighborhood soliciting initial feedback on the park and hosted a community gathering to talk about the goals of the project. The class members raised funds and secured in-kind donations from both individuals and corporations.

Michael Wills from Scottsdale Leadership Class 33 serves as the alumni advisor to this PLIF team, which include Kim Caggiano, Larry Hewitt, Jim Kollenda, Felix Ortiz, Ann Porter, Katie Pushor and Alley Yerger.

Donors to the revitalization project include many individuals, companies and organizations, such as Arizona Public Service, Asplundh Tree Expert, Arizona Wholesale Growers and Botanical Interests among many others. 

Learn more about the mural at https://youtu.be/hUWEwrfBTDI.