Discover Greensboro Winter/Spring 2023

pocket parks, bike fix-it stations, and more. Now, with the final leg of construction on the horizon, Parks and Recreation is integrating the Downtown Greenway into its suite of outdoor programs. Phipps said that will mean focusing on its special features – from its extensive public art installations to its gardens. “The Downtown Greenway is so much more than just a paved multi-use path,” she says. “It serves as a fresh air art gallery, urban oasis, outdoor history museum, transportation connector, and recreational play space all in one!” Parks and Recreation will continue to expand long-standing, popular initiatives, like weekly fitness programs in partnership with the Greensboro YMCA, Wheels on the Greenway, and the Downtown Greenway Run and Block Party. Phipps is also exploring community art programs in conjunction with new neighborhood benches and the Freedom Cornerstone, designed by the renowned artist Radcliffe Bailey for the corner of Murrow Boulevard and Gate City Boulevard. Phipps would also like to take advantage of the public orchard, beehive, pollinator gardens, and two streams along the greenway to incorporate some environmental programs. Planning is still in the works, but Phipps said to expect an “eventful year.”

FEATURE STORY Program

Woven Works Park

Getting to Know the Downtown Greenway

It’s an exciting time for the Downtown Greenway. And Chelsea Phipps, Parks and Recreation’s new greenways and gardens program coordinator, is here for it. Hired in 2022, Phipps is the first City employee in a newly created position responsible for running special events and programs for the four-mile loop around the center city. Previously, the nonprofit Action Greensboro managed this task as part of its long-time commitment to fundraising, managing art installations, and promoting the Downtown Greenway through its construction phase. The urban trail circles downtown with one-of-a kind art pieces, native plantings, an edible orchard,

Chelsea Phipps

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