A new 1.8-mile multiuse trail through Chinquapin Run Park will be designed with the help of a $270,000 investment from Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national nonprofit that supports public outdoor spaces.

The trail is meant to boost greenspace access and active transportation routes for residents of Northeast Baltimore, providing pedestrian and bicyclist connection to Morgan State University, Lake Montebello and Herring Run Park, in addition to other neighborhoods.

Local officials and community leaders gathered on the park’s basketball court Monday for a celebration of the grant and the park’s revitalization hosted by Rails to Trails Conservancy, Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) and the Northeast Community Organization (NECO). The Morgan State Marching Band played cheerful music and danced before speakers took turns at the podium beneath a basketball hoop with a missing backboard and rim.

“We are able to come together today because we got a new vision and a new dream for our community,” said Father Joe Muth of Notre Dame of Maryland during the opening prayer, echoed by “Amens” from the crowd. “And we are grateful that we’ve come together today to make that dream a reality.”

About two years ago, the Rev. Cat Goodrich of Faith Presbyterian and some of her colleagues in Northeast Baltimore started having conversations about bringing residents together to see if there were common concerns, she said.

Of the issues raised, Goodrich said, “We heard a lot about Chinquapin Run Park.” She said people remembered when there were picnic tables and benches in the park, sports programs and children playing in the stream, noting the missing basketball rim and overgrown trail. The group had several meetings, held a walkthrough with City Councilmember Mark Conway and did some door-knocking, connecting with more than 100 residents, Goodrich said.

“It feels good and right that we are here today to celebrate because this park is a connector. It cuts through six different neighborhoods,” Goodrich said. “It runs all the way from the city-county line down to Morgan State. It cuts across lines of neighborhood and race and class, connecting us as one community.”

A clean, safe and well-kept park for families in the community is essential, said Angie Winder, president of NECO, reflecting on her elementary school teacher who “stood in the gap for us.”

“We, too, are standing in the gap for the next generation just by being here, affirming to them I’ll fight for their future,” Winder said. “Revitalizing this park is just one example of that, we will not see it be neglected or let it be disinvested.”

Grants and donations from the France-Merrick Foundation, Kentfields Foundation and Lockhart Vaughan Foundation, as well as private donors, comprise the investment funds according to the Rev. Kate Foster, a Baltimore resident and mid-Atlantic director of trails development for Rails to Trails.

The investment will support the preliminary planning of the trail, but Rails to Trails doesn’t own trail projects or build them, according to Foster. The group will continue working alongside partners to receive city and state funding for the project’s final design and construction.

“To get this park back and get it back better, we’re going to need resources. To get this trail built and to complete the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network, we’re going to need city leadership and a lot more money,” Foster said. “So we’re here to work with you, Baltimore City, but we need you to make it a priority too.”

The project is part of the vision to connect the area to the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network, a city-adopted plan for a 35-mile network of paths for city residents to “walk, bike or roll” between 75 neighborhoods and safely access green spaces, according to Foster.

Director of Baltimore City Recreation and Parks Reginald Moore emphasized the city’s commitment to all parks. Moore explained that benches will be replaced and a new basketball goal has been ordered, along with a fence to prevent people from doing donuts on the court with their vehicles, motioning to the marks on the ground. He also said the city will support a 2025 application for more funding to complete the full project.

Amidst many calls to action, Baltimore City Comptroller Bill Henry reminded the crowd that the mayor is responsible for delegating city spending, so people must call on the mayor to prioritize funding for the park.

“We have to make it clear that this is important and that we prioritize this. Are we good?” Henry said. “Yes,” the crowd cheered. “Do we understand the assignment?” Henry asked. “Yes,” the crowd cheered again.