Bethesda Elementary School students try their hands at becoming park designers: Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is in the planning phase for a future park in Bethesda, the Bethesda Market Park, and is turning to the next generation for ideas. The department challenged students at Bethesda Elementary School to draw the park of their dreams and a handful of fourth-graders jumped at the chance. “We wanted to find out what the community wanted in this new park, so we asked a group of experts – local fourth graders,” said Mike Riley, director of Montgomery Parks. “This new park is a very big deal – it’s not every day we can create a brand-new park in a busy downtown location like Bethesda. We are thrilled that students want to be part of the brainstorming.”
The future designers came up with a lot of ideas ranging from exciting features like trampolines, zip lines, and obstacle courses to natural features like a place to watch birds, tree-lined walkways, rock walls, and flower beds. And lest we forget the cat statue mister. See the kids’ drawings on Montgomery Parks Flickr page. “Fourth graders were thrilled to have the opportunity to share their ideas for the new Bethesda Market Park. They eagerly put their creativity to work and collaborated to sketch some wonderful designs. A big thank you to the Montgomery Parks Department for letting us be a part of this exciting new addition to downtown Bethesda!”
The Bethesda Market Park will be a new urban park in downtown Bethesda adjacent to Elm Street Urban Park and the Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market. Parks staff are currently reviewing public input that was gathered during a three-month engagement process, including the ideas from the fourth-grade students. Concept plans for the park will be shared at a meeting to take place in June. For more details on the future Bethesda Market Park visit the project page