News Flash

Check out the video produced by FILA USA

Durham, NC: Last night, the City of Durham received an award for one of its newly renovated basketball courts at Hillside Park (1301 South Roxboro Street). 

 The Great Places in North Carolina Award was presented to Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) by Ben Howell, chapter president of the North Carolina American Planning Association (NC APA) at the Durham City Council Meeting. 

 Great Places in North Carolina is an awards program that was established in 2012 to highlight North Carolina’s Great Places and the communities and people that have created them. Award recipients are invited to Town Hall Day in Raleigh and asked to speak at the 2019 Fall APA-NC Conference in Wilmington on October, 8-11.

 The Hillside Basketball Courts highlight the importance of partnerships. Renovations to Hillside Park were made possible through a partnership with the Tamia & Grant Hill Foundation, FILA USA, and DPR. The renovations include three outdoor basketball courts, new backboards, and updates to the fencing and landscaping. 

The courts were redesigned with colorful artwork by local artist Sarahlaine Calva and installed by her team of young artists. The Hillside Basketball Courts prove that great community art isn’t only pleasing to the eye but can have further-reaching benefits. 

Anchored by the W.D. Hill Recreation Center, Hillside Park serves as a nucleus of the community and a gathering place for the neighborhood. The newly renovated park is a part of an on-going effort to restore one of Durham’s oldest parks to the gem it once was, enhance the areas of play, and compliment the programming that takes place at W.D. Hill Recreation Center. 

 Jason Burdette, who served on the expert panel and is the Planning Director for the Town of Davidson, said, “I was impressed that something as simple as painting vibrant colors on a basketball court could impact a community so greatly.”

 On April 13, the Durham Parks Foundation, Durham Parks and Recreation and Durham City Council Member, Charlie Reece, joined Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, Grant Hill, and FILA North President Jennifer Estabrook to unveil the newly designed courts. Over one hundred community members joined the celebration and received free t-shirts, mini basketballs, refreshments, and other giveaways!

 Other Great Places recognized this year are the Rail Trail in Charlotte as a “Great Street,” Queen Street in Kinston as a “Great Street in the Making,” and Union Station in Raleigh and the Alpine Mill in Morganton as “Great Transformations.” The Reeves Theater in Elkin and The Norris House in Raleigh were recognized as the “People’s Choice: Great Historic Rehabilitation”. Along with Durham’s Hillside Courts, the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, “Across the Grain” in Lenoir, and Clinton’s “Milling Around” were also recognized as the “People’s Choice: Great Public Art.”

For more information, call 919-560-4355 or visit DPRPlayMore.org. 

About Durham Parks and Recreation

Durham Parks and Recreation provides opportunities for the Durham community to Play More by connecting our whole community to wellness, the outdoors, and lifelong learning. To learn more about Durham Parks and Recreation, visit us online, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or call (919) 560-4355.