Wayne-Holmes Realtors secure $7,500 grant for Barnes Preserve project

The Wayne-Holmes Association of Realtors will use a $7,500 placemaking grant from the National Association of Realtors to help transform unused space in Barnes Preserve.

The grant was designed by NAR to ensure local realtor associations are partnering with other neighboring organizations to plan, organize, implement and maintain lighter, quicker and cheaper placemaking projects in their communities.

The Wayne-Holmes Association of Realtors will use the funds to purchase and install educational and interpretive nature signs around the Barnes Preserve trails. They will partner with Wayne County Park District/Barnes Preserve on this project, which also will contribute hours and labor to the project.

“Realtors live, work and volunteer in their communities and take immense pride in our work to make Wayne and Holmes county better places to live, work and raise a family,” said Amy Mast, a committee chair of the community outreach committee of The Wayne-Holmes Association of Realtors. “This grant gives us a tangible, immediate opportunity to identify and address areas in Wooster that need enhancement and revitalization and can be used for the greater good.

"Placemaking can help foster healthier, more social and economically viable communities and creates places where people feel a strong stake in their neighborhoods and are committed to making things better.”

NAR offers placemaking grants to state and local realtor associations around the country to create new public spaces and destinations in a community such as turning a parking spot into a people spot (parklet) or a vacant lot into a pocket park or garden.

“As the Wooster area becomes more attractive and welcoming, nearby properties may also increase in value,” Mast said.

To find out more about the National Association of Realtors placemaking program, visit realtorparty.realtor/community-outreach/placemaking.