The 2018 Cox Corporate Social Responsibility Report CEI_2018_CSR_Report | Page 48

COX GIVING
Environment and Conservation
Enhancing and protecting our natural places — parks, rivers, trails and more — conserves
natural resources and promotes health, well-being and closer, more engaged communities. In
addition to supporting environmental nonprofits through the Cox Conserves Heroes program,
the James M. Cox Foundation is committed to helping preserve and restore natural places that
help communities prosper.
Recreation, Flood Protection and Community Engagement — All at Cook Park
In 2002, torrential, historical rains descended on Atlanta. Portions of the Vine City neighborhood
were flooded, leaving homes uninhabitable, displacing 160 families and leaving numerous
residential parcels vacant. Flooding and sewer overflows have continued to affect the neighborhood
in the ensuing years. In 2015, when the Trust for Public Land partnered with the City of Atlanta to
plan a new park for the site, they did so with these environmental concerns in mind.
The 16-acre park offers recreational amenities such as picnic areas, an outdoor classroom,
basketball courts, a multipurpose sports field, a splashpad and playgrounds. It also incorporates
green infrastructure that mitigates flooding, such as a scenic pond and cisterns to capture up
to 10 million gallons of stormwater during major rainfall events. The Cox Foundation provided a
$1 million grant to help complete construction of the park, scheduled to open in 2019. The park is
expected to be a focal point for community transformation on Atlanta’s Westside, providing an
engaging recreational space for the 3,300 residents who live within a 10-minute walk of the site
– while also offering protection from future storms.
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