Jefferson County Greenways is on a mission to develop a fully inclusive public green space in the South. East Side Park, nestled in the Roebuck Springs/South Roebuck Neighborhood just off Highway 11 and I-59, is being reimagined as a vibrant destination that welcomes people of all ages and abilities.
“So many places retrofit and it can feel like an afterthought to be inclusive,” said Janet Simpson, Chief Operating Officer at Jefferson County Greenways. “What we think is really special and unique about this is that we’re planning this from the ground up to be universally accessible.”
Going beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), East Side Park will include accessible trails that wind through native ecoregions, offer several rest stops, and provide options for various levels of challenge; universally designed bathrooms; convenient parking; immersive sensory and educational interpretative experiences and more – all designed to ensure all people, no matter their ability, can enjoy and explore nature.
Jefferson County Greenways
The Jefferson County Greenways Commission and Jefferson County Greenways Foundation are shepherding the East Side Park revitalization project. Together, this public-private partnership is responsible for the operations, maintenance, and programs of Red Mountain Park, Ruffner Mountain, and Turkey Creek Nature Preserve.
For decades, individuals, governmental entities, organizations, and corporations wanting to support these green spaces of Jefferson County had to choose which park would get the donor dollars they had to give. But in 2019, leaders at all three parks began working toward a solution.
Today, Ruffner Mountain, Turkey Creek Nature Preserve, and Red Mountain Park are all managed by the Jefferson County Greenways Commission and Foundation.
“I see the organization as a model for regional collaboration, not only in the state, but in the nation,” said Darryl Washington, who became the new Chief Executive Officer of Jefferson County Greenways in May 2025.
Jefferson County Greenways brings together the cities of Birmingham, Homewood, Irondale, and Pinson as well as Jefferson County.
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham served as a strategic thought partner and funder throughout the formation of this partnership. The Foundation supported Jefferson County Greenways with a $600,000 grant in 2022. The parks partnership aligns with the Community Foundation’s focus on regional cooperation in hopes of leading to more efficient and effective services and a more unified voice to advance economic growth.
The partnership between the three parks also makes all the spaces more attractive to potential funders, Washington added.
Reimagining East Side Park
Once a thriving private neighborhood gathering place, East Side Park eventually became underused and overgrown. Now Jefferson County Greenways is reviving and reimagining this once-forgotten 6.5-acre park into a space that will give everyone, regardless of ability, the opportunity to spend time in nature.
“In 2020, during the pandemic, outdoor recreation numbers soared, and so people were looking for ways to be outside, as much as possible, with their families and friends,” Simpson said, adding that parks like Ruffner Mountain began to receive several phone calls from residents looking for stroller and wheelchair-friendly trails.
This told Simpson and others that it was time to revitalize East Side Park with a focus on accessibility.
“The realization that we were missing an entire group of people in our community who really didn’t have access to being on nature trails started to tell us what this space really could be,” she said.
According to 2020 Census data, Jefferson County is home to 114,176 seniors, 25,032 veterans, 151,123 children and 72,256 people with disabilities.
A commitment of $1 million from the City of Birmingham through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) kickstarted the project. They’ve received additional funding from the Junior League of Birmingham, the Jefferson County Health Department, the Community Foundation, and others. To build the best possible, first-of-its-kind universally accessible nature space, the project and future programming will cost $10,841,531. A minimum of $5,842,984 is needed to get the park up and running, which Jefferson County Greenways hopes to do by December 2026.
Throughout the process, Jefferson County Greenways has collaborated with leading local organizations dedicated to serving individuals with disabilities such as United Ability, the Lakeshore Foundation, the Exceptional Foundation, Kulture City, the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, and Glenwood.
A Place for All
A universally accessible park can benefit all residents.
“Green spaces have the advantage of the confluence of community development and economic development,” Washington said. “Our green spaces check all the boxes of what creates a great quality of life. I like to say our green spaces are community living rooms. They connect communities. They connect people in the communities. They provide a safe space for the people in the community.”
The outdoor classrooms and programming offered by green spaces also offer educational opportunities for local students. Walking, hiking, and biking trails give residents ways to stay active. And with ecotourism burgeoning, Jefferson County’s green spaces can also help boost the regional economy, too.
“This is the misconception about ADA and universal design — that it’s for a specific group of people, when it actually makes everything better for everyone,” Simpson said.
Samantha Arceneaux, development director for Jefferson County Greenways, points out how, for example, a trail wide enough to accommodate two wheelchairs moving side-by-side also means the trail is wide enough for a parent pushing a stroller with other children walking alongside.
“Togetherness throughout the park is important,” Arceneaux said.
A multi-generational family with parents, grandparents, and children in strollers could all enjoy a fully accessible trail that welcomes mobility devices and has rest points.
Arceneaux shared that East Side Park will also help show off Alabama’s biodiversity, boasting more than 100 species of plants all native to the state. Alabama is the fifth most biodiverse state in the country.
“The idea here is that this park is like an experience of the outdoors of Central Alabama that you would not be able to have otherwise,” Arceneaux said. “The park will have the different ecoregions of Alabama, including the woodlands, the savanna, the prairies. We are really proud to make this part of the park, and I’m excited about the education we can do in science and environment and excited about fully extending our programs to everybody.”
Learn more about the East Side Park revitalization project at https://www.jeffcogreenways.org/support/east-side-park.