NEW BERLIN – Thursday afternoon, Chobani awarded $1 million in funding for community projects across their work sites in the United States as part of the Chobani Legacy Project. Of those funds, $250,000 was awarded to the Village of New Berlin for repairs and refurbishments to Hyde Park.

According to New Berlin Mayor Peter Lennon, refurbishing the park has been on the docket for a while but the funds were not yet appropriated for that purpose. The $250,000 from Chobani will serve as seed money for the new project.

In a press release about the program, Chobani Chief Impact Officer Nishant Roy said, “At Chobani, we’ve always believed that when you invest in people and community your business will thrive. But the Chobani Legacy Project allows us to take a different approach. With this program we specifically put the power in our employees because they don’t just work in these communities—they raise families here, coach teams here, and build their lives here. By putting decision-making in their hands, we’re creating permanent places where people can gather, belong, and thrive, and we’re excited for these four projects to make a deeper, lasting impact.”

New Berlin’s Hyde park is a 1.4-acre green space with a small gazebo, assorted playground equipment, and an asphalt-covered area with basketball hoops. According to the project proposal, the $250,000 grant money will be used to transform Hyde Park into a wellness and activity area for all ages.

Lennon said the work at Hyde Park will include three definite improvements. A committee will be created to look at the rest of the proposed concepts and make sure all the pieces fit together. The three definite improvements will be resurfacing the basketball court, upgrading and replacing the existing playground equipment and adding a drinking fountain to the park. Lennon said the village may look at using a multi-sport surface for the basketball court to allow pickleball and other games to be played in the area as well.

Lennon explained that there is currently a variety of playground equipment, but most is geared toward children eight years old and below. He said he would like to expand the playground equipment to include teens and adults by adding balance beams and obstacle course items that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.

“We want to transform the mission of the park to be a wellness area for the whole community,” Lennon said. “We want to create an environment for those who want to get out and be active.”

In addition, the proposed park project calls for improvements to the gazebo and seating areas for outdoor concerts. New Berlin hosts concerts at the gazebo in the summer as part of the summer music series. The New Berlin Cultural Center also uses the gazebo for youth activities throughout the year. Lennon said it would be great to see park bench seating or even stadium step seating on the slope of the hill leading to the basketball court.

We want the park to be more attractive for social activities, musical and cultural activities, as well as athletic opportunities,” Lennon said.

While some areas seem to have trouble with problematic behavior in municipal parks, Lennon believes New Berlin has gotten ahead of the issue by installing high resolution cameras. He hopes this project will improve lighting in the park to further combat the issue. “Part of the project is discussing if there is a need for additional security.” The proposed project also calls for the additional of paths to navigate the area and ensure ADA compliance. “We want everyone to be able to get out and enjoy the fresh air,” Lennon said.

The next step in the process is for a committee to start looking at the proposed ideas and determining their priorities. “The project will be put out to bid during the colder weather,” Lennon said. “We want shovels in the ground as early as we can.”

The Chobani Legacy Project also provided funds to communities in Twin Falls, Idaho, Muskegon, Michigan, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.