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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The City of New Orleans was selected as one of six communities across the country to receive a $433,800 grant from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) to support the advancement of equitable park access.

The Mayor’s Office of Youth and Families and New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC) have been awarded this funding to support the creation of a citywide parks and recreation master plan – a strategy to build an equitable and resilient park and recreation system accessible to all New Orleanians.

The planning process will engage a wide array of community-based organizations and residents to gather feedback and create action strategies to advance our city’s goals.

AThe citywide parks and recreation master plan fulfills the commitment made by Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the four major park agencies – New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC), Parks and Parkways, Audubon Nature Institute, and City Park – as part of the 2019 parks and recreation millage proposal that passed with 76% voter approval. These agencies will be co-leaders in the planning process along with multiple City agencies including City Planning Commission, Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Engagement, and Office of Resilience.

“We are grateful for the support of NRPA and their commitment to our city’s park system,” said Mayor Cantrell. “Creating a citywide parks and recreation master plan will fulfill a core promise of the 2019 parks millage proposal that voters enthusiastically supported. This master plan will help us to create an equitable and resilient park system that is accessible to all our residents. We know how critical parks and recreation have been to our residents during the pandemic, and this grant will be vital to our city’s recovery efforts.” 

The Park Partners will host a virtual public meeting on July 21, 2021 from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. to discuss more about the parks master plan. Residents can register via Zoom by clicking here.

Funding for this work is provided by The JPB Foundation.