The city of Atlanta has been selected by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis to receive a $280,000 federal grant to assist in constructing and enhancing parks and other outdoor recreation facilities. The grants, part of a new competitive grant program called the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, are funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The grant will allow the city, The Trust for Public Land and the Emerald Corridor Foundation to collaborate with the community to create a new 9.2-acre community park adjacent to Proctor Creek in northwestern Atlanta. Among other features to be determined, the planned park will include installing a 1,400-foot pedestrian and bike trail that will also provide the access to the park; three new adult fitness stations and three children’s play stations; benches; and unstructured spaces for picnicking and play. The city of Atlanta, along with funding partners, will continue conversations with the community to determine final features and design of the park.
Congress created the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, administered by the National Park Service, to complement the agency’s existing Land and Water Conservation Fund State and Local Assistance Program. The new program seeks to identify and highlight new ways of providing opportunities for expanding outdoor play in areas with great need, as well as promoting the development of new or enhanced partnerships for outdoor recreation in urban communities across the nation.
Seven other cities were awarded funding: Mobile, Ala.; Denver; Bridgeport, Conn.; Detroit; Minneapolis; Portland, Ore.; and Madison, Wis.
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