"Closing the Gap: Insider Insights for Park Funding" Looks at Neighborhood Park Funding

Via an October 6 Minneapolis Park and Rec Board e-newsletter:

   (L to R) Panel moderator Linda Mack, New York City Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Liam Kavanagh, Portland Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Warren Jimenez, Former Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Director Joe Wynns and Seattle Parks Foundation Executive Director Thatcher Bailey

How did other cities address neighborhood park funding shortfalls?

Park advocates from across the country share their experiences

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) staff hosted more than 30 public meetings throughout Minneapolis this summer to discuss how insufficient funding has impacted its highly-used, aging network of neighborhood parks.

While MPRB processes feedback received from the community, four distinguished park and recreation advocates from large urban park agencies across the country were invited to Minneapolis on September 29 to share how their cities tackled similar funding challenges.
 
“Closing the Gap: Insider Insights for Park Funding” featured representatives from Indianapolis, New York City, Portland and Seattle participating in a 90-minute panel discussion on creative park funding strategies, followed by a question and answer session with the audience. Each city’s park agency deals with its own unique challenges, complicated by vastly different methods of governance, but common themes still emerged.

For a full recap of the fascinating discussion please see the full news release.