2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

utilized the LeBauer Park, located across from the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, as one of the eight venues. With the success of the national festival, the City has continued the event as a statewide, admission free festival, funded by sponsorships, donations and fees paid by participating vendors. The City celebrated with the three-day North Carolina Folk Festival in 2018 and 2019 and was held virtually in 2020 due to the pandemic. The festival returned to an in-person event in 2021 and 2022. The eastern entrance to the City showcases the newest addition to Greensboro’s collection of beautiful parks and gardens, Gateway Gardens , another public/private venture which will ultimately spanning 11 acres. Phase I of the $8 million project has been completed and includes the main entrance and a 5,100 square-foot Visitor’s Center along with rain garden, pond, children’s garden and heritage garden with unique public artwork displayed throughout the park. Phase II will include a Japanese garden, wedding and special event garden and white oak forest. This project is funded with $2.5 million in City bond funds, $2 million in private contributions and a $500,000 grant. In 2020, the City’s Parks and Recreation Department received the National Gold Award for Excellence by the American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Parks Association. For the fourth time in the department’s history, the City received this award, the highest honor in the industry. The award recognizes organizations that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management, and innovative approaches to delivering outstanding parks and recreation services with fiscally sound business practices. This award was particularly meaningful at a time when the department worked passionately to develop and implement creative and impactful initiatives for citizen engagement through healthy, equitable and vibrant connections. Just a few examples include the Parks Passport program, Discover your Park scavenger hunt in minority-majority neighborhoods, and the Keeley Park expansion and replacement of the existing playground with Greensboro’s first inclusive playground – Up in the AIR (Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation) designed for all bodies and abilities. The new playground is one of many improvements at the park, which is now one of the largest in Greensboro. The department responded to the critical need for exceptional programs and cultural experiences to prioritize and ensure that outdoor spaces are continually accessible and equitable.

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