Greensboro Parks and Recreation Annual Report 2020-2021

2 0 2 1 GREENSBORO PARKS AND RECREATION Annual Report | 2020-2021

N O T E

F R O M N A S H A Director, Greensboro Parks and Recreation

2

they could deliver exceptional program and cultural experiences at a time when being in the same space with others was dangerous. We changed face-to-face classes to virtual formats, invented socially distant events, and developed completely new health and safety guidelines. We kept building, growing, and planning for the future. We developed a park scorecard that considers a wide range of equity factors – including household income, minority status, disability, environmental quality, education level, and language usage – to ensure we are making improvements in neighborhoods that need them most. And there was another ray of hope: We were awarded the 2020 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA). It served as a reminder that we were doing what was important, even when it was hard. Thank you to every parks and recreation team member who put in the hard work to selflessly serve our community, and to our elected and City leadership, community partners, and our residents for their constant support and appreciation for all that we do.

It was a year of reinvention.

For many of us in Parks and Recreation, 2020 2021 was a year of reflection and reinvention. The pandemic brought new challenges and obstacles for our community and our department. The calls for racial and social justice spurred us to reevaluate how we serve communities of color. An even brighter spotlight was cast upon the need for us to prioritize ensuring that the outdoors are more accessible and equitable. This season of change – and at times, uncertainty – changed us. Our green spaces became both recreational and social refuges. Our parks, trails and greenways, lakes, gardens, and Gillespie and Bryan Golf Courses all saw record-breaking visitation. People turned to these spaces like never before – for exercise, reflection, fresh air, or just to simply take a break from the stress of the world around us. We never shut down, and we never stopped serving our community. Our team quickly reimagined how

Nasha McCray Director, City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation

3

Our Leaders

Greensboro Parks and Recreation Leadership Team • Nasha McCray Director • Kobe Riley Deputy Director • Charles Jackson Community Recreation Services Division Manager • Ron McMillan Park Operations Division Manager • Shawna Tillery Planning & Project Development Division Manager • Greensboro Parks and Recreation Commission • Kim Alexander-Henderson Chair • Jeff Smith Vice Chair • Marsha Glazman • Emily Linden

• Blake Odum • Sue Henshall • Cheskesha Cunningham-Dockery

Greensboro City Council • Nancy Vaughan Mayor

• Yvonne Johnson Mayor Pro Tem • Marikay Abuzuaiter At Large • Michelle Kennedy At Large • Sharon Hightower District 1 • Goldie Wells District 2 • Justin Outling District 3 • Nancy Hoffmann District 4 • Tammi Thurm District 5

4

Thank you to our sponsors and partners who have supported Greensboro Parks and Recreationwithin the last year. To see a complete list, please visit our website at: www.greensboro-nc.gov/sponsor

5

By the Numbers

6

Gillespie Golf Course Visitation 32% 47%

Social Media Follower Growth

14% 11% INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

COURSE

RANGE

Hester Park Visitation

City Lakes Visitation

52%

16%

603,523 Garden Visitors 3,038,769 Regional Park Visitors

Keeley Park Visitation

75%

Virtual Events Provided

95

StaffCertifications andLicenses 150+

Total Yearsof Staff Experience 1,484

PiedmontDiscovery App Rating

21 for 21Winter Workout Challenge

4.5

10,549

TOTAL MILES

7

For the fourth time in the history of our department, we were awarded the 2020 National Gold Award for Excellence by the American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association. For this award, we compete against other parks and recreation departments from across the country. The Gold Medal for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management is the

WINNING Gold

8

highest honor in our industry. Winning organizations demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management, and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally sound business practices. “This has been a particularly challenging year, working to meet the needs of the community during the pandemic. Winning this award shows not only the impact we

have on the community but how much we are dedicated to this profession. It makes me proud to work with the Greensboro Parks and Recreation staff every day,” Parks and Recreation Director Nasha McCray said. Greensboro also received the honor in 2002, 1987, and 1979. This year, Greensboro was one of four finalists in the Class II (population 150,001-400,000) category along with Henderson, Nevada, Tampa, Florida, and Des Moines, Iowa.

9

Moments That Made Our Year

Uplifting Our Community The national despair over racial injustice underscored one of the most important things we do: Connect communities with a vibrant, healthy, and equitable park system. We do that every day – and this year we got a little help.

We started the $1.2 million Peeler Community Park renovation project. It will be funded by bond dollars and the first ever Land and Water Conservation Fund Outdoor Recreation Partnership. The $600,000 grant is meant to assist underserved and economically disadvantaged communities. We also introduced the Discover Your Park scavenger hunt in minority-majority neighborhoods. It was funded by a $1,500 NC Recreation and Park Association Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Grant. There’s more to do. Your Parks and Recreation Department is ready to do it.

10

Up in the AIR Greensboro Parks and Recreation opened the City’s first fully accessible playground Up in the AIR (Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation) in December 2020 at Keeley Park. Up in the AIR is among the largest playgrounds in Greens boro and the largest accessible playground in this part of North Carolina. It features six slides, five spinning elements, three zip lines, cargo nets, plenty of places to climb, and more. The playground is designed for all bodies, abilities, and ages. It has a merry-go-round and a tower you can roll into with a wheel chair. There is a bouncy toy with seats built in so it can be enjoyed by people who might have difficulty holding themselves upright. The squishy, colorful surface is a soft place to fall,

and a safe place to travel with walking aids. There is also a new handicapped parking lot directly adjacent to the playground. For parents and caregivers – there are beaucoup spots to park, sit, and enjoy the shade. Since the playground has opened park at tendance has more than doubled. This along with the other new amenities in the Keeley Park Phase II expansion are making it the newest spot to play in town!

FOOTGOLF Gillespie Golf Course

11

Enhance We’ve enhanced our existing assets.

GREENSBORO’S ARBOR DAY Fisher Park

12

Improved Facilities • Phase II of Keeley Park expansion renovated the community garden and sprayground deck, and replaced the existing playground with Greensboro’s first inclusive playground – Up in the AIR, and added an outdoor fitness area. • Renovated Simkins Indoor Sports Pavilion. • Barber Park Maintenance Building construction completed, providing better maintenance functionality for both the park and Gateway Gardens. • Gateway Gardens Event Center opened for rentals. Beautified Green Spaces • Garden staff planted more than 1,000 tree seedlings and thousands of donated plants and flower bulbs throughout the park system.

• Restored Country Park cement turtles and frog statuaries. • Increased park beautification efforts and made improvements throughout Hester Park. RevampedOutdoor Experiences • Launched Parks and Recreation Parks Passport. • Piedmont Fat Tire Society and trails staff expanded King Fisher Trail. • Piedmont Fat Tire Society secured donation of mobile mountain bike trailer and equipment. • Expanded pedal boat rental hours at Country Park to operate 7 days a week during summer 2021.

13

Expand We’ve created transformational programs.

Launched Innovative Programs • Greensboro Youth Council teens lead vent sessions to offer a safe space to socialize virtually, and provided game nights to offer a fun outlet for high schoolers. • Introduced new Esports league. • Introduced Whisk It Wednesdays, a virtual cooking program with Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation (AIR), and averaged 20 participants per week. • Launched footgolf program at Gillespie Golf Course. • Keeley Park held sold out youth mountain bike clinics.

• Caldcleugh Multicultural Arts Center became the Xperience @ Caldcleugh. New programs began summer 2021. Introduced Exciting Events • Created new COVID-safe special events: Sold out drive-in movies in collaboration with the Greensboro Coliseum and Greensboro Downtown Parks Inc., the Frost Toss Cornhole Tournament at Keeley Park, and Chalk Walk at the Greensboro Arboretum. • Hosted the first kickball tournament with 16 teams and more than 250 participants.

Continued on Pg. 14

14

TAKE A CHILD OUTSIDE WEEK Hester Park

15

Expand We’ve created transformational programs.

ADULT RECESS Barber Park

16

• Pet parents and 122 doggos attended the Dog Egg Hunt. • Youth Services hosted Take a Child Outside Week. Transitioned to COVID-safe Activities • Active adult activities switched to Zoom due to the pandemic. Hosted more than 5,500 people for 15 exercise and five arts and craft classes. • Lindley Boxing Club offered free online boxing workouts. More than 140 people attended the weekly sessions. • Offered new virtual programs for children, including a pumpkin carving, cake decorating and gingerbread house contests, and a youth fishing tournament. • Introduced Summer Stay Camp Kits as an at home activity alternative to camp. Delivered 80 per week. • Windsor Recreation Center and Community Garden staff partnered to offer virtual gardening classes. • The popular Kids Night Out program became Kids Night In during the pandemic, averaging 15 participants per week.

17

Connect We’ve partnered to uplift the community.

Supported Children • Windsor Center partnered with I Am A Queen to host a 2020 School Supply Drive, providing supplies and book bags for more than 800 individuals. The centers also worked with local businesses and clubs to offer a COVID-safe trunk or treat. • Youth Services established new partnerships with Ready for School, Ready for Life and the local homeschool network to provide the Littles Link Up program. It also worked with the Water Resources Department to create the environmental education program Stream Splashers. • Warnersville and Windsor Recreation Centers connected with the community through Action

Greensboro’s Wheels on Greenway event. Donated bikes were provided to youth to ride the Downtown Greenway. Met Community Needs • City Lakes held a community rabies clinic in cooperation with Guilford County. • Lewis Recreation hosted two America Red Cross blood drives at critical need times during the pandemic. • AIR hosted an adaptive bike demo during Wheels on the Greenway. • Established Discover Greensboro Digest e-newsletter to promote department programs and events. It had an average open rate of 27 percent, 6 points higher than the national average.

Continued on Pg. 19

18

MS. SHELLI’S ADVENTURES Littles LinkUp

19

Connect We’ve partnered to uplift the community.

WOMEN’S CLUB Keeley Park Community Garden

20

Worked Together for a Better City • Friends Homes Inc. donated six-and-a-half acres of open space to connect the Bicentennial Greenway to the retirement community’s campus and Friendly Avenue. • Developed and grew partnerships between the City of Greensboro, Greensboro Science Center, and Battle of Guilford Courthouse National Military Park to market the Battleground Parks District. • Hosted Greensboro Chamber of Commerce Intracity Visit for 100 business leaders and dignitaries at the newly opened Gateway Gardens Event Center. • Girl Scouts built two canine activity stations at the Country Park dog park. Presented Exceptional Events • Greensboro Sportsplex partnered with the USA Pickleball Association to host a regionally recognized tournament with 58 participants. • Keeley Park hosted two disc golf tournaments. • Garden staff partnered with Greensboro Beautiful to create virtual garden events, including musical entertainment, informational speakers, and links to local artists were provided.

21

Here We Grow We’ve completed projects throughout the community.

UP IN THE AIR PLAYGROUND Keeley Park

22

Key Accomplishments • Completion of Keeley Park Phase II • Grand Re-opening of Trotter Active Adult Center • Completion of the Hester Park Athletic Fields • Completion and Dedication of the Ken Free Basketball Court at Barber Park • Completion of the Barber Park Maintenance Building • Completion of the Gateway Gardens Event Center • Expansion of King Fisher Trail

• Glenwood Park Ballfield Lighting Upgrades and Parking Lot Expansion • Lake Daniel Greenway Bridge Replacements • Participatory Budget Enhancements: 1. Lindley Park Playground Additions

2. Installation of the Hester Park Outdoor Fitness and Ninja Warrior Course 3. Completion of the Westbury Park Walking Loop and New Play Amenities

23