Greensboro Parks and Recreation 2023-24 Annual Report

2023-2024 has been a busy year for Greensboro Parks and Recreation! Our annual report reviews many initiatives our department has undertaken over the past year. Our work wouldn’t be possible without the City’s emphasis on being a “Hub of Entertainment and Recreation”, “Youth Sports Capital”, and “Safest City”, three areas identified by our City Council as priorities directly related to the facilities, programs, and services we provide. Our success is linked to strong support from our City Council, City Manager’s Office, and community. We share in these positive accomplishments and thank you for your support! This year, the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Commission and department leaders collaborated to develop and share awareness about deferred maintenance and capital needs. We identified $9 million in projects that need funding as soon as possible. The list of needs included in an unfunded capital improvement program is valued at $280 million and growing. Fortunately, through the advocacy of the Commission and support of the City Council, several parks and recreation projects will move forward thanks to an allocation of over $5 million. This includes replacement of the boardwalk at the Bog Garden, lake bulkhead repairs, support for implementation of the master plan at Gillespie Golf Course, and limited playground replacement. The department has engaged a consulting firm to develop a full lifecycle replacement plan for amenities, which will be used to inform future decisions about upkeep and replacement. This work will enable us to better plan for action and funding before features become unsafe or unusable. Greensboro Parks and Recreation celebrated several awards, recognitions, and milestones this year, including turning 90 years old! Other achievements include: • Serving a record high of 366 participants in the 2024 events, the Greater Greensboro Senior Games and Silver Arts program received the Peak of Greatness and Record Breaker awards from the NC Senior Games. • Now with 18 courts, the J. Spencer Love Tennis Center is the largest public clay court facility in North Carolina and among the 10 largest in the South. It

was a national winner of a US Tennis Association Outstanding Facility Award, which recognizes excellence in construction and renovation of tennis facilities. • $24.3 million in external funds have been committed to develop of the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex, an innovative new facility being developed collaboratively by the Greensboro Public Library and Parks and Recreation. Guilford County pledged $15 million toward the project. Cone Health has also committed $5 million to further advance health equity in East Greensboro. The City received a $4.3 million Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program grant for improvements to Nocho Park, which will be renovated through the completion of the Windsor Chavis Nocho Community Complex. Finally, I invite you to get involved in YOUR parks and recreation department. Participate in a program, visit a park, trail, or recreation facility, consider volunteer opportunities that we have available, or give to aligned organizations such as the Greensboro Parks Foundation, Greensboro Beautiful, or Greensboro Downtown Parks. Private funding is becoming increasingly relevant to how we can advance projects in the future. We are grateful to the Greensboro Parks Foundation, an aligned philanthropic partner for identifying Gillespie Golf Course, Mabel D. Smith Community Park, and summer camp access as priorities while continuing to receive contributions for a host of other causes. Greensboro Beautiful continues to enhance our four botanical gardens and support clean community and tree planting efforts. Greensboro Downtown Parks is redefining its focus on fundraising to benefit LeBauer and Center City Parks. Greensboro Parks and Recreation is only as successful these key partners are in advancing their support in alignment with our mission. I encourage you to consider giving to one today. The accomplishments over the last year would not have been possible without the support of City leadership and our community. Thank you!