December 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 73

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landreau (at center in white shirt) prepares to cut the ribbon
to officially open Lemann Playground.

ground, along the greenway. On Sunday, September 24, to the strains of Cajun music accompanying a traditional
New Orleans second line, New Orleans
Mayor Mitch Landreau, NORD CEO
Victor Richards, NRPA President and
CEO Barbara Tulipane, along with several local elected officials, NRPA conference attendees and local community members either joined in second
line or gathered along the greenway
for the grand opening of the Lemann
Playground. " The beautiful recreation
area at Lafitte Greenway is a reminder
of why we are all so passionate about
parks, and will be a treasured gathering place for children and families for
many years to come, " says AnneMarie
Spencer, corporate vice president of
marketing for PlayCore.
Park amenities include outdoor basketball courts, LED high-mast field
lights, athletic fields (baseball, softball,
football, soccer) with bleachers, a lawn/
meadow area for events, festivals and
outdoor films, accessible walkways and
benches, play equipment for ages 2-12,
state-of-the-art fitness equipment and
bike racks. " We love that the Lafitte Greenway connects communities and gives
people a place to relax, play and travel, "
explains Bri Whitcraft, director of marketing for Dero.
" The Lafitte Greenway is bursting
with life, thanks to the investments of
NRPA and the city of New Orleans.
Today, there is something for everyone
on the Lafitte Greenway - from small
children to seniors, basketball players to
emerging musicians. This space brings
the community together, and this energy
will keep spreading out along the trail.
We are grateful to NRPA and the city of
New Orleans for the Parks Build Community project, " adds Sophie Harris
Vorhoff, executive director of Friends of
Lafitte Greenway.
This project would not have been possible without the generous support of
the Parks Build Community partners

and sponsors. " We are excited to partner with NRPA once again, this time to
contribute in the revitalization of Lafitte
Greenway. We strongly believe in the
role that parks and recreation plays in
building communities. Our lighting system will allow Lafitte Greenway to continue to promote night-time recreational activities, " says Jeff Rogers, Musco's
vice president of sales.
" The Lafitte Greenway is truly a great
transformation of space, and it will be
fun to see the amount of people it draws
to the space, " states Andrew Peterson,
recreation and field sports manager for
Gared. " We are play advocates, and
we are always thrilled to be involved
in the Parks Build Community project.
Converting a space that has little use,
to something that will attract people of
all ages is always an exciting project to
be involved with, and the impact on the
surrounding community is always positive and lasting. "
Being a Part of Something Bigger
" The core of our mission is to bring
Play That Moves You to all communities around the world and the Lafitte
Greenway project embodies that mis-

sion, " says Brian Johnson, chief marketing officer for BCI Burke. Providing
an interactive, fun space for children
to develop is an opportunity for us to
give back and engage in a community
in need of a gathering space for people
to play, socialize, exercise and get to
know each other. "
As with all Parks Build Community projects, the renovations and transformation are made possible through
the donation of materials, equipment,
manpower and funds from our NRPA
community. " Working with other manufacturers in our industry, we were able
to make a tangible difference in the lives
of many and create a destination park
that will serve the community for years
to come, " Johnson adds.
Plans are already underway for the
2018 Parks Build Community project,
called Sandorf Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Look for more details in upcoming editions of Parks & Recreation magazine or contact Gina Mullins-Cohen at
703.858.2184 or gcohen@nrpa.org for
more information.
Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a Freelance Writer
based in Las Vegas, Nevada (paula.jacoby.
ŐĂƌƌĞƩΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ).

W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 |

Parks & Recreation

December 2017 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2017 - Parks & Recreation