November 2009 - Parks & Recreation - 52

N R PA I n A c t i o n

2009 Urban Park Summit

n Sept. 22, 2009, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) assembled a
group of roughly 75 Congressional leaders, cabinet members, administration officials, mayors and urban park directors for
the association's Urban Park Summit in
Washington, D.C. The landmark summit
provided an opportunity for mayors and
park directors to sit side side-by-side with
high-level members of the U.S. government to address-through frank and open
exchanges-essential needs and emerging
opportunities for urban parks in America.
Speakers and panelists highlighting the
summit included: Ken Salazar, Secretary of
the Interior; Ron Sims, deputy secretary,
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development; John Porcari, deputy secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation;
Sergio Rojas, executive director, President's
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports;
David Agnew, chief, White House Office
of Intergovernmental Affairs; and, Adolfo
Carrion, director, White House Office of
Urban Policy.
While the morning dealt with issues and
trends in urban parks policy and achieving
alignment among federal officials, the afternoon sessions focused on building support
for parks in the White House's new urban
policy plans, while helping to secure Congressional and White House support for
urban parks legislation. Rep. Albio Sires
of New Jersey's 13th District presented
a then-draft of the Urban Revitalization
and Livable Communities Act (H.R. 3734),
which was formally presented to Congress
on Oct. 7. The act, if passed, would provide
federal assistance grants (which must be
matched with local funds) to rehabilitate
and develop urban parks and community recreational infrastructure, and for the
continued investment in programs that
address national issues such as juvenile
delinquency and at-risk youth.
During the summit, it became apparent that for the first time in more than 30
50 Parks & Recreation

November 2009

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
addresses parks and recreation
directors during his keynote speech at
the 2009 Urban Park Summit.

years, disparate federal agencies were finally aligning on urban policy, for which
all agreed parks must play a key role. " Park
directors can expect a place at the table
when the White House crafts its policy on
urban affairs, " Carrion added.
Rep. Sires, a former mayor of West New
York, N.J., described the good things that
happened in his district when parks got
much needed funding and attention. " Once
you fix the urban parks, people will come, "
Sires told the Summit.
Now that he's in Congress, Sires wants
to continue with this line of thinking. " I'm
here to tell you I need your help, " Sires told
the Summit. " You have the network. Talk
to your members. "
Barbara Tulipane, CEO of NRPA, agreed,
saying the association would devote its energies and resources to capitalize on the
momentum created at the summit. " It's now
incumbent upon us all to make sure Congress knows that parks and recreation are
integral in making America's urban communities vibrant and healthy. "
R

Rep. Albio Sires (center) with NRPA Board of Trustees President Jodie H. Adams
(left) and NRPA Board of Trustees Chair Lois G. Finkelman (right)

w w w. NRPA .ORG

November 2009 - Parks & Recreation

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