initiatives
By Adrienne Joly, City of New Albany Administrative Services Director
Parks for Everyone City of New Albany’s parks system to see major growth
F
rom 55-plus miles of leisure trails to more than 2,000 acres of parks and green space, the City of New Albany offers plenty of recreational opportunities. If that’s not enough, even more recreational offerings are on the horizon! Some exciting plans are in the works, including upgrades to neighborhood parks and the creation of brandnew destination parks.
Neighborhood Parks
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Sumption Park
Woods, Lambton and Planters Grove. Once these projects are complete, all City-owned neighborhood pocket parks will have been updated, with all remaining pocket parks still being maintained by their respective subdivision’s homeowner association. Certainly, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy
is something staff members are actively monitoring as it could impact the City’s ability to upgrade the parks within this timeframe. However, City Council has prioritized these efforts as they recognize how important these spaces are to residents and their overall quality of life. While there is a lot to look forward with the neighborhood parks, the Parks www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com
Photos courtesy of City of New Albany
It first became apparent in 2019 that upgrading the City of New Albany’s parks network was important to the community. City staff received many park-related comments from residents while conducting outreach for Engage New Albany, the City’s five-year strategic plan. That feedback highlighted the need for New Albany’s existing public parks to be examined and studied for potential improvements. Throughout 2020, staff worked with residents and community groups, such as the New Albany Joint Parks District, to create a Parks Framework Plan. The Parks Framework Plan includes an assessment of the City’s current parks and equipment, analysis of the accessibility of the City’s parks and trail network, and recommendations for improvements for each neighborhood park. The recommended improvements include updating playground equipment, building accessible features so people of all abilities can use the playgrounds, and improving amenities such as seating and landscaping. These improvements began in 2021 with Sumption Park in The Links neighborhood. The City of New Albany partnered with The Links HOA to install new equipment, a shade structure, seating benches and a new accessible play surface. Five more neighborhood park upgrades are planned in 2022, including Byington, James River, North of
