Big changes are coming to New Orleans’ City Park. Thanks to state funding and a $2 million gift from the Samuel Barton Stewart III Memorial Foundation, major renovations are underway that will reshape the iconic park area over the next couple of years. City Park Conservancy CEO Rebecca Dietz says there’s a thorough and wide-ranging plan to make the park a destination for many years into the future.
Dietz says there will be immediately noticeable changes like sidewalk repairs and new drinking fountains, but bigger renovations are also underway. The former greenhouse that has been dormant since Hurricane Katrina will be repurposed into an educational and gathering space. Tad Gormley Stadium will also be getting new turf and Pan American Stadium is getting new locker rooms in an effort to keep those stadiums vital moving forward. Dietz did emphasize that City Park hopes to highlight the abundant natural spaces to the public as well.
“There will be a new trail connection along with a deck and bridges along Little Lake to make it a changed experience in that area of the park,” noted the City Park Conservancy CEO. “One thing that’s really important that we’re really going to focus on in the next few years as part of this master plan is cleaning out the lagoons and lakes and getting people back on the water in the park. The lagoon structure in the park was hand-dug by workers in the 1930’s with the whole concept being water recreation. We really want to get people back on the water in canoes, kayaks, paddleboards. That’s a big effort we’ll be undertaking in the next few years,” she went on to say.
Dietz points out that the park’s calendar remains full despite the big changes in the works and she hopes that visitors will remain patient as these upgrades take shape. Jazz Fest is just around the corner, the 75th Big Bass Rodeo is on March 28th, LIV Golf Tour will be coming to City Park June 25-28th, and every weekend, there’s an art market and a farmer’s market that are always well-attended. “City Park really comes alive in the spring. Even if you just want to walk along the trails, enjoy the beautiful live oaks, see some of our bridges, and enjoy some beignets, there’s always something to do in City Park,” says Dietz.