National Park Service bolsters recreation project in Kansas City…

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 1, 2024 - Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri, will receive $4.25 million in grant funding from the National Park Service through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program to substantially renovate and improve the northwest area of the park.

This project is part of the $46.7 million investment through the ORLP program, which devotes millions of dollars for locally led projects to create new city parks and rehabilitate existing outdoor spaces, all driven by the needs and vision of local communities.

"This fund helps provide access to nature and parks for everyone," said Dru Buntin, director of Missouri Department of Natural Resources. "Through this program, millions of dollars have been used to create new parks or rehab existing outdoor spaces, providing outdoor recreation opportunities where little or none currently exists."

The $4.25 million proposed improvements to Swope Park will target approximately 215 acres of the total 1805-acre park. Among the improvements include a new neighborhood connection trail, a 10,000-square-foot destination playground, renovations to five shelters and a bandstand, and pedestrian and bicycle interventions along access roads. The neighborhood trail will connect surround neighborhoods to interpretive areas, footpaths, natural settings, and other features of Swope Park, including the existing trail system that links to other park amenities (including the Kansas City Zoo, a community center, and the Starlight Theatre), where no such connection currently exists.

"We're excited to learn that the destination playground will replace two small, obsolete play structures with a large, inclusive playground space for children of all ages and abilities," David Kelly, director of Missouri State Parks, said. "This is an area where these types of structures are limited and inclusive play spaces like this are nonexistent, so it's exciting to see these included in the design."

Renovations will be done to five shelters that have been significantly damaged. These will provide shade and picnic spaces, while bandstand upgrades will expand public areas and cultural offerings accessible to the public. Pedestrian improvements, including narrower driving lanes, designated on-street parking, a trail, and a bike lane will minimize speeding, street racing and side shows, with significant safety benefits to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The ORLP program was established in 2014 and is funded through the LWCF, enabling urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks and form opportunities for all, especially youth, to connect or reconnect with the outdoors. Priority is given to projects that engage and empower youth in underserved communities; provide opportunities for employment or job training; involve and expand public-private partnerships; and rely on a high degree of coordination among all levels of government, to expand and improve recreation opportunities for all.

Since its inception in 1965, the LWCF State and Local Assistance Program has funded more than 46,000 projects in every county in the country. In 2020, Congress permanently funded the LWCF at $900 million per year with wide bipartisan support.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.