Media Contacts:
Terry Sanders, Special Projects Coordinator, City of Clarkston
470.244.5355, tsanders@cityofclarkston.com
Keith Barker, City Manager, City of Clarkston
404.296.6489, kbarker@cityofclarkston.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City of Clarkston Receives Grant Funding to Support Participation in 10-Minute Walk Campaign
Grant funding provided by the National Recreation and Park Association
Clarkston, GA – April 27, 2018 – As part of the 10-Minute Walk Campaign, the City of Clarkston was recently selected to receive $40,000 in grant funding from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The grant funding will be used to support city planning efforts that help increase access to high-quality parks within a 10-minute walk. Mayor Ted Terry is a proud participant of the 10-Minute Walk campaign, which is led by NRPA, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
One of 12 cities selected to receive this grant funding, Clarkston currently has 71% of people living within a 10-minute walk of a park. As a result, the city will look to increase that percentage by exploring the feasibility of providing a system of trails along Peachtree Creek that will expand and connect existing greenspace. The grant funding provided by NRPA will help strengthen these efforts and provide access to a variety of tools and resources, including TPL’s Park Serve® and Parkology and ULI’s Advisory Services.
“Clarkston is focused on creating a park system that can be a welcoming and compassionate environment for all residents and visitors wherein each open space can become a venue where individuals from all nations, religions, and races can congregate, said Mayor Terry.”
“At NRPA we believe everyone deserves a great park,” said Barbara Tulipane, NRPA president and CEO. “That’s why we’re proud to help lead this effort — providing cities with the tools and resources necessary to make the 10-minute walk goal a reality.”
Launched in 2017, the 10-Minute Walk campaign establishes the ambitious goal that everyone in the United States should live within a 10-minute walk (or half-mile) of a high-quality park or green space. A bipartisan group of nearly 200 mayors have joined this effort, which will require major advances in park finance and construction; zoning changes to encourage park development; embedding this goal into city park’s master plans; the expansion of “joint use” agreements that open school playgrounds, tracks, and gyms for public use after hours and on weekends; and other innovations.
Studies show that high-quality parks provide a wide range of benefits to urban residents and cities themselves. These include physical and mental health benefits, by providing opportunities to be physically active and to interact with nature; economic benefits by boosting business and helping to revitalize neighborhoods; community-building benefits by providing opportunities for neighbors to interact with each other and work together to improve their surroundings; and environmental benefits by cleaning and cooling the air, improving climate resilience, and providing opportunities for environmental education.
Major funding for the 10-Minute Walk campaign is provided by The JPB Foundation.
To learn more about the 10-Minute Walk campaign, visit www.10minutewalk.org.
To learn more about NRPA, visit www.nrpa.org.
About The National Recreation and Park Association
The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to parks and recreation for health, conservation and social equity. Through its network of 60,000 recreation and park professionals and advocates, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy and active lifestyles, conservation initiatives and equitable access to parks and public space. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org. For digital access to NRPA’s flagship publication, Parks & Recreation, visit www.parksandrecreation.org.