Toledo Reporter

The Bottom Line

52 events hosted1.8 million visits to city parks$9.5 million invested$3.7 million in Federal grants and private donations$2 million awarded through Youth Programming Grant Program

This year City of Toledo’s Department of Parks and Youth Services focused on programming, building accessible and inclusive playgrounds, and made significant improvements at Jermain and Schneider parks.According to the Trust for Public Land, Toledo is one of the top cities in the country for providing access to public parkland in historically under-served communities. As a whole, the City Park System provides a park or greenspace within a 10-minute walk to 82% of its residents—well above the national average.When measured against the 100 largest cities in the country, Toledo Parks rank #40 in terms of quality, access, and investment. This represents an eight-spot improvement over our rank in 2022.

Parks Visited (top 5)

1. Ottawa: 247,900
2. Scott: 222,000
3. Walbridge: 193,200
4. Prominade: 161,900
5. Navarre: 120,200

Despite the loss of access to several of our most popular parks due to our major renovation projects, our park visitation statistics are consistent with 2022.

New Events in 2023

1. Family Game Nights
2. Popsicles at the Pools
3. Roller Skating Parties
4. Nature Play

Project Highlights

Infrastucture Improvements

• 90 picnic tables
• 55 park benches
• 7 new grills installed
• 32 playgrounds mulched
• 105 swing set chains replaced
• 97 swing set seats replaced
• 24 illegal dumping sites cleaned
• 217 old tires removed
• 29 ballfields maintained
• 4 ballfields renovated
• 5 basketball rims replaced

Capital Investments

• 7 new inclusive and accessible playgrounds
• 6 new tennis courts
• 4 new pickleball courts
• 3 new public flush restrooms
• Schneider Park Soccer Complex renovation
• Jamie Farr Park shelter house renovation
• Walbridge Park walking path and overlook renovation
• Multi-purpose turf field at the Police Athletic League site

Division of Youth Services

• 247 youth attended Youth Be Heard listening sessions
• 40 foster grandparents and 25 additional supporters attended Parents Be Heard listening session
• $2 million in youth programming grants awarded
• 36, 127 youth served with funding to 100 program providers

Original source can be found here.