City Parks

ARTICLE BY VANELIS RIVERA
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CITY OF MONROE

Of the 37 parks and green spaces, the city has delegated its efforts to enhance the functionality of its three largest parks: Charles Johnson Park, Chennault Park, and Forsythe Park. 

“Living in the South, outdoor space and outdoor recreation is such a part of who we are,” enthuses Kelsea McCrary. As Chief Economic and Cultural Development Officer for the City of Monroe, McCrary has her hands on several initiatives intended to transform Monroe into a more thriving and unified community. Part of Mayor Friday Ellis’ vision is to focus on how the community interacts with public spaces. “He’s just one citizen,” says McCrary, emphasizing that part of the Oneroe vision is to encourage community involvement, underscoring that public parks belong to the public. As part of the current administration, McCrary considers her team a steward of restoration. “The big focus of the administration has been trying to restore dignity to things that were built decades ago, but haven’t been maintained properly,” she says. Of the 37 parks and green spaces, the city has delegated its efforts to enhance the functionality of its three largest parks: Charles Johnson Park, Chennault Park, and Forsythe Park. According to McCrary, this ambitious master plan is not just about capital investment. It’s also about investing in the people of Northeast Louisiana. 

In 2022, the city of Monroe partnered with CARBO Landscape Architecture, a landscape architecture firm based in Baton Rouge specializing in environmental awareness and a place’s cultural identity. Furthermore, they are known for their work with native planting and creative stormwater mitigation, a necessary consideration in our neck of the woods. The first step in designing and planning park restoration was community and stakeholder engagement whereby CARBO pulled stories of the past intending to create visions of the future. “We extended invitations to anybody and everybody who actively interacts with the space,” said McCrary mentioning the Northeast Louisiana Soccer Association, NELA Community Tennis Organization, Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum, Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, ULM Fishing Team, and Biedenharn Museum & Gardens, among many others. Three goals were set to guide the parks’ improvements: organizing park elements, enhancing identity, and prioritizing programming. The community was invited to provide feedback regarding the vision for each park, which included voting on potential activities. As anticipated, the results for each park varied, as each maintains a unique location, layout, and amenities. Even then, most votes focused on prioritizing park activities, improving or adding gathering spaces, adding playgrounds and splash pads, and implementing path activities like biking and walking.

“What surprised me is how much more people utilize these parks than we already knew,” informs Mayor Ellis. During the early stages of community involvement, he witnessed the amount of engagement and utility occurring in public parks. “And by folks who were deeply connected to those parks in some way, either emotionally through memories as kids and as adults,” he adds. McCrary was also pleasantly surprised to learn how deeply embedded all the parks are in the community’s daily life. “I’m so thankful that we have so many people in our community that care about green space, and they care about trees and care about our planet,” she says. 

During the conceptualization process, accessibility was an indisputable priority, as well as a personal priority for Mayor Ellis. Currently, many city sidewalks are ADA-compliant (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990), meaning they contain accessible curb cuts. “No more sidewalks will go in without it,” says McCrary, mentioning the seven miles of ADA-compliant sidewalks being constructed throughout the city’s south side. Also, all three major parks contain picnic tables that meet ADA requirements, installed alongside new city-branded benches and trash cans. Play areas will also receive accessible equipment with components including platforms, ramps, and lifts. Another important factor in conceptualizing such remarkable developments is the weather. For McCrary, learning to live with consistent rainfall and heat is imperative, which also means reconceptualizing how we think about shade. “We’ve planted hundreds of trees with more to come,” she says, saying that the city has relied on its partnerships with LSU AgCenter and local gardening groups so flora can be responsibly situated.

For each park, elements of improvement include iconic play structures, charismatic architecture, and unique event spaces that fit each park’s identity as well as the rich cultural fabric of Monroe. At Charles Johnson Park, the smallest of the three, planned improvements take into account the surrounding community. Currently, the park features an expansive green space, playgrounds, and regularly used walking trails. New program elements include a fitness zone with accessible exercise equipment, more basketball courts, a yoga lawn, a pecan orchard, and two new children’s playgrounds. Bordered on one side by Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, an intentional connection to the zoo is in the works with a public access window between the park and the zoo’s café presently available. So, if you’re in the park, you can grab a snack or get lunch without paying zoo admission. A few glances around this park make it clear that the area’s cultural identity is being celebrated. A multicolored mural strikingly fills the concrete floor of the basketball court. Meanwhile, the much-anticipated children’s playground highlights Louisiana culture in the form of “The Gumbo Pot” playground featuring equipment resembling some of Louisiana’s signature foods. 

Forsythe Park is another neighborhood park adjacent to the historic Garden District neighborhood. Its 40 acres already include sweeping green spaces, towering trees, and panoramic views from the river. Its recreational amenities include walking paths, tennis courts, a golf course, soccer fields, a boat launch, and river access, all of which are part of the restoration and expansion of Forsythe’s existing amenities. For instance, the expansion of the tennis courts is already in the works. The boat ramp area has been completely redone and the parking lot restriped, upgrades sure to make the 3rd Annual ReaperFest and Ouachita River Run memorable come June 22nd. Even with the changes underway, planning outdoor activities have not been deterred. “Picnic in the Park has become a pretty big event for us,” mentions McCrary. She notes its potential growth once the Children’s Museum moves into the park in addition to the planned sculpture garden and the development of bike-centered activities. “We really want to bridge the gap between removing the stigma around biking and also making biking safer for our city,” she says, adding, “That’s part of what the Sixth Street experiment is about.” 

Covering a whopping 950 acres, Chennault Park is the largest of the three parks. “Chennault is a beast. It’s so big, and it’s going to be hard to tame that beast,” says McCrary. This mammoth space is home to the Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum, an 18-hole public golf course, the Northeast Louisiana Soccer Association complex, disc golf courses, ponds, tennis courts, playgrounds, and acres of forested areas and open lawns. Because this park is mostly sports-centered, attention is being given to providing fishing and kayaking access, establishing BMX competitions, and enhancing the golf course. “We’ve already hired a new golf pro who is doing amazing things at the golf course,” says McCrary. Thanks to input by CARBO, native plants will also be a point of display, particularly those that aid in water drainage like the Copper Iris, Spider Lily, and Southern Wood Fern.

Monroe City has been involved in a few firsts. For instance, the very first litter crew in the history of the city was established when Mayor Ellis took office. “That’s been really instrumental in keeping the parks clean,” says McCrary who considers first impressions key to keeping the community eager and involved. More recently, Mayor Ellis plans to keep reaching innovative firsts by implementing a comprehensive plan for paddleboarding and kayaking with the hope of becoming, “the paddleboard destination of the South.” This exciting venture—in collaboration with the city of West Monroe, Ouachita Parish, North Delta Regional Planning, and Discover Monroe West Monroe—would entail the establishment of kayak and paddleboard lockers placed at locations throughout the parish. Not only would these stations encourage the community to take a break from their indoor routines, but they harmonize with other parks in the area, drawing together activities that allow us to appreciate the natural beauty of our home and people.  

Making spaces intentional has been a driving force in the restoration endeavors for these parks. Ultimately, each park is meant to reinforce the cultural identity of Northeast Louisiana, further revealing the precious commodity we are being called to maintain and enjoy. So don’t be afraid to park hop! After all, each park has something nuanced to enjoy. Wherever you go, you’ll learn that gathering in a shared space is the touch of community that enhances our daily lives.