Remarks to BOCC - January 19, 2022

Good morning Commissioners and Manager Diorio,

Thank you again for your time last night and for allowing us to speak about our interest in expanding the greenway budget for FY23 and beyond. Partners for Parks is committed to improving and expanding the greenway and public space network in Mecklenburg County and your continued support of that work is vital to that success, and greatly appreciated.

Please see below for my/Partners for Parks’ statement from the budget hearing – we hope that you will consider our request.

January 19, 2022

Good evening Commissioners, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Emily Condon and I am representing Partners for Parks.

In case you don’t know of us, Partners for Parks is an all-volunteer non-profit advocacy organization. For 26 years, we have focused on improving the quality of life in Mecklenburg County and the surrounding region by preserving, promoting and enhancing parks, greenways, open spaces, play, and recreational opportunities for all. Partners for Parks would like to commend the Commissioners for their continued support of greenways and public spaces the past 4 years and echo the praise made by the folks that spoke before me. We are here tonight to ask you to increase funding to further support the progress Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation has already been able to make creating more equitable access to public open spaces for all of our residents.

Having access to parks and greenways increases our community’s health in so many ways – those who have access and are able to safely and easily walk or bike to a park or greenway are more likely to have better physical, emotional and mental health, have safer and more vibrant neighborhoods, feel a stronger connection to their community and have more opportunities for economic and upward social mobility. Parks and greenways are not an amenity, but a critical part of our public infrastructure that everyone should have equal access to – just like our grey infrastructure – the roads, the utilities, etc.

But we know not all communities in Mecklenburg County have the same level of access to this infrastructure.

While both parks and greenways are critical pieces, greenways provide the added benefit of being long and linear, touching more people as well as more properties and can therefore have the largest impact on the economic, transportation, and social benefits than any other type of open space – mainly because they can provide closer proximity to more people.

We know that there are challenges in acquiring land, permitting, and building greenways. It is a very complex and challenging process and we commend the County staff for all they do, and they need more tools at their disposal so they can continue to meet the increasing mileage that has been requested by the community and provide more access to public open space to all of our residents in a faster time frame.

Tonight, we are asking for your support to increase the funding in the budget to help bring Mecklenburg County up to where it should be in terms of critical greenway infrastructure and equitable access for all of our residents. This concludes my remarks. Thank you for your time.