Hurricane Katrina Updates
Over 150 years old, one mile wide and three miles long comprising a total of 1,300 acres, New Orleans City Park is one of the ten largest urban parks in the United States. It is located in the heart of the city and is the largest recreation area for the entire metropolitan area.
On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina dealt a devastating blow to New Orleans City Park.
- 90 percent of the park was under anywhere from one to eight feet of water. All water has subsequently receded.
- The saltwater that entered the park killed or damaged most all the grass including that on three golf courses and most of the tender vegetation (The Botanical Garden) with which it came in contact.
- The Park’s Administration Building was under four feet of water: archives lost, computers ruined and records soaked.
- Over 1,000 trees were toppled or extensively damaged.
- Sections of the Maintenance Building collapsed and virtually every vehicle and piece of equipment the Park owned were destroyed. That includes tractors, bucket trucks, end-loaders, bush hogs, golf carts, everything.
- Before the hurricane, City Park had 240 employees – a combination of full-time, part-time and seasonal. Given our inability to meet payroll, all but 23 employees have been laid off. Many employees who no longer have a job also lost their houses and all their belongings.
- Our initial estimate is that it will cost a minimum of $43 million to rebuild the park.
Financing
City Park is one of the 10 largest urban parks in the country and we believe we are correct when we say that we are The most entrepreneurial park in all of Parkdom. Our pre-Katrina budget was $10.8 million per year. We receive $200,000 from the state for operations. We receive nothing from the city for operations. (Both the City and the State have and presumably will continue to support the park with capital funds.) We raised the remaining $10.6 million ourselves via fees for services and fundraising. We are heavily dependent on the sun shining in order to obtain those fees (golf, tennis, the amusement park, catering, weddings, admissions) and needed to raise $30,000 each day to stay afloat (we have not completely lost our sense of humor!).
Brief History
Once the site of Allard Plantation facing Bayou St. John, City Park’s 1,300 acres offer visitors a sample of the city’s riches both in fine art and natural splendor. City Park is home of the New Orleans Museum of Art and the largest collection of mature live oaks in the world. Trees in the oldest grove are over 600 years old.
Today’s City Park is distinguished by its large menu of recreational activities as well as by its natural beauty. City Park has a special place in the hearts of generations of New Orleanians and is a must for visitors to the city. A popular place to picnic, play a favorite sport, wander through its gardens or take a boat ride, the park hosts 11 million visitors each year.
Attractions
City Park has dozens of attractions that touch the lives of nearly every Greater New Orleans resident including:
- The Amusement Park featuring one of the few remaining antique, carved wooden carousels in the country. The carousel is 100 years old in 2006.
- Storyland – A children’s fairy tale theme park features twenty-six larger than life storybook exhibits for kids to climb on, slide down or pretend to be their favorite character within.
- New Orleans Botanical Garden – The Botanical Garden is a lush 12-acre site set aside for the indulgence of man and nature.
- Celebration in the Oaks – A holiday light extravaganza that generates 13 percent of the park’s annual operating budget.
- New Orleans Museum of Art – The New Orleans Museum of Art is considered one of the finest museums in the South.
- Sidney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden – Opened in 2003, the Besthoff Sculpture garden features over 30 works of world-renowned sculptures in a beautifully landscaped area featuring mature live oak trees.
- Weddings & Catering – Venues within the park host hundreds of weddings and other functions throughout the year. The park is the largest non-hotel caterer in the City.
- Historic Structures – The Peristyle, Popp Bandstand, The Casino Building and Popp Fountain were constructed between 1907 and 1917.
- Bayou Oaks Golf Courses – The Park boasts three 18-hole golf courses, one of which was once home to the city’s PGA tournament.
- Bayou Oaks Driving Range – A 100-tee, double decker driving range. Softball and Soccer – The park more than a dozen softball and soccer fields.
- Stadiums – Tad Gormley Stadium seats 26,500 and was built by the Works Progress Administration. It was renovated for the 1992 US Olympic Track and Field Trials and in July of 2005, was home to the Jr. Olympics track and field competitions.
- Pan American Stadium, a 5,000 seat stadium is the home of many high school footballs games.
- Track – The 400-meter, international track was designed as a practice track for the 1992 US Olympic Track & Field Trails.
- Tennis – The City Park Tennis Center is one of the largest municipal tennis facilities in the South.
- Boating and Fishing – The Park features 11 miles of lagoons, lakes and Bayou’s stocked with a wide variety of fish including bass.
- Horse Stables – Equest Farms offers boarding for horses and equestrian lessons. The park also houses the stables for the Sheriff and his horses.
All the aforementioned except for the Sculpture Garden sustained major damage.
Governance
The City of New Orleans owns the land occupied by the park. Park employees are actually state employees. The park is a non-profit governed by a 35 member board, the New Orleans City Park Improvement Association. The board sets policies consistent with the Park’s mission of Preserving and improving park spaces for recreational, educational, cultural and beautification purposes.
Friends of City Park is a separate 501 (c) 3 nonprofit that has its own board and raises money to help support the park.
The park is also home to the New Orleans Botanical Garden, the only botanical garden in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans Botanical Garden Foundation, also a 501 (c) 3, raises money to support the Botanical Garden.
Contributions to any of the above entities are deductible as allowed by law.
What will Insurance Cover?
We are insured via the State and also carried business interruption insurance. To date the State has indicated that it does not have the funds to pay off insured damages. Even if the State does pay, we believe it will be pennies on the dollar.
What will FEMA do?
To date, FEMA has removed the vast majority of downed trees and limbs. FEMA’s mandate is to repair damaged facilities to their pre-Katrina status and they will pay 90 percent of those eligible costs. The park will be responsible for the remaining 10 percent. The word eligible in the first sentence is very important. The park and FEMA are not always in accord on what is “eligible.” FEMA has identified over 100 worksheets that will need to be developed for the park (e.g., the administration building, the catering complex, the Amusement Park, the golf clubhouse…) Each worksheet determines the amount of funds the park will receive for that particular building or area. Six months after the storm, FEMA had processed six worksheets and the park had received a whopping $6,500. Although we desperately need FEMA’s help, we also can’t wait and do nothing while suffering through what is a painfully slow response.
What has the park done in the last six months?
We have been working diligently to reopen facilities within the park, particularly facilities that help generate much needed operating revenue.
Highlights include:
- With the assistance of $1.1 million from The AZBY Fund, staff and volunteers renovated the Botanical Garden and hosted the walking tour of the Celebration in the Oaks. Over 50,000 people attended the Celebration.
- Tennis is open during the week.
- The Golf Driving Range, Storyland and the Botanical Garden all opened on Saturday, March 4th.
- The soccer fields along Marconi are open and available for rent for youth or high school use only.
- The Museum of Art has reopened as has the Equestrian Center.
- Our 1,300 acre park has been substantially cleaned and is ready for the public to enjoy.
- Well over 1,000 volunteers have invested tens of thousand of hours to help restore the park. They have picked up trash, removed limbs, painted fences, strung lights, potted plants, dug holes, entered data, you name it – they have done it!
As finances allow, we will open facilities such as the Amusement Park, Golf Courses, the Softball Quadraplex and Pan American and Tad Gormely Stadiums.
We continue to actively solicit support from the city, state and federal governments, foundations, other countries, associations, individuals and businesses.
Why does the Park need help now and how will the money be spent?
In order for the Park to rebuild, we will have to receive major federal assistance. We are confident that will happen, but we also know that the wheels of bureaucracy move slowly and that when the money does come, it will be down the road.
In the interim, there are certain facilities and sections of the park that can be put back in working order in relatively short order. Opening revenue generating facilities is our top priority. In order to do the aforementioned, we will need to purchase equipment and raise both operating and capital construction funds.
In closing, can you imagine New York City without Central Park? Neither can we nor can the residents of Greater New Orleans envision a rebuilt city without part of its soul, City Park, playing a central role. For that reason, New Orleans City Park will rebuild. It will not be easy nor will it happen overnight. For those of us entrusted to restore the park, we are humbled each and every day by the tremendous outpouring of love and support from throughout the country. We thank you for your support of the park and look forward to returning a crown jewel of the city to our citizens and visitors.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
For further information, please contact John Hopper at jhopper@nocp.org and visit our website: www.neworleanscitypark.com.
Photos of Hurricane Katrina Damage to New Orleans City Park
For additional photos of the damage and recovery, visit our Photo Gallery.
Administration Building Office
Botanical Garden
Pavilion of the Two Sisters
Tad Gormley Stadium and City Park Administration Building
View down Roosevelt Mall
One of over a thousand destroyed trees
Over 95% of the Park's vehicles and machinery were destroyed.
