The Department of the Interior announced that the City of Memphis and the Memphis Parks Department will receive more than $3 million to improve Gooch Park.
The grant comes from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, funded by the National Park Service.
Through ORLP, the National Park Service (NPS) will invest $254.68 million into 54 projects in 24 states to redevelop or create new local parks. Memphis is the only city in the state of Tennessee to receive funding.
Memphis Parks will use the money to improve Gooch Park’s walking trail, athletic field and lighting, playground, pool renovations, and erosion control. The improvements were based on community engagement efforts with residents, including the HUG Park Friends group.
“Quality, vibrant neighborhood parks make a city where people want to live, work, raise families, and call home. These investments into the lifeblood of Memphis Parks help us continue to be the center of our communities,” said Nick Walker, Memphis Parks Director, “we are so grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to begin this transformative project!”
Construction is expected to begin in the Spring of 2026.
The ORLP program advances President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative, a locally led, voluntary conservation and restoration effort to address the nature and climate crises, improve equitable access to the outdoors, and strengthen the economy. Providing safe outdoor spaces for communities that are park-deprived is one of six areas of focus. The program also helps advance the Administration’s Justice40 Initiative that aims to have 40 percent of the benefits of federal funding flow to disadvantaged communities.
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