Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. this evening announced a massive $4,900,000 federal award to revitalize Westside Park in Paterson. The support comes from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP). 

“I am delighted tonight to announce the awarding of nearly $5 million to our great city,” said Congressman Pascrell. “The revitalization of Westside Park will offer new tennis and basketball courts, a multipurpose athletic complex, an expanded path system, and a raft of new public spaces that will transform opportunities for this and the next generation of our young men and women. Safe, clean spaces are the foundation of any society. Government works best when it uses resources to make daily lives better. Here it is happening for our great city. I look forward to celebrating with our city in the park soon!”

The ORLP program, funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, provides grants to communities for locally led park projects in underserved communities, particularly in economically disadvantaged communities with little to no access to outdoor recreation opportunities. These funds can be used for the acquisition and/or development of, or to substantially renovate public parks and other outdoor recreation spaces. 

“I’ve seen firsthand the benefits that come with connecting with nature. Access to the outdoors provides children and families opportunities to learn about our world, live healthier lives and recreate,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “Through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, the Department of the Interior is making historic investments in communities across America to ensure that someone’s background or zip is not a barrier to the benefits of green spaces.” 

“Every community should have access to outdoor recreation and community parks,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “The National Park Service is honored with protecting parks big and small, near and far including by helping invest in locally led close to home recreation and park spaces.”

Providing safe outdoor spaces for communities that are park-deprived is one of six areas of focus. The ORLP program also helps advance the Biden administration's Justice 40 initiative which aims to have 40 percent of the benefits of federal funding flow to disadvantaged communities. Managed by the NPS and funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the nationally competitive program provides matching grants (up to 50% of total project costs) to assist economically disadvantaged communities with limited access to community parks.

A longtime champion of the National Park Service, last year Rep. Pascrell led 145 of his colleagues in a letter urging robust funding for the National Park Service.