Lincoln Park Restoration Receives $750,000 from Department of Interior

The grant will help undeserved communities looking to plan, build, and enhance parks and other outdoor recreation facilities

DULUTH, Minn. – The U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service announced today that $750,000 was awarded to Minnesota through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program.

The City of Duluth will now receive these funds for the Lincoln Park Restoration.

The grant is part of $13.3 million, helping 22 cities in 17 states with projects looking to plan, build, and enhance parks and other outdoor recreation facilities in undeserved communities.

“Every kid deserves the opportunity to get outside and play. Whether it’s downtown Duluth or rural Wyoming, investing in public lands is an investment in communities. The [ORLP] program is an innovative public-private-partnership which revitalizes communities through improving infrastructure, creating jobs, and enhancing neighborhoods,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke. “It connects people to the great outdoors by encouraging and enabling a variety of recreational opportunities in undeserved communities.”

The Lincoln Park project is looking to upgrade and restore the park to make it safe and welcoming to all.

“It was also the location of one of Duluth’s first playgrounds,” said Lisa Luokkala, project coordinator with the City of Duluth Parks & Recreation department. “It’s very unique that we’re investing heavily in an accessible playground at this location that can be really destination worthy.

The grants must be matched at a minimum 1:1 ratio, at least doubling the impact of the federal investment in these communities.