Within one week’s time, the City of Monroe explained two important master plans that have the ability to substantially change the quality of life for citizens of Monroe and the surrounding area. These plans encompassed changes and updates to all 7 of Monroe’s Recreation Centers and all three of the city’s parks.
On Tuesday, June 6th, 2023, The City of Monroe hosted two meetings at Emily P. Robinson Recreation Center to unveil the Master Plan for the seven community centers. Representatives from Manning Architecture and the City of Monroe were on hand to discuss these plans. Lining the walls of the large meeting room were floor plans for each center with complete detailed site plans and renderings of the buildings and highlighted areas for each location.
The plans lay out what the city hopes to see implemented over the next 12-15 years. The plans call for updated countertops, appliances, parking lots, landscaping, lighting, restructuring of current ball fields, the addition of football and soccer fields, and several other projects, many of which can be completed in the short term. Citizens will see new pool furniture at the Liller Marbles and Henrietta Johnson in the very near future. Lighting and landscaping will fall into place soon, as well.
Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis said that these plans now give the city an avenue to use public dollars to get the projects going. But he continued on saying that the plans will now allow the city to speak with potential corporate sponsors for those private dollars which can expedite the process on some of the projects.
VISION PLAN: CITY OF MONROE COMMUNITY CENTERS
When discussing what was exciting about these plans, Ellis mentioned "It has been a great experience to draw from our community…this has all been based on YOUR (the community’s) input, and it has been wonderful.” He also explained that the overwhelming response from the city’s youth who had input was that they wanted to see new E-Sports gaming equipment at the centers. Ellis said that project is underway and those will game rooms will be appearing soon with the first installment happening at Emily P. Robinson Community Center.
Less than a week later, on Monday, June 12th, the city hosted two more sessions, this time to unveil the plans for the city’s parks. The meetings took place at 12:00 noon and 5:30 PM at Ascent located at 502 North 2nd Street in Monroe. Stakeholders and citizens were in attendance with plenty of excitement. Representatives from CARBO Landscape Architecture were also on-site with information about the renderings and concepts. All three parks feature widened walking trails, outdoor meeting spaces, and wetland areas. Each park has its own unique feel to it. Charles Johnson Park is set to feature a couple of Louisiana-based playgrounds including “The Gumbo Pot” playground featuring equipment that resembled Louisiana food while one of Forsythe Park’s playgrounds would be representative of the natural wildlife and butterflies and dragonflies and also be the site for Monroe’s dog park. Chennault Park would be home to several sports facilities to attract tournaments of different types to the area.
MONROE PARKS MASTER PLAN: CHARLES JOHNSON, CHENNAULT, AND FORSYTHE
This is wonderful news! Parks and community centers are very important for youth. They provide safe and accessible spaces for children and teenagers to socialize, play, and engage in physical activities. Parks and community centers can also offer a variety of programs and activities that promote healthy living, learning, and personal growth. These programs can include sports teams, after-school programs, summer camps, arts and crafts classes, and leadership development opportunities.
By providing these resources and opportunities, parks and community centers help foster a sense of belonging among youth. In fact, many area youths completed a survey letting city officials know what they hope will be included during the revitalization.
