Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) applauded the City of Santa Rosa for receiving a $2.9 million grant from the National Parks Service for the new Kawana Springs Park.
“Public parks promote a healthy lifestyle and provide our communities with a place to gather and enjoy the outdoors,” said Thompson. “Investing in our public parks will improve the quality of life for our communities, and the National Park Service’s grant will provide major amenities improvements and infrastructure to Santa Rosa. This grant for the incredible Kawana Springs Park project in Santa Rosa is well deserved and will help us build a bright future for our community.”
“The Land and Water Conservation Fund grant is an investment in our community as we look forward to creating a public space that embraces fun family activities while enjoying the surrounding natural features,” said Santa Rosa Mayor Natalie Rogers. “Kawana Springs Community Park is designed to offer a diverse mix of uses that serve as a model of resilience, ensuring public spaces our residents may enjoy for generations to come.”
“Kawana Springs Community Park is a wonderful addition to our City and preserves an important visual connection between Taylor Mountain Regional Park and our surrounding neighborhoods,” said Santa Rosa Councilmember Mark Stapp. “The grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund enables the City to design and construct this new recreation space for our community. The neighborhood’s vision will soon be reality, and we’ll have a fantastic new park for people to enjoy.”
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant will help Santa Rosa develop the new Kawana Springs Park, incorporating an existing walking trail into the design. The project will construct a fitness course along a loop trail, half basketball court, sand volleyball court, outdoor table tennis court, bicycle pump track, dog park, bathrooms, bocce court, open turf, gathering pavilion, picnic areas, children’s play area, parking, as well as landscaping and lighting throughout the park.
The LWCF State & Local Assistance Program provides matching grants for local and state park projects outside national park boundaries. LWCF grants are locally determined and competed at the state level through a process designed and managed by our state partners. These grants help build and protect a "seamless system of parks" from back-yard to back-country.
Since 1965, the National Park Service has provided more than 40,000 LWCF grants to states and local communities. LWCF funding is separate from NPS operational appropriations, and comes primarily from off-shore oil lease revenue through annual congressional appropriation.