2023 In Review: Parks and Youth Services

The Bottom Line

52 events hosted
1.8 million visits to city parks
$9.5 million invested
$3.7 million in Federal grants and private donations
$2 million awarded through Youth Programming Grant Program

This year City of Toledo’s Department of Parks and Youth Services focused on programming, building accessible and inclusive playgrounds, and made significant improvements at Jermain and Schneider parks.

According to the Trust for Public Land, Toledo is one of the top cities in the country for providing access to public parkland in historically under-served communities. As a whole, the City Park System provides a park or greenspace within a 10-minute walk to 82% of its residents—well above the national average.

When measured against the 100 largest cities in the country, Toledo Parks rank #40 in terms of quality, access, and investment. This represents an eight-spot improvement over our rank in 2022.

Parks Visited (top 5)

Ottawa: 247,900
Scott: 222,000
Walbridge: 193,200
Prominade: 161,900
Navarre: 120,200

Despite the loss of access to several of our most popular parks due to our major renovation projects, our park visitation statistics are consistent with 2022.

New Events in 2023

Family Game Nights
Popsicles at the Pools
Roller Skating Parties
Nature Play

Project Highlights

Infrastucture Improvements

90 picnic tables
55 park benches
7 new grills installed
32 playgrounds mulched
105 swing set chains replaced
97 swing set seats replaced
24 illegal dumping sites cleaned
217 old tires removed
29 ballfields maintained
4 ballfields renovated
5 basketball rims replaced

Capital Investments

7 new inclusive and accessible playgrounds
6 new tennis courts
4 new pickleball courts
3 new public flush restrooms
Schneider Park Soccer Complex renovation
Jamie Farr Park shelter house renovation
Walbridge Park walking path and overlook renovation
Multi-purpose turf field at the Police Athletic League site

Division of Youth Services

247 youth attended Youth Be Heard listening sessions
40 foster grandparents and 25 additional supporters attended Parents Be Heard listening session
$2 million in youth programming grants awarded
36, 127 youth served with funding to 100 program providers