NEW ORLEANS – Today, Mayor LaToya Cantrell joined NORD and other officials to celebrate the opening of the $546,000 McCue Playground clubhouse in the St. Roch neighborhood, complete with new concessions, restrooms and other amenities.
“This is a special day when you consider that we are celebrating the improvements to one of our most vital NORD facilities, and one that looks nothing like it did even before Katrina, but also on a day when we’re celebrating the opening of NORD’s summer programming in sync with Phase Two of the City’s reopening,” said Mayor Cantrell. “We are continuing our commitment to rebuilding our infrastructure, both across NORD facilities and throughout District D.”
Construction of the new 1,000 square-foot building features a storage facility, concessions/food prep/food-warming area, refrigerator and ice maker, an office, and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms.
"Prior to 2005, McCue was a passive park, providing only green space, and play structures for recreation. Immediately after Katrina the park was converted into a FEMA trailer site used to house returning residents. After FEMA restored it, we began offering sports programs for the youth in the community,” said NORD CEO Larry Barabino, Jr. “Today’s ribbon cutting is a testimony to our city’s resiliency and commitment to improving community, recreation, and the future – our young people.”
Barabino also noted that the clubhouse will encourage healthy community engagement and ensure that McCue athletic teams will have a safe indoor space to actively run programming at the park site.
The project team include Linfield Hunter & Junius, Inc. (architect), Crescent Commercial Construction, and Jacob Roland (CPA).
Currently, McCue registers 200 youth and teens in athletic programming:
- Football – 100
- Basketball – 50
- Baseball – 40
- Track a& Field – 10
Phase 2 reopening for NORD includes:
- The start of summer youth and teen career camps – today, Monday, June 15, at sites across the city of New Orleans
- Reopening outdoor pools in July and expanding indoor aquatics programming;
- All indoor pools are now open by appointment only (visit nordc.org to schedule)
- Phased reopening of our rentals department
- Outdoor programming
- And reopening play structures, such as McCue
“We’re excited about what we’ve completed and what we have planned for capital improvements across NORD facilities and across District D,” said Vincent Smith, Director, Capital Projects Administration.
To date, Smith noted, the City’s investment in City facilities and parks in District D totals $50 million.
Completed projects in District D include:
- Hunters Field Phase III Addition – $1.8 million
- Harden Playground (New Restroom/Concessions Building) – $743,500
- Bunny Friend Restroom/Concession Building Renovations – $198,000
- Nora Navra Library – $3.8 million
- Joe Bartholomew Golf Course/Pontchartrain Park Walking Path – $630,438
Upcoming District D projects include:
- Desire/Florida Community Center – $6.5 million (breaks ground in Fall 2020)
- Perry Roehm Park Improvements – $500,000 (breaks ground in Fall 2020)
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