NEW ORLEANS – Groundwork New Orleans and Healthy Community Services will open the Vision 2 Reality (V2R) Stormwater Management Park at 1541 N. Claiborne Avenue, transforming a flood-prone corridor into a resilient green space designed to absorb water, cool the neighborhood, and provide a safe place for residents to gather. The grand opening will take place on Sept. 30 at 10:00 a.m.
“The Green movement is a very new, emerging sector,” said Todd Reynolds, Executive Director of Groundwork New Orleans. “Groundwork New Orleans is youth development training through green infrastructure certification, through green infrastructure installations, through community outreach.”
Reynolds said the project reflects a broader shift toward green infrastructure in cities nationwide. Stormwater parks manage water by slowing it down, soaking it up, and turning flood risks into community resources. These spaces—often designed as rain gardens, bioswales, or full parks—not only reduce flooding but also restore ecosystems and provide gathering places for residents. Across the national Groundwork Network, underused land is being transformed into resilient green spaces that serve both environmental and social needs.
“I’m super proud of the work,” Reynolds said. “I’m proud of my guys more than anything else.”
V2R History
The park’s opening marks the culmination of a two-phase effort years in the making.
Phase 1 began in 2019, when Healthy Community Services (HCS) received a $60,000 grant from the Institute for Sustainable Communities to construct a bioswale on Claiborne Avenue, then known as the 7th Ward Priority Project. HCS contracted with Groundwork New Orleans to complete the green infrastructure facility, which was finished in 2020 with a stormwater capacity of 35,000 gallons per rain event. HCS holds a joint-use agreement with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for five years, with automatic renewal for another five years.
Phase 2 saw Groundwork New Orleans invest more than $400,000 to design and build the park’s public green space through grants from Groundwork USA, the Bezos Earth Fund, the Kresge Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and Parks and Parkways. During this phase, the project was officially named the Vision 2 Reality Stormwater Management Park. Groundwork New Orleans’ Ground CREW carried out 99% of the construction work, adding solar power so the site can function as a resilience hub during long-term grid outages.
Project Features
Together, these investments have created a public green space equipped with amenities that make the site both functional and welcoming:
- A 200-foot bioswale
- 65 new trees, including 13 fully mature specimens
- Shade structures with cooling fans
- Outdoor natural shaded seating areas
- Permeable walking paths
- Solar-powered charging stations
- A live cellular weather station
“These native plants with their roots help to absorb the water,” said Angela Chalk, Founder and Executive Director of Healthy Community Services. “What’s exciting to me is to watch when the ecosystem’s working and we find things that we did not plant that are there now.”
Environmental and Economic Benefits
Beyond its design, the park is expected to deliver measurable results each year:
- 305,000 gallons of stormwater absorbed
- 70 pounds of air pollution removed
- More than $76,000 in annual combined benefits from bioswales, trees, and pavement
- A return on investment of $5.62 for every $1 invested
“This street no longer floods anymore,” Reynolds said, referring to Claiborne Avenue. “It’s using nature-based solutions to capture stormwater and give our pump systems a break.”
Reynolds emphasized that the project is also about preparing residents for the future of green jobs. “We’re basically training folks to be able to be at the forefront of the Green movement and to be able to earn high-wage, real employment,” he said. “Not only training them, but helping them develop as young men and young women.”
Community Impact
Just as important as the measurable benefits are the social ones. The Vision 2 Reality Stormwater Park is intended as a place where residents can connect and find relief from heat while also reducing local flood risk.
“People have more power than they realize to be able to make these changes in our community,” said Chalk.
“Everyone needs help. And if you have the ability to help someone, help them,” said Reynolds.
The Vision 2 Reality Stormwater Park stands as both an environmental safeguard and a community investment, reflecting a model of resilience that other neighborhoods can look to as they face the challenges of flooding and extreme heat.
About Groundwork New Orleans
Groundwork New Orleans is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building sustainable communities through green infrastructure, environmental education, and workforce development. Since its founding in 2006, the organization has partnered with residents, schools, and local agencies to transform vacant and underused land into resilient green spaces that reduce flooding, improve air and water quality, and create healthier neighborhoods.
Central to its mission is the Ground CREW (Canal Restoration and Environmental Workforce) program, which provides hands-on training in green infrastructure installation, maintenance, and certification. Through this program, young people and community members gain the skills needed to access high-wage jobs in the growing green economy while directly contributing to the resilience of their neighborhoods.
By combining environmental restoration with workforce training and community engagement, Groundwork New Orleans is helping to build a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future for the city.
