§ 2503. Definitions

When used in this chapter the term—

(a) “recreational areas and facilities” means indoor or outdoor parks, buildings, sites, or other facilities which are dedicated to recreation purposes and administered by public or private nonprofit agencies to serve the recreation needs of community residents. Emphasis shall be on public facilities readily accessible to residential neighborhoods, including multiple-use community centers which have recreation as one of their primary purposes, but excluding major sports arenas, exhibition areas, and conference halls used primarily for commercial sports, spectator, or display activities;

(b) “rehabilitation grants” means matching capital grants to local governments for the purpose of rebuilding, remodeling, expanding, or developing existing outdoor or indoor recreation areas and facilities, including improvements in park landscapes, buildings, and support facilities, but excluding routine maintenance and upkeep activities;

(c) “innovation grants” means matching grants to local governments to cover costs of personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies, or services designed to demonstrate innovative and cost-effective ways to augment park and recreation opportunities at the neighborhood level and to address common problems related to facility operations and improved delivery of recreation service, and which shall exclude routine operation and maintenance activities;

(d) “at-risk youth recreation grants” means—

(1) rehabilitation grants,

(2) innovation grants, or

(3) matching grants for continuing program support for programs of demonstrated value or success in providing constructive alternatives to youth at risk for engaging in criminal behavior, including grants for operating, or coordinating recreation programs and services;

in neighborhoods and communities with a high prevalence of crime, particularly violent crime or crime committed by youthful offenders; in addition to the purposes specified in subsection (b) of this section, rehabilitation grants referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection may be used for the provision of lighting, emergency phones or other capital improvements which will improve the security of urban parks;

(e) “recovery action program grants” means matching grants to local governments for development of local park and recreation recovery action programs to meet the requirements of this chapter. Such grants will be for resource and needs assessment, coordination, citizen involvement and planning, and program development activities to encourage public definition of goals, and develop priorities and strategies for overall recreation system recovery;

(f) “maintenance” means all commonly accepted practices necessary to keep recreation areas and facilities operating in a state of good repair and to protect them from deterioration resulting from normal wear and tear;

(g) “general purpose local government” means any city, county, town, township, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State, including the District of Columbia, and insular areas;

(h) “special purpose local government” means any local or regional special district, public-purpose corporation or other limited political subdivision of a State, including but not limited to park authorities; park, conservation, water or sanitary districts; and school districts;

(i) “private, nonprofit agency” means a community-based, non-profit organization, corporation, or association organized for purposes of providing recreational, conservation, and educational services directly to urban residents on either a neighborhood or communitywide basis through voluntary donations, voluntary labor, or public or private grants;

(j) “State” means any State of the United States or any instrumentality of a State approved by the Governor; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and insular areas; and

(k) “insular areas” means Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

(Pub. L. 95–625, title X, § 1004, Nov. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 3539; Pub. L. 103–322, title III, § 31502, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1888.)

Amendments

Amendments

1994—Subsecs. (d) to (k). Pub. L. 103–322 added subsec. (d) and redesignated former subsecs. (d) to (j) as (e) to (k), respectively.

Miscellaneous

“Secretary” Defined

Pub. L. 95–625, § 2, Nov. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 3470, provided that: “As used in this Act [see Short Title of 1978 Amendment note set out under section 1 of this title], except as otherwise specifically provided, the term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of the Interior.”