HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-13 Parks Division ReportPark Report January 2013
Park and Cemetery crews succeeded in getting the ice rinks open
during the holiday break. Beall and Southside rinks were open in 9
days after we started construction and Bogert opened on January 4,
2013, though the rink has been skated hard while the rink was closed
for construction. To build 4 ice rinks in that amount of time, fighting
the weather through it all is unprecedented to my knowledge. Thanks
and kudos to the crews for the dedication and commitment to the
rinks, knowing the importance of getting them operational for the
public to enjoy during the holidays.
When not on the ice rinks, crews are busy with various responsibilities
which include garbage, restroom and dog station maintenance, table
repair, garbage rack construction, snow removal, building painting and
maintenance and computer work as time allows.
I have received numerous calls regarding Park Improvement Grants
and the interest in applying for the program. Obviously the word is out
and I am excited to see what projects are out there.
We are starting to see park reservations and/or events trickle in for
next spring, summer and fall. Over the course of a season, there are a
large number of events that have to be assessed, coordinated and
administratively handled between Parks, Recreation and Public Works.
We can expect in the neighborhood of 300 to 500 park reservations
between mid April and Mid October of any given year.
With the pressure we are getting from athletic groups to use city-
owned fields, we now are in our second year of potentially using HOA-
maintained fields as an option for User Groups that have nowhere else
to play. In addition, we are coordinating and communicating to all the
user groups the need to start sharing fields, especially when the
primary user group is not in need of the fields on a particular day or
can make accommodations that free up fields, outfield space, etc….
Growing Pains~
Lastly, we are starting a dialogue with the School District that is aimed
at addressing field space and potentially sharing resources with the
goal of each entity responsible for basically, “doing what they do best.”
An example might be…………. exchanging turf care recommendations
and/or procedures for programming space during the spring/summer.