PARKS AND RECREATION
“ We try to stress to our staff on a regular basis that what they do is important for our community ,” he said . “ We provide quality-of-life services that make our community an attractive place to live , work and play .”
Said Rick Perruzzi , CSFM , CPRP , recreation manager of outdoor athletic facilities , South Portland ( Maine ) Department of Parks , Recreation & Waterfront , “ It is always our goal to provide the best level of service given our resources and staffing levels . We have set the bar high in regard to the services and overall experience for our user groups , which they have come to expect . I feel we have been able to keep the experience positive for all users of our facility .”
According to Jason Puopolo , CSFM , parks operations superintendent , City of West Sacramento , his city is very active with Park and Recreation Month .
“ We have it be a big part of what the city is ; we have an event ; the mayor makes a proclamation ; we try to do something with the theming ,” he said . “ I ’ ve grown to enjoy it and it gets the public involved . It shows there is a level of professionalism to what we do , and it helps younger people see that this is an actual career .”
“ Our parks are open to the public 15 hours a day , 365 days a year ,” he said . “ It becomes difficult to fit in all your maintenance practices and projects in without shutting down amenities to the public . The times we are able to shut down certain amenities / areas , there are many facets of outreach so we can target as many users as possible . Communication with the public is always key !”
Thedens echoed the challenges of maintaining a wide range of parks , fields , facilities and amenities , and also stressed the importance of proper communication .
“ Within the park system I maintain we have not only soccer fields but tennis courts , dog parks , disc golf courses , cross country courses , special events and recreational trails , just to name a few ,” said Thedens . “ Trying to provide the best service and products for this wide range of activities is probably the biggest challenge I face . Communication is the biggest key to approaching this challenge — communicating with the user groups and upper management , but also effectively communicating and educating the seasonal staff on the importance of what they do and how it matters to the community .”
PARKS AND REC CHALLENGES According to the CSFMs , some of the biggest challenges they face include hiring / staffing , funding , time management , and field / facility traffic and usage .”
“ As with any municipality , the issue of finding staff continues to be the biggest challenge ,” said Perruzzi . “ In regard to full-time staff , being in a unionized workplace , it is difficult to find employees with experience who might want to take a pay cut and start at the bottom . Recruitment is not an option in hiring full-time staff members .”
McNeal added that it is a challenge to hire quality staff members who want to be trained and work in their communities .
“ We market it as making a difference and impact in your backyard ,” said McNeal . “ We also share the trainings that we offer and how these grow the candidate . Parks and recreation is fun !”
Said Puopolo , “ We are always growing , and we always try to stay ahead of it in terms of staffing , but it ’ s the hardest pitch to make , because it is a reoccurring thing — especially in a union setting , because there are contracts in place . You would be surprised at what a staff member costs when you are not just looking at the hourly rate . That , by far , is the biggest challenge we have with regard to budgeting .”
According to Hamilton , park professionals have also had to become increasingly creative with timelines for maintaining and improving the quality of parks .
Photo provided by Rick Perruzzi CSFM , CPRP sportsfieldmanagementonline . com July 2023 | SportsField Management
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