PARKS DIVISIONS Profile
The Parks Department is responsible for performing comprehensive maintenance at the District’s 138 parks (set to increase to 140 in 2025) and providing support to recreational programs. The Department is organized into four geographic maintenance divisions (North, Central, South, and Riverwalk), collectively overseeing an expansive area of approximately 40 square miles and managing more than 2,400 acres of parkland. These parks range from high-use, heavily programmed spaces, including the Riverwalk and sports complexes, to less labor-intensive areas such as greenways, preservation lands, and undeveloped parcels. To ensure efficient use of resources, the department employs a maintenance classification system to guide service levels based on park type and usage. Each park is assigned a mode matrix designation with the Riverwalk receiving the highest standard of care. Other parks are classified with a range of levels (Mode I through Mode V) to determine the frequency and intensity of scheduled maintenance activities throughout the year. In addition to these scheduled labor tasks, parks receive regular written and visual inspections. These inspections are coordinated with input provided through communication tools such as the 311 Parks Maintenance System and NPD Info email, enabling staff to quickly address immediate resident concerns. The District will be implementing new maintenance management software in 2025 to improve the management of operations across several departments including Parks.
In recent years, the Parks Department, in collaboration with the Planning Department, has adopted several maintenance strategies to improve sustainability and resource conservation. These initiatives include the Sustainable Parks Initiative, Park Meadow Project, Shoreline Stabilization, the Natural Area Maintenance Plan, and Pond, River, and Shoreline Improvement projects. Through these initiatives, along with frequent site inspections, the application of the mode matrix system, and continuous responsiveness to community expectations, the department can create an actionable, comprehensive annual work plan. The plan outlines staffing needs, material requirements, and the allocation of resources to meet maintenance objectives. The Parks department employs 40 full-time staff members, including: the Director of Parks, Park Operations Manager (3), Administrative Assistant (3), Park Specialist II (5), Park Specialist I (25), and Park Support (4). Approximately 50 part-time positions are employed throughout the year, including 16 Park Maintenance IV (twelve-month) and 12 Park Maintenance III (nine-month) crew members. This budget reflects a strategic shift, reallocating funding for several hard-to-fill part- time positions to other more desirable (benefit eligible, longer season) part-time positions or in some cases, full-time roles. Additional funding was requested to add a new Park Specialist I and a Park Maintenance III for the North and Central Parks divisions, respectively, in 2025.
While the transfer of short-term to regular wages has been successful in recruiting staff, it can result in an overall loss of total labor hours worked or a shift in seasons when the hours are realized. Following the success of this transition in 2023, each division will continue to utilize increases in their Miscellaneous Services accounts to hire contractors to address maintenance backlogs and provide support during peak activity periods. As the fiscal year concludes, unspent wages are often redirected to contractual services, helping to mitigate staffing shortages and maintain service levels. It is anticipated that this increased use of contractual labor will continue to be incorporated into upcoming yearly maintenance plans as an additional tool to complete routine responsibilities. Looking ahead, two new park sites, Polo Club Park (1.8 acres) and Fairlane Farms Park (6.2 acres), are scheduled for development in 2025, increasing the District’s total number of parks to 140. The Parks department also plans to continue its focus on maintaining and enhancing the District’s natural areas, including woodlands, prairies, meadows, greenways, shoreline buffers, and ponds. As special events, tournaments, and recreational programs continue to evolve, the demand for flexible staffing and support will grow, requiring ongoing adjustments in workforce planning and resource allocation. Accordingly, wage and supply budgets have been carefully modified for 2025 to ensure the department is well-prepared for these changes and upcoming park expansions.
2025 BUDGET 48
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