The National Recreation and Parks Association, in their “Parks and Recreation National Database Report,” holds that agencies have needed to invest more and more in to park lands to satisfy park attendees. This phenomenon is a result of long-term economic implications of the Great Recession, the rising cost of facilities maintenance and increased community expectations of park offerings. This reality makes it vitally important to invest time and money into upkeep for the recreation investments within the municipality.  The following is a list of resources that offer information on how best to handle your aging parks and recreation infrastructure.

• In a 2011 case study, ICMA reviews constructive partnerships for parks and recreation development. Read “Parks and Recreation Departments Partner with Local Organizations and Everyone Wins” here.
• Capitalize on your community’s desire to have the best facilities, and use their experiences in parks facilities as notifications for maintenance projects. Learn how you can in “San Francisco Park Scan.”
• If consulting for parks maintenance seems like the best fit for your community’s budget, a private service may be right for you. Read through “CA Park Privatization RFP” when you want more information on making the switch.
• Review “City of Clayton’s Pavement Maintenance Program and Micro-structuring Presentation” to see an example of necessary pieces of a maintenance plan.
• A key tool in sustaining the life of facilities is keeping them clean and free of litter. This press release from Keep America Beautiful highlights helpful ideas for keeping your facilities clean.

As you plan the summertime initiatives for your community, read through these resources, and search around the resources on the Parks and Recreation and Parks and Recreation Management topic pages.  Share your thoughts and stories of your community’s sustainable initiatives for facilities maintenance in the comments section below this post.

Aloha,

James Davidson

James Davidson is an intern for ICMA’s Knowledge Network. You can reach him for questions and comments at jdavidson@icma.org.