Maintains and manages city parks, pools and lake facility, and two municipal golf courses; landscaping on public rights of way; maintains small equipment and power tools; removes graffiti from park facilities and public rights-of-way; installs and removes city holiday decorations; provides oversight to golf professional services; manages and coordinates revenue-producing programs.

Almost 1,000 acres are under the jurisdiction of the Board of Park Commissioners.  The care and culture of the trees is conducted on a yearly basis, with emergency tree work being done at any time of the day or night as required.  Pruning and thinning, fertilizing, cavity repair, brush control, removal of dead and undesirable trees, and spraying of trees with fungicides and insecticides for disease and insect control are all part of the program.

Permits

New permitting forms for Facility, Equipment and Use of Parks can now be found online.  The permitting process for athletic fields remains the same.  Please select the proper form for your event and follow the instructions within the application.

PAL Park Corps

Over the summer of 2012, Mayor O'Leary developed a summer youth corps that worked with Park Department staff to systematically address routine maintenance issues throughout the city's park system. 

The PAL Park Corps was made up of participants in PAL's Summer Youth Employment Program and was realized through a partnership with the Northwest Regional Investment Board.  The group spent the summer assisting Park Dept. staff with the maintenance and clean-up of several parks.  This initiative was part of Mayor O'Leary's broader campaign to improve the condition of city parks. 

• Adopt-a-Spot Application
• PDF of City Parks
• Board of Park Commissioners
• Parks Interactive Map