Mayor Winnecke, City Council Leadership Propose Additional Parks Maintenance Staff

Mayor Winnecke, City Council Leadership Propose Additional Parks Maintenance Staff

Last week, Mayor Winnecke and City Council leadership agreed to add another Parks Department maintenance team to the 2023 budget proposal.

The Master Plan process identified the immediate need for more Parks Department maintenance staff.

The team will include three mowing crew positions and a truck driver position.

Focusing on Low-Income Populations and Communities of Color

During initial meetings, Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and the Master Plan Steering Committee identified the need to prioritize feedback and recommendations from low-income populations and communities of color that utilize neighborhood parks and recreation services.

The City hired James Mosley, owner of Envirokinetics Inc., to organize and execute a more robust effort to seek input from those communities.

“I am delighted and excited to be a part of this important project,” said Mosley. “My role will focus on taking a deep dive in soliciting input and feedback from low-income and minority community residents for inclusion into the plan.”

Outreach efforts will include engaging social clubs, African-American sororities and fraternities, faith-based communities, local minority-owned businesses, neighborhood associations and other community champions.

Department Leadership Park Tours

The Parks Department leadership team and Mayor Winnecke’s senior staff are in the process of visiting all City parks.

The team has been assessing and taking inventory of existing land, equipment, and other amenities.

“We’re expecting our Master Plan consultant to provide a broad assessment of our department,” said Deputy Mayor/interim Parks Director Steve Schaefer. “It’s essential that we have a ground-level understanding of what we’re doing right and what needs to be improved.”

FOOTNOTE:  Please check out our video (https://youtu.be/PeVONopfPJs)