The Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for beautifying, operating and maintaining Park and Recreation assets (parks, trails, community recreation centers and community pools) as well as implementing year-round recreation programs for all ages and caring for our natural resource areas. The Department is also responsible for horticulture and park maintenance. The Department provides support for community gardens, dog parks and Youth Employment in Parks (YEP). Additionally, one of the most important and exciting jobs for Parks and Recreation staff is working with Anchorage’s impressive numbers of volunteers. In 2009, over 9,000 volunteers contributed over 90,000 hours of service to the Parks and Recreation Department.
What we have:
10,946 acres of municipal parkland; 223 parks with 82 playgrounds; 250 miles of trails and greenbelts linking neighborhoods with surrounding natural open spaces and wildlife habitat (135 miles of paved trails); 110 athletic fields; 5 pools; 11 recreation facilities; year-round and seasonal Park Department employees.
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The Parks and Recreation Department's Mission is to provide for: “Healthy Parks, Healthy People, Healthy Future”
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- Our vision for the Parks and Recreation Department is to provide increased leisure opportunities; healthy lifestyles; family involvement and stewardship for future generations, bringing the following benefits directly to individuals, families and the community
- Better Health and Quality of Life: Where individuals directly benefit from their time as they exercise, play and enjoy time outdoors, building better health and self-esteem.
- Community Building: Parks build our sense of community, lend identity to an area or neighborhood and improve our quality of life. Parks channel positive community participation by getting a diverse population to work together towards a shared vision.
- Economic Enhancement: Parks improve property values, attract citizens to stay in the community and entice retirees to stay in the area. Economic revitalization of neighborhoods and town center is enhanced by an investment in parks, which attract private investment capital. Parks and trails encourage visitors to extend their stay and contribute to the local tourism markets.
- Environmental Stewardship: Natural resource use areas retain and filter storm water, improve air quality, serve as buffers between incompatible land uses, lend definition to neighborhoods, provide links between residential areas, parks and schools and protect wildlife and fish habitat, while providing recreation opportunities close to home.
- Community Driven/Need for Community Education: Parks are community resources and their designs and spaces should be community driven. For parks to be enjoyed by all, individuals need to be aware of the programs and spaces that are available.
Goals
- Improve maintenance and stewardship of what we have, improve park safety and be a good steward of our natural resources.
- Balanced services – provide for fun/healthy/joy for a diverse community
- Provide for Parks as economic engines, community building blocks
- Expand resources for improving, maintaining and managing parks; foster public-private partnerships
- Improve public engagement and park decision making processes; continue and strengthen the parks organization
- Balance open space and developed recreation needs
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