Seattle Parks and Recreation
Strategic Action Plan

ABOUT THE SEATTLE PARKS AND RECREATION STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

Seattle Parks and Recreation has developed a Strategic Action Plan to establish a vision and guide decisions over the next five years. Public and staff participation were an integral part of this process to ensure the Plan reflects the needs of the Seattle community.

Downloads

Strategic Action Plan
Implementation Matrix 2009
Accomplishments 2009
Update May 3, 2010
Update February 17, 2010

Intentions

Over the past decade, there has been a substantial expansion in Seattle's park and recreation system. In the face of continued growth, changing demographics, and emerging parks and recreation trends, Parks and Recreation must strategically evaluate its facilities, services, and operations so it can continue to meet its commitments to Seattle citizens to create community through people, parks, and programs.

The Strategic Action Plan identifies emerging issues and policy questions relating to Parks and Recreation's current strengths, challenges and opportunities. The purpose of the Plan is to focus Parks and Recreation's activities to ensure the most efficient and effective use of public tax dollars. It is not a laundry list of services but rather a roadmap that will express Parks and Recreation's vision and mission. It also guides budget, capital development and investment decisions, and provides a planning framework for partnerships with other departments, organizations and businesses.

Update

Over the past two years, Parks staff have made great headway in completing the tasks identified in the Strategic Action Plan through six “Goal Teams” appointed in 2008 to work on the tasks in each of the plan’s six goal areas:

• Steward Seattle’s parks and open spaces for long-term sustainability
• Provide recreation and learning opportunities
• Actively engage and  build relationships with Seattle’s diverse population
• Maintain Parks and Recreation’s land and facilities
• Develop team capacity and organizational culture
• Strengthen organizational systems and structures.

In 2011, to move forward on implementation of tasks in the plan given severe budget reductions and diminished resources, Parks is scaling back slightly on the amount of work we can expect to do in 2011.

After a review of the current “goal team” structure, Parks is creating five Action Teams who will focus on these areas in order to align with budget reductions, City Council statements of Legislative Intent (direction to City departments that are adopted in the context of the budget), and Parks’ Accountabiity Agreement with Mayor McGinn:

• Helping employees do their work - This team will continue the work of Goal 5. Michele Finnegan, Parks’ Human Resources Director, will lead the team.
• Partnerships - This team will focus on restructuring Parks’ Partnerships Unit to take better advantage of revenue opportunities through assets, grants, and partnerships. Partnerships Manager Rebecca Salinas will lead this group.
• Programmatic changes - The members of this team will coordinate responses to City Council Statements of Legislative Intent relating to community centers, environmental learning centers, and small craft centers. The team lead is Kevin Stoops, Parks’ Finance and Administrative Services Director.
• Communications - This team will continue the work of Goal 3 by working with community center staff to keep on completing an analysis of service area customer demographics for each center; finish the new version of the Park Guide; continue to build personal relationships with community members through many means; and ensure these efforts reflect Parks’ commitment to race and social justice. Parks Communications Manager Dewey Potter chairs.
• Maintenance models - This team will produce a “current conditions” report with recommendations on how best to manage and communicate about maintenance of our parks and buildings. Its main focus will be on the work that can be done with a reduced budget, measuring the impacts of budget reductions, evaluating efficiencies, and expanding the corps of volunteers. The team chair is Dan Johnson, Parks Division Director.

About Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle's park system comprises 6,200 acres, about 11% of the city's land area. Parks maintains 430 parks, 185 athletic fields, 112 neighborhood play areas, 26 community centers and 10 pools. The system includes several major destination parks, Discovery Park, Green Lake Park, as well as neighborhood and special purpose parks. Parks maintains 22 miles of boulevards. Parks also has 151 outdoor tennis courts, four golf courses, and 11 off leash areas. Along the 24 miles of shoreline, Parks has nine swimming beaches, 18 fishing piers, and many moorages and boat launches.

Parks also operates and maintains the Washington Arboretum, the Seattle Aquarium, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, and the Alki Art Studio, and many other facilities, and owns the Woodland Park Zoo property; the Woodland Park Zoo Society operates the zoo under an agreement with the City.

Some of the many programs and activities they offer include life-long recreation opportunities to for people fifty and better, a job readiness program for teenage youth, and a free supervised drop-in program for elementary and middle school aged children.

Parks works with myriad private citizens and community groups to provide safe and welcoming opportunities for the public to play, learn, contemplate, and build community by fostering human development, increasing cultural unity, and providing healthy environments.

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