What Does the Parks and Recreation Department Do?

The Woodlands Township
Parks and Recreation Department- Scope of Work
Grogan’s Mill Village Association
February 18, 2015
www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov
The Woodlands Township Parks and Recreation Department • 8203 Millennium Forest Drive • The Woodlands, Texas 77381
Parks and Recreation
• The Parks and Recreation Department consists of
eight divisions: Park Operations, Park Planning,
Aquatics, Recreation, Development, Town Center
Operations, Environmental Services and the Resident
Care Center.
• Mission:
– To preserve, maintain and improve the quality of life in The
Woodlands through the provision of quality recreational
opportunities and programs, through the protection of the
natural environment, and through stewardship of existing
open spaces, parks, facilities, pathways, roadsides and
medians.
Parks and Recreation
• Overview of departmental operational responsibility
(partial list):
130 Parks
Open Space
Reserves
200 + Miles of
Pathways
65 Parks with
Pavilions
14 Pools
Adult Sport
Leagues
Streetlights
Forest
Management
Riva Row Boat
House
Sponsorship
Development
Memorial
Hermann
Ten for Texas
Skate Park and 8
Wheel Friendly
Areas
The Waterway
CB&I Triathlon
5 Dog Parks
Muddy Trails Bash
Town Green Park
67 Tennis Courts
82 Playgrounds
Waterway Square
The Woodlands
Recreation Center
4 Swim Teams
1000+ Signs
Streetscapes
34,000 Homes
Waste/Recycling
Facility
Reservations
Waterway Square
Concert in the
Park Series
Parks and Recreation
Park Operations
– Natural Resources: Forestry, Open Space Reserves and
Landscaping. Provide contract oversight: park and pathway
maintenance, streetscape maintenance, tree removal, lake and
pond management, and wildlife trapping. Direct services:
irrigation auditing, tree tagging, tree removal, reserve
maintenance, clearing drainage blockages, fleet management,
and banner installation.
– Facilities: Responsibilities range from painting, graffiti removal,
plumbing, holiday decorations, lights, contract oversight for
custodial, electrical, HVAC, and security systems.
– Park Rangers: Provide maintenance & safety inspections,
create a physical presence in the parks ( 6:30 am to 12 am) and
serve as an information point to park users.
What else do we do??????
Banner Installation
• 800+ banners for Holiday and
Summer Seasons
• Special banners- Earth Day,
Golf Tournaments, Arts
Festival
Cul-De-Sac Maintenance
• Approx. 350 jumbo cul de sac’s
(Over 3,400 square feet)
• 11 times per year
maintenance-mowing,
blowing, trimming
• Goal of areas is to be a small
forested area.
What else do we do??????
• Neighborhood Entrance
Monuments
– 200+ neighborhood
entrances with lights
– Repair and maintain signs
• Wayfinding Signs
– 100+ signs in the
community
– Directional signs (to parks,
villages, shopping centers)
• Graffiti Removal
– Signs, bollards, fences, etc
on public property.
What else do we do??????
Streetscapes
• The Woodlands
Development Company is
contracted to preform
streetscape maintenance
• Over 200 miles of streets,
450+ entrances
• Wildflower planting on
townwide roads.
• Roadway mowing 16 times
per year, entryway
maintenance every 10
days, trash pick up
Monday/Friday, etc
Parks and Recreation
Park Planning
• Project Management includes: needs assessment, specification
development, public process, bidding, and construction
administration.
• Construction includes: pathway / bridge repair, replacement of
bridge decks, installation of playground features, sign
installation and maintenance, pavilion repairs, and removal and
installation of site amenities such as picnic tables.
Parks and Recreation
Park Planning
Capital Improvement Projects
Priorities
•
•
•
Repair or replace basic
infrastructure
Upgrade of existing systems
to enhance the park
experience, reduce
operational costs or resolve
resident requests
Identify new projects that
accommodate new trends
and resident enhancements
Gosling Road Sportsfields
• 2011 Parks and Recreation Needs
Assessment
• 5 Multi-Purpose Fields
• Restroom/Concession Stand
• 50+ Parking spaces
• Pavilion/Playground
• Pathway and Trail
• Parking Agreement with Park
and Ride
• $6 million
Pathway System-Wide Improvements
•
•
•
Trip Hazard Removal
Pathway Repair &
Replaced
Pathway and
Crosswalk Stenciling
What else do we do??????
• Non standard street
improvements
– Street Pavers
– Bridges
• Painting
• Buttresses
– Concrete staining
– Mid block crossing
stenciling
Parks and Recreation
Recreation
•
•
•
•
1,475 Gorilla Hole Attendees
20,000 Program Registrations
1,840 On line Registrations
Over 1,800 Programs offered
to date in 2014
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Aquatics
• Pool Operations:
– Oversee safety and maintenance for 14 swimming facilities (2
heated pools) , 3 Spraygrounds and the Waterway fountains.
– 2014- Open Pool Use: 156,493 16% decrease from 2013
– 2014- Total Pool Use- 305,340
– 17,274 pool passes, punch cards and voyager passes sold
• 2015 Key Fob
• Aquatic Programs:
– Offer 20 different programs including: swim lessons (group and
private), S.C.U.B.A., Dive-In Movies, learn to row and swim
teams; utilizing all 13 pools, CISD Natatorium, Creekwood and
Forestgate Pool for offseason programming.
Parks and Recreation
Aquatics- Cost Recovery
Aquatics
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Development
• Facility Reservations: Manage the reservation process to
ensure compliance with park rules and regulations.
– 2014- 2,500+ reservations
• Races: Produce 3 high quality triathlon and races- 6,000+
registrants
• Special Events: Coordinate 3rd party use of the park and
pathway system which range from village association’s to
national level sporting tournaments.
• Sponsorships: Develop, retain and evaluate sponsorship
opportunities for the Department.
– $200,000 cash and in-kind sponsorships
– 50+ different sponsors
Parks and Recreation
Development
Town Center Operations
Town Center Facilities & Operations Division
• Town Center Rangers (6am-4am): Provide maintenance,
inspections, event assistance, policy enforcement, and serve
as an information resource to residents and visitors.
• Facilities: Responsible for Town Center area including Town
Green Park, Riva Row Park, The Waterway Corridor,
Waterway Square, and Koi Pond.
• Responsible for working with various contractors and The
Woodlands Development Company to ensure the cleanliness
and upkeep of the Town Center area which can include
painting, trash collection, graffiti removal, plumbing, tree and
sign lighting, and site amenity repairs.
Riva Row Boat House
• Year round kayaking
and programs for
residents and
visitors to enjoy The
Waterway and Lake
Woodlands
• 12,000 Kayak
Rentals in 2014
Town Center Operations
Environmental Services
This Division:
• Was established to manage the solid
waste management plan, including
recycling and yard waste (34,000
homes)
• Provides programming to support
education efforts on the following
areas:
– Solid Waste/Recycling
– Mosquitos
– Water Conservation
– Adopt a Path (63 active groups)
– Community Gardens (2)
Resident Care Center
This Division:
• Was established to centralize
contact with residents
– Checked in 4,597 visitors at
the Town Hall Front Desk
– Answered 34,557 Inbound
Phone Calls to the
Woodlands Township main
lines (3800 and 3900)
– Facilitated 4280 Service
Requests from residents
Parks and Recreation
Resident Care Center
• Provides first point of contact to the
community on behalf of the
Department.
– Phone calls– On-Line Service Requests
www.thewoodlandstownshiptx.gov; Average 80-100 per month
– Streetlights
• Routine inspections of 7,000
plus lights
What we don’t do!
(However, we can facilitate the process)
• Mowing of Ditches- WJPA
• Large Detention PondsWJPA/SJRA
• Broken Curbs- Harris and
Montgomery County
• Street Signs- Except in
Harris County for conveyed
roads
• Wildlife Management- on
private property
• Small cul-de-sacs• North –George Mitchell
Nature PreserveMontgomery County