I am struck by the beating that Denver’s Parks and Recreation Manager Kim Bailey is taking regarding the condition of the city’s parks and parkways, her desire to obtain an advanced degree in urban planning, and her decision to forgo a salary increase.
Second only to the police department, parks and rec is the most visible of the city’s agencies because of the services and amenities it manages. The condition of Denver’s beloved parks is of concern to us all.
I am a big fan of Bailey’s. She is the first manager of the department who is determined to take the “w” out of Parks & Wreck. Denver’s recreation department (part of the 1960s Model City’s program to address urban poverty and violence) was largely dominated by the fiefdoms of community activists. Never mind that today’s centers must address the needs of diverse constituents, i.e., seniors, elite swimmers and spinners, women’s aerobic classes and families. Antiquated use patterns and inflexible staff dominated the operations at the city’s rec centers for years prior to Bailey’s tenure.
During her four years as manager, Bailey has expanded year-round recreation programs for kids and adults. Centers are open on weekends. She worked with city agencies and others to improve out-of-school programs for kids and families, increased rec center activities to meet constituent needs, enhanced adult participation and achieved operating efficiencies.
It’s ironic that the city has hired consultants to create a citywide playground master plan just as Bailey was told to drop her work on a Ph.D. Most of the three hours a week she was spending on her studies was devoted to observing school playgrounds.
The department maintains nearly 5,320 acres of parks and open space – an increase of 12 percent since 2003. During the same period, the per-acre operating budget has been cut by 11 percent. Staffing levels have also decreased, including a substantial drop in seasonal employees.
Parks and Recreation has 42 horticulturists responsible for preparing, fertilizing, conditioning and maintaining plant life on 5,320 acres, an average of 127 acres per worker. By contrast, four full-time horticulturists maintain the Denver Zoo’s 80 acres.
Last year, the City Council, facing budget cuts, decided serving people should be the top priority for the department. People are more important than trees, flowers and grass – but cheap fertilizer, reduced seasonal workers and unfilled vacancies take a toll.
The condition of Denver’s tree canopy ought to be a major concern for all of us. The mayor has set a goal of planting 1 million trees in the metro area, though the city would benefit if the bulk of those trees were added to Denver’s aging canopy.
Truth is, Denver loses about 800 trees per year. Bailey is committed to replacing each one. Although the department has been successful in planting a couple of thousand new trees each year, money for maintenance, trimming and feeding is not in the budget. There is one dedicated tree employee per 4,444 trees – and only one watering truck!
Volunteers, corporations and not- for-profit environmental groups will help plant trees. But just as property owners are required to care for trees in the adjacent right-of-way, it’s the city’s responsibility to nurture plant life in parks, parkways and on trails.
A review of the data indicates the mayor was right in granting Kim Bailey a raise. It’s curious, therefore, that his response to her decision to decline the raise he thought she deserved was to say he “respects the decision.”
Maybe he respects those who get their exercise by jumping to conclusions.
Susan Barnes-Gelt (bs13@qwest.net) served eight years on the Denver City Council and was an aide to former Denver Mayor Federico Peña. Her column appears on alternate Sundays.
