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Recreation hires, pickleball world championships and volunteer push highlighted by staff
Summary
Farmers Branch Parks and Recreation introduced new staff, outlined city representation at the Pickleball World Championships, reported progress on a Venue 1842 Google listing, and asked board members to sign up for volunteer shifts at upcoming community events including Halloween in the Park.
City recreation staff introduced new hires and briefed the Parks and Recreation Board on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and marketing work for city venues.
Jocelyn Avina, community events manager, introduced Molly Martinez as the new events coordinator. The board also heard that Amanda Bailey recently joined the aquatics team as recreation and programs coordinator. Staff said both hires bring municipal and aquatics experience.
Staff updated the board on venue and event promotions: the city will staff an information booth at the 2025 Pickleball World Championships hosted at Brookhaven Country Club Oct. 31–Nov. 9; parks and recreation employees will staff the booth at scheduled time slots and the tourism department is coordinating the booth’s design. A pickleball informational open house will be held Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Brookhaven’s main dining room, staff said.
Staff also reported they are working with Google to improve search results for Venue 1842 and said some paid advertising and backend work with Google partners is likely required because the venue is a government entity sharing an address with a historic property.
Board members were asked to volunteer at a series of fall events, including Halloween in the Park; staff circulated a volunteer-opportunity packet and asked board members to reply by mid- to late next week so staff can run background checks for outside volunteers. Staff said volunteers who are not board members will need background checks, while board members who have already cleared background checks are easier to place.
Other upcoming events staff highlighted included Comedy & Cocktails (sold out for dinner tickets), Metrocrest Services events, a fire station open house and a branch-connections outreach schedule tied to the Pickleball World Championships. Staff said Miss Heart of Texas (a Farmers Branch resident) has offered to help at public events and the department is exploring program partnerships.
Staff asked board members to sign up for hospitality-tent shifts where members will hand out information and refer questions to facility managers; QR codes and facility FAQ sheets will be available at the tent.
No formal board action was taken; staff asked board members to return volunteer preferences by the stated deadline so the department can finalize assignments.
