Parks staff report: maintenance work orders, trail counts and expansion of Nature Connections and preschool programs

Parks Superintendent Jared briefed the board on operational and programmatic activity for September. Maintenance staff completed 204 work orders in September—155 preventative and 49 reactive—and installed a memorial bench and two memorial trees at Overly Warman Park. Natural resources staff held three public “weed wrangles” and announced a final weed-wrangle event at Elm Street Green.

Jared reported the Big 4 Rail Trail counter recorded 21,058 counts in September (9,082 cyclists and 11,976 pedestrians). The department submitted an Indiana Trails Program grant application to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and will await results of that granting cycle.

Jared and Director of Recreation Services Mindy Murdock detailed program growth: Nature Connections, an in-class and field education program for elementary schools that began at Eagle Elementary, expanded this year to Trailside, Pleasant View and will add Boone Meadow Elementary in the current year. Murdock reported 922 walk-ins to the Zionsville Nature Center in September and 12,780 year-to-date, and said preschool environmental education and a new Little Sprouts greenhouse program at Heritage Trail Park have shown strong participation.

Murdock and Jared noted staffing shortages as the principal constraint on program expansion and described continuing professional development: both Murdock and event coordinator Megan Ray are enrolled in NRPA coursework for event and revenue management.

The board thanked staff and encouraged continued outreach to expand program access; staff said the Nature Center is on track to exceed last year’s attendance.