John Wyankoff, the city’s new fleet manager, told the finance committee on Oct. 16 that the city centralized fleet maintenance—bringing Park & Rec equipment and other departmental assets under a single management structure—to improve standards and uptime.

Wyankoff said the city maintains a broad fleet (from handheld equipment to construction vehicles) and that the consolidation followed a Park & Rec retirement and review of efficiencies. He said the combined fleet includes many assets and that the city’s mechanic staffing baseline must increase to meet maintenance needs: the department has been able to fill only three mechanic positions and expects another retirement that will make short-staffing acute.

Wyankoff said consolidating stockrooms and maintenance into a single operation will produce more consistent maintenance practices and better parts management; he acknowledged early “growing pains” while the new structure stabilizes and urged applicants for mechanic roles. Public Works leadership said staffing shortages present a short-term risk to uptime and seasonal readiness.