Puyallup unveils parks and recreation strategic plan; staff outline programs, tree-city work and new playground

Puyallup’s parks and recreation staff presented a department strategic plan to the City Council April 1, outlining priorities for programming, connectivity, maintenance and financial sustainability.

Core goals identified by Parks, Recreation and Facilities Director Cody Geddes and Performance Management Analyst Talika Mahari included promoting active recreation and well-being, maintaining a connected parks-and-trails system, enhancing service delivery and increasing sustainable funding. Staff said the department uses a balanced-scorecard approach to set measurable key performance indicators for program participation, fill rates and customer return rates.

Highlights and measures presented: - Volunteer and stewardship work: The Pierce Conservation District reported planting over 2,500 trees in 2024 within Puyallup and estimated those new trees will eventually add about eight acres of urban canopy. The city was recertified as Tree City USA in 2025 and partners with volunteer stewardship programs at five active sites. - Programming demand: Staff described strong demand for recreation programs — summer day camps and sports leagues showed high fill rates and waiting lists — and proposed free community fitness offerings in Pioneer Park (Tai Chi, Zumba, yoga) and partnerships with local studios. - Capital projects and trails: Bradley Lake trail design is 30% complete for the connection to Wildwood Park Drive; the Minnick property house has been demolished and staff are working through easements with MultiCare to advance the trail into the valley. Construction on a new playground at Van Leeritt (VanLeer?) Park was scheduled to begin the week after the meeting. - Asset management and maintenance: The department plans to implement an enterprise asset-management system to track work orders and the age of park assets to support budgeting for repairs and replacements.

Council members praised the plan and urged staff to pursue stronger branding and volunteer stewardship programs ("adopt-a-park" style) to expand capacity. Council member Johnson encouraged bolder leadership and suggested the department seek additional visibility for Puyallup’s park system; council members also noted localized parking pressures at Wildwood Park during peak events and asked staff to consider mitigation steps.

Staff estimated Puyallup now manages 19 parks and said more public engagement and partnership work will follow to implement plan actions.