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Washington parks master plan flags staffing shortfall; report suggests up to 14 additional positions
Summary
The City of Washington Parks and Recreation Commission reviewed an addendum to the parks master plan that recommends staffing increases to maintain growing park acreage and new stormwater responsibilities. The draft will be finalized by staff and sent to city council for acceptance; no personnel hires were approved at the meeting.
At a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Wayne, the city parks director, presented a staffing addendum to the parks master plan prepared by Ballard King for Planning Design Studio (PDS), saying the document offers staffing suggestions rather than mandatory changes.
The addendum compares Washington’s park acreage and population to peer cities and estimates the department could be “approximately 14 full time positions short,” Wayne said. He emphasized that “this is just a suggestion — the city can do whatever it wants to do.”
Commissioners and staff discussed how new responsibilities could increase maintenance needs. The report lists 291.5 acres the consultant counted as recognized park acreage and a broader total of about 551 acres when including trails, rights-of-way and other maintained land. The addendum models staffing by both population and acreage and proposes roles ranging from additional skilled maintenance workers to an assistant park director and specialty positions such as a landscape architect.
Commission members pressed on maintenance and funding realities. Wayne noted that taking on stormwater-related sites, such as detention basins the city will maintain, would raise workload and suggested that the stormwater fund could help pay for some maintenance. He told the commission that high-maintenance planting designs would require either contractors or additional parks staff to maintain the level of appearance the city wants.
City administrator Darren (first name only in the record) and parks operations staff Chad (operations manager) were discussed as the next points of contact for final edits and budget conversations. Wayne said he would complete a few remaining questions about data sources and seasonal vs. full-time counts, then submit the final document to city staff for presentation to city council for formal acceptance.
No hires or budget decisions were made by the commission at the meeting; the staffing addendum was to be incorporated into the final master plan and forwarded to city administration and council for consideration. Wayne also said the master plan is intended as a working document to guide projects and staffing decisions over time, including potential projects tied to future sales-tax funding measures.
Wayne, who told the commission he will be leaving for a position in Chesterfield, said an incoming director will inherit the plan and its recommendations. Commissioners praised his communication and work during his tenure.
Next steps: staff will resolve the remaining data questions, incorporate the Ballard King staffing addendum into the master plan, and submit the final document to city administration for scheduling before city council; no formal vote or hiring action occurred at the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.
