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Parks maintenance: city outlines tree removal contract, illegal‑dumping workload and shortfalls in refuse staffing
Summary
Parks maintenance staff reported a new contractor will remove about 515 trees as part of backlog reduction, detailed illegal‑dumping volumes and said the refuse crew remains understaffed — staff recommended adding positions and equipment to meet demand.
Parks maintenance staff briefed the Wichita Park Board on winter maintenance, a contracted tree‑removal program, illegal dumping and the parks refuse workload, and asked for ongoing support for additional staff and equipment.
Gary (parks maintenance staff) told board members the department will begin a private contractor project that covers about 515 trees, representing roughly a third of the tree‑removal backlog; those trees are described as dead or dying and not immediate hazard removals that the city will handle in‑house. “There’s about 515 trees total in that contract. That represents about a third of our overall tree removal backlog,” Gary said.
Gary also presented refuse and illegal‑dumping figures: parks staff emptied roughly 102,193 containers in the last year, and the department logged about 2,000 illegal‑dumping sites; staff reported the illegal‑dumping workload consumed the equivalent of about 75% of a full‑time employee’s hours and included 764 tires and 181 mattresses recovered. Gary said the department has hired three of four positions for a neighborhood cleanup crew and is developing standard operating procedures for impounds and material handling related to the city’s new cleanup ordinance.
Board members asked about capacity and staffing. Parks staff said the refuse group currently operates with two full‑time employees year‑round and seasonal help during summer; two positions and an associated truck are transferring from Public Works to Parks for 2025 but staff said the group still lacks full capacity. Gary described an ideal refuse crew for the city’s needs as “around 10 full‑time employees” with the necessary equipment to keep up with illegal dumping and park refuse collection.
Staff also described maintenance fabrication projects — prototypes to secure poly carts and in‑house replacement snow‑plow blades — and said certified playground safety inspector Jason Hale passed his CPSI exam and will oversee playground inspections. The department said many routine maintenance tasks (graffiti removal, picnic‑table replacement, shade‑structure seasonal removal) continue through winter as staffing and weather allow.
Parks staff asked the board to continue advocating for operational staff in the 2025 budget cycle and said they will provide progress reports on the contracted tree removals and cleanup‑crew staffing.
