Pryor Creek parks director reports steady summer use, asks for temporary help and small capital work

Frank Powell, the city’s parks department head, told the Pryor Creek Parks and Recreation Board on June 23 that routine summer maintenance is largely continuing but that staffing shortfalls and recent storm damage are stretching crews.

Powell said mowing demand has eased with the heat, which gives crews time to “start knocking out some of this smaller things you’ve put off,” including drainage work, concrete repairs and playground replacement. He told the board the department has one full‑time position still unfilled after a recent departure and is trying to bring on a temporary summer worker and a second helper to accelerate cemetery and park work.

The staffing shortage is occurring against a largely flat budget and what Powell described as a city hiring freeze. Powell said he had secured two summer workers earlier but one quit; he expects to keep one temporary employee on for a few more weeks and to rely on reassignments within the department where possible. The board discussed reliance on temporary labor and the cemetery care fund as short‑term options for additional help.

Powell outlined several near‑term capital and maintenance items: - Centennial Park: a drainage repair and a replacement wall behind the east tennis/pickleball court to stop runoff onto courts. - Bobby Buck Park and Whitaker Park: new playground equipment planned (a larger toy at Bobby Buck, a smaller replacement at Whitaker) and placement of a porta‑potty. Powell said he will meet contractors to locate the unit, likely a single ADA unisex unit on a small pad and screened with a privacy fence; he estimated the porta‑potty would remain in service roughly eight months of the year (picked up November–March). - Restrooms: magnetic commercial locks on restroom doors with timers and remote alerts were proposed to reduce vandalism and unauthorized use; Powell said the police department was obtaining quotes with a vendor called Digi for cameras to improve patrol response. - Parking at the splash pad and skate park: the board discussed parking shortages near the playgrounds; Powell said a future street project and the availability of millings for fill could allow modest westward expansion of the parking area. - Cemeteries: crews hauled topsoil and will perform dirt work before resetting stones; tree work is planned for the offseason.

On splash‑pad operations, Powell said the facility has been busy early in the day after the department began activating it at 9 a.m. at the request of local parents and homeschool groups. Historically the splash pad has operated 10 a.m.–8 p.m. until school starts; Powell said parents had asked for earlier hours and the change produced notable early use.

Board members emphasized prioritizing maintenance over new projects. One board member summarized the view: the first priority should be keeping existing facilities functional and safe; new installations should follow as resources permit.

The board did not take formal action on capital spending at the meeting. Powell said staff will continue getting quotes and meeting with vendors and that some items will be scheduled for fall or winter work when mowing demand drops.

Any follow‑up items directed to staff included: locating and siting the porta‑potty at Bobby Buck, obtaining cost estimates for the tennis court wall and drainage work at Centennial, and returning to the board with options for modest parking expansion tied to availability of millings.