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Staff reviews parks operations, programs, rangers, volunteers and recreation centers
Summary
Department leaders described core operations — turf and irrigation teams, forestry inventory, urban park rangers, volunteer activity and recreation centers — and flagged hiring and seasonal staffing needs for summer programs.
Department managers outlined the operational teams that maintain Boulder’s parks and run recreation programs, and they flagged hiring and seasonal staffing as an immediate priority.
The briefing matters because routine operations determine service levels across the park system; PRAB members need operational context to evaluate trade-offs when advising on budgets and capital projects.
Allie and Scott Schottenberg described the park-operations structure: zone maintenance teams (north, central, south), a horticulture team that is shifting more beds toward native plantings, a specialized irrigation team and an asset-management/carpentry unit for small repairs. Staff said capital projects over $50,000 are handled through the CIP process, while smaller repairs are often completed in‑house.
Scott and Allie noted the forestry inventory: the city manages more than 50,000 public trees, all mapped in GIS with annual health updates. The urban park ranger program returned to the department in 2022 and now includes three full‑time rangers (plus temporary staff) focused on off‑leash dog issues, unpermitted events and illegal camping. Allie said the rangers also engage on climate‑resilience activities in the urban park system.
Megan Loban, recreation manager, explained that recreation centers (North Boulder, East Boulder, South Boulder and Scott Carpenter Pool) run classes, lifeguard and camp programs and that the Recreation Activity Fund covers user fees; she noted the department has substantial non‑staff seasonal hiring needs for lifeguards, camp counselors and instructors and has recently extended many job offers.
Staff also described partnerships and volunteerism: the department works with the PLAY Foundation and had more than 1,600 volunteers last year; staff said volunteer support is integral to operations and community programming.
