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Highland Village parks board assigns members to inspect 19 parks, asks for annual reports
Summary
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board divided responsibility for 19 parks among seven members and asked them to visit assigned sites at least once per year, submit a short paper form and optional photos, and return findings before the city’s May budget work so staff can incorporate requests.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on March 17 divided responsibility for the city’s 19 parks among seven board members and requested each member visit their assigned parks at least once per year and report back to staff.
Board members and Parks staff described the visits as brief community-engagement checks, not formal inspections. Phil, director of Parks and Recreation, said the form provided to members asks for the park name, date, whether a visitor is a Highland Village resident, what people enjoy most about the park, overall appearance, activity level and cleanliness. He asked members to note safety impressions — “what is the curb appeal? When I pull up to this park, what am I feeling?” — and, optionally, to take photos to supplement the paper form.
The board split parks so each member covers two or three sites. Phil and members went through the park list and volunteered assignments during the meeting; for example, Patrick Finch volunteered to adopt Unity Park and the dog park; Ryan Melson took Brazos Park and Bruce Lockhart; Hogan Havington accepted Marauder Park; and others claimed parks such as Doubletree Ranch Park, Lakeside Community Park, Pilot Knoll, and Wichita Forest. Phil summarized the assignment roster for the full board at the end of the exercise.
Phil asked members to complete their visits and return the filled paper forms to the Parks office or bring them to the next meeting; photos can be emailed as supplemental evidence. He requested submissions be done “between now and May,” to give staff input it can use in the June budget process. Phil said he will compile the inspection reports into a spreadsheet and highlight recurring issues for the board and council.
Board members discussed practical details: two Parks staff typically perform opening, afternoon checks and closing duties at city facilities, and Phil emphasized the visits are intended to be short, user-facing interactions to gather resident feedback rather than technical maintenance audits. Board members were told they may speak with park users while there, record whether a visitor is a Highland Village resident using a checkbox on the form, and include free-text notes reflecting user comments.
Phil said the city will provide additional forms if volunteers want to visit more parks, and staff will track submissions. The board agreed the approach should help the city better match maintenance and capital priorities to community preferences as the budget season begins.
Ending: Phil asked members to return completed paper forms to the office or bring them to the next meeting; photographs may be emailed. He will assemble the results and provide a consolidated summary to the board before budget development.
