Guam parks director seeks new grant-writing and planning staff, tighter adopt-a-park rules as DPR shifts to performance-based budget

Director Angel Sublan told the Guam Legislature's oversight committee on March 10 that the Department of Parks and Recreation will shift its FY2027 budget to a performance-based model and is requesting new administrative capacity to secure grants and manage outcomes.

The department is asking the Legislature and budget offices to authorize a program coordinator, planner or grant writer to help capture federal and other grants and to provide strategic planning. "Our FY 2027 strategy is built upon 4 critical pillars," Sublan said, listing data-driven performance metrics, public-safety and resource protection, cultural and natural stewardship, and operational and fiscal accountability. "The bottom line, senators, is that our budget will not be just a request for funds. It will be a performance contract with the people of Guam." (Director Angel Sublan)

Why it matters: DPR told senators it manages 72 parks across the island but currently maintains about 26 directly and has 23 parks under an adopt-a-park program; roughly 23 parks lack regular maintenance. The department said it is tying requests to measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) such as facility utilization, permit volume, mean time to repair, and ranger response times. Sublan gave examples of targets: reducing park ranger average dispatch response from a 22-minute baseline…