Enhance Experience
Park Safety & Visitor Experience
Approximately 2/3 of Spokane residents surveyed as a part of the 2022 parks and natural lands master plan believe "The City needs to do more to make parks and programs welcoming and accessible." Many residents throughout public engagement commented about not feeling welcome or safe in parks due to trash, drug use, and encampments. Public spaces are inherently contested space as they are shared by all people. This initiative was formed to support co-existence within parks by addressing conflict between park users through adding staff trained on trauma-informed approaches for interacting with users of park spaces.
This initiative will receive a dedicated percentage of levy funds allocated to improvement park safety and improve visitor experience. These additional funds will support hiring additional staff, purchasing and maintaining specialty equipment and vehicles as outlined below:
- Hire additional Special Commission Park Rangers to expand the program outside of Riverfront Park to provide a physical presence within all neighborhood parks. Park Rangers will move from park to park in response to the greatest need for their presence. Each district within the city (Northwest, Northeast, South, Downtown) is expected to have dedicated Ranger staff available to patrol those unique areas.
- Allocate $80K in annual funding dedicated to purchase and maintain park ranger vehicles and specialty equipment.
Enhance Park Maintenance & Operations
"Improving daily maintenance and management of existing parks" was viewed as important or essential by 2/3 of residents surveyed as a part of the 2022 parks and natural lands master plan. Over the past 20 years, the percentage of city funds spent on parks has consistently decreased, declining by 0.3% during that time (totaling $2.6m in 2021 alone).
To improve park operations and maintenance citywide, these additional funds will support hiring additional staff, purchasing and maintaining equipment and vehicles as outlined below:
- Add approximately 50% more maintenance team members, including staff dedicated to caring for our natural areas.
- Allocate $300k annual funding to replace depreciated fleet of park maintenance equipment. Purchase and maintenance equipment used to maintain parks and natural lands (trip-plex mowers, heavy equipment, small power equipment, specialty tools, etc.)
- Allocate $200k annual funding to replace depreciated fleet of park vehicles and purchase / lease new vehicles for added employees. Funding dedicated to purchase / lease of light trucks, heavy trucks, and crew vehicles. (1/2-ton & 3/4-ton pickups, Kodiaks, etc.)
