Cincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our Parks Photo By Thomas Schiff ANNUAL REPORT 2016 - 2017 Top from left to right: Smale Family Fun days were the summer hotspot for kids to enjoy free face painting, lawn games, and more; Smale Fit & Fun hosted summer weekly free yoga programming at Schmidlapp event lawn; Ault Park offers a morning jogger and dog a quiet place to start the day; Monarch's were in full flight at Krohn Conservatory's international butterfly show "The Majestic Monarch" Left Page: Campers enjoy a hike through the wilderness at Explore Nature! Summer Day Camps OUR MISSION Conserving, managing, sustaining, and enhancing Parks’ natural and cultural resources and public greenspaces - for the enjoyment, enlightenment, and enrichment of the Cincinnati community. TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Park Commissioners 4 Awards & Accolades 5 Contact Us 6 Planning & Design 8 Explore Nature! 12 Urban Forestry 17 Volunteer Spotlight 18 Park Advisory Councils 19 Volunteer Services 20 Carol Ann’s Carousel 26 Krohn Conservatory 30 Business Services 36 Social Media Community 40 Financial Services 42 Green Leaf Program 43 Maintenance Cost Centers 44 Waterfront 46 CincinnatiPAGE 4 Parks...Sustaining Our Parks Cincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our ParksPAGE 5 A MESSAGE FROM CINCINNATI BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS The Park Board is pleased to share the accomplishments of Fiscal Year 2017, which brought many impressive achievements. The newly renovated and The Cincinnati Park Board is comprised of exceptional community and corporate leaders who are a vital part of our successful organization. The Board expanded Ziegler Park will bring welcomed beautification and improvements to the Sycamore and Main Street areas. Some of the highlights of this of five Commissioners volunteer their time and talents in support of our mutual commitment to continued care and maintenance for the positive trajec- project include the new underground parking garage, a new pedestrian walkway, picnic areas, a comfort station, and sprayground. Ziegler Park is tory of Cincinnati Parks. Additional volunteerism by the Park Board includes: participation in ribbon cutting ceremonies, presentations to business and scheduled to officially open June 2017. community councils, public speaking engagements, and attendance at monthly Board sessions. The Krohn Conservatory Holiday Show, "A Whimsical Wonderland" and the Butterfly Show, "Majestic Monarch" generated robust attendance and revenue. More than 52,517 patrons visited the Holiday Show, and over 74,717 patrons visited the Butterfly Show. Our Explore Nature! education camps performed at a 97% customer satisfaction rate. Once again this year, Cincinnati Parks was ranked in the Top 10 among our nation’s best parks by the Trust for Public Land. Locally, Smale Park was voted Best Local Park in City Beat’s Best of the City. Our more than 5,439 loyal volunteers share in this success, and we are sincerely grateful to them for providing year-round support of numerous park projects and programming. This also has been a year of farewells and new beginnings for Cincinnati Parks. In May, we said good-bye to Willie Carden, Jr. who has worked for the AWARDS & ACCOLADES City of Cincinnati for 30 years and served as our Director of Parks for the past 14 years. During his tenure, Mr. Carden oversaw the development of Theo- THE TRUST FOR Cincinnati Parks received recognition as one of the best park systems in the dore M. Barry International Friendship Park and Smale Riverfront Park, among several landmark accomplishments. We thank Mr. Carden for his vision, PUBLIC LAND nation. The ranking was based on how many residents live within a 10-minute leadership and dedication to our Parks. May 2016, we selected our new Director of Parks, Wade Walcutt, who comes to us from Greensboro, North walk of a park, park size, park investment and the inclusion of popular amenities Carolina, where he served as Director of Parks and Recreation since 2014. like dog parks, playgrounds and recreation centers. On behalf of the Board of Park Commissioners, we want to thank the City Administration, our amazing senior team and their staff, and our corporate ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION 2017 TREE CITY USA RECOGNITION and community partners for their hard work and collaboration in service to our Parks. Most importantly, we want to express sincere appreciation to our To qualify as a Tree City USA community, a town or city must meet four standards devoted neighborhood volunteers. We could not succeed without their continuous support of our parks system, thank you. Truly, it takes a city to make established by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State wonderful parks for all to share and enjoy. Foresters. The Cincinnati Park Board has received Tree City USA recognition for 34 years! TRIPADVISOR 2017 CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE The 2017 Certificate of Excellence is a prestigious award that can only be earned through consistently great reviews, that are published on the TripAdvisor travel site. CINCINNATI 2016 BEST OF PARENTING - DAY CAMP FAMILY MAGAZINE Readers participate and vote in an annual Best of Parenting Awards for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Cincinnati Parks’ Explore Nature! program was voted a finalist for ‘Best Day Camp!’ ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION 2017 TREE CITY USA RECOGNITION - GROWTH AWARD The Tree City USA Growth Award is awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation to recognize higher levels of tree care by praticipating Tree City USA com- munities. The Growth Award highlights innovative programs and projects as DIANNE M. ROSENBERG, ROBERT D.H. ANNING, well as increased commitment of resources for urban foresty. It also provides an President Vice President opportunity to share new ideas and successes across the country. CITY BEAT 2017 URBAN LIFE READER PICKS Cincinnati Parks was named in nine categories: Best City Parks, Best Tennis Courts, Best Playground, Best New Thing, Best Scenic Overlook, Best Kid-Friendly Attraction, Best Free Attraction, Best Hiking Trail, and Best Jogging Route OHIO CHAPTER 2017 SAFETY AWARD INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY In recognition of the City of Cincinnati's distinguished OF ARBORICULTURE service, preparedness and their exemplary proactive Urban Forestry management program. CINCINNATI Carol Ann's Carousel was named #1 for the "50 Fun PARENT MAGAZINE Activities for $5 or Less Guide!" and #6 on Cincinnati Parent Magazine's "100 Awesome Things to do this Summer in Cincy" SUSAN F. CASTELLINI LINDA LEE THOMAS BRAD LINDNER Sawyer Point's tennis courts ranked #1 by City Beat Urban Readers CincinnatiPAGE 6 Parks...Sustaining Our Parks Cincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our ParksPAGE 7 Cincinnati Parks Organization Tree CONTACT US DIRECTOR OF PARKS NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Wade A. Walcutt 513-352-4079 Dave Gamstetter 513-861-9070 West Youth Krohn District OPERATIONS & LAND MANAGEMENT PARK ADVISORY COUNCILS Employment East Marketing District Jim Burkhardt 513-861-8970 Cheryl Alexander 513-352-4079 & Public Fuel/Fleet PLANNING & DESIGN PARK FACILITY RENTALS & QUESTIONS Relations Management Planning/ Steve Schuckman 513-475-9600 Administrative Office 513-357-2604 Premier Park Design Green Greenleaf BUSINESS SERVICES PARK SPECIAL EVENTS & SPECIAL USE PERMITS Facilities Technology Property Central Management Graphic Jackie Binford 513-357-2619 Jenny Mobley 513-357-2602 District Design Budget FINANCIAL SERVICES PREMIER PARK EVENTS 513-221-2610 Reservations Financial Carol Ann’s Marijane Klug 513-357-2608 Event Rentals for: Krohn Conservatory, French House, Gibson House, Facility Reporting Carousel CAROL ANN’S CAROUSEL Ault Park Pavilion, Alms Park Pavilion, Berry Pavilion, Mt. Echo Pavil- Management Human Natural Resource ion, Maple Ridge Lodge, The Anderson Pavilion, and Oak Ridge Lodge Explore Nature! Administration Resources Tashae Watkins 513-381-3756 Management CENTRAL DISTRICT PARKS STREET TREES & TRAILS Special Information Projects Riverfront Technology Dave Boutelle 513-961-1800 Jim Godby 513-861-9070 Special Capital Project Events & Green EAST DISTRICT PARKS URBAN FORESTRY Management Permits Auditing Procurement Lou Sand 513-321-8439 Robin Hunt 513-861-9070 Planning Business Financial Volunteers EXPLORE NATURE! & NATURE CAMPS VOLUNTEERS & GREEN UP DAY & Design Services Services Waterfront Ruthann Spears 513-321-6070 Jennifer Harten 513-861-8970 Operations GREENSPACES AND GATEWAYS WATERFRONT PARKS Ann Uhlman 513-861-9070 Office 513-352-6180 Director of Parks KROHN CONSERVATORY WEST DISTRICT PARKS Parks Foundation Board of Park Commissioners Andrea Schepmann 513-352-4080 Larry Parker 513-251-8728 Urban Forestry Board Park Advisory Councils Mayor of Cincinnati Citizens of Cincinnati KROHN & EXPLORE NATURE! SPOTLIGHT: KROHN PRESCHOOL NATURE CAMP January 2017 marked the first time Parks' Krohn Conservatory and Explore Nature! held a joint preschool camp. This pilot program served 16 very energetic and adorable 3 ½ to 5 year old children. Camp was held on three consecutive Mondays while Krohn was closed to the public. This gave the children a sense of having the conservatory all to themselves. Each Monday we explored a different nature theme, which included Birds, Gifts from Trees, and Scavenger Hunt Day. Campers made bird feeders for wild birds in their own backyards and tasted all kinds of new fruit from trees found inside the conservatory. The children enjoyed playing educational games, singing nature songs, exploring the gardens outside of Krohn and reading stories together. Right: Explore Nature! preschool camp