CINCINNATI PARKS | ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Board 4 Organization Chart 5 Connect with Us 6 Recoginition 7 Communication 8-9 Explore Nature! 10 Volunteer & Staff Recognition 11 Explore Nature! Programs 12-13 Program Spotlight 14-15 Park Planning 16-18 Importance of Trees 19 Urban Forestry 20-21 Volunteer & CPAC 22-23 Finance 24-25 Krohn Conservatory 26-27 Volunteers' Rock! 28-31 Volunteers working on Mt. Airy Bike Trails Cincinnati Creating economic Advancing Rejuvenating Enhancing Sustaining Parks C. impacts A. conservation R. health & wellness E. quality of life S. social equity Burnet Woods Lake Renovated Vietnam Memorial in Eden Park Burnet Woods SpringFest in Burnet Woods Ezzfest in Laurel Park C. A. R. E. S. PG 4-5 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD On behalf of the Cincinnati Park Board of Commissioners, we are pleased to share our Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Report. This document represents the hard work and efforts of hundreds of park board staff, volunteers and partners. I invite you to take a few moments to review and reflect on this presentation. I am certain you will agree we have reason to be proud of our achievements when it comes to improving and maintaining our parks, preserves and trails. Not to mention all of the successful programs, events and services we offer the entire Cincinnati BRAD LINDNER JAMES GOETZ community and our visitors. President Vice President While we’ve been busy on many fronts across the city including park projects at Westwood Town Hall, Ault, Eden, French, Bramble, Hoffner, Inwood, Burnet Woods, Stanberry and many others, I am especially excited for the first 1.4-mile phase of the new multi-use bike trail we opened in Mt. Airy Forest. Beyond providing a much-needed amenity, this project represents a signature collaboration with the Cincinnati Off Road Alliance and the Mt. Airy community. As indicative of so many of our successes, without their vision, collaboration and plain old hard work this project would not have happened. None of what we do is possible without our dedicated staff, the strong support from Mayor John Cranley, Cincinnati City Council, the City of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Parks Foundation, our Cincinnati Parks Advisory Councils, all of our community partners, and the countless volunteers who share our passion. SUSAN F. CASTELLINI KEVIN FLYNN LINDA LEE THOMAS Of course, everything we do is for the benefit of our thousands of park guests who rely on Cincinnati Parks for places of reflection, recreation, education and gathering. Thank you for your time, engagement and support. I look forward to seeing you out creating experiences in one of our award-winning parks soon. - Brad Lindner Board Chair, Cincinnati Board of Park Commissioners Cincinnati Parks Organization Tree Warder Riverfront Parks Nursery East District Customer Operations Communications Services Fund Tracking/ Downtown Management Explore Nature! Area Parks Procurement Programs Program Property Trail & Event Transactions Construction/ Outreach Maintenance Krohn Personnel Conservatory IT Services Actions Natural Resource Carol Training Management Project/ Administrative Ann’s Capital Construction Services Carousel Improvement Management Contract Risk Budgeting Management Management Reservations & Fees Budget West District Planning Special Event Volunteer Program Operations & Design Services Payroll Facility Coordination/ Support Management Management Website & Financial Social Media Riverfront & Services Master Business Human Planning Planning, Design, Services Downtown Area Resources Operations & & Facilities Maintenance Deputy Director Director of Parks Parks Foundation Board of Park Commissioners Urban Forestry Board Mayor of Cincinnati Park Advisory Councils Citizens of Cincinnati PG 6-7 CONNect WIth US! INTERIM DIRECTOR OF PARKS OPERATIONS INTERIM DIVISION MANAGER Kara S. Kish 513-357-4079 Larry Parker 513-357-2604 Oversight: East District Parks, West District Parks, BUSINESS SERVICES & Explore Nature! Rocky Merz 513-357-2619 Oversight: Communications, Public Relations, PARK ADVISORY COUNCILS Website, Social Media, Graphic Design, Centralized 513-357-2604 Business Operations, Guest Experience, Customer Service PLANNING & DESIGN & Reservation of Park Facilities Steve Schuckman 513-475-9600 FACILITY RENTALS & QUESTIONS Oversight: Park Structures, Plans & Designs, Visit www.cincinnatiparks.com for 24/7 booking access Infrastructure and Landscape Projects, & Special Projects We are an energized FINANCIAL SERVICES PREMIER PARK EVENTS team who values keeping Craig Sherman 513-357-2608 513-221-2610 Oversight: Budget, State & Federal Grant Programs, Event Rentals for: Carol Ann's Carousel, Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati's parks clean, Restricted Fund Endowments, Procurement, French House, Gibson House, Ault Park Pavilion, Alms Park Telecommunications, & Automated Systems Pavilion, Berry Pavilion, Mt. Echo Pavilion, Maple Ridge beautiful, reliable, Lodge, The Anderson Pavilion, and Oak Ridge Lodge HUMAN RESOURCES enriching, green, Y. Laketa Cole 513-357-2605 URBAN FORESTRY Crystal Courtney 513-861-9070 and safe. OPERATIONS DIVISION MANAGER Oversight: Natural Resource Management, Jenny Mobley 513-352-6180 Street Trees & Urban Forestry Oversight: Riverfront & Central Parks, Krohn Conservatory, Greenspace, & Special Events & Permits RecogNITIONS Explore Nature! 2019 Tree City USA Recognition, 38 Years Explore Nature! Day Camps named To qualify as a Tree City USA community, a town or city must meet four standards Day Camps named 2018 Best of Parenting established by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. 2018 Best of the City CINCINNATI FAMILY MAGAZINE THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION CINCINNATI MAGAZINE Recognized as 8th best park system in the nation from Trust for Public Land. The ranking is based on how many residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, park size, park investment and the inclusion of popular amenities like dog parks, playgrounds and recreation centers. SOCIAL AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS ALLOW US TO INTERACT DIRECTLY WITH THE PUBLIC USING #CINCYPARKS 35,505 32,700 16,940 728,926 FOLLOWERS FOLLOWERS FOLLOWERS PAGE VIEWS 1) WHAT CITY PARKLAND HAS THE GREATEST VARIETY OF ANIMALS? FIND THE ANSWER ON PAGE 29 PG 8-9 PG 10-11 REJUVENATING HEALTH & WELLNESS N OVE Ith ature I L EXPLORE W NATURE! N The value of educational programming in Cincinnati Parks is well known by our Explore Nature program participants and partner organizations. Our programs are not seen as a luxury but rather as a vital part of what makes Cincinnati a vibrant, dynamic place. Teaching methods have changed over the years, but Explore Nature’s mission has remained constant: providing participants with personal connections, to the natural world in parks citywide and at our 5 Nature Centers. Our inclusive, and equitable programs serve people of all ages, abilities and socio-economic groups. Participants gain knowledge and skills from the diversity of science, natural history, and local history programs offered. All 40,000 of those we serve annually benefit from this…and no electronic devices needed. ummer amPS S EXPLORE NATURE! C One of the highlights of the year for many children is summer camp. They participate in endless hours of fun and adventure they can’t have in any other setting. School can often be a stressful place, so finding time to make friends can often be tough. Active games, art & craft projects, and hikes help them gain self-confidence, boost self-esteem, and improve social skills all while having fun. These memories carry an emotional importance lasting a life time! Our camps are economically priced and provide quality outdoor nature education activities. The week long camps from June 10 - August 2 provide hours of fun with daily hikes, animal encounters, arts and crafts, storytelling, experiments, and active games keeping children 3 - 14 years old engaged. The popular specialized themed camps such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Creek Week, ART-Rageous, and Winnie-the-Pooh meet the specific interests of our campers. VoluNteer & Staff RecogNITION MARY JO BAZELEY • VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION DAVE GAMSTETTER • STAFF RECOGNITION JOSH JUMP, MICHAEL BROWS, SCOTT PAVONE, JAKOBI MURREL • TREE CREW Mary Jo Bazeley began volunteering with Cincinnati Parks in Dave began with Parks in 1989 and retired in 2019, starting 1986. At this time she began her volunteer career by as an Urban Forestry Specialist. By 1999 Dave began When a severe ice storm struck in November our tree assisting Park’s Supervisor of Urban Forestry with West managing urban forestry, greenspace, and park land crews were a vital component of the cleanup. Multiple Price Hill street tree selection, planting, and maintenance. management programs along 1,000 miles of public streets hazardous situations existed at several parks and public Since that time Mary Jo has continued to be involved with and in 5,000 acres of parks as Natural Resource Manager. safety was at risk. Over a period of weeks the crews many other west side park initiatives such as Rapid Run’s Throughout his career, Dave made a tremendous removed 46 storm-damaged trees, removed detached, Green Up Day and Family Fun Fridays, Mt. Echo’s River Fest environmental impact, planting over 50,000 trees making hanging limbs from multiple trees above and along the West, Wilson Commons’ Eggstravaganza, the Genway Cincinnati greener, as well as offering his expertise on an roads throughout Mt. Airy, and cleared and chipped brush Woods plan, and Olden View