The Productive Parks 5-Minute Podcast

Working out in a gym isn’t for everyone. Some people prefer their exercise outdoors. As outdoor fitness equipment continues to evolve in our parks and open spaces, so does its popularity. 

Outdoor fitness equipment enables parks and recreation agencies to offer their communities opportunities to expand and diversify their fitness routines. You want to make sure that the equipment remains safe, functional, and in good condition.

In ...

It’s the middle of summer. This time of year, you may get a chance to experience a very brief moment of respite. A little lull between the madness of the start of the growing season, special events, and other recreation programming. 

Although this is often a time for a much-needed breather, it can also present an opportunity that will help you the rest of the summer.

A midsummer review of your maintenance plan can allow you to make...

You have some park maintenance staff who can do some pretty amazing things for your agency. Individuals who can fix broken irrigation systems, set up for large events, and care for amazing-looking sports fields.

But even the best technicians can struggle when the team isn’t working well together. The entire park maintenance team feels the effects when issues arise with communication, engagement, trust, and motivation.

Luckily, ther...

Late spring and early summer…It’s that time of year when just about every park maintenance crew is struggling to keep their heads above water. And now they are being asked to help with some of the special events.

We all know special events are a big part of programming for parks and recreation agencies, and summer is full of them.

So, how can you make it easier for an already stressed, overextended park maintenance team?

In this ep...

There are a lot of different campgrounds out there. From the open space areas with strategically-placed bathrooms, grills, and garbage cans to resort-like sites with plenty of amenities. 

One thing is common for all these campsites--they require maintenance to give visitors a safe, positive experience.

But do campsites need a maintenance management system (CMMS) software to help the maintenance teams?

Maintenance management softwar...

There’s going to come a time when it is no longer feasible to repair some of your park maintenance equipment. You are going to have to replace the equipment.

You want to make sure you get your money’s worth out of the new equipment. And you want to make sure the maintenance equipment provides staff with the tools they need to effectively complete their tasks. 

After all, misguided or hasty equipment purchasing decisions can lead to...

You worked hard to hire qualified seasonal staff to help with your parks maintenance operations. Well-trained seasonal staff helps your maintenance team operate more efficiently, provides support to full-time staff, and increases the chance that the seasonals will return next year.

Now it’s time to train the seasonal staff to set them up for success.

You want to be sure that they have everything they need to complete their tasks su...

A park cleanup event can be an excellent opportunity to address maintenance needs for your parks while getting the community involved. Community park cleanup events can help the maintenance team catch up on less skilled work like trash cleanup, weeding, removing invasive plants, and other beautification projects.

Don’t let that opportunity go to waste! A poorly planned cleanup event can mean work wasn’t completed correctly and the ...

As a park and recreation agency, we all come to this crossroads…should we keep repairing older playground equipment, or is it time to replace it?

You want to provide the best play environments for your community but probably have budget constraints and a maintenance backlog. Still, the repairs are starting to get more expensive and frequent. Is it time to finally replace the playground equipment? 

In this episode of the Productiv...

Is your park maintenance team dealing with issues? Are there things that constantly nag at your park and recreation agency? Well, you are not alone. As much as you’d like to think other parks departments have it all together, they are likely struggling with at least some challenges. 

Despite parks and recreation agencies coming in all different shapes and sizes, they often encounter similar challenges. From aging infrastructure to ...

Communication. We do it every day. Conversations, phone calls, emails, and messaging…It seems nonstop. Yet communication remains to be one of the greatest challenges within many organizations–including parks and recreation agencies.

Technology may make communicating with one another easier, but it doesn’t necessarily make us better at it. Interactions among supervisory staff, administrators, and front-line workers need to be clear,...

Winter usually means more people spending time indoors–and coming to your indoor recreation facilities, gyms, and workout centers. The weather conditions, additional programming, and increased foot traffic can all impact how staff need to maintain these facilities. 

The challenges recreation centers face during the winter can be addressed with some planning, procedures, and maintenance routines. Also, training staff can help create...

Harsh winter weather can be hard on recreation facility exteriors. If you are a facility manager, you’ve seen how freezing temperatures, heavy snow, high winds, and other winter weather can cause damage and hazardous conditions.  

Luckily, with some planning and preparation, you can reduce the risk of common issues recreation facilities face during the winter. Help make sure your exteriors stay resilient throughout winter, and the ...

It can be an exciting time when parks and recreation agencies invest in computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software. But it can also be a challenging time to adopt CMMS software. 

After all, change isn’t always easy. Maintenance staff may not initially adopt CMMS software. It can be a stressful transition as the staff learns how to use maintenance management software.

Spending time upfront with training, collaboratio...

Now that the weather is starting to turn and some parts of the country are starting to face more wintery conditions, you may ask yourself if your playgrounds are ready for the change of season.

Late fall is a critical time to ensure playgrounds remain safe and functional during the winter. The playground inspections and preventative maintenance you do now can go a long way to ensure issues are addressed before the lead to more comp...

Picture this…You started your maintenance team seasonal hiring. You found some perfect new additions for your maintenance department. 

What happens on their first day? What kind of maintenance training is available during the onboarding process? Do they watch some standard videos that every new hire watches? Do that shadow an established maintenance staff for a few days? Are they left to their own devices to figure it out?

We all k...

Park maintenance is the backbone of a dynamic parks and recreation agency. The varied duties of a parks maintenance worker help ensure that recreation programming, special events, and visits to parks and facilities are safe and positive experiences for the public.

However, many people don’t understand all the responsibilities of a park maintenance worker and the skills necessary to complete them. 

So today, we are answering the que...

In the perfect world, your maintenance team would have all the funding and resources you need for general operations, necessary repairs, and special projects. 

And then there is reality.

More often than not, budget constraints keep teams from doing everything that needs to be done. Backlogs of work pile up. Small issues get missed. Emergency repairs are needed.

Managers have to become creative to stretch their budgets or secure add...

Most people work better when they have a clear path to follow. When they understand what needs to be done and why. Unfortunately, not every agency has focused short- and long-term goals that give a sense of purpose and unity. 

You may have heard of key performance indicators (KPIs) before. But do parks and recreation agencies really need KPIs?

In short, Yes!

Parks and recreation agencies with clear goals and key performance indicat...