Parks and Rec Director's Column: Turning the Page to 2023

What book are you reading right now? Maybe some “brain candy” that takes you on an adventure? I’m deep into the Ranger’s Apprentice series which highlights the power of friendship, bravery and endurance in times of hardship. We’ve all learned how to endure in hard times, and I am proud of what we have accomplished these past few years, but I’m looking forward to 2023 when we can “turn the page” and start a new year.

And what will it bring? We will be laser-focused on our mission to promote health and well-being as we implement our new, unanimously approved by City Council, Master Plan. BPR’s Master Plan promise to you is to use the plan to guide our work. The policies and goals will shape each decision we make to ensure that Boulder’s Parks and Recreation system continues to take care of the community’s hearts, bodies and souls.

City Council has been supportive of the Master Plan and, by approving the city’s budget for 2023, investing in the goals it outlines. The Master Plan affirms the community’s desire for us “take care of what we have,” so here are some key projects to do that in 2023:

• Build a new restaurant at Flatirons Golf Course to replace the one destroyed in the 2013 flood.
• Renovate the playground at North Boulder Park.
• Begin the process to update the warm water wellness pool at East Boulder Community Center, including an increased warm water exercise area and to replace the play amenities.
• Begin planning for East Boulder Community Park’s playground renovation and the development of Violet Park.

These projects are funded by capital dollars dedicated to parks and recreation, and, thanks to Boulder voters, we can use them to replace dated and/or destroyed amenities in our system. We are also grateful for the partnership of our philanthropic non-profit profit partner, the PLAY Boulder Foundation. We are working now to develop our 2023 funding campaigns and look forward to sharing opportunities for community members and partners to help us deliver on community dreams that exceed funding.

We will continue working hard to address the labor shortage and financial challenges of today’s economy so that we can provide great services, so stay tuned for updates on our 2023 hiring campaigns and fees.

Thank you for your support as we continue to serve our Boulder community. Please let us know when our team does something great and when we haven’t hit the mark. Your feedback is always welcome.

Be well,

Ali