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By Tara Paxton
As the weather warms and the trees and flowers begin to emerge, creating a greener, more colorful landscape, people emerge from their winter hibernation and make their way to local parks and trails. While walking my dog at the neighborhood park, I heard children giggling as they swung on the playground. I spoke with neighbors playing catch with their sons and I got to see my neighbor’s new baby as she walked her in a stroller. These simple interactions at my local park lifted my mood and made me look forward to the coming change in seasons.
Parks foster community and boost the morale of their visitors. They provide innumerable benefits to communities. Parks can be vibrant epicenters for community and congregation and can give a place its own identity. They provide habitat for local species, floodplain protection, heat island effect protection, and green spaces where people can escape the urban environment for a moment that provides mental and physical health benefits. Additionally, proximity to parks provides a financial benefit to residents in that there is a growing body of evidence that well-maintained parks increase property values.
Green spaces improve mental health
Researcher Teodoro Georgiadis performed a literature review of material related to the benefits of green space on society in the article “How Does Urban Green Space Impact Residents’ Mental Health: A Literature Review of Mediators” published by the National Library of Medicine. This review found that “parks and urban forests provide venues for residents to engage in outdoor activities and communication and make them mentally healthier. Children and the elderly often benefit from this impact pathway. A greener environment can improve residents’ sense of social satisfaction and happiness in life.”
Now that we’ve established that parks are a fabulous asset for any community, it’s important to recognize that it takes a lot of time, money and labor to keep them as a positive asset. Stewardship is key. Stewardship is the practice of responsible planning and management of resources for the benefit of others. Local governments are the stewards of maintain millions of acres of property in parks, trails, sports fields, conservation areas, municipal, county and state facilities with lawns, public spaces, trees and garden areas. It is usually the task of public works or parks laborers who cut the lawns, fix the sprinklers, set up for public events and clean up after dog walkers. Replacing basketball nets, trimming trees, emptying recycling and trash bins are jobs that the public doesn’t realize are important until they are left undone.
Stewardship of these natural resources tends to be a less important line item in municipal budgets. Park or Public Works staff salaries, operating expenses and capital costs are typically a small portion of what residents pay for through their tax dollars. The 2024 National Recreation and Parks Association Annual Report estimates that the typical Parks and Recreation Program in the United States only obtains 2% of its operating revenue from Grant funds from public agencies and 1% from private grants or donations. The lion’s share of the funding for maintenance of parks comes from taxpayer sources.
Stewardship creates value
But the return on investment is a good bet. Well-maintained parks, schools, municipal properties, fields, trails and recreation areas stabilize property values, create a sense of place and are the outward expression of how well a community is loved. The National Park and Recreation Association published an article that reviewed a study that concluded a premium of 8 percent to 10 percent on property values abutting or fronting a passive park in urban environments. In the Journal of Leisure Research, Sarah Nicholls and John Crompton, PhD, reviewed 33 studies published in peer-reviewed publications that measured the impact of distance from a park on the sales price of a residence. The impact of parks on property value is dependent on the maintenance of the park facility. Nuisance parks can decrease property value or at least make it more difficult to sell property that is not well maintained, perceived to be unsafe or can be a nuisance from noise, light and traffic. Well-designed, appointed and maintained parks that are policed are an asset, where the latter can be a liability. Other obstacles to well-maintained parklands include use and overuse, invasive vegetation, wildfires, litter and vandalism.
Annual budgeting for park facility renovations should consider grant funding to supplement budgets. Many states provide grant programs that can be used to fund repairs, replacement and upgrades of recreational facilities. For example, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has an annual grant program called the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program. This grant funds planning, acquisition, development, rehabilitation and repair of greenways, recreational trails, open space, parks and beautification projects. These funds can be used to offset the costs of managing, maintaining and improving municipal parkland and public outdoor facilities. Another state grant program that can be used to address maintenance and repair issues at local parks is the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Grant Program (OSLAD) which funds development, rehabilitation and maintenance.
Grant Funding Makes Stewardship Less of a Tax Burden
So, the next time your municipality looks to fund its annual maintenance activities for parks, don’t limit yourself to large capital projects; be creative and apply for grant funds for maintenance, repairs and rehabilitation. These can include:
- Resurfacing safety surfacing
- Purchase of new or replacement sporting equipment
- Renovating trails and sidewalks
- Landscaping materials, including trees and bushes
- Lighting
- Security cameras
- Maintenance buildings and bathroom facility renovations
- Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades and many more repairs, renovations and replacements.
Grant funding can supplement operating budgets and assist communities in addressing Stewardship challenges to maintain parks as accessible and beautiful, well-kept municipal assets.