PRCF 2015/16 Annual Report

parks, recreation and community facilities

2015/16 fiscal year

annual report

WHO WE ARE: Fiscal year 2015-2016 brought many exciting developments and changes to the Department. Consolidating with the Facilities Maintenance department we garnered a change in department name and scope of business.

Changing the name from Parks, Recreation and Commercial Facilities; to Parks, Recreation and “Community” Facilities which encompasses the increase in scope and the importance of our new combined efforts to serve both internal and external customers in Mesa. The Department now known as PRCF, has two divisions namely Parks and Recreation and Facilities Management that work side by side to develop, operate and maintain City assets. We value collaboration, teamwork and innovative thinking to bring quality facilities and programs to Mesa.

John Giles Mayor

Dave Richins Councilmember District 1

ADMINISTRATION: Marc Heirshberg, CPRE – Director Mike Holste – Assistant Director – Parks Fred Rustam, P.E. – Assistant Director – Facilities Andrea Moore, CPRE – Planning and Operations Administrator Erik Ostlund – Community Facilities Administrator Leslie Clark, CPRP – Recreation Administrator Tammy Davenport – Fiscal Analyst

ADVISORY GROUPS: Mayor, City Council & City Manager Mesa Operates under a charter form of government with citizen elections for the Mayor and six councilmembers who set policy for the City. The support and guidance set forth by City administrators gives the PRCF Department opportunities to grow and develop new and exciting places and programs for residents and visitors alike.

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Alex Finter

Councilmember District 2

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Dennis Kavanaugh Vice Mayor District 3

The Parks and recreation Advisory Board is a citizen advisory group made of volunteers appointed by the Mayor and City Council who have a passion for parks. The Board meets bi-monthly and advises the City Council on development and operations of parks, programs and issues faced by the department.

Board Members:

Chris Glover

Councilmember District 4

David Luna

Councilmember District 5

Kent Buckley, John Duclos, Matthew Erickson, Jaime Glasser, Jennifer Madsen (Chair), Wayne Manske (Vice Chair), Bert Millett, Justin Murdock, Kathleen Rahn, Josh Todd.

Foundation The Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation serves as a fundraising and support arm of the Department. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, this all volunteer support entity fosters good will and citizen engagement for park events, such as Celebrate Mesa, Mesa Sprint Triathlon, and Arbor Day activities. The Foundation works to enhance and support the parks and recreation programs in Mesa by providing scholarships and financial aid to programs to expand their reach to all citizens in Mesa.

Executive Committee - Kristen McPhie (President), Mike McCaffrey (Vice President), Erik Robson (Secretary), Jim Ruiz (Treasurer)

Kevin Thompson Councilmember District 6

This year projects supported by the Foundation included: Riverview landscape and bicycle rack enhancement project, water polo equipment purchase for Mesa Aquatic Center, City Pool lifejacket program, The Roy Track Annual Pow Wow, Save the Train efforts at Pioneer Park, and raising over $28,000 to support programs to fight youth obesity by hosting the annual Mesa Sprint Triathlon.

Chris Brady City Manager

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MISSION STATEMENT The Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department is committed to providing sustainable facilities and opportunities to enhance the quality of life and well-being of our community.

PILLARS OF IMPACT

Delivery Performa:

Aquatic Centers: 9

Parks, Recreation and Commercial Facilities Division

Community Centers: 5

Number of Employees: FTE’s 209.4 (Full time 137, Part time/seasonal 463)

Amphitheatre and Convention Center: 1

Total Operating Budget: $35,391,896 Total Revenues Generated: $9,567,000 Capital Budget: $ 3,776,325 Capital Expenses: $ 1,058,062 Total Number of developed parks and open spaces: 202

Golf Course: 1

Cemetery: 1 Grant dollars received: $82,028 Miles of trails: 4.55 Facilities Management Division Number of Employees: FTE 37 Total Operating Budget: $9,238,516 Total Repair Budget: $3,525,771

Total acres: 2552.37

Number of Sites: 208

Athletic Fields: 57

Total Building area: 4,600,000 Sq. Ft.

Playgrounds: 59

Parks and recreation is the gateway to healthy, prosperous and connected communities. On any given day, someone is being positively affected through parks and recreation – whether they are taking a walk on a trail or fitness class at the community center, or just reaping the benefits of clean air and water because of preserved open space.

The work of Mesa’s Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department takes on some of our toughest challenges like obesity, the economy and environmental sustainability and offers solutions by providing critical frontline services and resources.

Conservation - Parks are critical in the role of preserving natural resources that have real economic benefits for our community.

A voice in the community for protecting open space, connecting children to nature, and providing education and programming that helps the community engage in conservation practices.

Health and Wellness - PRCF works on improving the overall health and wellness of our community. Working as partners in combating some of the most complicated and expensive challenges our country faces –poor nutrition, hunger, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Social Equity - Universal access to public parks and recreation are a right, not just a privilege. Every day we are working hard to ensure that all members of the community have access to the resources and programming our city offers. (source: nrpa.org)

Awards and Recognitions: Finalist - National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management The Red Mountain High School Club Diversity program led by teacher, Mr. Robert Macias was awarded the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association Volunteer Award for 2015.

Mesa Amphitheatre was recognized by Phoenix New Times as the second best 2016 outdoor concert venue in the state.

Desert Trails Park – Arizona Parks and Recreation Natural Resource Award Desert Trails Park – Arizona Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award Riverview Park – Arizona Forward Award of Merit

GOLD MEDAL VISION Mesa PRCF is not just looking at what it can do today, but has a vision for the future. This vision encompasses several areas to guide and direct what we do and why we do it as we move forward. Falling under the three Pillars of Excellence developed by the National Recreation and Parks Association our Gold Medal Vision guides progress in the following areas: • Provide urban forests, natural areas, and waters that endure and captivate.

• Deliver recreation that inspires personal growth, healthy lifestyles, and a sense of community.

CAPRA Accredited Agency for the 4th year.

• Create dynamic parks that shape city character and meet diverse community needs.

Tree City USA designation

• Maintain safe places to work, play, celebrate, contemplate and recreate.

KaBoom! Playful City Award for the 8th year in a row

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Vision – Deliver recreation that inspired personal growth, healthy lifestyles, and a sense of community AQUATICS Competitions Mesa is a national leader in hosting competitive aquatic events at world class facilities. Skyline Aquatic Center was host, for the fourth year in a row, of the national and international Arena Pro Series Swimming competition.

The four-day meet was attended by US National team members, such as Katie Lidecki and Michael Phelps. An estimated 2,000-4,000 on-site spectators enjoyed daily competition and was seen by millions both through internet streaming and NBC Universal Sports Network.

Other notable events hosted at Mesa pools include: USA Synchro National Junior Synchronized Swimming Championship (500 athletes), Speedo Arizona Invitational (500 athletes), Mesa Public Schools Craig Cummins Invitational (1,000 athletes), AIA State Swimming and Diving Championship Meet (over 600 athletes from 55 statewide schools), USA Water Polo’s Rocktoberfest (24 teams), Arizona Parks and Recreation Association Swimmer’s Classic (300 athletes) . Partner group, Mesa Aquatics Club hosted a western states zone competition where 744 athletes competed and approximately 40 percent traveled from other states. Economic impact from aquatic sporting events this year was approximately $1,593,000.

Mesa’s Aquatic Centers also play host to the Citrus Classic collegiate winter training camp where teams from all over the US and Canada come for Mesa’s mild winter days to train in great outdoor facilities. This year Mesa hosted 12 collegiate teams over a 3-month span.

Triathlons Skyline Aquatic Center is the preferred location for several triathlon races which welcome children and adults alike to participate in this challenging multi discipline sport. This year Catching Cupid Sprint Triathlon, The Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation Sprint Triathlon and Tri Family Racings spring and fall races were all attended by hundreds of racers and spectators.

Special Events The 5th Annual Pumpkin Splash was hosted at Brimhall Pool. Rain slightly dampened participation, but 460 participants weathered the storms and enjoyed this unique Halloween event. Sponsors for this event included Shasta Pools, Wright Orthodontics and Mesa Fire and Medical. Popular activities included pumpkin decorating, glitter tattoos, foam pit, swimming with the pumpkins, and more.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

A Dive-in-Movie treated 355 patrons to a fun evening and the 3rd annual Shepherd Pool Water Carnival had 475 participants.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Programs

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Mesa public pools offer learn to swim lessons during the spring, summer and fall months. Teaching water safety and aquatic fitness is an important part of the overall aquatics program. Overall lesson registration attained 86% capacity. Total registrations for summer swim lessons was 10,747 individuals, fall lessons taught 170 students and spring lessons rounded out the year teaching 123 learn-to-swim lessons and 166 lifeguard/instructor students water safety and swimming skills.

Flowrider surf lessons also continue to be a highly sought after class for youth. This year 846 students learned how to surf the desert.

Recreation swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming team programs continue to be a mainstay for summer youth activities in Mesa.

This year the summer swim team reached 93% capacity followed by 63% for dive, 73% for water polo and 54% for synchronized swimming, serving a combined 2,423 participants.

Fall swim team programs are offered for the growing number of children in Mesa. The homeschool league at Kino and Skyline Aquatic Centers increased 28% percent this year reaching an all-time high of 86 participants.

The afterschool fall league at Stapley, Brimhall, and Fremont pools saw 182 youth enjoying extended swimming programs.

enhanced by the 110 volunteer coaches who dedicated their time and resources to assist our community’s youth in various sports programs.

Community Youth Groups PRCF supported 20 Little League baseball/softball, soccer, and football Community Youth Groups that served over 8,200 youth. More than 77,000 field reservations were processed at 25 locations and 75 separate fields across the City of Mesa.

Sports Field Rentals In January, the City of Mesa partnered with Under Armour and the Chicago Cubs to host the 3rd Annual Under Armour Pre-Season Tournament at the Riverview Baseball Complex. The twoday tournament brings together 300 of the best high school players in the nation and nearly 3,000 spectators. Some of the major tournaments and leagues that the City hosts include the Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL), Prospect Wire youth tournaments, Triple Crown youth tournaments and another season of the Full Gospel Church Adult Softball League. Youth and amateur baseball tournaments in Mesa resulted in over $3,600,000 in economic impact for the City this year.

In Fiscal Year 2015-2016 the City of Mesa hosted over 173,000 participants, over 195,000 spectators and generated over $810,000 in revenue.

Public pools operate from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. 130,232 visitors enjoyed swimming and water play activities at all the pools this year. Revenue from pool operations brought in $395,062 to Mesa.

This year four pools were able to extend operations for two additional weeks affording nearly 13,000 guests to enjoy a cooling swim that was not available in years past.

ATHLETICS Adult Sports Throughout the week adult sports programs are offered during the evening four seasons a year. These programs include softball, flag football, volleyball and kickball for the advanced to the very beginner. Senior softball leagues are offered and played during the day three months out of the year with four different divisions for the highly skilled to the novice.

Every program is officiated by qualified, trained and background checked officials. In the last year 891 teams and 13,365 players participated in the adult sports programs.

Youth Sports Youth sports successfully ran 22 camps, 5 leagues and 6 special events.

This included adding extra days, locations and seasons of the popular “PLAY BALL” multi-sport and golf programs to help fulfill the demand.

Over 2,000 participants benefited from programming and the Positive Play Project initiative. A new family fun night was added to the end of season tournament to help enhance the positive experience with over 700 coaches, players and family members. The success of youth activities was greatly

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Dobson Ranch Golf Course, a popular and award winning 18-hole golf course underwent a major lake improvement project in FY15-16. This essential investment allowed the golf course to complete a 6-month long lake edge and stream restoration project to eliminate future erosion, improve lake aesthetics and increase the water holding capacity to maintain the flow of the lake and stream water features throughout the golf course.

This project will also allow the golf course to further promote environmental sustainability through its management of the improved lake and stream ecosystem.

In addition to the improvement of the golf course lake and landscape features that Dobson Ranch is known for, the Golf Course Maintenance and Agronomic team secured new golf course maintenance equipment that will further allow them to increase operational efficiency. This will lower golf course expenditures but more importantly, continue to improve golf course conditioning, playability and the overall experience for all those who call Dobson Ranch, their home course.

This year the golf course welcomed 7,296 players to the City’s premier golf venue generating $3,054,000 in revenue.

RECREATION CENTERS Jefferson and Webster Recreation Centers offered year-round recreational activities, clubs, classes and special events to the local community. These facilities partner with Jefferson and Webster Elementary Schools, and provided a safe place to play, celebrate, contemplate and recreate for more than 400 youth, resulting in over 120,000 visits to both centers this year.

Webster and Jefferson offered four free family events in collaboration with Vice Mayor Kavanaugh (Webster) and Councilmember Luna (Jefferson).

These events provided an opportunity for school staff, recreation center staff, participants, parents and the community to come together and celebrate. Over 2,600 residents attended the four events held in the fall and spring.

Webster Recreation Center running club participants ran a cumulative total of 188 miles during the five week program. The club ended with a 2.4-mile hike on treasure loop trail at Lost Dutchman State Park. This club promotes healthy lifestyle choices that can be incorporated throughout the participant’s lifetime.

Webster Recreation Center revamped the butterfly garden, which is maintained by staff and youth participants. The project teaches youth about the importance of nature and conservation. The amount of garden space has been increased to meet requirements from Monarch Watch to be considered as a certified butterfly way station.

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Jefferson Recreation Center started a gardening club that will grow tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, radishes, and carrots. Produce will be shared with program participants to promote healthy eating habits.

Jefferson Recreation Center partnered with Jefferson Elementary School to host a Winter Holiday event. Activities included photos with Santa, crafts, food vendors, DJ and dancing, and more.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

DOBSON RANCH GOLF COURSE

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Red Mountain Center also houses two tenant partners: East Valley Adult Resources (providing active adult programs and services) and Oakwood Creative Care (providing adult day care services). The Center provided a safe place to play, celebrate, contemplate and recreate for more than 4,000 annual membership pass holders. The total utilization of the center for recreation programming alone was 154,009 visits. The grand total of all three organizations combined was 215,267 visits.

Red Mountain Center delivered recreation that inspired healthy lifestyles by offering 80 group fitness classes per week as well as open gym play (including basketball, volleyball and pickle ball), and a youth activity center.

The fitness center houses cardiovascular and strength training equipment, a 1/14 mile walking track and a challenge staircase. The Red Mountain Center also offers wellness workshops such as; Chakra Yoga, Longevity and Functional Movement, Neuroplasticity- Pathways to Brain Health thru Movement, Yoga for Golfers and Barefoot Balance and Functional Movement.

The Special Interest program engaged 20 independent contractors that offered 350 special interest activities with over 12,000 participant visits.

Activities offered include: music, tumbling, literacy, language, preschool learning, communication, creativity, Lego building, movie making, code writing, cake decorating, film, photography, dance, hula, belly dance, soccer, baseball, karate, aikido, tai chi, family mindfulness, aromatherapy and vision boarding.

Park based contracted programs including Bounce Boot Camp, Outdoor ProTraining and Toddler Sports were offered at several parks in Mesa.

These programs welcomed participants to recreate outdoors in our great park system.

VOLUNTEERS Volunteers are an important piece of the PRCF puzzle. Without volunteers many programs would not be able to function. This year volunteers served 30,052 total hours for PRCF programs and events including 62 youth coaches and 42 Club Diversity students from Red Mountain High School.

An inaugural Volunteer Appreciation event was hosted at the Red Mountain Center by the Department to recognize all of the volunteers that contributed to our success throughout the year.

The Junior Lifeguard Guard volunteer program was at full capacity with 241 participants. Junior guards are utilized as volunteers and job trainees that shadow lifeguards at aquatic complexes across Mesa. They enhance safety supervision as rovers on deck by watching patrons in crowded areas and assist with swimming lessons and special event programming.

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SOCIAL EQUITY Vision – Create dynamic parks that shape city character and meet diverse community needs ADAPTIVE PROGRAMS The Team Mesa Adaptive programs served 1,185 youth and adults with intellectual disabilities with 34 different sports and recreation opportunities provided over three seasons.

A total of 1,566 registrants participated in at least one of the 26 social program opportunities offered throughout the year including 50 adults in the California Adventure program, 65 registrants for the Camp Carley trip, and 175 attendees at the Mistletoe Magic Dance.

The annual Desert Challenge Games, hosted in partnership with Arizona Disabled Sports, had a record setting attendance of over 320 youth and adults with physical or visual disabilities competing over three days in track, field, archery and swimming. Thirty-five of the United States and 14 countries from around the World were represented at the event which served as the only International Paralympic Committee Athletics Grand Prix taking place in the U.S. Recreational Bowling continues to be the most popular sport in the Team Mesa Adaptive programs serving a total of 192 participants between the East, West, Unified and Junior programs. With the exception of the juniors which is a 12-week season, the adult and unified bowling program is hosted year-round taking place once per week for two hour sessions.

Camp Fiesta hosted 117 registrants for four hours per day during a sixweek summer camp for individuals with developmental disabilities ages 6-21. Wiggles and Giggles hosted 24 registrants for two hours per day during a four-week inclusive summer camp for individuals with and without developmental disabilities ages 3-5.

The “Make a Difference� volunteer program allowed 16 individuals, ages 16 through adulthood with developmental disabilities the opportunity to give back to the community. A small group of 6-12 participants met once a month to volunteer at various community organizations including Feed My Starving Children, United Food Bank and Senior Living Center.

MESA CEMETERY This year, the Mesa Cemetery celebrated 125 years of dedication and distinction to the community since its establishment in 1891. The Cemetery staff remains extremely proud and committed to upholding the highest level of respect and dignity for the public and patrons of the Cemetery and are excited to share in this remarkable milestone of providing service for 125 years. To coincide with the 125th year anniversary and in preparation for the continued expansion and growth of the Cemetery, staff has implemented a new software management system to continue to improve the level of service to the customer while the first phase of construction begins with the North expansion. When completed, this expansion will add an additional 4,000 grave sites available for sale with an anticipated availability beginning winter of 2016.

SOCIAL EQUITY

The Red Mountain Center offers group fitness and wellness classes, walking track, climbing wall, youth activity center, kids club, fitness center, gymnasium and special interest classes. The 65,000 sq. ft. facility offers year-round activities and facility rentals for the community. The Center hosted 345 rentals serving 15,000 individuals.

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DROWNING PREVENTION

This year Mesa PRCF facilitated or hosted over 40 commercial, non-profit and City-sponsored events that utilized the park system, City facilities or Department resources. It is estimated that over 120,000 people attended these events with an overall economic impact of $2.4 million.

Making Waves is a program where grants and giving are turned into scholarships for low-income children to register for swimming programs provided by the City of Mesa. Making Waves provided 425 swimming lesson registrations to underprivileged Mesa families, 13 recreational team registrations, utilizing $8,500 in donations to provide these activities.

Sponsors are SRP, Mesa HoHoKam Foundation, and the Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation.

Marine Week Phoenix was held at Riverview Park, the event was organized by the US Marine Corp. and was sponsored by SRP. Approximately 1,000 attendees enjoyed performances by the Marine Band, Silent Drill Team and bomb sniffing dogs.

The Light Rail Central Mesa Extension Grand Opening Celebration was held August 22, throughout downtown Mesa. An estimated 1,500 attendees enjoyed live music, carnival games, free popsicles, free water, historical displays, food trucks and informational booths.

The reincarnation of Merry Main Street Christmastime experiences in downtown Mesa began after Thanksgiving and continued thru New Year’s Eve. Highlights for the season long event included an ice skating rink at City Plaza, food trucks at Pioneer Park, programming at the Mesa Arts Center and festival activities throughout downtown Mesa. PRCF support for the activities include the band shell, bleachers and staffing at the ice skating rink; electrical infrastructure, equipment and staffing for the food trucks at Pioneer Park; and movie screen equipment and staffing for outdoor movies at MacDonald and Main.

The Celebrate Mesa bi-annual community event is hosted at two local parks. An estimated 14,000 attendees enjoyed live entertainment, inflatable rides, food trucks and local business tents. The Living Green theme was exemplified by the Living Green Village where patrons can participate in activities that encourage education about conservation, recycling and the natural world.

August is Drowning Prevention Awareness Month. The kick-off event cooperatively hosted by Mesa Fire and Medical Department and Allstate Insurance included activities focused on both home and pool safety, gave 325 participants experiences to empower them to be safe in and around water. PRCF received a $5,000 check from Allstate and $1,000 from Councilmember Finter in support of the “Duckie Life Jacket Program.”

Total proceeds donated to purchase life jackets for pool patrons was approximately $9,600.

April Pools Day was attended by 175 individuals. The water safety event is co-sponsored by PRCF and the Mesa Fire and Medical Department. This event featured free swimming, water safety demonstrations and give away items. The event draws attention to home drowning incidents and focused on families who are interested in swimming lessons for their children to reduce drowning.

Pechanga en la Piscina is a water safety event targeted to provide drowning prevention information to non-English speaking populations. This event has been hosted for eight years and is the number one attended Hispanic water safety event in the valley. SRP donated $5,000 toward the Making Waves scholarship program at this event.

RECREATION CAMPS AND ACTIVITIES The Fun-N-Fitness Mobile Recreation Unit kept 10,025 K-6th graders active after school by providing fun and exciting games and group activities at several school sites in areas of Mesa considered to be “Play Deserts”.

The program takes place once per week at each of the four sites bringing games and activities to keep area youth busy and active. Each time the FunN-Fitness van visits a site the staff serve an average of 140 elementary aged children.

1,472 participants took advantage of 40 various summer camp opportunities offered at nine different locations in Mesa. Camp opportunities included My First Camp for preschool aged children, Legos, Go Kids, Outdoor Adventure and Boredom Busters for youth ages 6-13.

Teen volunteers are an integral part of youth camps and serve to keep our camps running smooth.

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This year both Youth Programs and Aquatics staff worked together to offer a “Swim & Gym” combined program that includes a full day summer camp with weekly field trips, lunch and registration in the Rhodes swim, synchronized swimming or dive team. Thirty-seven participants were part of this unique camp experience.

SOCIAL EQUITY

CITYWIDE SPECIAL EVENTS

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This program encourages both development and wellness in youth sports participants in Mesa. It provides high quality trainings, resources and outreach services in program areas including sportsmanship, positive coaching, concussion awareness, injury prevention, equipment and safety gear access, hydration and nutrition, and financial assistance. The Positive Play Project has been a huge success and made a significant impact on the community. This year over 100 Volunteer coaches received training from expert guest speakers and more than 225 youth received scholarships or fee assistance helping them to gain access to a program that was out of reach in the past.

The project has a strong focus on assisting youth that are low income and underserved. Community outreach relationships developed through the Positive Play Project bring together groups such as the Mesa Hohokam Foundation, West Mesa Community Development Corporation, Mesa Public Schools, Mesa Police Department, Mesa Fire and Medical Department, and neighborhoods including Guererro, Washington, and Sierra Vistas. Helping build stronger neighborhoods through youth sports the Positive Play Project is a vehicle for change.

REGISTRATION AND RESERVATIONS The goal of Registration and Reservation staff over the past twelve months has been to streamline our procedures to enhance the overall customer service experience.

By improving the fee assistance application process, applications can now be processed remotely. This has enabled staff to attend outreach and special events specifically to accept fee assistance applications. This past year 518 Mesa families with 2,613 family members have received fee assistance, allowing low income families to receive discounts and scholarships for identified core youth programs.

In March PRCF issued the first digital, fully interactive Jump In guide.

Through the guide, customers are able to directly link to the registration system for the specific activity they are interested in. Benefits of the guide include an easier and more accurate registration experience. The Jump In guide will be issued 3 times per year to correspond with Fall, Winter and Summer registration windows.

Recreation Guide

ion Registrat

NS OMPidE -July

fall

2016 IN T H IS ISS UE:

Parks – Get out and play!

Youth Sports

Adult Sports Leagues

Special Events

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and much more...

www.MesaAZ.gov/parksrec • 480-644-2352

CONSERVATION Vision – Provide urban forests, natural areas, and waters that endure and captivate AQUATICS, PARKS AND SPORTS FIELD MAINTENANCE One of the hallmarks of Mesa is the exceptional condition of recreation, park, pool and sport field facilities. The PRCF maintenance crews clean, weed, mow, grade, fix, paint and renovate over 2,500 acres of park land, 5,600,000 gallons of pool water, 50 sports fields and over 16,000 trees.

This year PRCF maintenance crews completed 1,433 facility safety inspections, 717 service requests, 1,939 work orders and 8,431 field preparations for sporting events.

Mesa deployed CityLink, a mobile and browser application that allows external and internal customers to submit service requests electronically.

This application geocodes location information and allows for pictures to be uploaded to help assist customers in assuring accuracy of information reported. The work requests are linked to the Department work order system allowing for a streamlined process both in service request tracking as well as a systematic approach to work prioritization.

During FY 15/16 PRCF spent $1,630,046 for improvement projects to maintain the park system.

CONVENTION CENTER The Mesa Convention Center features 40,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space including a 19,000 sq. ft. exhibit hall, and 40,000 sq. ft. of outdoor function space. Known for its great central location and in-house catering the facility hosted more than 900 events this year welcoming more than 225,000 guests through the doors. Major infrastructure improvements in air conditioning, carpeting and restroom upgrades completed this year have improved customer comfort and perception.

MESA AMPHITHEATER The Mesa Amphitheatre markets it’s superb acoustics and tiered lawn as a superior outdoor event space. Major renovation to the stage rigging and catwalk this year greatly improve safety and allow for higher quality show production. The Amp hosted nine major concerts and events bringing more than 30,000 people to downtown Mesa. Notable productions include: Chris Stapleton, 2 Cellos, ALT AZ 93.3 School d’AZ Festival, ALT AZ 93.3 Ugly Sweater Holiday Party and the Arizona Celebration of Freedom’s largest Independence Day celebration in the area.

CONSERVATION

POSITIVE PLAY PROJECT

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT The Facilities Management Division (FM) strives to maintain all City buildings and associated grounds including the Downtown District Cooling plant to high standards. The Division’s goal is to provide sustainable, safe and functional work areas for City staff and others. FM provides building, HVAC, electrical and mechanical repairs for all City owned facilities. The Division has a preventative maintenance program to minimize downtime and

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preserve the life expectancy of building systems. FM utilizes both in-house staff and outside contractors to perform work as needed along with 24-hour emergency stand-by services.

Work in Progress Over the course of the coming year FM will be reorganized and change its model of service delivery to a “building ownership” model of operation.

The management of all City buildings have been divided among new teams who will become responsible to address all the assigned building’s needs including preventative maintenance. Staff will be working on a condition assessment survey for all facilities in an effort to improve long range planning and identify urgent infrastructure needs.

The bid process for repairs and replacement work was streamlined this year and as a result more than 530 projects were either completed or substantially completed using qualified outside contractors.

In addition to managing these projects staff continues to respond to various daily calls to address building related issues. This year FM responded to more than 3,500 work requests including emergencies called in by City staff.

In a partnership with the Sustainability and Environmental Management Department, the Division is working to implement a number of energy saving projects at City facilities.

The Division was able to produce a comprehensive “Facilities Management Guidelines” document. This document has been shared with other City Departments and will used to provide guidelines in the design and construction of all new buildings and building renovation projects.

PARK DEVELOPMENT The floor of the Broadway Recreation Center was damaged beyond repair in the September 8, 2014 flood. Replacement of the floor also required replacement of the original building bleachers. The work was completed at a cost of $343,610 and the facility hosted a grand reopening on July 29, 2015. During the facility renovation, volunteers from Arizona Disabled Sports repainted the walls and upgraded the lighting in the gym.

Sports field lighting was replaced to remove failing wood light poles and increase energy efficiencies at Evergreen, Escobedo, and Gene Autry Parks, Hawthorne and Whittier Elementary Schools, Fremont, Taylor, Poston, and Rhodes Junior High Schools, and Mesa and Dobson High Schools. 106 light poles were replaced at 11 sites to facilitate efficient lighting for residents enjoying evening sports activities

CONSERVATION

The Division manages the custodial, pest control and landscaping services for all City facilities through the use of outside vendors with annual service contracts totaling $2,630,000. FM works closely with other City Departments; Engineering and Environmental Management & Sustainability during the design and construction of various building related projects.

Desert Arroyo Park, a new 58-acre park was opened on August 24, 2015.

Desert Arroyo Park focuses primarily on the experiential qualities of the Sonoran Desert and its flora and fauna. There are five desert-centered

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day is spent in large part educating park visitors about rules and codes of conduct that work to keep everyone safe. Rangers also respond to citizen calls and concerns, facility alarms and distribute water bottles to individuals during the summer months through Mesa’s Hydration Program. In 2015/2016 Rangers passed out over 3,800 bottles to people in need.

At least one of Mesa’s Park Rangers is on duty whenever a PRCF facility is open.

Rangers are scheduled seven days a week from 6am to midnight covering the nearly 2,400 acres of park land, in the 133 square miles of the city, and providing over 2,500 annual park inspections; all this with only a staff of five!

ADOPT-A-PARK PROGRAM educational nodes that encourage learning about the desert flora and fauna in an urban environment. These nodes provide incentive to explore and understand and play in the desert. Engaging green infrastructure, low impact development techniques, and a diverse landscape; Desert Arroyo Park is a living classroom for urban ecology, healthy living, and sustainability.

Improvements to Riverview Park were made in early 2016 to refurbish the playground surfacing, enhance the play value of the rock wall, and install decorative fencing to discourage wading in the park fountain.

Sherwood and Candlelight Parks irrigation systems were renovated to increase water efficiencies and shorten the amount of time needed to water turf and trees. Pumps were upgraded to improve energy efficiency and address equipment failures at Red Mountain and Carriage Lane Parks.

Pioneer Park Food Truck Forest improvement project involved lighting, power, and additional seating areas to create a food truck area within the southwest corner of Pioneer Park. Weekly food truck events were initiated this year as part of other Citywide downtown revitalization projects.

The Mesa School District transferred ownership of the grounds for the former Powell Junior High and the entire campus of Mesa Junior High to the City of Mesa. Both properties are being converted into public parks and sports fields in 2016.

At Guerrero Rotary Park the basketball court was replaced due to cracked and heaving concrete, playground shade was added, and Mendoza Field enhancements were made with the addition of shaded spectator seating and dugouts.

After the 2015 opening of the Mesa Aquatic Complex, Taylor Pool ended a long and prosperous lifecycle offering swimming and aquatic fun to the residents of the surrounding neighborhood for 32 years and was demolished in August 2015. The pool site was returned to Mesa Public Schools.

Community engagement through opportunities to serve is an important part of being connected to the neighborhoods and citizens that live in our city. Adopt-A-Park allows citizens, groups, churches and other organizations to show pride in their community by working to beautify and clean a park or open space in Mesa.

Mesa is very fortunate to have 202 local community parks and green spaces. Groups and individuals are encouraged to take pride in their community and assist the PRCF Department with preserving Mesa’s green spaces through general upkeep and clean up.

By adopting a park, community members are working to maximize parks maintenance budgets and tax dollars to work on activities that need expert care. Since August 421 hours of volunteer time have been spent beautifying the park by volunteers.

SPONSORS, GRANTORS AND PARTNERSHIPS Allstate – title sponsor of Aquatics water safety lifejacket initiative Arizona Disabled Sports / Mesa Association of Sports for the Disabled – partner for adaptive programming Arizona Game and Fish – facilitating our urban fishing program Mesa Public Schools – partner for program facilities and programs City of Mesa Electrical – partner in the Pioneer Park food court renovation City of Mesa Transportation Department – Partner in Mesa Drive muti-park installation project Gila River Indian Community – Grantor and sponsor of the Positive Play Project Mesa Hohokam Foundation – Grantor and support of multiple youth programs SRP – Title sponsor for Pachanga en La Piscina and water safety events Visit Mesa – sponsor of sports event programming Mesa Recycles – event support Mountain Vista Medical Center – event support SRP – event support Fry’s – event support Phoenix/Mesa Gateway Airport – event support Eastmark – event support Berge Ford – event support Blandford Homes – event support The Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation – program and event support Rainbow Graffixx – event and program support Thompson’s Auto Repair – event support Dave Bang – event support

PARK RANGERS Park Rangers are a vital part of the safety, security, and good will of the guest experience at all City of Mesa Parks. PRCF Park Rangers worked closely with the City of Mesa Police and Prosecutors office to develop a warning/citation deterrent program that works to promote family friendly activities and ensure safe and appropriate park usage. This interagency cooperation has proved effective in creating a marked change in the environment at Gurerro Rotary Park and is seen as a success story.

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Rangers are trained in law enforcement, emergency response, crowd management, and working with the homeless population. This year PRCF Rangers received Taser self-defense training to ensure their safety when in their enforcement role. A Ranger’s

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Mesa Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities Department 200 S. Center St. Bld #1 PO Box 1466 – Mail Stop 7010 Mesa, AZ 85211 Monday-Thursday 7am-6pm 480-644-2352 www.mesaaz.gov/parksrec