Dear Community Council members,

In September, the Anchorage Parks & Recreation Department is setting out on a new project in order to continue to build community involvement in the park system.  We’re compiling an Anchorage Park Report Card, and asking community members to evaluate their neighborhood parks on their cleanliness, safety, functionality, structural integrity and appearance.  

We will be asking Anchorage park lovers to tell us how their parks look, feel and what part they play in our community.  Are the benches clean and safe?  Are the lawns green and well-maintained?  Is there graffiti on the playground equipment?  Do park users feel safe and secure?  Participants will also be asked to fill out a “Fix It List” for their neighborhood park.  Is a swing broken on the play set?  Are the signs falling down?  If so, participants can let the Department know, and also consider signing up to participate in a Clean & Green Volunteer Day or a more ambitious Challenge Grant project.

Some Report Card evaluations will be community events, and some will be conducted by interested individuals who download the report card from our website.  We hope that the Report Card will serve as a catalyst to community involvement, with friends and neighbors working together to evaluate their local parks.  This process will increase community awareness of the condition of Anchorage parks, build community investment in the park planning process and mobilize park supporters to identify needed Anchorage park projects.

And that is where you come in!  As community council members and advocates for Anchorage parks, you have the opportunity to suggest that neighbors get involved and evaluate their neighborhood parks.  There are many ways to participate:  you may choose to lead a report card assessment with your neighbors; you can conduct one independently; or you can attend a scheduled report card event in your district. 

The Report Card results will be used to create work plans for our park maintenance staff, and to establish construction priorities for the Summer 2009 construction season.  The Department and the Anchorage Park Foundation will continue to seek public and private funding for the Community Council Capital requests, and will identify new park needs with this report card tool.  The results will also be indispensible to you, as you set budget priorities.

For a list of targeted neighborhood parks and scheduled Report Card assessment dates, see www.AnchorageParkFoundation.org.  If you are interested in participating, or if you would like to evaluate your neighborhood park, please contact Kelly Meeker at 343-4740 or meekerKK@muni.org.  We appreciate your involvement and support.  Thank you for your commitment to Anchorage parks!

Sincerely,

 Jeff Dillon

 Beth Nordlund

Development Director

Anchorage Park Foundation

907.343.4492

www.AnchorageParkFoundation.org

Healthy Parks, Healthy People

ACTIVE RECREATION

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GREEN SPACE

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OUTER PARK EDGE AND ENTRY

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PASSIVE RECREATION AREAS

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PATHWAYS

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PLAYGROUNDS

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