Welcome!

• Introduction to Parks Operations Division
• Maintenance and Operation Services
• Planning Services
• Urban Forestry Management
• City of Salem Heritage Trees
• Salem Parks and Recreation Board
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact Information

INTRODUCTION TO PARKS OPERATIONS DIVISION

The Parks Operations Division's goal is:

To plan, develop, and maintain Salem's park and open space system in a safe, clean, aesthetically pleasing condition in order to maximize customer use of and satisfaction with the system.

Salem's park system enhances our quality of life by providing effective and efficient programs and services which promote citizen access, safety, healthy growing environments for plants, and fully operational and useable park facilities.

The Parks Operations Division supports City goals and objectives by providing Parks Management, Parks Planning, Urban Forestry, and Parks Maintenance services. The Department of Community Services Parks Operations Division is responsible for the development, management, and maintenance of a park system encompassing 1,874 acres of park and open space areas with 29.53 miles of trails and 101 park and open space areas. These areas provide a backdrop for a wide variety of cultural, recreational and educational pursuits. Specific services performed include: grounds maintenance, building and facility maintenance and repair, turf services, plant bed care, irrigation operation and maintenance, and reservation services. Each maintenance function is supervised by a Field Supervisor.

Salem's Urban Forestry Program includes the maintenance and care of approximately 100,000+ street trees and nearly 35,000 trees located in parks.

The Administrative and Volunteer Services Section is responsible for a wide variety of support services necessary to manage the day-to-day operation of the Division. These services include volunteer coordination and support, reception, staff support, payroll, accounts payable, purchasing, permit processing, employee training, etc.

The Parks Planning Section's services include long-range planning of park and open space facilities for park design and development, contract administration, grant writing, and property management.

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MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION SERVICES

Services performed by this section include specific maintenance tasks and support of special events and park reservations. Specific service areas include: general park maintenance, building and facility maintenance, turf maintenance, irrigation, and urban forestry management . Services are delivered by two maintenance districts and a support services function.

The Division relies heavily upon the use of seasonal labor. To some extent this is dictated by the seasonal nature of the services delivered. In addition, the large reliance on seasonal labor is the result of budgetary cuts.

The Division also uses other supplemental labor to perform needed services. The Division works closely with the State of Oregon and Marion County Corrections Departments to provide regularly scheduled work crews for unskilled and semi-skilled tasks. The Division also uses court-ordered Community Service workers.

A portion of work in this section is performed by private contractors. Where appropriate, maintenance contracts are bid annually for specific park and landscape maintenance and repair services. In addition to maintenance contracts, the Division is also responsible for cooperative maintenance agreements with a number of City departments and other governmental agencies such as the school district.

Volunteers also make up a portion of our work crews. A large contribution made by volunteers to the Division is in the area of new projects. The Division facilitates a number of volunteer projects each year using scouts, church youth groups, garden clubs, college students, neighborhood association members, service clubs, and other interested individuals. These projects range in size from clearing a picnic area to the major redevelopment of Marion Square Park. Due to budget reductions, the Division has actively recruited interested individuals and groups to form the Park Partnership program to assist with neighborhood park maintenance.

While many volunteers prefer to work on new projects as opposed to performing routine maintenance, the Division has a good base of volunteers performing maintenance. The Friends of Bush Gardens, Friends of Deepwood, and the Cascades Gateway Park Partnership are just a few of these special groups. These volunteers are extremely valuable in that they perform necessary tasks which would have to be accomplished through paid staff.

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PLANNING SERVICES

The majority of routine planning services is performed by in-house staff. Responsibilities include landscape plan review and inspection for citywide private development, design and development of future park sites, property management, and grant writing. This section also provides inter-city services such as landscape design support to the Public Works Department and, to a lesser extent, the Community Development Department.

Large park design and construction projects are usually contracted out to private consultants. The contracts are developed and managed by the planning staff. The construction work is also contracted out, with site supervision/project management being performed by in-house staff and the design consultants.

Much of the time commitment of the planning staff is consumed by review of landscape plans for private and public development projects. The City maintains a zoning code which places a great deal of importance on the aesthetic quality of private developments. An average of 250 plans are reviewed and 300 site compliance inspections performed per year.

This section is responsible for property management and control of City-owned park land.

The Planning Section is also responsible for seeking grant funding for park acquisition and development. Although federal and state grant availability has been limited in recent years, there are still viable opportunities to secure funding for park development as witnessed by the success of Team Riverfront and their effort to fund large projects within the Riverfront Park development.

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URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT

The goal of the Urban Forestry Program is to provide expertise in caring for, maintaining, and educating the public regarding the city's urban forest.

• Street and park tree maintenance: care and service for 130,000+ street trees and 34,902 park trees. This includes planting, watering, and pruning.
• Maintain shrubs: ensure public right-of-way access and compliance.
• Inspect trees:ensure public safety. Remove and replant trees as necessary.
• Respond to emergency situations: wind storms, snowstorms, or other hazardous tree situations.
• Administer the City's Street Tree Ordinance: SRC Chapter 86.
• Provide public assistance: assist citizens who have tree concerns, questions, or issues.
• Provide expertise to the Natural Resource Division for administering the City's Tree Preservation Ordinance: SRC Chapter 68.
• Tree Education Program: develop and implement tree education programs to educate the public. 
• Provide staff support to the City's Shade Tree Advisory Committee. The Committee is advisory to the City Council on issues relating to the management of the city's urban forest.
• Coordinate the City's Heritage Tree Program. Heritage trees have unique features which distinguish them from other trees in Salem.

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SALEM PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD

Nine board members comprise the Salem Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (SPRAB) , with one member representing the Salem School District. The Board deals with issues and advises City Council on all matters pertaining to public parks, playgrounds, and recreation programs. Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m.

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