Page 36 - parks-master-plan

T he City of Dublin has consistently placed a high value on recreation and

recognizes the benefits and importance of offering comprehensive programs and services to the community. The rapid population growth rate, combined with the desire to create volumes of quality recreation programs, has forced the Recreation Services division to evolve at a fast pace over the past decade.

The first full-time Director of Parks and Recreation was hired by the City of Dublin in 1984. At that time, the Department was organized to include both the Parks Division and the Recreation Division under the leadership of one director and with the support of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. The commission consists of seven citizen members who serve three-year terms and are responsible for making policy recommendations to City Council and staff regarding parks, recreation, open/green space and cultural arts.

Between 1984 and 1996, recreational offerings were limited to a modest number of traditional programs, camps and activities. The limit was primarily due to the lack of dedicated facility space and small number of full-time professional staff. With the construction of the Dublin Community Recreation Center in 1996, the City demonstrated its commitment to recreation by constructing a state-of-the-art, 78,000-square-foot building offering indoor swimming pools, a fitness floor and classrooms, a gymnasium, baby sitting services, a teen lounge, multi-purpose classrooms, front desk operations and administrative offices.

Several full-time professional staff were hired at that time. The department was divided to allow the Parks and Open Space Division to focus on park

development projects and maintenance and the Recreation Division to focus its effort on the successful operation and management of the center and division-wide programming. The City created the position of Director of Recreation