Parks and Facililties

Kansas City Parks and Recreation offers community facilities, programs, and recreational opportunities that contribute to a more visually pleasing environment and a higher quality of life. The department maintains 221 parks, 12,242 acres of parkland, 158 miles of paths and bikeways, 29 lakes, hundreds of sporting fields and tennis courts, 106 playgrounds, and five public golf courses. Miles of picturesque boulevards and parkways crisscross the city, surprising and delighting with 48 fountains and 122 monuments and sculptures. Ten community centers and eight museums provide socially fair and community-driven programming venues.

Governance

The Parks and Recreation Department is controlled by a five-member volunteer Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners nominated by the Mayor. Every other Tuesday, the Board of Parks and Recreation holds public meetings at the Parks and Recreation Department headquarters, 4600 E. 63rd St. All meetings begin at 2 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Please contact Board Secretary Karmen Houston at 816-513-7503 or karmen.houston@kcmo.org to reach the Board.

Department

The Parks Department’s personnel leadership consists of a Director and two Deputy Directors who supervise the department divisions’ day-to-day administrative activities. Natural Resources, Community Services, Financial Services, Marketing & Development, Human Resources, and Planning & Design Services are among the divisions.

A Nationally Accredited Agency

KC Parks gained national approval from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies in February 1999, making it one of just 169 agencies in the country (CAPRA). The department has always maintained its accreditation status.

Tree City USA

The Arbor Day Foundation has designated Kansas City, Missouri as Tree City USA since 1988. A city must meet four criteria to become a Tree City USA community: it must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a comprehensive forestry program, and an Arbor Day commemoration and proclamation. Tree City USA is a program of the Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit environmental educational organization with approximately one million members whose aim is to inspire people to plant, care for, and celebrate trees.