cincinnati parkssustaining our parks photo by thomas ... · feeders for wild birds in their own...

Cincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our Parks A N N UA L R EP OR T 2 016 - 2 017

Photo By Thomas Schiff

OUR MISSION

Conserving, managing, sustaining, and

enhancing Parks’ natural and cultural

resources and public greenspaces -

for the enjoyment, enlightenment, and

enrichment of the Cincinnati community.

Top from left to right: Smale Family Fun days were the summer hotspot for kids to enjoy free face painting, lawn games, and more; Smale Fit & Fun hosted summer weekly free yoga programming at Schmidlapp event lawn; Ault Park offers a morning jogger and dog a quiet place to start the day; Monarch's were in full flight at Krohn Conservatory's international butterfly show "The Majestic Monarch" Left Page: Campers enjoy a hike through the wilderness at Explore Nature! Summer Day Camps

TABLE OF CONTENTSMessage from the Park Commissioners 4Awards & Accolades 5Contact Us 6Planning & Design 8Explore Nature! 12Urban Forestry 17Volunteer Spotlight 18Park Advisory Councils 19Volunteer Services 20Carol Ann’s Carousel 26Krohn Conservatory 30Business Services 36Social Media Community 40Financial Services 42Green Leaf Program 43Maintenance Cost Centers 44Waterfront 46

Cincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our Parks

A MESSAGE FROM CINCINNATI BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERSThe Park Board is pleased to share the accomplishments of Fiscal Year 2017, which brought many impressive achievements. The newly renovated and expanded Ziegler Park will bring welcomed beautification and improvements to the Sycamore and Main Street areas. Some of the highlights of this project include the new underground parking garage, a new pedestrian walkway, picnic areas, a comfort station, and sprayground. Ziegler Park is scheduled to officially open June 2017.

The Krohn Conservatory Holiday Show, "A Whimsical Wonderland" and the Butterfly Show, "Majestic Monarch" generated robust attendance and revenue. More than 52,517 patrons visited the Holiday Show, and over 74,717 patrons visited the Butterfly Show. Our Explore Nature! education camps performed at a 97% customer satisfaction rate. Once again this year, Cincinnati Parks was ranked in the Top 10 among our nation’s best parks by the Trust for Public Land. Locally, Smale Park was voted Best Local Park in City Beat’s Best of the City. Our more than 5,439 loyal volunteers share in this success, and we are sincerely grateful to them for providing year-round support of numerous park projects and programming.

This also has been a year of farewells and new beginnings for Cincinnati Parks. In May, we said good-bye to Willie Carden, Jr. who has worked for the City of Cincinnati for 30 years and served as our Director of Parks for the past 14 years. During his tenure, Mr. Carden oversaw the development of Theo-dore M. Barry International Friendship Park and Smale Riverfront Park, among several landmark accomplishments. We thank Mr. Carden for his vision, leadership and dedication to our Parks. May 2016, we selected our new Director of Parks, Wade Walcutt, who comes to us from Greensboro, North Carolina, where he served as Director of Parks and Recreation since 2014.

On behalf of the Board of Park Commissioners, we want to thank the City Administration, our amazing senior team and their staff, and our corporate and community partners for their hard work and collaboration in service to our Parks. Most importantly, we want to express sincere appreciation to our devoted neighborhood volunteers. We could not succeed without their continuous support of our parks system, thank you. Truly, it takes a city to make wonderful parks for all to share and enjoy.


BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS The Cincinnati Park Board is comprised of exceptional community and corporate leaders who are a vital part of our successful organization. The Board of five Commissioners volunteer their time and talents in support of our mutual commitment to continued care and maintenance for the positive trajec-tory of Cincinnati Parks. Additional volunteerism by the Park Board includes: participation in ribbon cutting ceremonies, presentations to business and community councils, public speaking engagements, and attendance at monthly Board sessions.

ROBERT D.H. ANNING, Vice President

DIANNE M. ROSENBERG, President

SUSAN F. CASTELLINI BRAD LINDNERLINDA LEE THOMAS

THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

TRIPADVISOR

CINCINNATI FAMILY MAGAZINE

OHIO CHAPTER INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

OF ARBORICULTURE

CINCINNATI PARENT MAGAZINE

ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION

ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION

CITY BEAT

Cincinnati Parks received recognition as one of the best park systems in the nation. The ranking was based on how many residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, park size, park investment and the inclusion of popular amenities like dog parks, playgrounds and recreation centers.

2017 CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE The 2017 Certificate of Excellence is a prestigious award that can only be earned through consistently great reviews, that are published on the TripAdvisor travel site.

2016 BEST OF PARENTING - DAY CAMP Readers participate and vote in an annual Best of Parenting Awards for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Cincinnati Parks’ Explore Nature! program was voted a finalist for ‘Best Day Camp!’

2017 SAFETY AWARD In recognition of the City of Cincinnati's distinguished service, preparedness and their exemplary proactive Urban Forestry management program.

Carol Ann's Carousel was named #1 for the "50 Fun Activities for $5 or Less Guide!" and #6 on Cincinnati Parent Magazine's "100 Awesome Things to do this Summer in Cincy"

2017 TREE CITY USA RECOGNITION To qualify as a Tree City USA community, a town or city must meet four standards established by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. The Cincinnati Park Board has received Tree City USA recognition for 34 years!

2017 TREE CITY USA RECOGNITION - GROWTH AWARD The Tree City USA Growth Award is awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation to recognize higher levels of tree care by praticipating Tree City USA com-munities. The Growth Award highlights innovative programs and projects as well as increased commitment of resources for urban foresty. It also provides an opportunity to share new ideas and successes across the country.

2017 URBAN LIFE READER PICKS Cincinnati Parks was named in nine categories: Best City Parks, Best Tennis Courts, Best Playground, Best New Thing, Best Scenic Overlook, Best Kid-Friendly Attraction, Best Free Attraction, Best Hiking Trail, and Best Jogging Route

Sawyer Point's tennis courts ranked #1 by City Beat Urban Readers

PAGE 4 PAGE 5

CONTACT USDIRECTOR OF PARKS Wade A. Walcutt 513-352-4079

OPERATIONS & LAND MANAGEMENT Jim Burkhardt 513-861-8970

PLANNING & DESIGN Steve Schuckman 513-475-9600

BUSINESS SERVICES Jackie Binford 513-357-2619

FINANCIAL SERVICES Marijane Klug 513-357-2608

CAROL ANN’S CAROUSEL Tashae Watkins 513-381-3756

CENTRAL DISTRICT PARKS Dave Boutelle 513-961-1800

EAST DISTRICT PARKS Lou Sand 513-321-8439

EXPLORE NATURE! & NATURE CAMPS Ruthann Spears 513-321-6070

GREENSPACES AND GATEWAYS Ann Uhlman 513-861-9070

KROHN CONSERVATORY Andrea Schepmann 513-352-4080

NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT Dave Gamstetter 513-861-9070

PARK ADVISORY COUNCILS Cheryl Alexander 513-352-4079

PARK FACILITY RENTALS & QUESTIONS Administrative Office 513-357-2604

PARK SPECIAL EVENTS & SPECIAL USE PERMITS Jenny Mobley 513-357-2602

PREMIER PARK EVENTS 513-221-2610 Event Rentals for: Krohn Conservatory, French House, Gibson House, Ault Park Pavilion, Alms Park Pavilion, Berry Pavilion, Mt. Echo Pavil-ion, Maple Ridge Lodge, The Anderson Pavilion, and Oak Ridge Lodge

STREET TREES & TRAILS Jim Godby 513-861-9070

URBAN FORESTRY Robin Hunt 513-861-9070

VOLUNTEERS & GREEN UP DAY Jennifer Harten 513-861-8970

WATERFRONT PARKS Office 513-352-6180

WEST DISTRICT PARKS Larry Parker 513-251-8728

Director of Parks

Board of Park Commissioners

Mayor of Cincinnati

Citizens of Cincinnati

Business Services

Planning & Design

FinancialServices

Operations

YouthEmployment

GreenTechnology

WestDistrictKrohn

EastDistrict

CentralDistrict

Carol Ann’s Carousel

Greenleaf

Volunteers

Natural Resource

Management

Waterfront

InformationTechnology

Financial Reporting

SpecialProjects Riverfront

Green Auditing

Budget

Human Resources

Reservations

Premier Park Facilities

Administration

Marketing& PublicRelations

Facility Management

PropertyManagement

Planning/Design

Capital ProjectManagement

Explore Nature!

Special Events & Permits

Procurement

Cincinnati Parks Organization Tree

Parks FoundationUrban Forestry Board

Park Advisory Councils

Graphic Design

Fuel/FleetManagement

KROHN & EXPLORE NATURE! SPOTLIGHT:

KROHN PRESCHOOL NATURE CAMPJanuary 2017 marked the first time Parks' Krohn Conservatory and Explore Nature! held a joint preschool camp. This pilot program served 16 very energetic and adorable 3 ½ to 5 year old children. Camp was held on three consecutive Mondays while Krohn was closed to the public. This gave the children a sense of having the conservatory all to themselves.

Each Monday we explored a different nature theme, which included Birds, Gifts from Trees, and Scavenger Hunt Day. Campers made bird feeders for wild birds in their own backyards and tasted all kinds of new fruit from trees found inside the conservatory. The children enjoyed playing educational games, singing nature songs, exploring the gardens outside of Krohn and reading stories together.

Right: Explore Nature! preschool camp at Krohn Conservatory; Next Page: Fleischmann Gardens is a beautiful place to take in the autumn colors | Photo by Tom Schiff

Cincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our ParksCincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our ParksPAGE 6 PAGE 7

ZIEGLER PARK The park was expanded with features including a new playground, swimming pool, sprayground, walkways, lighting, landscape and a new comfort station. The project was a $25 million partnership with 3CDC that included a new lawn area constructed on top of a new parking garage.

LYTLE PARKThe master plan for the park was refined and presented to the com-munity at a public meeting. Staff worked with Western-Southern and Eagle Realty to develop a partnership agreement with the Park Board and the City in which the Western-Southern Financial Fund will contribute to over half the cost of implementing the refined master plan. Detailed design work started in order to take the plans from concept drawings to construction documents.

SMALE RIVERFRONT PARKDesign work advanced on the boat dock and future phases of the park and a Request for Qualifications and then a Request for Proposals was prepared in order to retain a construction manager for the boat dock. The contract between the City and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for a major federal grant for the boat dock was executed.

Successful work with the Corps of Engineers and our congressional delegation, resulted in expanded federal authorization for the project to be able to receive future appropriations to complete the park.

PARK PLANNINGA number of park improvement plans advanced including the development of a first phase improvement plan for Inwood Park adjacent

PLANNING & DESIGN

Planning, Design and Facilities is the section

responsible for Parks' capital improvement

program, budgeting, planning, design, and man-

agement of facilities and infrastructure.

The section manages construction projects,

master planning, park enhancements,

renovations and repairs. Staff is also

responsible for strategic and long range

planning, property transactions, general park

development and public art. Program highlights

include the following: Ziegler Park, Lytle Park,

Smale Riverfront Park, Park Planning, Trails &

Greenways, Capital Improvements, and

Facility Management.

Below: Lytle Park in the spring; Right: Smale Riverfront Park boat dock rendering


to new housing development. Improvements were completed at the Auburn Triangle which is located at the entrance to the Corryville neighborhood and adjacent to a major new residential development. Funding was provided from the Department of Economic Development. Also funded by the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Transportation and Engineering is the new master plan for Westwood Town Hall Park. After an extensive public engagement process, a new master plan was created for this park, which will be located in the center of the Westwood Business District. These plans were then developed into construction documents and the improvements are slated to begin in the summer of 2017.

Park staff also worked with a group interested in developing a mountain bike trail system in Mt. Airy as a pilot project and presented the idea at a number of community meetings. Staff also worked with the State on a funding agreement for the Ault Commons project, and with potential donors and the Foundation on several projects. Other projects included working with individuals who are proposing a new sculpture designed to go in a public park, and reviews of several neighborhood improvement plans.

TRAILS AND GREENWAYSSpecific trail alignments were further developed for the Ohio River Trail, Little Duck Creek Trail, and the Mill Creek and Little Miami Trail and how these trails would link up, and staff worked with a regional trails group and completed a new comprehensive trail plan to connect up bike trails within the city. Also design work was completed on the first phase of the Wasson Way Trail which is expected to start construction by the summer of 2017.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS:• The Oak Ridge Shelter in Mt. Airy was renovated and the foundation rebuilt

• The Waterfront Paver replacement project at Yeatmans Cove was completed

• Concrete repairs were carried out at the Waterfront

• Storm sewer renovations were completed in Eden Park

• New playgrounds were installed at Stuart Park and M. L. King Park and a new playground was designed for Alms Park

• Concrete repairs were done at Hoffner Park

• Repairs were made at the Melan Arch Bridge in Eden Park

• Roof repairs were completed at the Administration Building and at the Burnet Woods Bandstand

• Retaining walls were repaired at Eden Park and Jergens Park

• Repairs were made to the Washington Park fountain

• Sidewalk and roadway repairs were made in Eden Park near the gazebo

• A new door security system was put into place at the Administration Building

• The damaged stone pier and stone eagle figure were restored at the Eden Park entrance

• New floors were installed at the Alms Park comfort station and at a Washington Park comfort station

• All the light poles and furnishings at Friendship Park were painted

FACILITY MANAGEMENTThis section carried out preventive maintenance and repairs at over 120 buildings as well as for the infrastructure of fountains, utilities, hose boxes and furnishings. There were over 3,000 scheduled preventive maintenance tasks completed as well as over 2,000 individual repair projects. Special projects included the following:

• Repaired the Hauck Garden gazebo

• Installed HVAC equipment at the Mt. Airy Service Building and the Ault Pavilion kitchen

• Built displays for Carol Ann’s Carousel and a new vestibule for the Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory

• Rebuilt the Heekin Overlook pergola at Ault Park

• Repaired the Avon Woods entry sign and installed new signs at LaBoiteaux Woods and Rapid Run Park

• Installed benches at Auburn Triangle

• Retrofitted lights at Sawyer Point with new LED fixtures and installed LEDs at Caldwell Nature Preserve

• Tested in-house all 130 backflow preventers

• Carried out electric work at Yeatman’s Cove in support of the paver replacements along the top of the Serpentine Wall

• Installed a new boiler at Maple Ridge Lodge

• Installed a new motor at the gateway sculpture pond at Sawyer Point

• Carried out major patching and painting work at Ault Pavilion

Above: Rebuilt in 2017, the Heekin Overlook pergola and garden provides a shaded spot for reading and reflection at Ault Park.

Above: Improvements were completed by Planning & Design team at the Auburn Triangle; Above Right: Damaged stone pier and stone eagle figure were restored at the Eden Park entrance; Right: The Oak Ridge Shelter in Mt. Airy was renovated and the foundation rebuilt

Cincinnati Parks...Sustaining Our ParksPAGE 10

SCHOOL PROGRAMMINGExplore Nature! staff did 334 school programs reaching 11,047 children and 2,225 adults. The naturalists did programming at public and private schools. About two-thirds of the school programming were done at the centers, the rest in the schools. Even when we do programming at the schools, we still make sure the children do a portion of the programming outside where the children can actually “interact” with nature. We are happy to report that we did the same number of school programs as 2016 despite a sharp decline in funds for school field trips.

EXPLORE NATURE!Cincinnati Park Board has provided quality

educational programming at five nature

centers, neighborhood parks and

preserves, and at outreach community

sites since the 1930s. These year-round

programs, events and activities are

offered for Pre-K to adults of all ages

on a wide variety of topics that teach

appreciation for our natural resources

and parks in Cincinnati. We help our guests

discover and appreciate the natural world

around them from tapping maple trees,

to the stars and beyond.

33,492 children and 7,292 adults explored nature at 1,277 programs

EXPLORE NATURE! PROGRAMSThis past year, Explore Nature! offered many special events such as Halloween Hikes, Maple in Mt. Airy, the Amazing Family Race, and Camp Fire on the Bluff. Some of our other public programming included astronomy programs at the Wolff Planetarium along with night hikes where our guests became aware of owls and other nocturnal wildlife. Nature-themed birthday parties were popular and our scout programming for girls and boys were very well attended. Homeschool programs were so popular we held a week long summer camp just for homeschoolers and lengthened the homeschool programs. Our spring and winter day break camps were the highlight of many children’s vacations from school. Guid-ed tours by our naturalists for adults are on the increase due to an interest in the revitalization of Cincinnati Parks.

We combined staff from different centers this past year to enable Explore Nature! to offer more family friendly programs with a strong diversity of themes and activities such as our Thanksgiving Traditions, Family Science Night and Springfest.


Right: Kids at Smale Riverfront Park enjoying the PNC Grow Great Grand autumn program; Below: Explore Nature! partnered with the US Forest Service National Parks’ 100th anniversary "Every Kid in a Park” to lead programming at Mt. Airy Forest

PAGE 13

REPRESENTS 100 ADULTSREPRESENTS 100 CHILDREN

We partnered with the USFS to celebrate the National Parks’ 100th an-niversary by working with them on their “Every Kid in a Park” program. The US Forest Service chose Explore Nature! and Mt. Airy Forest to do joint programming with 13 other environmental education groups for 150 Cincinnati Public School students. The National Parks Foundation and the US Forest Service were the sponsors of this program.

Our partnership with the Camping and Education Foundation allowed students to experience canoe paddling with Urban Wilderness along with programming about the water cycle and Native American life styles presented by Explore Nature! naturalists and staff from the Camping and Education Foundation again at no cost to the students.

Above Left to Right: It's a bugs life! Kids explore bugs at the '"Nature Next Door" program; Explore Natures! popular Summer Camps host ages 3 1/2 - 12, above is Avon Woods Preschool Camp; Next Page: French Park has picturesque trails for guests to hike

NATURE NEXT DOOR: INNER CITY OUTREACHOur free eight week summer Nature Next Door program encouraged children to explore nature in their own neighborhoods. These locations included Lincoln Recreation Center Play Area (West End), Fleishmann Gardens (Avondale), Roselawn Park (Roselawn) and our well - known Washington Park (OTR).

A new approach this past year was to have more experiential education to capture the imagination of the students & it did! We had outside present-ers do programming with live bats, amphibians, insects & birds of prey to the delight of almost 4,000 children & adults.

Our free Nature Next Door school year-round outreach programs provided important hands-on experiences in science and natural history during the academic year for 31 classes. Thanks to grants, classes had two programs at their schools by our naturalists. Then all these classes visited Avon Woods Nature Center this spring to experience the wonder of nature first hand guided by our naturalists.

EXPLORE NATURE! PARTNERSHIPSExplore Nature! always seeks opportunities to partner with other envi-ronmental educators and volunteers. Our traditional programming such as Maple in Mt. Airy, Halloween Hikes and Holiday Crafts could not hap-pen without the help of individual volunteers and volunteer groups. Some of our programs were presented with great partners such as KCB, CRC, ORSANCO, Hamilton County Soil and Water, Cincinnati Wild Flower Association, community councils and park advisory councils.

New this year, Explore Nature! partnered with the US Forest Service, the Camping and Education Foundation and Urban Wilderness to present completely new programming at no cost to students.


URBAN FORESTRYAn urban forest consists of all of the vegetation within an urban

area, both planted and naturally occurring. In Cincinnati, the urban

forest includes street trees, city parks, and wooded rights-of-way.

STREET TREES FIGHT CRIMEWith 5000 acres of park forests and 85,000 street trees, Cincinnati is one of the greenest cities in North America. When viewed from above, 39% of the land area is covered by tree canopy. While it is known that trees provide wildlife habitat, oxygen, reduced home energy costs, carbon, pollution, and stormwater abatement, a recent study found that trees also reduce crime.

The invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been plaguing Cincinnati ash trees since 2007. To date, approximately 5000 ash street trees have died and been removed. Because Cincinnati maintains accurate records of where and when ash trees are removed, the United States Forest Service and University of Pennsylvania researchers decided to use Cincinnati for a study on the relationship between tree removal and crime.

Studies have identified varying, and sometimes contradictory, associa-tions between presence of trees and crime. For example, dense vegetation has been shown to promote crime by providing criminals a place to hide themselves or illegal goods. In contrast, emerging evidence suggests that urban green space, measured in various ways, may be associated with low-er rates of crime and violence. Street trees and large residential lot trees have been associated with fewer total crimes, property crimes, and vandalism.

Using data provided by the Cincinnati Police Department, crime statistics were compared to tree removal in years between 2005 and 2014 in each of the 307 census block groups in the city (statistical divisions of census tracts, containing between 600 to 3,000 people). After using modeling and statistics, the study found that ash removal due to EAB infestation was significantly associated with higher crime in EAB-infested block groups compared to control block groups with no EAB in most crime

EXPLORE NATURE! SPOTLIGHT:

PNC GROW UP GREAT GRANTCincinnati Parks’ Explore Nature! is working in conjunction with the Theodore M. Berry Head Start Children and Family Learning Center, the Early Head Start Life Learning Center and the Hamilton County Educational Service Center in this first year of implementation of the three-year PNC Grow Up Great programming grant.

The programming provided by Explore Nature! focused on three primary themes satisfying the grant requirements: Science of Water and the Water Cycle; Cincinnati’s Natural History; and Natural Habitats of the Ohio River, and incor-porating Green Energy concepts where appropriate.

These programs included active and static ele-ments such as hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations; education through play and song; introductions to basic nature conservation, awareness and stewardship.

The grant provided transportation & three visits with Cincinnati Parks’ naturalists for 30 Head Start classes. In the fall, the students had their first program at the Heekin Family/PNC Grow Up Great Adventure Playground at Smale Riv-erfront Park. During the winter, the naturalists visited the Head Start groups at their centers for their second program. In the spring, all the groups visited the Heekin Family/PNC Grow Up Great Adventure Playground again for the third and final program in the series.

PARTICIPATION SURVEY Teachers tell us, what was the best part of this fall program at Smale Riverfront Park?

“Seeing the excitement from the children...first experience for some of the children to travel in the downtown area. The children seemed to have enjoyed the park and the activities.”

“The children had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. The park staff was fantastic. The kids especially loved exploring the park.”

“The children getting to experience the park, especially them experiencing standing under the singing bridge and hearing the cars pass”.

“The best part was the nature hike.”

categories. Based on the quantity of trees removed at each site, the researchers calculated that the loss of each tree was associated with a significant increase in theft, breaking, and en-tering, property crime incidents, simple assaults, felony assaults, and violent crimes at EAB in-fested block groups compared to in non infested block groups between 2007 and 2014.

These results are consistent with criminology theories that suggest that trees reduce crime by making the built environment less attractive to potential offenders. In contrast, tree loss may be a sign of neighborhood blight, which signals to a potential offender that a neighborhood is not well cared for. Most studies on EAB have been focused on environmental costs, however, it appears to affect social behavior as well.

Citation: Kondo, Michelle C.; Han, SeungHoon; Dono-van, Geoffrey H.; MacDonald, John M. 2017. The association between urban trees and crime: Evidence from the spread of the emerald ash borer in Cincinnati. Landscape and Urban Planning. 157: 193-199.

30 Head Start classes join Cincinnati Parks naturalist at Smale Riverfront Park for hands-on learning as part of the PNC Grow Up Great programming grant.


Park Advisory Councils

Ault Park Advisory Council Avon Woods Advisory Council Bettman Gardens Bradford-Felter-Tanglewood Burnet Woods/Mt. Storm California Woods Council Drake Park Advisory Council Eden Park Advisory Council Fleischmann Gardens Council Kennedy Heights/ Woodford Parks LaBoiteaux Woods Council Mt. Echo Advisory Council Northside Greenspace, Inc. Owls Nest Advisory Council Rapid Run Advisory Council Sayler Park Advisory Council Smale Riverfront Park Stanbery Park Advisory Council Wilson Commons Council

Neighborhood

Mt. Lookout North Avondale/Paddock Hills E. Walnut Hills/Evanston College Hill Corryville/Clifton/CUF California Kennedy Heights Walnut Hills/Mt. Adams Avondale Kennedy Heights College Hill East Price Hill Northside E. Walnut Hills/Evanston West Price Hill Sayler Park The Banks/Central Riverfront Mt. Washington East Price Hill

Contact

Rob Kranz Joyce Coleman Jennifer Smith Jay Staples Steve Slack John Lindberg/Jim Farfsing Michelle Dragga Fred Orth Melvin & Brenda Grier Kate Kern/Lisa Pickering Drew Asimus James Turner/Eric Buhrer Anita Buck Rae Vuic Mary Jo Bazeley Amy Searcy Linda Phillips Mark Lorenz/P. Elgersma Mary Croft

MARLENE HOLWADEL ADOPT-A-PLOT GARDENSLocated in Ault Park’s old formal gardens this is a garden area where approximately 35 volunteers maintain 40 small landscape beds. Cincinnati Parks and the Ault Park Advisory Council support the volunteer gardener’s efforts by providing seasonal help for watering and purchasing mulch.

FERNBANK GARDEN CLUBThe volunteer group (shown right) was established in 1922 and is the oldest garden club in Cincinnati. The members have cared for the Nelson Sayler Park landscape beds. They actively plant, water, weed, and mulch around trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals. It is truly a labor of love for these volunteers and they do it because they love their community.

NORTHSIDE GREENSPACE INC. (NGI)A volunteer non-profit organization established in 1993 to identify, preserve, and restore natural areas in Northside, surrounding Cincinnati and Ohio communities. Cincinnati Parks has enjoyed the benefits of this group by their continued volunteer work in two of our Northside parks, But-tercup Valley and Parker Woods. NGI regularly schedules volunteer work days to remove invasive plant species and plant native species. The highlight of this year was the collaboration between Parker Woods Montessori School, NGI, and Parks. On a chilly Saturday morning in November 26 volunteers including 5th and 6th graders, their parents, teachers, neighbors, and NGI cleared hon-eysuckle behind the school. The following Monday Parks staff chipped the enormous piles of cut brush. NGI has their monthly meetings at our LaBoiteaux Woods Nature Center and has regular educational hikes and speakers concerned with preserving and restoring the native habitat in our local forests and preserves.

WALNUT HILLS HIGH SCHOOL (WHHS)The volunteer group was started by student Josie Backers and her mother Susan Diballa a few short years ago. The WHHS students, teachers, and parents work with the Evanston Community Coun-cil, WHHS Foundation, and administration. They scheduled monthly volunteer outings to remove invasive plants and plant native species in the park area in front of the school. Senior Mackenzie Brown secured a grant from a ‘Caring for Our Watersheds’ competition. The funding helped purchase native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plant species for the area they are calling ‘Hoyles Field’ along Victory Parkway in front of the historic WHHS building.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHTS:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORTThank you to all of the loyal dedicated volunteers who have donated 21,600 hours of their time to help Cincinnati Parks. While we can't recognize every individual your work is appreciated and Cincinnati Parks gratitude goes beyond words.

JENNY SMITHA long time member of the Ault Park Advisory Council and long history of working with Parks as a Horticulture Technician and volunteer extraordinaire! Currently she is maintaining a couple of Adopt-A-Plot gardens in Ault Park. Her favorite spot now is what she calls ‘The Secret Garden’ at the Bettman Natural Resource Center in O’Bryonville. Jenny raises funds for plants and puts many gardening hours into the Bettman gardens and the individual plots at Ault Park.

ALAN BUNKER45 year career in Forestry, retired in 2014 and started volunteering for Parks this year as a Horticul-ture Assistant in Ault Park. Alan does a variety of projects including Honeysuckle removal, pruning and maintaining landscape beds with annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. Alan also assists with Urban Forestry’s forestry regeneration transects project. Ault Park is known for its extensive public display gardens. Enjoys being outdoors and staying active both mentally and physically.

LARRY JONESAn active volunteer in Mt. Airy Forest with a total of approximately 376 hours for the year. Mr. Jones contributes to Parks trail maintance program where he picks up litter, removes invasive plant species, and occasionally installs water bars to mitigate irrrotion on the trails. He loves the outdoors, wants to stay active, and supports the community with public service. He is an active volunteer throughout the city, participating in River sweeps, City Clean Ups, and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful projects to name a few.

DEAN REGASAn active community member of the Columbia Tusculum neighborhood and lives adjacent to Alms Park. Mr. Regas volunteers his time in Alms Park during the winter months removing invasive plant species such as Honeysuckle. The fruits of his labor are becoming evident as the wildflowers emerge on the forest floor.

Above: The Walnut Hills High School Community Volunteers

Below: Vantiv, a corporate volunteer, participates in the annual Greater Cincinnati Corporate Challenge. Corporate volunteerism encourages team building, and giving back to community, while Parks get much needed work accomplished.


CORPORATE VOLUNTEER PROJECTSAgencies throughout the greater Cincinnati area participate in Park volunteer projects in many of our regional and neighborhood parks. Corporations such as General Electric, KAO, PNC Bank, Vantiv, Hylant Insurance, Duke Energy, Scherzinger Pest Control, and many others pro-vide volunteer teams to complete tasks that would not otherwise get done. It is mutually beneficial when corporations encourage team building, and give back to their community, while Parks get much needed work accom-plished. Each year Parks depends more and more on volunteer support to keep our parks clean, safe, and reliable.

The 11th annual Greater Cincinnati Corporate Challenge was very suc-cessful, with 900 volunteers from 24 participating organizations. The day started early with a kick-off at Sawyer Point and delivery of an en-ergetic welcome from Council Woman Yvette Simpson. Leaders from the participating groups helped to cheer the volunteers on for a day of team building and fun. A total of 21 projects were completed with 1950 bags of mulch, 580 cubic yards of mulch, 355 cubic yards of playground safety surface, 100 perennials, 10,000 annual flowers and 112 trees and shrubs. Volunteers also worked on habitat restoration by removing invasive honeysuckle. One of the highlights for the 2017 GCCC was a generous $5,000 donation by KAO. This donation allowed Parks to purchase bulk mulch and plant material for Ault Park.

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER PROJECTSCincinnati Parks could not function as well as it does without the help of our community volunteers throughout the year. A tremendous amount of support was given by multiple groups and organizations for various park locations. Approximately 750 hours were donated by groups from Xavier University, the Wildflower Society, Fernbank Garden Club, Elder, Happen Inc., CIY Engage, community councils, and many others! Green Up Day events took place during the month of April in several local parks such as Seasongood Square, Fairview, Burnet Woods, Inwood, Stanbery,

VOLUNTEER SERVICESEach year, new groups, individuals, and

companies join our ongoing efforts to

help make Cincinnati Parks more beautiful

and enjoyable for all citizens. In fiscal year

2017, a total of 5,439 individuals donated

38,255 hours of their time and talents to

help Cincinnati Parks maintain our status

as “one of the top urban park systems in

the country.” Volunteers saved Cincinnati

Parks a total value of $956,375 (based

on the estimated $25.00 per hour value

of volunteer time from the

Independent Sector).

represents 100 donated volunteer hours

Right Page: Volunteers from Vantiv & GE at the Greater Cincinnati Corporate Challenge tackle mountains of mulch!


and Kennedy Heights Parks. Over 1,200 hours were donated to help plant trees, spread mulch, provide general parks clean-up and much more! During the "Go Local" volunteer event sponsored by Crossroads Church 600 volunteers donated 1,800 hours of their time. Thank you to our com-munity volunteers.

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONSCincinnati Parks is very lucky to have several volunteers that donate their personal time to Parks. Their hours vary but each individual gives of their time and energy for self gratification and to contribute to their commu-nity. With five volunteers donating approximately 545 hours annually projects and tasks such as litter pick up, trail work, honeysuckle removal, and gardening were accomplished.

YOUTH VOLUNTEER CONTRIBUTIONSEngaging youth in our volunteer programs is very important to culti-vating an environment of learning and community contributions. This year Cincinnati Parks partnered with high schools, colleges, and Scouts to accomplish many great things such as habitat restoration and bridge building. Schools that partnered with Parks this year include Deer Park, Walnut Hills, Madeira, Gamble Montessori, Clark Montessori, Miami Valley Christian Academy, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and others. Youth volunteer hours are estimated at 3,429 hours 900 stu-dents working in collaboration with Park staff.

KROHN VOLUNTEERSKrohn Conservatory is a popular regional attraction in Eden Park both for its architecture and botanical displays. Hosting five floral shows per year, including the international butterfly show. The crafts, educational programs and floral show displays wouldn't be possible without the help of 600 dedicated individuals volunteering 7,222 hours.

CAROL ANN’S CAROUSEL VOLUNTEERSOver 90 volunteers have contributed approximately 225 hours to help with the smooth operation of Carol Ann's Carousel. These volunteers act as ambassadors by helping direct the public, keeping riders safe on the carousel, and providing general information about Smale Riverfront Park and its many features.

EXPLORE NATURE! VOLUNTEERSOur Explore Nature! volunteers help at special events, outdoor service projects, educational programs and summer camp team assistants. These volunteers contribute 2,842 hours of their time helping Park Naturalists with environmental education and preservation. Parks is educating the next generation of environmentalist to care for and preserve our natural environment.

DEER CULLING VOLUNTEERSVolunteers for the deer culling program are skilled and dedicated. The 157 volunteers racked up over 12,100 hours in the field to control our deer population. The deer population is devastating our natural environment, public landscaped areas, and greenspaces as they forage for food. Without natural predators to control the deer population we have come to depend on our deer culling volunteers to assist us to reestablish and maintain balance in our City parks.

URBAN FORESTRY SPOTLIGHT:

DEER CULLING• 2016-17 marked the 8th safe & successful bow hunting season for parks. • 139 deer were harvested from 10 parks during the season. • A total of 1073 deer have been harvested since the beginning of the bow hunting program. • 157 volunteer hunters passed the qualifications to participate in the bow hunting program. Almost 37% of those hunters were successful at harvesting deer, 18% harvested multiple deer. • 10 hunters volunteered to help with qualifications and preparing hunter packets. Hunter volunteers have logged over 96,467 hours since the project start, beginning, providing an estimated cost savings of $964,670.00 to Cincinnati Parks. • Thanks to the deer culling program, thousands of acres of native and wild species are being preserved. • Two hunters donated 3 deer to local food banks this season. In addition, hunters have found an innovative way to help the community. They have donated the hearts from their harvested deer to the Biology Department at Lakota East High School. Students then used them for dissection as part of their class studies. The teachers were thrilled to get them, saying “superior to the hearts studentsusually dissect,” and “more supple as once living hearts would naturally be.” We look forward to continuing/expanding this part of the program.

Left: Tulips in bloom at Lytle Park; Right: Volunteer's help at the Greater Cin-cinnati Corporate Challenge; Next Page: Krohn Conservatory's Holiday Show, "A Whimsical Wonderland" encouraged guests to use their imagination and explore poinsettias of a different color! Featuring displays by Applied Imagination.| Photo By Gary Kessler


Krohn Conservatory's Holiday Show, "A Whimsical Wonderland" | Photo By Gary Kessler

CAROL ANN'S CAROUSELWhile looking for something new to entertain

and educate, Cincinnati Parks has turned to

something decidedly old: a wooden carousel.

In 2015 Carol Ann’s Carousel, a hand-carved

wooden carousel filled with whimsical charac-

ters related to Cincinnati life, history and culture,

opened its doors for the first time. The carousel

is named for Carol Ann Haile, who, along with her

husband Ralph, had a passion and commitment

for communities on both banks of the Ohio Riv-

er. Together, they had the desire to advance the

quality of life for the Greater Cincinnati region.

CAROL ANN'S CAROUSELUpon entering the glass building, you are struck by the beauty of the Carousel itself and the views of the Ohio River. The Carousel offers 44 different characters to ride such as a tiger, blue heron, pigeon and catfish. Each character has its own connection to Cincinnati and is meant to offer a way to introduce history and science to children.

The amazing fascia paintings by local artist Jonathan Queen and the stun-ning view of the Roebling Bridge makes the Carousel a must see for all!

Carol Ann’s Carousel brings back memories to many and creates new memories as parents bring little ones for their first ride, birthday cele-bration, or to a Carousel family friendly programming event; couples get engaged, fiancés wed, while the Carousel majestically whirls. In fiscal 2017, there were over 36 programs/events produced by the Carousel. The Carousel has had over 225 volunteer hours and there have been over 85,000 tokens purchased fiscal year to date! Since opening, there have been approximately 275,000 riders! So won’t you join the many, and create your own memory at Carol Ann’s Carousel!

THE ANDERSON PAVILIONNestled on the banks of the Ohio River with the Cincinnati skyline as its backdrop, The Annie W. & Elizabeth M. Anderson Pavilion in Smale Riverfront Park— a gift of the Anderson Foundation—is located at street level underneath Carol Ann’s Carousel. With spectacular views, contem-porary elegance decor & ambiance, state-of-the art technology and an award-winning in-house culinary group, The Pavilion will offer a 350+ seat conference facility, ideal for hosting a wide variety of events.

Right: The corvette is a top 5 popular 'ride' at the carousel for kids; Below: Riders enjoy a whirl at Carol Ann's Carousel | Photographs by Gary Kessler


VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT:

THE KROHN CRAFTERSThe first holiday tree at Krohn Conservatory was decorated by sisters Hester and Bernice

Stephenson in 1933. For 84 years, volunteers and Parks staff have continued the annual tradition creating natural adornments for both the holiday tree and stand-alone displays. This craft group, known as the Krohn Crafters, still continues to meet on a monthly basis at Bettman Natural Resource Center.

The philosophy of the group is to collect ma-

terials, rather than buy. This holds true today. All of the materials used in the ornaments have been hand collected by the crafters themselves.

Next time you visit the Krohn Conservatory Holiday Show, stop to admire the incredible handmade ornaments hanging from the limbs of the tree. You will be looking at a decades old tradition that began when our doors first opened.

CAROL ANN'S CAROUSEL SPOTLIGHT:

NEW SPECIAL EVENTSSince 2016, there have been over 50 new programs and events developed to engage visitors at the Carousel. The whimsical and nature educational key events have included themed Family Fun Nights, Insect Day, Toast to Art series, Carousel in Bloom, Nostalgia Weekend, Read Around Days, as well as Arctic Blast!

The Arctic Blast Event showcasing the Carousel’s penguin, is held the weekend of Thanksgiving. It’s become an annual tradition of exuberance with live penguins from Newport Aquarium, interactive educational penguin fun, penguin and winter themed crafts, as well as a Q&A penguin session for prizes!

At a glance ahead, the Carousel has many new events and programs coming soon, inclusive of a Solar-gazing event with the Cincinnati Observatory, a Royal-Tea Party, Carousel Comic Con, Western Day, Santa-bration and many more. Come whirl with us on Carol Ann’s Carousel, and enjoy the excitement!

Above: Kids are mesmorized by the Explore Nature! program; Right: The Anderson Pavilion at Smale Riv-erfront Park is a top notch event center for use from weddings to corporate luncheons.

Below Left to Right: Riverfest fireworks over Labor day weekend is a ceremonial close for many to the end of summer; Penguins came to visit Carol Ann's Carousel at the Arctic Blast event; The frog prince made a visit to win Carol Ann's Carousel Halloween contest at this year's Trick-or-Treat event


KROHN CONSERVATORYThe Conservatory is named for Irwin M. Krohn,

honoring his 25 years of dedicated service on the

Board of Park Commissioners. Constructed in

1933, the glasshouse structure reflects an Art

Deco influcence. Activities include special tours,

school programs, elaborate horticulture displays

and more. The changing seasonal floral shows

have been a popular attraction since the conser-

vatory opened, and the showroom is redesigned

five times a year with beautiful floral installations.

HONEY BEES IN THE SUMMER BREEZEThe Summer Show, presented by Scherzinger Termite and Pest Con-trol, kicked off the fiscal year with “Honey Bees in the Summer Breeze” running July 2 to August 21. This beautiful floral display exhibited ways to attract beneficial bees and pollinators to your garden. Volunteers helped construct beautiful honeycomb beds and the graphic design team created honeycomb shaped educational signage. The floral beds were filled with bright yellow, orange and golden flowers. Visitors got to dance through a guided floral path to learn honey bees communicate with each other to find nectar. Over 11,058 people attended this summer show making it the highest ever attended summer show!

FALL BACK IN TIMEThe fall show, “Fall Back in Time,” was presented by Scherzinger Termite and Pest Control. The show ran from September 3 to October 23. The flo-ral design was inspired by formal gardens of the Victorian era. In Victori-an England, gardens were a thing of art and beauty created to encourage peaceful reflection. This was a time when flowers held special meaning and were sometimes used to portray secret messages. Visitors enjoyed the wonderful colors of the fall season such as chrysanthemums, fuchsias, and lavender. Some elements of “steampunk,” a style which steals its inspira-tion from Victorian fashions blended beautifully with gears and modern

amenities, were added to this show to provide a blend of past and modern. Events such as Nostalgia Nights featuring Molly Wellman, fall Bonsai and Orchid shows, and weekly Victorian themed crafts provided visitors with unique fun experiences. A total of 8,973 people came to this show!

A WHIMSICAL WONDERLANDThe 2016 Holiday Show at the Krohn Conservatory had a whimsical new twist on the holiday traditions running November 12 to January 8, 2017. The creative flair of 'A Whimsical Wonderland' presented by Scherzinger Termite and Pest Control encouraged guests to use their imagination and explore poinsettias of a different color! This show featured poinsettias of royal blue, lively orange, and deep purple along with the more traditional hues. The interactive train display and botanical architecture was intensi-fied with fanciful pompom junipers, vibrant globe amaranths, and cheer-ful powder puff plants. Sprigs of painted twigs and patterned branches intertwined with twisted, curly grasses and various tropical flowers to create this captivating landscape. Extended hours in December provided time for families to enjoy live musical performances, the Schmalz Family holiday display, “candlelight” nights and great photo opportunities. Over 52,517 guests attended the show which is an increase over previous years.

74,717 Visitors

Represents 1,000 Butterfly Show Guests

Below: Krohn Conservatory's exterior 30' butterfly greeted guests to "The Majestic Monarch" show; | Photo By: Scott Opp


BLOOMS ON THE BAYOUThe 2017 Spring Show, 'Blooms on the Bayou', presented by Scherzinger Termite and Pest Control was inspired by the colorful culture of New Orleans, which features both a fun, festive side of the ‘Big Easy’ as well as the eerie, yet enchanting, swampy southern bayou. The show ran from January 21 to March 12. The Louisiana bayou boardwalk in the midst of bald cypress trees, blossoming bog lilies, and Spanish moss were a huge hit with visitors who explored the mysterious river shack. They danced to Dixieland jazz in the traditional New Orleans courtyard and were surrounded by Crepe Myrtle and Magnolia trees glittered with beads! Special events like the Valentine’s Date Night and the first ever Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball were a huge success! Attendance for this show was a whopping 15,514 visitors!

THE MAJESTIC MONARCHThe 2017 Butterfly Show, 'Majestic Monarch', presented by Macy’s ran from March 25 to June 18. This year's show featured scientific infor-mation about the amazing journey of the Monarch Butterfly and a new activity booklet designed like a Field Journal to encourage our junior “Citizen Scientists” to gather data. Guests experienced what it’s like to be a small butterfly surrounded by towering fir trees and giant flowers in this display where everything was larger than usual. By empowering our “Citizen Scientists” they discovered types of food butterflies are attracted to and ways to attract butterflies to a garden. Additional items included the butterfly landing pads scented with jasmine, the 'Citizen Scientist' activities, and investigation stations. In addition, many special events such as Watercolor Wednesdays, Butterfly Pajama Parties, Science Geek Week, and the Daffodil Show added to the appeal of this already popular show. Attendance for this show was 74,717 visitors!

15,514 Visitors

8,973 Visitors

52,517 Visitors

11,058 Visitors

Above: The Majestic Monarch show features 15,000 butterflies in free flight | Photography by Lynda Rust ; Right: A whimiscial wonderland brought wonderment and imagination to this year's holiday show props.

Top Left to Bottom Right: Fall Back in Time featured Victorian era gardens and props; the picture captures a ' butterflies view' of the show room | Photograph by David McCullough; "Honey Bees in the Summer Breeze" handpainted signs gave inspirational quotes a homie touch; Guests ventured across the boardwalk to a vodoo shack at the Early Spring Show "Blooms on the Bayou"


KROHN SPOTLIGHT:

HOW AN IDEA BECOMES A KROHN FLORAL SHOWInspiration for show design is everywhere. Once an idea is settled on, inspirational images are gathered into a storyboard to convey an overall mood & theme of what the show should include. The storyboard typically includes images of specific plants, props to construct, ideas for floor plan layout, craft examples, and ideas for educational signage and events.

The 2016 summer show, "Honey Bees in the Summer Breeze" storyboard included images of modular honeycomb shaped bed designs, examples of monochromatic yellow planting schemes, and images of the "waggle dance" and "round dance" that honey bees use to communicate where food is located. After the storyboard is created, the next steps involve taking these images and developing them into construction drawings and plans for new/modified props, as well as drafting a floor plan design. The floor plan for each show is drafted in DynaSCAPE by the Krohn florists.

“One of the most interesting facts about honey bees is that they dance a certain way in order to communicate with their hive the distance and direction of a nectar source.” By using this fact about honey bees as inspiration, the Krohn Florists designed a path that visitors could actually walk to learn the "round dance" and "waggle dance".

The summer show was a monochromatic planting scheme, most of the plants were shades of yellow, orange, gold, and white and included certain nectar plants that honey bees are drawn to. Plants are usually selected about a year out from when they are needed. Once the Krohn team chooses the plants they would like to use, they turn this list over to the Cincinnati Parks' Warder florists who make contact with suppliers and schedule delivery of the small plants. This ensures that plants are available, and have time to grow from plugs at Warder nursery so they are blooming and show-ready for opening day.

The props for each show vary greatly and often this is a key area for volunteer participation. Volunteer workshops hosted at Cin-cinnati Parks' Sinton facility are scheduled throughout the year to create and store the new props for shows. Since there were so many interesting facts about honey bees, the show included educational signage. Information was provided to the graphic design team who added this to the list of other marketing materials to design. In ad-dition, several hexagonal shaped signs were cut and hand painted by a volunteer with positive messages about honey bees, which added to the uniqueness and beauty of the show.

Bee keeping and education about pollinators is a hot topic. This allowed for great community partnerships with bee keepers who assisted Krohn with educational events.

The Krohn team made contact with multiple bee enthusiasts in-cluding Bruce Allman, Jeff Harris the Ohio State Apiarist, Colleen Penquite of The Girls Bee Club, Suzy Hardin, Barbara Bloetcher the Ohio State Apiarist/Entomologist, and Gwen Roth a teacher and bee enthusiast who created a 'Pollinator Plinko' game to demon-strate the perils that bees are up against to get pollen

and nectar back to their hive. Many of the participants volunteered their time to increase knowledge about the importance of bees.

The Krohn team created Six “Bee Happy” Saturdays. The events were created to be family friendly and accesible to all ages. Educational components as well as hands-on crafts matched each weekend's theme:

• Bee-Utiful Pollinators • Mind Your Own Beeswax • Honey Bee Mine • Bee Crafty • Fairy Gardens • Hug-a-Bug

The shows at Krohn continue to be successful. Thanks to the creative and hard working Parks staff and volunteers that help design and install these shows.

Below & Left: "Honey Bees in the Summer Breeze" featured colorful signage, raised honeycomb planter beds, and a visit from a friendly Krohn bee!


HUMAN RESOURCESThe responsibilities of Human Resources are to oversee and assure that all hiring, payroll, and disciplinary actions are completed within the timelines and guidelines provided by the City.

During the hiring process, interviews are carefully designed and struc-tured to select the right talent with the skills necessary to meet the needs of the department. Parks uses internal subject matter expert managers, and staff to form an interview panel that allows a precise match of employee skill and expertise. This interview process has been successful in establishing a dynamic work team.

Another successful initiative established by department leadership is the “open door policy.” Each employee is given the opportunity to speak with their supervisor, superintendent, and even the director to discuss any con-cerns they may have. This policy has allowed an almost zero percent need to discipline staff for issues that may escalate to a point that may require outside mediation.

The department’s workforce is a priority, and every effort is put forward to research and provide updates to staff on any new initiatives, policy chang-es, and benefit changes that may affect the career path of Park employees.

RESERVATIONS & SPECIAL USE PERMITSWhen visitors come to Cincinnati Parks, they may not realize the atten-tion and detail that goes into sustaining our Parks and facilities. Over 200 employees contribute to the maintenance, enhancement, and beautifi-cation of our Parks, specifically our reservable facilities. Thanks to their dedication, our parks have been reserved and enjoyed for 200 years! We know they will be enjoyed for decades to come. In FY 2017, over 215,000 people enjoyed our reservable shelters, premier facilities, gardens, and special use areas in FY2017, which totaled 1,100 reservations.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Comprised of many elements which are essential

to the success of Parks. These include: Human

Resources, Safety & Training, Reservations,

Special Use Permits, Marketing & Social Media,

and Graphic Design.

SAFETY & TRAINING: PARKS ACADEMY For the 2016-2017 year, Parks Academy held 56 classes, which amounts to a total of 102 hours in the following five categories: Equipment, Man-agement/Supervisor, Safety, Computer Courses, and General Training.

As Director Carden often states our most critical asset is the staff. The commitment to Parks Academy demonstrates just how important employ-ee’s growth and development is to the overall success of the department. Parks Academy ensures we have qualified and productive employees who help in exceeding Park Board goals. Learning and upgrading employees’ skills makes good business sense.

According to Jackie Cohen of lovetoknow.com, “training employees while they are working, as opposed to sending them to an offsite location, increases the chance that learned information will be fully assimilated. Additionally, employees often find onsite training more enjoyable than having to go to a classroom away from the job.”

GRAPHIC DESIGNAnother successful year designed for Krohn Conservatory’s Whimsical Wonderland, Explore Nature!'s Magical Hikes, Carol Ann’s Carousel’s birthday celebration along with over 425 designed pieces in print, digital, and environmental signage.

The Graphic Design team aimed to visually showcase this year’s theme “Sustaining Our Parks,” by capturing events, programs and/or individuals’ Cincinnati Parks support through programs, physical space, and experi-ences to sustain the Cincinnati Parks mission of being clean, safe, reliable, green, beautiful and enriching. The vignette photography, picture frame and natural floral elements of this year’s visual theme communicates a ‘snapshot’ into those moments.

While each print or digital piece is a work of design, they are all part of a larger system to showcase the Parks organization. The design of the visual system—the relationships between all of those parts—is where the designers bring value.


Share, Like, Tweet, Hashtag What’s Happening!

28,762 Twitter Followers

4,695 Instagram Followers

51,706 Facebook “Likes”

879,784 Page Views

cincyparks

4,695

Above left to right: Carol Ann's Carousel cascading light waterfalls wash Smale Riverfront Park with a rainbow of colors; Instagram allows the public to share their moments exploring nature with us using #CincyParks

Right Page from top to bottom: Eden Park's gazebo is a snowy wonderland escape | Photo By Gary Kessler; ParkGames participants were invited to share their 'quest for gold' on social media; Unique campaign materials were created by the Graphic Design team linking posters, rack cards, and stickers for participants to collect

MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIAThe Marketing and Social Media team is the communication expressway between Parks and the public. We provide the community a continuous stream of information by keeping the website cur-rent and carry on conversations with our patrons through various social media outlets. Social Media and Marketing are the source for people to hear news, see events, visit new places, and engage with Cincinnati Parks. The marketing team continually searches for the newest trends and technology to advance the Cincinnati Parks brand. The marketing team posts multiple times daily across social media channels and engage with the public through 'likes,' 'comments,' 'reshares,' and 'hearts'! Hosting contests and trivia on social media invites the public to engage with our brand and puts a 'human behind the screen.' The Cincinnati Parks main Facebook page has increased by 3,805 new 'likes' and Smale Riverfront Park has increased by 2,717 'likes.'

The combined efforts of advertising through websites, social media platforms, in conjunction with numerous press releases and targeted market emails, allows engagement with the community. We have set the bar high for marketing efforts by a city parks’ department and continue to provide a high level of service to the citizens of Cincinnati.

BUSINESS SERVICES SPOTLIGHT:

PARKGAMESDuring the summer of 2016, the Business Service team created a multi-division cross promotional campaign to raise the publics' awareness about the various Park programs, special events, and facilities through an interactive game and social media.

ParkGames, consisted of five stickers created by the Graphic Design team along with a “playing card” and focused on getting the public active in the parks! The Marketing team promoted the event series through social media announcing cards and sticker collection spots during July & August at Krohn Conservatory, Explore Na-ture!, Carol Ann’s Carousel, and Waterfront.

The fifth sticker, Community Engagement, was distributed at various parks and events to visitors by Business Services staff. Thanks to a successful partnership with Go Vibrant and Cincinnati Parks Foundation an assortment of lawn games were donated and taken to over 15 parks to engage the community in their local neighborhood.

ParkGames closed out summer with a festival like atmosphere at Krohn the last weekend in August featuring games, music, and prizes.


2% Greenspace Program 3% Customer Services 4% Explore Nature! 5% Facilities 8% Administration 9% Krohn Conservatory 10% Street Tree Assessment 59% Grounds Management

2017 Park Board Operating Expenses Budget - $18,467,860

2% Greenspace Program 5% Stormwater Fund 8% Endowment Funds 10% Street Tree Assessment 19% Restricted Funds 56% General & Infrastructure Funds

2017 Park Board Operating Resources Budget - $18,467,860

FINANCIAL SERVICESCincinnati Parks’ all-funds budget in 2017 was $22.5 million. Of this total, 21% came from non-tax supported sources such as grants, donations, endowments, and sponsorships, as well as fees and permits. Exclusive of capital improvements, the basic park operation budget component of the above total was over $18.5 million.

Admissions, fees, rents, permits, and sales generated over $3.4 million in revenue funds. Private endow-ments provided over $1.4 million in funding. Of the $18.5 million all-funds operating budget, 27% came from non-tax resources.

Cincinnati Parks receives an estimated 6 million visits per year. Over 250,000 people visit the Krohn Conserva-tory each year, which generates an economic impact of over $30 million to the Greater Cincinnati region.

In 2017, the Park Board leveraged 74 cents in funds and services for every taxpayer dollar received! History of Parks return on every tax dollar: $.42 in 2003, $.46 in 2004, $.50 in 2005, $.51 in 2006, $.62 in 2007, $.66 in 2008, $.68 in 2009, $.83 in 2010, $.74 in 2011, $.83 in 2012, $.83 in 2013, $.84 in 2014, $.75 in 2015, and .76 in 2016.

The Park Board is a leader in community volunteerism, thanks to the generosity of our citizens. In 2017, a total of 5,439 people volunteered 38,255 hours, which is equivalent to 18.4 additional full time employees for the year.

Right: Green Leaf Summer Youth participants help to keep our City parks clean, safe, reliable, green, beautiful, and enriching.

GREEN LEAFFiscal year 2017 marks the eleventh year of the Cincinnati Parks Green Leaf Summer Youth Jobs Program. We have hired a total of 22 Cincinna-ti youth who worked eight weeks throughout our park system.

The majority of our youth staff plant, mulch, clean, paint, and pick-up lit-ter while learning to take pride in their community. Others worked with

our Explore Nature! nature education program and assisted our summer youth counselors. We are continuing with our Life-Skill component which aims to teach them financial literacy, interview skills, leadership skills, the importance of goal setting, and a host of other topics to provide them with life coping skills and job readiness.


PARKS MAINTENANCE COST CENTERS

Parks Maintenance, Facilities, & Programs Cost Centers 2017 City 2017 Private 2017 Volunteer Total % Total Alms $160,208 $3,218 $163,426 0.84%Annwood $22,810 $ - $22,810 0.12%Ault $593,401 $5,700 $13,792 $612,893 3.16%Avon Woods $44,422 $17,371 $61,793 0.32%Bellevue $48,919 $ - $48,919 0.25%Berry, Intern. Friendship $352,080 $ - $352,080 1.81%Bettman $653,620 $55,000 $2,217 $710,837 3.66%Burnet $213,155 $8,357 $221,512 1.14%Buttercup $3,178 $ - $3,178 0.02%Caldwell $34,857 $6,141 $40,998 0.21%California $34,542 $5,927 $40,469 0.21%Central Parkway $111,108 $8,000 $ - $119,108 0.61%Drake $88,968 $985 $89,954 0.46%Eden $862,686 $950 $55,356 $918,992 4.73%Fairview $43,656 $ - $43,656 0.22%Fernbank Managed by Hamilton County Park District Fleishmann $1,041 $298,500 $ - $299,541 1.54%French $180,346 $950 $2,906 $184,202 0.95%Glenway $33,330 $1,921 $35,251 0.18%Hauck Gardens $27,655 $2,479 $30,135 0.16%Hoffner $12,065 $ - $12,065 0.06%Hyde Park Square $28,234 $ - $28,234 0.15%Inwood $82,252 $ - $82,252 0.42%Jackson Hill $14,115 $ - $14,115 0.07%Jergens $13,804 $ - $13,804 0.07%Kennedy $69,923 $3,153 $73,076 0.38%King, Martin Luther $24,645 $542 $25,187 0.13%Krohn Conservatory $1,163,660 $305,190 $348,922 $1,817,772 9.36%Laboiteaux $11,046 $- $11,046 0.06%Lytle $61,844 $17,100 $887 $79,830 0.41%Madison $18,525 $18,525 0.10%Magrish $12,648 $12,648 0.07%Mayfield $13,830 $13,830 0.07%McEvoy $33,569 $33,569 0.17%Miles Edwards $17,461 $58,000 $75,461 0.39%Montgomery $15,056 $15,056 0.08%Morris $15,338 $15,338 0.08%Mt. Airy $810,299 $213,944 $1,024,243 5.27%Mt. Echo $176,162 $19,588 $195,750 1.01%Mt. Storm $41,792 $2,627 $44,419 0.23%Oakley $38,375 $1,478 $39,853 0.21%Owl's Nest $31,494 $ - $31,494 0.16%Piatt $48,673 $63,250 $197 $112,120 0.58%Pioneer $32,124 $16 $32,140 0.17%Rapid Run $71,407 $3,349 $74,756 0.38%Sayler Park $12,066 $ - $12,066 0.06%

Seasongood $16,726 $ - $16,726 0.09%Seymour $2,309 $ - $2,309 0.01%Smale Riverfront $2,202,910 $90,000 $1,823 $2,294,733 11.81%Stanbery $42,444 $2,299 $44,743 0.23%Torrence $41,324 $2,565 $ - $43,889 0.23%Valley $14,849 $ - $14,849 0.08%Victory Parkway $85,083 $788 $85,872 0.44%Washington $549,780 $ - $549,780 2.83%Waterfront $2,381,370 $85,000 $19,210 $2,485,580 12.80%Wilson $21,256 $475 $4,105 $25,836 0.13%Wulsin $16,087 $2,134 $18,221 0.09%Misc. Parks/Facilities/Programs $3,030,144 $416,070 $148,422 $3,594,637 18.51% Urban Forestry $1,900,000 $ - $1,900,000 9.78%Greenspace $346,440 $30,000 $62,220 $438,660 2.26% Totals $17,031,110 $1,436,750 $956,375 $19,424,235 100.00%

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WATERFRONTParks of vistas, of gatherings and celebrations that

reconnects Downtown to the Ohio River, and links the chain

of parks along the water. Including: Smale Riverfront Park,

Sawyer Point & Yeatman's Cove, Theodore M. Berry

International Friendship Park, Otto Armleder Park,

and Margrish Riverlands Preserve.


SAWYER POINT TENNISThe 1980s was the golden age of tennis, energized by the fame of Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. The popularity of tennis rose and tennis courts made their way out of exclusive country clubs into public parks. And in 1988, with the development of Bicentennial Commons at Saw-yer Point, Cincinnati opened its very own regionally renowned tennis facility. Still to this day, Sawyer Point Tennis has a commendable repu-tation. Winning City-Beat Magazine’s “Best-Of” three years in a row, Sawyer Point Tennis continues to provide court access and professional tennis instruction.

“The courts are more than just a place to play tennis… Sawyer Point Tennis is a location where you become a part of a community, make new friends, and get quality instruction” says Tennis Pro Federico Mas. Between school groups, private lessons, and the Professional Tennis Registry’s International Tennis Instructor Certification Workshops, new participants are consistently visiting the courts and discovering Bicentennial Commons Park.

Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point consists of twenty two acres between the Purple People Bridge and Montgomery Inn Boat House. The land was once a scrap yard, until the announcement that the I-471 Interstate Bridge would be built across the Ohio River. At that time, Cincinnati philanthropist Charles Sawyer kick started the project with a million dollar donation, buying the land from American Steel. With the assistance of the Cincinnatus Association’s Riverfront Adviso-ry Council, the park’s master plan was adopted by Cincinnati City Council in 1980. The park was designed to be recreation-centric with amphitheatres, an ice skating rink, sand volleyball courts, and a world class tennis facility.

Almost thirty years old, Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point continues to be a place for fun and fitness. Joggers run the paved trails along the river, volleyball leagues pick up each summer season, and ju-nior tennis players advance their game on the courts. Thanks to Tennis Professionals like Federico Mas running the shop, anyone can come down for a game, receive private or group lessons, and become part of a tennis community. Sawyer Point Tennis is just another example of how we are sustaining our parks.

SMALE KIDS DAY, FITNESS & FUNDid you know that in addition to keeping Smale Riverfront Park clean, safe, and its amenities reliable, that Cincinnati Parks is committed to providing enriching programs for all ages to enjoy? From playgrounds to spray-grounds, concessions or concerts, our Park Staff work hard to ensure park patrons have opportunities for free entertainment. Since the opening of Smale Riverfront Park in 2012, the park's event schedule has grown to include children’s plays and jazz concerts. In 2016, thanks to the generous support of Modo Yoga and Cincinnati Cyclebar, Cincinnati Parks was able to feature free cycling and yoga classes. The 2016 Smale Mind and Body program was so successful that Cincinnati Parks decided to add barre classes and labyrinth tours to the schedule. With new part-ners such as the BarreCode and Veriditas, Cincinnati Parks can provide these additional classes at no cost to the public.


cincinnati parkssustaining our parks photo by thomas ... · feeders for wild birds in their own...

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