Public Agency: The Urbana Park District

The Urbana Park District, like most park districts, is a public agency.  It provides events and programs for the public as well as facilities for the community to enjoy recreation and leisure.  One of the missions of the park district is to "pursue excellence in a variety of programs, parks and special facilities that contribute to the attractiveness of neighborhoods, conservation of the environment and the overall health of the community".  The Urbana Park District was one of the first park districts in the state and has been working hard at providing recreation and leisure to the people.  The park district runs many of the standard and traditional types of programs like athletics and pools and things like that but it is more untraditional than other park districts.  The Urbana Park Districts primary focus is on nature and environment.  It has a lot of focus on the arts.  One of the main facilities run by the park district is Meadowbrook Park.  It is a great space with a playground and wonderful natural areas.  People can walk and enjoy art and leisure on their own time.  Meadowbrook Park also holds some of the park districts main events like Neighborhood Nights which is a summer concert series as well as Strawberry Jam, also a concert.  They still organize sports programs and are currently working on a new pool but they really work a lot on their natural parks and scenery, and put focus on the arts. The Urbana Park District has a lot of responsibilities and is always striving to be better.  

The Urbana Park district is made up partly by a Board of Commissioners overseeing the operations, and is made up of five members elected by the public. Each member serves a six year term.  Besides the board there are many employees all throughout Urbana.  The Urbana park district maintains park sand facilities, and offers recreation programs for all Urbana citizens.  There are gyms, parks, an aquatic center, and a nature center located all around the Urbana area.  Some locations are on University, Broadway, and many others.  The Urbana Park District is funded mainly by taxes and get donations to help build.  Urbana Park Districts goal is to have something for just about everyone to enjoy, and to enrich their lives in the process.

When applying for a job at the Urbana park district some of the competencies they are looking for are things like ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, and skills in leadership techniques, and management. They also want enthusiasm for the outdoors, high motivation for their work, and enjoy working with general public.  Some required education would be at least three years working towards a degree in national resources, education, environmental studies, as well as outdoor recreation.  Also required is some sort of experience working with children adults, and families.  Knowledge of natural history and land management is also a big thing when they are looking at hiring.  These things are just a few of the core competencies required for these jobs.

The Urbana Park District has many job opportunities for people in many age groups.  With our interview with Ellen Kirsanoff she said, “There were many employment opportunities and forms at the agency. Generally the Urbana Park District employ people full time year round but they also employ people part time year round as well. They also employ people seasonal full and part time meaning you will work for 6 months between the months of April and October. Furthermore, if you are interested in recreation and other environmental studies they hire interns to help them out. The employees of Urbana Park District welcome people who would like to help them out and volunteer. While interviewing Ellen Kirsanoff she said the best way to get a foot in the door, is by volunteering. By volunteering the current employees get to know you better and also you get a feel for the task and jobs employees have before you are hired. In one example she talked about a girl who started off by volunteering now works full time at the nature center. Her tasks are to organize and implement school tours. The Urbana Park District provides many opportunities for people who are looking for a job or just want to do volunteer work. They also, have a great intern program for people who are interested in working in this field of work. If you are interested in this type of work the Urbana Park District might be the place for you.

Right now the primary focus or project for them is their plan to build a new aquatic center in Urbana.  The park district is planning for new people and community members.  They have been working hard to figure out what the people of the community want.  It is gaining a lot of public interest and is currently the Urbana Park Districts #1 effort.  There is a referendum in the spring about it.  A few years ago Champaign built a new aquatic center.  One thing people need to understand is that Urban Park District is not trying to compete with the Champaign Park District.  They are actually trying to complement and work with the Champaign Park District.  The Urbana Park District is trying to fill the voids with this new aquatic center they are planning.  One thing in particular is that the Champaign aquatic center does not have a traditional or deep lap pool.  Urbana Park District plans on having an outdoor lap pool that will allow for outdoor swim meets because right now there is a void in this area.  The park district is also working on trying to get teens motivated and to participate.  These are just a couple of the things the Urbana Park District is currently working on.  The main issues for the agency are money and getting people to interested.  Budget is always an issue and the Urbana Park District works hard to be fiscally responsible and to charge as little as possible for their services.  They continue to explore new funding sources and new ways and opportunities for "doing business".

The Urbana Park District defines leisure as providing open space and natural space, where people can independently recreate.  The park district wants people to be able to enjoy leisure on their own time and of their own desire.  It is the mission of the Urbana Park District to improve the quality of life of its citizens through a responsive, efficient, and creative park and recreation system.  The Urbana Park District benefits the entire community and neighbor communities in the area.  It provides events and social cooperation.  The Urbana Park District provides natural spaces and environment.  They allow people to appreciate the arts and music.  Children and adults can participate in athletics and classes.  The Urbana Park District works to bring leisure and recreation to the people it serves.

During the visit to the Urbana Park District we met with the Development Coordinator, Ellen Kirsanoff. She allowed us to get an in-depth look at the park district, how it functions, and what it does for the community as well as new knowledge of what it is like to work for a public agency.  We learned that one of the major benefits for working at the Urbana Park District was interacting with the public.  Additionally, Ellen Kirsanoff explained that she enjoys her flexible work hours and the opportunities to plan events.  However, she also added that working for a public agency has its disadvantages.  For example, finding funding for events and getting people motivated and excited for activities can be a challenge but she assures the struggle is all worth it in the end.  As a result of the hard work done by the workers of the park district, citizens of Urbana and neighboring communities can enjoy their leisure time in the wonderful natural spaces that the Urbana Park District provides and through the activities and programs they organize.

The Urbana Park District has a lot of events and some are coming up.  You can get more information about the events at the their website. www.urbanaparks.org/