Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 79

Infrastructure and Engineering, which includes major repairs as well as new
construction, is a division supervised by an Assistant Director who is also the Civil Engineer for
the Department.
The Recreation Division, which includes Athletics, Aquatics, Adapted and Inclusive
Recreation, Cultural and Artistic Programs, and Community Centers, is supervised by an
Assistant Director, with assistance from two Recreation Administrators and four Recreation
Managers
A Parks Administrator supervises the installation and maintenance of landscaped areas,
such as flower beds and gardens. The same Administrator also supervises the Forestry Divisions
which plants and maintains trees in the parks and along the 14.5 miles of historic Olmsted
designed parkways which are part of the Metro Parks and Recreation system.
Historic Properties are supervised by a Parks Administrator who works with the non-
profit organizations which are involved in the preservation and public visits to the properties.
Communications; Human Resources; Planning Design and Land Acquisition; and Safety
and Security all report to the Director and are within the Administration Division.
The Communications Division manages external communications, media relations,
issues, community outreach, volunteers, social media, marketing, promotions, archives,
publications and web development. This division provides staff support for the Louisville Metro
Parks Foundation and acts as an informational resource for citizens and employees of Metro.
The Human Resources Division manages personnel issues and records as well as payroll.
The Planning, Design and Land Acquisition staff develop master plans for parks,
parkways and trails, develop designs and construction drawings, acquire land and easements,
manage construction projects for many capital projects, write and manage grants and other
project funding, review private and public development and utility proposals that could affect
parks and trails, and provide planning and landscape architect services and limited GIS support
to the Department. This office, along with the Natural Areas Division, also provides staff support
for the Louisville/Jefferson County Environmental Trust created by ordinance in 1997.
F2. Financing Operations
About the time the Cornerstone 2020 Plan was being prepared, a 1990 study by the
American Institute for Leisure Resources found an allocation for the operating budget of
Louisville/Jefferson County Parks Department of $11.55 per capita in the jurisdiction. This
compared to per capita parks and recreation subsidies of $15.80 for Indianapolis, $33.66 for
Pittsburgh, $41.14 for Chicago and $48.16 for Baltimore. A similar study of Kentucky cities in
1994, showed an increased expenditure of $21.29 per capita for Louisville, but this expenditure
was still substantially lower than the expenditure of Lexington/Fayette County at $41.53 per
capital, Frankfort/Franklin County at $25.59, and Bowling Green at $105.61 per capita. Since
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III. CONTEXT AND COMMUNITY INVENTORY | October 2016 Update