Parks and Recreation…The True Benefits

 

 

By: Matt Havlik

 From economic benefits to stress relief, parks and recreation departments located throughout the country serve as an immeasurable asset to any community.  Parks are often seen as a social meeting place where friends and family can converse with one another as well as a commonplace for children to play.  They provide users with opportunities to meet one another, interact in a group setting, and become more involved in one’s community by tying the community together as a whole.

          Aside from each of these factors presented above, the real reason why communities have a parks and recreation department is because of the economic benefits associated with it.  Highly overlooked, parks provide an excellent source of revenue for any community.  Parks and recreation departments’ income comes mainly from tax dollars, recreation programs, facility usage, permits, and special events.  These income-generating sources are an asset to any city with a parks department.  A parks and recreation department also creates numerous jobs in a community ranging from high level administrative positions to seasonal field work.  Not only do parks benefit a community financially, but they are also aesthetically pleasing if maintained correctly.  Parks attract tourists and provide an opportunity for industry as well as increase property value of land nearby.

          Parks and recreation departments are not only about the economic and financial benefits associated with them but they also provide users with many other benefits.  Parks often promote exercise and healthy lifestyles through activities ranging from running to dog walking.  Not only are parks beneficial to our health, but they also allow users to become closer with nature and everything it has to offer.  Parks provide us with outdoor recreation opportunities such as boating, fishing, bicycling, and wildlife viewing in the summer and ice skating, sledding and cross country skiing in the winter.  Along with these activities, parks are also a great source of stress relief.  Being able to view an aesthetically pleasing landscape with the wildlife associated with is an easy way to take your mind off things and relax while taking in some fresh air.  Nowadays, many parks are being built with the intent for use by everyone including those with disabilities.  There are many more parks today with handicap accessible areas than has ever been before.  This contributes to parks being such a great place for individuals to socialize and learn from one another.

          I am personally a huge advocator for parks and recreation and would love to be able to keep our parks around in the near and distant futures.  But consequently, parks and recreation departments are not always all fun and games.  With the booms and busts of the economy these days, parks and recreation departments are the first to receive budget cuts when the economy turns bad.  This is due to the aspect that parks are not seen as a necessity to a community’s well-being and that its residents can live without them.  The future of our parks is threatened by our current economy and the negative effects associated with it. All in all, by staying actively involved in your community’s park system, you can help keep places like these around for our future generations to enjoy as well.