Pleasanton Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Page | 19 APPENDIX C  Develop employee work plans and employee work teams to implement the goals and objectives of the Master Plan. Volunteer Recruitment and Training Volunteer recruitment and training is a new challenge to community agencies as the volunteer pool diminishes because of working parents and aging WWII generation of steadfast, community volunteers. Offering meaningful volunteer opportunities to baby boomers and instilling volunteerism in youth will facilitate new volunteer support. The Senior Center has a robust volunteer program of over 270 volunteers and an additional 25 community partners. Many agencies state‐wide have initiated programs of Park Stewards who foster leadership and partial management of park sites in conjunction with city‐ staff. This program could be expanded to develop Play Stewards who would foster the same leadership qualities but within recreation programming. Recommended Actions  Create challenging and meaningful volunteer opportunities for all age segments in the community. This could include: o Park Stewards who with city leadership and cooperation lead the volunteer maintenance and restoration work in a city park, bringing together the needed volunteers, materials, technical knowledge, and other resources necessary to provide maintenance and to make on‐the‐ground improvements a reality. o Play Stewards who with city leadership and cooperation lead the volunteer recreation programming work within park sites and or facilities, bringing together the needed materials, technical knowledge of play, and other resources necessary to provide additional play and recreational opportunities to the youth of the city. o Develop a Park and Play Steward training and certification program that includes aspects of park maintenance, play, city procedures, and etc. o Park and Play Stewards would be coordinated and lead by City Staff and operate consistent with City policies.  Work cooperatively with local service clubs to recruit volunteers for special projects or events.  In cooperation with schools and youth groups e.g. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts engage youth in the design of and completion of volunteer work. . Marketing, Branding, and Facility Rental Marketing and communication of public information in both print and electronic media is essential to increase public awareness about programs and facilities to reach all ages, non‐users and the underserved. While the City provides an excellent level of service in many areas, some aspects of marketing, branding, and facility rental falls short of the mark. Table 1 displays the limited number of rentals for city offered facilities. Some of these are resulting from the need for renovation and upgrades and other clearly from the need for improved marketing.