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614-583-5000 3600 Tremont Rd

The Parks & Recreation Department fulfills the recreational, cultural and educational needs of the community through an exciting array of programs and activities, as well as maintaining the City’s beautiful parks, street trees and other public spaces.

We also organize a series of family-friendly special events as well as outdoor concerts and movies.

PROGRAMS & SERVICES
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AQUATICS

CULTURAL ARTS

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FACILITY RENTALS

PARKS & FORESTRY

CITY PARKS

RECREATION & ACTIVITIES

SENIOR CENTER

TENNIS

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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

ACTIVITY GUIDE
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PARKS & REC NEWS
PARKS & REC EVENTS
December 2024
04
December
5:00 pm

Cultural Arts Commission

07
December
9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Friends of UA Parks Volunteer Day

11
December
6:30 pm

Parks & Rec Advisory Board

16
December
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Concourse Gallery

30
December
8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Concourse Gallery

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Special Event Permit

The City has an application and permitting process in place for special events that require the use of City property and/or City logistical and planning support (please note, this permit does not apply for facility rentals that are contained to a specific rented location, such as a Municipal Services Center meeting room, or a park shelter). This includes quarterly submission deadlines in advance of a planned event so that Staff have ample time to review all requests and manage its finite supply of equipment and staffing while balancing its support of longstanding community events with new and unique event proposals.

2025 Event Planning Schedule

For Events Held:  Application
Deadline
Meeting
Review Date
January 1 – March 31 2025 October 18, 2024 November 1, 2024
April 1 – June 30 January 17, 2025 January 31, 2025
July 1 – September 30 April 18, 2025 May 2, 2025
October 1 – December 31 July 18, 2025 August 1, 2025
January 1 – March 31, 2026 October 17, 2025 October 31, 2025

Park Use Permit

Park Use Permits are required for groups wishing to hold small activities on City park property that do not disrupt the typical public use of the park. Activities requiring a Park Use Permit are typically private, must be free to attend and must not be a commercial use. These activities have no concession sales or vendors, though donations to a non-profit organization are allowed to be collected. They also do not include tents or temporary structures. Park Use activities have limited event components, minimal safety concerns, and do not require preparation or clean up time by City staff. Park Use Permits are also required for all organized filming and photography activities taking place on City park property.

UA COMMUNITY CENTER

As this transformative community project moves forward, we will be providing regular updates on progress and sharing details of opportunities for resident involvement, and we encourage you to stay informed. Register to receive our City Insight e-News for the most up-to-date information.

The Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Plan process began in the summer of 2017 and was expected to take approximately one year to complete. This review and planning process is seen as a vital step in guiding future decision-making on how to get the most value from our limited parkland and the facilities within them, while fulfilling the recreational wants and needs of the community.

Opportunities to be part of the process have been extensive, and the response from residents has been impressive.

  • Over 300 residents participated in stakeholder interviews, focus groups and a first community meeting. This included representatives from field sports organizations, the Senior Advisory Council, Cultural Arts Commission, Northam Park Tennis Advisory Committee, Tree Commission, Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, City Council, and various other public entities and civic groups.
  • A quick questionnaire fielded at the beginning of the process—available at various community events and online—was completed by 885 residents.
  • The goal of attaining 350 participants for a statistically-valid survey—conducted early in 2018—was far exceeded, with 653 responses.
  • An online version of this survey open to all in the community—available in March—was completed by 721 people.
  • 168 high school students participated in focus groups and completed surveys.
  • In April 2018, PROS Consulting shared the results of this extensive data-gathering process with the community at a Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Meeting, a City Council Meeting, and a Public Meeting.

The following documents represent the final content upon which Council voted to approve a Resolution in Support of the Plan. Visit Archives Portal to search archives of Boards & Commission Minutes (Search board name Parks & Recreation Advisory Board), City Council Meeting Minutes and Council Conference Session Minutes.

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CONTACT PARKS & RECREATION

    The City’s website is designed to provide 24/7 access to useful information about City departments, services, public meetings, special projects, events, legislation and more. If you are unable to find what you are looking for on this page or in our FAQ section, please complete the webform below. It will be directed straight to staff in the department listed above.

    The City also offers a convenient means for residents to report issues such as potholes, broken streetlights, property maintenance issues and parks damage through our UA Click2Fix smartphone app, available from AppleApp or GooglePlay.

    PLEASE NOTE: This is not an emergency reporting system. Requests are addressed during regular work hours of 8 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday. If you need to report an emergency situation, please call 9-1-1.

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    Parks & RecreationParks & ForestryRecreation ProgramsSenior CenterCultural ArtsAquatics & TennisLabor Day Arts FestivalSpecial EventsContacting the DirectorVolunteeringOther (Describe Below)

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