“Maintaining Municipal Parks: Thinking Outside the Picnic Basket”

Across the Commonwealth and most of the nation, the economic downturn is limiting the revenue available to municipalities to maintain and improve their core services: public safety, public education and public infrastructure. Under such conditions, park maintenance is likely to get short shrift. Yet parks and recreational facilities serve an important function, especially for those living in urban areas. They facilitate physical activity, which can enhance an individual’s overall health; they can increase property
values and help to attract and retain businesses and residents; they also serve a social benefit enabling residents to associate informally or through organized cultural events such as concerts and festivals.