Glenn Lampark, Director of Public Works
Dennis Orlando, Superintendent of Highway and Parks

OPERATING AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE

The goal of the Parks Division is to provide quality areas and facilities for the leisure activities of our residents and tourists.  We strive to maintain, improve and preserve Racine County’s parklands in a safe and attractive manner and at a level of service that is acceptable to a majority of the residents at the lowest possible cost. 

The Racine County Park system consists of over 2,500 acres of diversified recreational and open spaces.  The park areas vary from intensely staffed and utilized facilities such as the swimming beaches at Quarry Lake and Einer Fischer Parks and the Ives Grove and Brown’s Lake golf courses to the naturally passive and sensitive areas found at Sanders Park and the John Margis, Jr. Wildlife Area.  The Parks Division operates and maintains a wide variety of recreational facilities such as beaches, boat launches, campgrounds, nature and wildlife areas, playgrounds, picnic areas and shelters and athletic fields, and also monitors and oversees activities at the Racine County golf courses. Reservations and fees for selected facilities are handled by Public Works staff, as is the accounting for the Parks fund. 

Park operations staff manages, operates, and maintains park buildings and roadways, and performs year-round forestry, grounds and landscaping functions.  Parks operations also include grounds maintenance and repairs, vandalism repair, nursery maintenance, ice and snow control, mowing and vegetation control, garbage and litter control, signage and roadway repair.  Parks's staff operates and prepares numerous recreational and athletic facilities such as snowmobile trails, baseball and soccer fields, swimming beaches, picnic shelters, volleyball, tennis, and basketball courts, and restroom facilities. Seasonal employees perform and assist with many of these efforts. 

Parks Planning staff prepare comprehensive, long-range plans to provide overall guidance for the renovation, repair, and development of each park and recreation area.  Plans and designs are prepared to provide optimal use of each park, to provide residents with a variety of recreational and outdoor experiences and to ensure and promote conservation and stewardship objectives for the County Park system.  

The Parks Division budget contains maintenance and contingency funds for the Racine Harbor.  A portion of the rent from Belle Harbor is used to maintain Harbor Park while the remainder is placed in an account used to make small marina or breakwater repairs with approval of the Public Works Committee.  Proceeds from the Marina license agreement are placed in a non-lapsing contingency account for possible breakwater repair and any future obligations of the RMA license agreement.

EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Parking lot improvements at Ives Grove Golf Course 

Westward extension of Racine-Sturtevant Bicycle Trail 

Completion of Burlington-Waterford Bicycle Trail link between the Fox River and State Highway 20 

Construction and development of restroom facilities at Bushnell and Cliffside Parks 

Completion of improvements to Old Settlers Park playground equipment 

Design and planning of Racine Sturtevant Bicycle Trail Phase II

2004 GOALS AND BUDGET STRATEGIES