Understaffed New Orleans Dept. of Parks and Parkways sets grass

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jun 23, 2008 by Reports

The city's Department of Parks and Parkways says it is has a strategy to keep grass in check, even though its staff is reduced by more than half since Hurricane Katrina.

"This very hard working and determined staff of 103 employees, which is down by more than half since Hurricane Katrina, is doing a great job with the resources available, said Ann MacDonald, director of Parks and Parkways. "At less-demanding times of the year, the department normally manicures about 100 acres of our neutral grounds, parks and playgrounds. But now, in response to the rampant growth, we average more than 350 acres a week."

The department maintains 23 active playgrounds that are cut on a seven- to 10-day cutting cycle, along with the remainder of city green space, which is on a four- to six-week cutting cycle.

Parks and Parkways staff and contractors maintain 2,000 acres of green space under the jurisdiction of the city, including city- owned parks, playgrounds, golf courses and neutral grounds. The department's operations have been reorganized to place crews in clusters to make the best use of limited equipment and to reduce the need for supervisors, MacDonald said.

The city lost 40 percent of its equipment, valued at $1 million, as a result of the 2005 hurricanes.

In 2007, Parks and Parkways mowed about 16,000 acres of green space. So far this year, about 7,000 acres have been cut.

The peak of grass-cutting season generally falls between May and September.