Recreation and Parks

Special Events Calendar

2020-21 Goals and Objectives

News

Calendar Grid 602974
<<	October 2020 Oct 2020	>>

Sports at City Parks
Competitive sports are not allowed at City parks during the pandemic, a message constantly reinforced by City Rangers.
Russell Park Construction
The renovated park will reopen to the public when freshly seeded grass can withstand foot traffic.
Fitness Center to Reopen
The public fitness center facilities inside the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center will be relocated and reopen.
Help Design a Park
The Recreation and Parks Department requests public input on the design of a potential park.
Dia de los Muertos
The City's Recreation and Parks Department is encouraging community members to observe Dia de Los Muertos virtually.
Award for City-Business Relations
The City today received a distinguished statewide award for its innovative, student-run "The Patch" program.

More »

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615 S. McClelland Street
Santa Maria, CA 93454

The Department of Recreation and Parks' mission is to enrich the lives of the residents of Santa Maria through quality recreation programs and services; and to provide safe and well-maintained facilities and parks, while anticipating the changing needs of the community. The department operates 234 acres of developed parkland in 27 neighborhood and community parks, part of the 1,774-acre Los Flores Ranch Park property, the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, the Hagerman Softball Complex, Paul Nelson Aquatics Center, Elwin Mussell Senior Center, Veterans' Memorial Center and other community centers. The department provides programs in aquatics, youth and adult sports, therapeutics and senior services, Special Olympics, community classes and events, youth and teen programs, and the Mayor's Task Force on Youth Safety. It also runs the City's Urban Forest Program.

Leisure Needs Assessment and Action Plan 2019
Parks Location Map
Final Appendix

Recreation and Parks Department Organizational Chart

Alex Posada, Director of Recreation and Parks

ALEXANDER POSADA
Director of Recreation & Parks

City Phone: (805) 925-0951 ext. 2260
City Fax: (805) 925.4508
E-mail

EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT:

Social Services, San Jose State University
Social Work, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Public Administration, La Salle University
Director of Recreation and Parks, City of Santa Maria
Interim Recreation Superintendent, City of Santa Maria
Recreation Supervisor, City of Santa Maria
Facility Manager, City of Santa Maria
Social Worker I, County of Santa Barbara
Recreation Specialist, City of Santa Maria
Recreation Specialist, Hayward Area District
Teen Counselor, City of San Jose

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria
United Way of the Central Coast
Santa Maria Affiliate Santa Barbara Foundation
Advisory Committee, Special Olympics Southern California
North County American Red Cross Disaster Services
American Red Cross

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

Responsible for the daily operations and management of the Recreation and Parks Department. Provide staff support to the City Manager's Office, City Council and Recreation and Parks Commission. Supervise a staff of 30 full-time and 32 permanent part-time, assigned to 5 major divisions: Parks, Landscape Districts, Urban Forest, Recreation, and Administration. Services are provided in the following areas: city parks (225+ acres), part of Los Flores Ranch Park, publicly managed trees (30,000+), street medians, storm basins and rights-of-way (45+ acres), Santa Maria Town Center landscaping and parking structures, 7 major recreation facilities offering specialty recreation classes and programs and support to community based recreation programs i.e., youth basketball, youth soccer, etc.

Mission Statement

To enrich the lives of the residents of Santa Maria and surrounding areas through the provision of quality recreation and park facilities, programs and services, while being intuitive and responsive to the leisure needs of our customers.

13
4:00 PMRecreation & Parks Commission Meeting

Implement the goals set and adopted in the 2019 Community Leisure Needs Assessment (CLNA) and the goals of the Mayors’ Task Force on Youth Safety.
Develop a comprehensive landscape district financial analysis and advance to the City Council for consideration and recommendations to address any structural deficits.
To improve the quality of life, complete the renovation of Russell Park, in collaboration with the Department of Public Works.
Blend the goals of the 2019 Community Leisure Needs Assessment and the City Council’s 2020 goal of offering more youth sports facilities by exploring the options for funding construction and using existing City fee programs to construct new facilities.
Maintain water conservation in the park system, including re-vegetation of landscape areas, rotation of scheduled watering, and investigating the use of non-potable water sources to reduce costs.
Develop alternatives for the implementation of the Public Arts Master Plan.
Work with the City ADA Coordinator in the development and implementation of an inclusion plan for use in the offering of leisure programs and services.
Using Playground Guardian software, implement a cloud-based City-wide playground safety inspection program.
Expand environmental education programming at Los Flores Ranch Park, Santa Maria River Trail, and across the urban park system, using the summer and after-school youth recreation programs as a delivery system.
Assess the needs of the population as well as the gaps identified by the Community Leisure Needs Assessment to determine which amenities should be provided in a new or redeveloped park or facility; include athletic fields, courts, and playgrounds over the next five years.