May potluck presented extensive range of maintenance tasks for Kenmore parks
- kencomclub
- May 30
- 2 min read
100th Anniversary potluck series offers kids an education in city operations
The more than 30 people who attended the May 14 Kenmore Community Club potluck were impressed by the extensive amount of work that goes into maintaining Kenmore's 93 acres of parks, miles of trails, ball fields, and facilities.
In addition to 8 parks, the Public Works Director Jennifer Gordon said the department handles maintenance of City Hall, the Post Office, Town Square Hanger, Senior Center and the boathouse. They also provide support, access control, and safety and security for city events.
Parks and Streetscapes Supervisor Quinn Proffitt outlined just some of the long list daily park checks, playground inspections, ballfield maintenance that his team are responsible for. Vandalism, broken irrigation systems and never-ending cleaning keep his small crew of full-time and seasonal workers busy. As an anecdotal example he noted the boardwalks through the new ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis (Tl' awh-ah-dees) Park have to be swept of goose droppings everyday.
Maintaining the the fleet of 40 trucks and specialty vehicles used by the department requires the full-time work of Aleks Firsov and one part-time staffer, while Nicole Sawyer, administrative specialist, keeps the reporting and tracking system in addition to handling parks reservations.
The potluck series is celebrating city services as part of the Kenmore Community Club's 100th Anniversary going on throughout the year.
The next potluck presentation will feature the Northshore/Shoreline Fire Department. Bring the kids and a dish to share to the next potluck June 11, 6:30pm to 9pm to learn about what makes a city run.
