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Page 1 of 4 <br />Item #3 <br /> <br />PARKS AND RECREATION <br />COMMISSION AGENDA REPORT <br /> <br /> <br />March 13, 2025 <br />Library and Recreation <br /> <br />TITLE: RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON AND RECOMMEND THE CONTINUATION OF THE <br />PILOT PARK AMBASSADOR PROGRAM <br /> <br />SUMMARY <br />The Parks Division of the Public Works Department and the Library and Recreation <br />Department launched a pilot Park Ambassador program in April 2024. The program was <br />modeled after the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD) Park Ambassador <br />Program. This report will provide an update on the program and participation. <br /> <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Receive an Update on and Recommend the Continuation of the Pilot Park Ambassador <br />Program. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />At the August 10, 2023, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Commissioner Deckert <br />recommended adding an Adopt-a-Park program to the City of Pleasanton, modeled after the <br />LARPD program during the Matters Initiated portion of the meeting. The commission agreed. <br /> <br />City staff worked with staff from LARPD to learn about the program, including the positives and <br />negatives and lessons learned, and gather materials they use successfully to run their <br />program. <br /> <br />The City’s pilot Park Ambassador program was developed and presented to the Commission <br />at the February 8, 2024, meeting. On April 25, 2024, the first Park Ambassador onboarding <br />event was held. Subsequent individual or small group onboarding sessions were provided as <br />needed when new Ambassadors joined the program. During the onboarding sessions, a brief <br />overview of the City’s park system was given, the handbook was reviewed, and an <br />Ambassador ‘starter kit’ was provided consisting of a high-visibility vest, litter grabber, and a <br />five-gallon bucket for litter. <br /> <br />This program enlists volunteers, or Park Ambassadors, to help keep our parks clean, safe, and <br />enjoyable. Each volunteer is assigned a neighborhood park or a portion of a larger community <br />park to visit each week or as the volunteer’s schedule allows. Park Ambassadors act as an <br />additional set of eyes and ears to assist maintenance staff as well as being a resource for <br />other citizens using the parks. Responsibilities include but are not limited to, reporting any <br />safety hazards, reporting broken or vandalized amenities, and removing litter. <br /> <br />DISCUSSION <br />There are a total of fourteen Park Ambassadors currently enrolled in the program. The number <br />actually involved may be more since there were several couples and families that attended the <br />Page 6 of 48