Board of Directors | Park Boards

S.R.P.A. Board of Directors

John Froese	Chairman
Gord Tamblyn	Director
Jason Danbrook	Director
Leona Wakelam	Director
Darlene Scott	Director
Stewart Hindley	Director

Volunteering for local Park Boards

Top

Volunteering for their Local Regional Park and the Community

What comes to your mind when you hear “Regional Park”? Do you think summer, camping, golfing, swimming? Is it your local ski hill for the winter? Is it just the “park”?

Each Regional Park is an intricate part of a community (small or large) and it plays a huge role in the economic survival of that community. The Board of Directors is all VOLUNTEERS who dedicate their time all year long, not just in the summer. They are charged with the responsibility of operating a Not-For-Profit Organization that employs anywhere from 3 to 35 people during the operating season; they are responsible for the protection of the park land and for the future development and care of the park facility. They give of themselves freely to assist the staff in construction of capital projects and some volunteer the use of their equipment as well.

The Mission Statement of most of the boards is to provide a recreation area for the use of local people and tourists and to provide a source of employment to the local area.

The Board of Directors is responsible for setting the rates and the budget for the park. Regional Parks vary in revenue producing capacity from less than $20,000. to just under $1,000,000. From that revenue, of course, many expenses are incurred for operation and recapitalization of facilities. The commitment to wages is a large portion of any service orientated business and a great many of the employees are “locals” or children of “locals”. Their wages are put back into the economic fabric of the community on an ongoing basis. As well as wages, the parks usually purchase fuel, oil, many maintenance items and building materials from the local hardware or lumber yard. The grocery store may help supply then with confectionery, the maintenance crew with small cleaning items and the supplies for the golf tournament and events. Catering is usually sought locally for any event that these parks hold. The list goes on and on; anything that can be purchased locally, that’s what the “park” does.

The patrons of the park also produce huge economic benefits to the community with their purchases from all the businesses in the area. With private cabins, campsites and golf courses that attract many visits each summer you can easily add large numbers of people who spend their dollars in the community’s restaurant, grocery store, hardware, the vendor, the gas station and again, the list goes on. Some of these people are there for the summer, some for a few days, some for a day; but each person leaves a bit of their hard earned money there in that community!

Infrastructure is a buzz word these days, but in reality, the buildings and equipment as well as in-ground infrastructure wear out and need to be replaced. Each Regional Park’s board of directors makes sound decisions regarding the replacement of these items. The list is endless when it comes to repairs and replacements in every park.

Over the past two years, Regional Parks have received capital project funding provided from the Ministry of Tourism, Parks Culture and Sport which they have to match with 50% of their own funds. Some of the parks qualify for some student grant funding. Some parks receive some funding or in-kind assistance from their rural or urban municipality, but there is no regular operational funding received from the government. For the most part, most Regional Parks must be self-sustainable with the revenues that they can produce.

Without the dedication of the volunteer board members and the staff of each Regional Park – this would be next to impossible! These Regional Parks provide a recreation area for many people and in turn, this activity provides employment, economic benefits and community viability!

Print this page

Regional Parks would like to thank our Program Sponsors, and Corporate Partners!