As evidenced by the plethora of political signs popping up around town, the election season is upon us.
One thing you are certain to hear from aspiring to incumbent politicians, from the local to national level is economic development. It doesn’t matter if you lean left or right, leaders will tout how they will create jobs and improve and diversify the economy. What voter does not want to see these things happen? It’s one thing to say you are going improve the economy but how does it really happen? I do not know the entire answer to that question; however, I do know there are many factors involved. One factor, often overlooked and misunderstood, is local parks and recreation. The services provided by Green River Parks and Recreation have a significant and positive impact on our local economy.
This article contains a few relevant examples of how our parks and recreation department make us leaders in conservation, health and wellness, social equity, and also is an engine of economic activity and job creation.
Before diving into some of these examples, I must provide a disclaimer that, with my position, I write this with bias in favor of the benefits of parks and recreation. I will provide some un-biased, empirically validated information: In a study from George Mason University, in 2013 alone, America’s local and regional public parks agencies generated nearly $140 billion in economic activity and supported almost 1 million jobs. With a well-developed parks and recreation system, Green River is indeed a piece of that large pie.
The months of May and June have been great months to be a Green River resident. We had Flaming Gorge Days, several baseball tournaments attracting regional competition, Overland Stage Stampede Rodeo, and the karate tournament came back to Green River. These events all make Green River a great place to live and also attract many visitors to town. These visitors stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, and shop locally. In a recent Council Workshop, the manager of Artic Circle said his busiest times of the year were during Flaming Gorge Days and the karate tournament. These events are all coordinated by great organizations and they have one thing in common; they are hosted at local parks and recreation facilities.
In the coming months our parks will host many more great and economically stimulating events such as Art on the Green and Riverfest.
In order for businesses to be successful they need great workers. The diverse parks and recreation services and great people in this town make it a desirable place to live. A new management employee at one of the trona mines recently explained to me he was deciding between Green River and the Bridger Valley for his new place of residence.
While we may appear like an isolated town, we face competition from other cities and counties, making the continued development of our town so important. In addition to attracting good workers, the Green River Parks and Recreation Department helps develop a talented workforce. Ask any life-time resident with a successful career where they had their first job and there is a good chance they started as a summer hire in the Parks Department or guarding the pool at the recreation center.
Many of our current summer hires are earning money for college while gaining job experiencing preparing them for distinguished careers.
The parks and recreation department took on a large portion of the recent budget cuts. As reported by the Green River Star, several programs were canceled and staffing levels reduced.
Even considering these challenges, I am proud of our fantastic parks and recreational services, the commitment to this essential service by our local leaders, and the great employees that make these things happen.
Not only do parks and recreation services make our quality of life better, these amenities stimulate the local economy.
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