Late last week I got to meet with Danny Kapales of Jonesboro’s Parks and Rec department. We talked about the importance of greenspace and playgrounds for our kids. We talked about how Jonesboro plans its parks, and how we determine where to build them. We also discussed the importance of community feedback on our parks and when scouting new locations.
We talked about how people may not realize it, but that parks are a huge economic boon for Jonesboro. Not only because it improves quality of life and attracts more folks to want to live and play in Jonesboro, but also because any time we have a tournament, festival, or event, it attracts folks from all over Arkansas and even neighboring states to come and spend their dollars boosting Jonesboro’s economy.
Kier and Danny
We talked about how Parks and Rec steps in to work on all of our green space, including downtown planters, and how any time there’s a festival downtown it’s Parks and Rec who comes in for the cleanup and trash handing along side Jonesboro sanitation. I’m thankful for all the hard work that our Parks department puts in, but just like every other department they’re struggling for funding. We need to come up with a long term plan to address this because quality of life in Jonesboro is one of the most important issues we can tackle!
