Creating even better parks is vital in Kansas City

With a keen eye for improving some of Kansas City’s iconic assets, Mark McHenry has led the city’s Parks and Recreation Department in a positive direction for 12 years.

One of the marked upgrades will be on display Sunday. The public is invited to a 3 p.m. celebration of the multi-year renovation of the Laura Conyers Smith Rose Garden in Loose Park. Hundreds of roses already are ablaze with color, offering Kansas Citians a great place to visit for a pleasant stroll any time of the day or early evening.

On a broader scale, McHenry’s agency recently learned it is a finalist for the 2015 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, handed out by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association.

Kansas City’s department was recognized — among other things — for its work on a few dozen projects, including the new Swope Soccer Village, as well as its invaluable SHAPE program, which focuses on inspecting parks and then making needed changes to them.

Meanwhile, city attractions that the parks agency used to keep a closer eye on — primarily the Kansas City Zoo and Liberty Memorial — are now overseen by private management groups. That gives McHenry and his forces more time to take care of basic amenities.

Challenges continue to confront the department. The city’s fountains went neglected for too long, and private fundraising is underway to help repair some. Many residents want community centers to have longer hours. And it’s tough with slimmed-down forces to keep up with repairs to hundreds of parks, fountains, monuments and pools.

Of course, having that large number of assets also helps make Kansas City a very special place to live.

This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Creating even better parks is vital in Kansas City."