Press Release | Office of the Mayor | Applicants Sought to Fill Parks and Recreation Advisory Council

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Applicants Sought to Fill Parks and Recreation Advisory Council

Westland, MI - The City of Westland is seeking applicants to fill the slate of vacant positions on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Council.

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Council is a seven member board and is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council. The Advisory reviews plans and specifications for work undertaken in City parks and volunteers for programs provided by the City's Recreation Department. The board also advises the administration on Parks & Recreation strategied. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, located at 36300 Warren Road.

"I am encouraging all interested residents to apply as they will work with our new Parks and Recreation Director, LaTricia Gunnells on improving the city's parks and recreation opportunities," commented Mayor Wild.

The Advisory's primary purpose is to provide advice from a citizen perspective. The activities of the Advisory may include the study of critical issues, performing independent research, and reviewing staff reports and recommendations. These prepare the advisory body to discuss, analyze, formulate, and forward well-developed, thoughtful recommendations to the administration and the legislative body.

Interested members must be residents of the City of Westland with an interest in parks and recreation activities. They must be willing to function as part of the advisory team and willing and available to attend monthly meetings. Applicants should be willing to support the mission and goals of the group and should be familiar with various aspects of recreation and fundraising, which may include having established relationships with funding partners such as community foundations, corporations, individual donors or preparation of funding applications.

If you are interested in applying to be a member, please visit www.cityofwestland.com to complete the application and send it in along with an updated resume. Applications can be mailed to City Hall at:

City of Westland Parks and Recreation

36300 Warren Rd.

Westland, MI 48185

Applications can also be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line PRAC Application.

You can also download the application directly, by clicking here

For more information, contact Aubrey Berman, Administrative Secretary at (734)467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Western Wayne Fire Association firefighters collaboratively serving the Cities of Wayne and Westland are licensed paramedics who responded to over 13,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds if shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, on of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more that 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

Westland's philosophy is that government should embrace good business principles. Providing oversight over the City's operating budget of $60 million dollars, Westland is the only community in Wayne County with a 3-year balanced budget and an approximately 10 percent budget surplus.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.