Park Maintenance

Arvada Parks, Trails and Open Space Maintenance performs routine maintenance for City-owned parks, trails, sports facilities, landscaped medians, City facilities, and Apex Park and Recreation District-owned parks.

Maintenance Philosophy

The goal of the City's Parks Maintenance team is to maintain the highest parks and open space standards possible making the best use of City resources in a sustainable, equitable and consistent fashion.

Safety is always the top priority for our Parks team. That includes the safety of our community and the safety of our staff.

Park Maintenance Requests

To submit a basic park maintenance request, email the Park Maintenance team. Basic park maintenance requests include tasks such as:

Fixing broken sprinklers
Graffiti cleanup
Light outages
Playground repairs.

In your email to our Parks Maintenance team, please provide the name and location of the park, maintenance needed, and location within the park.

For all other requests, problems, or questions related to park maintenance, please submit a request through Ask Arvada. That includes inquiries about our mowing schedules and maintenance standards.

Team Profile

The City of Arvada's Parks Maintenance Team is made up of 55 skilled professionals who are dedicated to delivering superior services to enhance the lives of everyone in our community.

In order to provide these services, team members must maintain certain certifications, depending on their area of expertise. These certifications include:

Pesticide Applicators License from the Department of Agriculture
Certified Cross Connection and Backflow Device Tester from the Department of Public Health
Certified Arborist from the International Society of Arboriculture
Certified Playground Safety Inspector from the National Recreation and Park Association

Each of these certifications require hours of classroom training and testing to ensure that our team is qualified to properly maintain and provide such amazing areas for our community to recreate. Maintenance team members are routinely required to complete recertification to ensure they are knowledgeable and trained on the latest industry standards.

Maintenance Tasks Overview

Parks team members maintain more than 220 sites and 4,200 acres of parks and open space, which includes:

70 playgrounds
40 median and streetscape locations
9 sports complexes
32 multi-use fields
80+ courts for basketball, tennis and pickleball
41 pavilions
15,000+ trees

Quarterly Breakdown of Parks Tasks 2020 (PDF)

Maintenance Standards

The City of Arvada's Parks Maintenance Professionals conduct their maintenance based on a set of clearly defined standards.

2022 Parks Maintenance Standards (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

Arvada residents often contact our Parks staff with questions related to the maintenance of our parks and open space. Visit our Parks/Trails FAQ page for answers to some of our most frequently asked questions. If don't find what you're looking for on the FAQ page, the best way to connect with our Parks team is to submit a request through Ask Arvada.

Stewardship: Your Role toward the Goal

Our open space areas are bordered by hundreds of private properties, and it can be tempting for residents to plant things in those areas. It is against City Code to do so. Please do not plant trees, gardens, or place fence supports, refuse or other items in open space areas. Help keep our open space areas beautiful and maintainable.

FAQs

Are horses allowed in Arvada parks and on Arvada trails?

Horses are only allowed in designated areas and on designated trails in Arvada as defined by Arvada Municipal Code Sec. 66-26, which reads:

It shall be unlawful for any person to ride, lead or otherwise permit any horse in or upon any public park, except for posted equestrian trails and posted equestrian centers.

Visit our Local Trails page for information on which trails and trail areas permit horses.

How do I request a memorial tree or memorial park bench be added to a park?

You may request a memorial tree or park bench be placed in a City park by contacting our main parks maintenance number at 720-898-7410. Park benches and the concrete pours for the benches are paid for by the requesting party. The City may not be able to install a bench where it requested, depending on factors such as the location of irrigation and trees, proximity to other existing park benches, and the location of hazards.

Who do I contact if I get locked in or out of an athletic field?

Please contact the Water Department at the after-hours phone number 720-898-7820.

What should I do if I notice graffiti in an Arvada park?

Submit an Ask Arvada request to report graffiti in an Arvada park. If you see graffiti happening in progress, call the police non-emergency line at 720-898-6900. Graffiti on private property is the responsibility of the property owner.

Who is responsible for maintenance of the areas along the Farmers Highline Canal, Church Ditch and Croke Canal?

For an extensive list of FAQs regarding the canals and ditches that wind through Arvada (and all of Metro Denver), visit the Ditches page.

Which parks have amenities, such as basketball, tennis, pickleball, etc?

Many City of Arvada parks have amenities such as basketball courts, volleyball pits, tennis and pickleball courts, etc.

What should I do if trees are overhanging power lines?

Removing limbs from power lines is extremely dangerous. Please contact Xcel Energy. They will determine if it is on a service line to your home or on a secondary line for the neighborhood and will direct the course of removal. You may contact Xcel by calling 1-800-895-4999.

Why does the City recommend residents not water during peak times of the day, but they routinely do so in the parks?

The primary reason why watering often occurs in parks during those daylight hours is that given the many hundreds of acres that require watering and the number of irrigation zones in any given park, there are simply not enough hours between 6 pm and 10 am to complete the cycle.

Why does the City water parks and trails early in the morning, when people are using the trails?

Again, many hundreds of acres that require watering and the number of irrigation zones in any given park, there are simply not enough hours to complete the cycle when parks / trails users are not present.

How often does Parks staff assess playground equipment for safety?

Playground audits are performed annually in all parks January through March. Playground checks and repairs are conducted weekly in all parks January through September.

What is the City's mowing policy for open space?

Large open space areas are only mowed once a year (if at all) to allow native grasses to thrive, which helps keep invasive species out. Native grasses can only thrive after they drop their seed heads. Mowing more often would interfere with and prevent that cycle. General open space mowing is done three times a year; the initial mowing occurs along trails. Additional mowing along the trails is conducted where trail usage exceeds the width of the trail.

Visit our Open Space and Natural Area Maintenance page for more information.

What is the City's mowing policy for parks?

With more than 220 sites spread across 4,200 acres, properly maintaining the City's parks and open space is a labor-intensive task. From April 1 through September 30, City parks are mowed every 7-10 days.

What is the City's policy on the use of herbicides in parks and open space?

We apply herbicides to better control invasive species such as: Scotch Thistle, Emerald Ash Borer, Mountain Pine Beetle and Purple Loose Strife to name a few. All parks crew who are applicators are certified by the Department of Agriculture and attend classes to keep their credentials current.

I live near a trail (or open space/park). When should I expect to see parks staff pruning the trees in these areas?

With more than 30,000 trees on City property, maintaining them properly is a labor-intensive task. Pruning and other tree maintenance can be expected year around. Learn about tree removal in City parks.

City-owned trees are overhanging my property. Can I trim them myself?

Yes, you may trim City-owned trees to your property line or contact our City Forester at 720-898-7410.

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Park Maintenance

Maintenance Philosophy

Park Maintenance Requests

Team Profile

Maintenance Tasks Overview

Maintenance Standards

Frequently Asked Questions

Stewardship: Your Role toward the Goal

Contact Us

Parks Maintenance

Hours

Related Documents

Quick Links

FAQs

Contact Us

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