Fonds RG 22 Parks section fonds - City of Red Deer Parks section fonds

The Parks section functions started in April 1904, when the Town of Red Deer passed a comprehensive Committees By-law (By-Law 57) assigning the responsibility for Parks to the Property Committee and the Public Works Committee, later the Public Works department.

In 1909, the Town of Red Deer acquired its first significant parkland, Gaetz Park, along the Red Deer River near the mouth of Waskasoo Creek. A town gardener and cemetery superintendent was hired in 1911. The position was renamed to Parks Foreman in 1913. This position reported to the Mayor and Commissioner. It is noteworthy that for several years the Parks Foreman / Superintendent was the same person as the Public Works Superintendent.

In 1949, both Parks and Public Works moved under the City Engineer. In 1964, a new Parks Board was created under Bylaw 2179 to "exercise such powers in the control, supervision and management of any park, street, boulevard, playground and cemetery as the Council may determine." In 1985, there was a new bylaw to change the Recreation Board to the Recreation and Parks Board (By-Law 2872/85). However, Recreation and Parks continued to be separate departments.

In 1989, the Community Services Directorate was created and Parks moved directly under that Directorate. In 1995 a new Recreation, Parks, and Culture department (RPC) was created under the Community Services Division, with the Parks section reporting to the RPC department.