When a community calls itself a “City Within a Park,” you know there’s a true dedication to parks and recreation. With more than 650 acres of parkland, 18,000 trees, 51 miles of trails and four premier facilities (including an expanded 145,000 square foot community center), Westerville lives up to this vision. In fact, thanks to years thoughtful planning, 95% of City homes are located within a half-mile of a developed park. You see, Westerville’s parks aren’t simply a weekend destination, but a core identifying feature of the community.

Westerville Parks and Recreation works purposefully to maintain this legacy, receiving national accreditation since 2005 by the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), and being honored with the prestigious National Gold Medal five times for excellence in park and recreation administration.

Mission: We are dedicated to providing exemplary municipal services to our community and fostering prosperity while embracing our unique heritage and character.

Each year, more than a million people, of all ages and abilities, use the Westerville parks system. Within the past three years, more than 80,000 people have attended free events and classes offered through the department; and we host nearly 3,000 programs each year. We've grown through decades of citizen commitment: giving volunteers, engaged residents, active program participants and park system users along with generous, dedicated funding.

Our parks, trails and facilities set the stage for our residents and visitors to connect and discover the best versions of themselves. This drives us to innovate while remaining protective of the City's time-honored traditions. We even celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2016. And just as we have cherished and learned from our past, we're always pushing toward the future.

VALUES

• Innovation
• Stewardship
• Excellence
• Community engagement
• Employee enrichment
• Accountability
• Public safety
• Integrity & trust

BEHAVIORS 

• Do the right thing, the right way 
• Make guest and citizen priorities our own 
• Invest in our team and empower each other
• Be agile and innovative 
• Reach higher, embrace change and learn from failure
• Create a safe day, every day 
• Deliver excellent results