Despite trimming their budgets due to the recession, area parks departments are still spending the bulk of the parks’ budgets on maintenance.

In Hamilton, 84 percent of the parks’ $926,503 budget this year goes to maintenance issues, said Richard Engle, Hamilton’s director of public works. The City of Middletown spends 91 percent of its $793,515 parks budget on maintenance according to Ron Phelps, Middletown’s Public Works superintendent.

And maintenance becomes a trickier issue when storms like the one which came through ton June 29.

“It is the responsibility of the parks department to clear storm damage from streets, parks, and grounds,” Phelps said. “It impacts the Park budget with some overtime cost if it is a severe storm such as the (June 29) event. In these type events the Parks Department is the first to respond to call outs for trees blocking streets.”

Many cities maintenance has been cut back in such a way that residents may not notice a major difference — but like every city department, the parks division has had to learn to do more with less, said Phelps,

“Our budget was reduced $50,000. It affected how much we do and how we’re able to spend money,” Phelps said. “We had three seasonal workers, and those positions were eliminated. That had an effect on maintaining the parks, care and watering of the trees.”

Although the parks budget in Hamilton increased $76,000 this year, the department as a whole was folded into the public works department two years ago due to manage costs.

“Obviously that made bigger challenges in my position. We have a large park system with a lot of acreage to deal with,” said Engle.

Hamilton has 1,250 acres between 52 parks, although 747 acres of that is what is maintained by the parks department; the rest tends to be wooded areas, Engle said.

The next closest is Fairfield with 686 acres. Middletown maintains 328 acres.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or eric.robinette@coxinc.com