About Us & Our Mission, Columbia Parks and Recreation, City of Columbia, MO

Parks & Recreation
Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs

About Us & Our Mission

Mission Statement

"The Department of Parks & Recreation is committed to improving our community’s health, stability, beauty, and quality of life by providing outstanding parks, trails, recreational facilities, and leisure opportunities for all Columbia citizens.”

The Columbia Parks and Recreation Department oversees over 2,900 acres of park land and maintains 75 parks, green space locations, and recreation facilities. (Click here for park and facility inventory.) A wide array of sports, recreation activities, lessons and special events are available for citizens of all ages. Open space, parks, and trails provide opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of Columbia.

The largest of the parks is the 533-acre Cosmopolitan Recreation Area. The smallest is 1/4-acre Village Square Park. Columbia has three premiere trails, the MKT Nature/Fitness Trail, Bear Creek Trail, and Hinkson Creek Trail, along with many neighborhood park trails. The 8.9-mile MKT Nature/Fitness Trail connects downtown Columbia with the Katy Trail State Park and provides active recreation while preserving large areas of natural beauty.

The Department is organized into two divisions: Park Services and Recreation Services.

In the Park Services Division, the Parks Management and Operations Program is responsible for the management, maintenance, and operation of parks, playgrounds, indoor and outdoor recreation facilities, athletic fields, golf courses, grounds, trails and special events support. It is also responsible for the management, maintenance and capital replacement of the P & R Department's fleet. The Planning and Development Program in the Park Services Division is responsible for all park capital improvements. Staff identify, plan and develop recreation areas and facilities to meet the varied recreation and leisure needs of the citizens of Columbia. Also included in this division is the City's Natural Resource Program, which includes Forestry and Horticulture staff responsible for landscaped areas in all parks, public buildings, designated median strips and the downtown area. The Park Ranger Program works out of the division and provides assistance to visitors and enforces the park rules and regulations.

Park Services Staff
Photo taken 12/09

Click on photo for enlargement

Recreation Services provides a broad spectrum of leisure services to meet the needs of all segments of the community. This includes group and individual programming to promote a high quality of life through positive, social, cultural, psychological, emotional, and physiological development. The sections administered in the Recreation Services Division are: Sports Programming; Aquatics; Adaptive and Outdoor Recreation; Community Recreation; Golf/Concessions; Senior Programming, Cultural Arts, and Life Enrichment; Oak Tours; and the Activity and Recreation Center (ARC). The summer youth employment program, Career Awareness and Related Experience (CARE), is also administered by the Recreation Services Division.

Recreation Services Staff
Photo taken 12/09

Click on photo for enlargement