City of Umatilla Parks and Recreation Department

Disappointing Experience: Where's the Actual Recreation?

I'm extremely disappointed with my recent interactions with the City of Umatilla Parks and Recreation Department. As someone who loves the outdoors and values community activities, I was expecting a lot more from their programs and services. Unfortunately, what I found was a lack of creativity in their event planning and an overemphasis on administrative tasks rather than actual recreational activities. The summer activity guide read like a generic template with nothing that stood out as unique or exciting. Even the 'movies in the park' event, which I thought would be a fun, family-oriented activity, was marred by poor sound quality and inadequate seating. The water palooza, which sounded like it could be a hit with kids, was plagued by long lines and not enough staff to manage the crowds. What really got me, though, was the difficulty in renting a facility for a family event. The process was cumbersome, with too much paperwork and a lack of clear communication from the staff. For a department that claims to be dedicated to 'building confidence, sparking creativity, and providing a platform for community engagement,' I saw very little evidence of this during my interactions. The team seemed more focused on pushing through programs than on listening to community feedback or adapting to needs. As a resident of Umatilla, I hope to see significant improvements in how the Parks and Recreation Department operates and engages with the community. Until then, I'd caution others to manage their expectations and perhaps look elsewhere for meaningful recreational and community-building experiences.