EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION OF A PARK DEPARTMENT 517 



1. Office division. The primary executive function of this division is 

 to keep all the records of the department (records of the governing authority 

 and records of the executive organization), including the accounting system. 

 In some park systems the head of the office division discharges some of 

 the functions of a business manager. 



The executive officer of the division is the secretary. For a definition 

 of the duties of the secretary in a few park systems, see by-laws, pages 509, 

 513, 526. (For a full statement of the organization and functions of the 

 office division, see Chapter IX, pages 552-617.) 



In some small systems the secretarial work is performed by the super- 

 intendent, or by a member of the park board, or by another official of the 

 municipal government, such as the city clerk. Likewise the accounting for 

 the department may be done by the municipal treasurer or auditor. 



2. Engineering division. The particular functions of this division relate 

 to the location, acquisition and development of properties. In detail the 

 division will survey and establish boundaries, conduct acquisition negotia- 

 tions, make topographical surveys, make surveys in execution of landscape 

 designs, and either supervise or actually carry out all construction work. 

 Often preliminary to boundary and topographical surveys, and certainly in 

 between boundary and topographical surveys and actual construction work, 

 there is need of another type of expert the landscape architect or park 

 planner and landscape architect. It is the function of this expert to make 

 general plans for the system and to make all designs for the development 

 of properties. If the property is to be used for organized recreation primarily, 

 it is desirable to utilize the services of the organized recreation expert to 

 collaborate with the landscape architect in making the design. If there are 

 structures of any consequence to be erected the services of the building 

 architect will be needed. 



The landscape architect may be regularly employed by the park gov- 

 erning authority and placed in charge of a landscape division as is the case 

 in some large systems, or experts in park planning may be temporarily 

 employed to make the plans. Even in large park systems the calling in of 

 professional landscape architects is customary. It is wise in such instances 

 to continue their employment in an advisory capacity even after the work 

 is completed. Occasionally municipal landscape architects are found who 

 do necessary work for park and recreation departments. 



The recreation expert may be the superintendent of the division of 

 recreation or someone called in from the outside. Building architects are 

 usually called in from the outside, but a few instances are found of an archi- 

 tect being employed regularly by a park department or else employed by 

 the municipal government for services to all departments of the city. 



