EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION OF A PARK DEPARTMENT 519 



Forestry. In many instances the propagating, planting and care of 

 trees is set up as a special division separate from the horticultural division; 

 and not infrequently, so far as the planting and care of street trees is con- 

 cerned, set up as a separate municipal department independent of the park 

 department. 



Botanical gardens, arboretums, conservatories. Special highly developed 

 horticultural institutions of these types are sometimes carried in large park 

 systems as separate divisions in the general executive organization. Often 

 they are under separate management entirely (see Chapter XII, "Horticul- 

 tural Division"; Chapter XVIII, "Botanical Gardens"). 



6. Police division. The primary functions of this division include the 

 guidance of the people in the use of the properties and facilities in a park 

 system and the enforcement of the rules and regulations that have been 

 adopted by the governing authority for the governance of the properties. 

 A widespread practice of utilizing the regular city police in policing or 

 guarding municipal parks is now in vogue, a system that is, for the most 

 part, unsatisfactory in the larger systems. In small systems guard func- 

 tions may quite properly and adequately be performed by the local police 

 officers. In many instances the general superintendent and other employees 

 may perform the functions of this division through being clothed with 

 police power. The executive officer of this division, in systems having inde- 

 pendent police or guard forces, is the chief of park police or park guards. 

 (For detailed discussion of the organization and functions of this division, 

 see Chapter XIV, pages 747-791.) 



7. Recreation division. The general functions of this division com- 

 prise the promotion of the use of properties and facilities thereon, and 

 whenever necessary, the leadership of the people in the use of the properties 

 and facilities. In modern park and recreation systems this division assumes 

 a position of the highest importance. Its activities represent the culminat- 

 ing point of much of the activity of the entire department relating to the 

 planning, acquisition, development and maintenance of properties and facil- 

 ities. While it is true that open spaces in ccmmunities, especially in large 

 centers of population, have a value quite apart from their active use by 

 the people, either in an organized or unorganized manner, in their health- 

 giving properties in admitting sunlight and air, in aesthetic values and in 

 the increase of property values in the vicinity of them, these values alone 

 would hardly justify the enormous expense of their acquisition, develop" 

 ment and maintenance. The benefits to be derived from an extensively 

 organized and unorganized use of the properties and facilities by the people 

 constitute the basic justification for the energy and expense of their acqui- 



sition, development and maintenance. 



'he measure of the. success of the 



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