The Jamestown Parks and Recreation District (JPRD) is an
integral part of the community, offering many activities, programs, and
facilities. If you’re not familiar with what all falls under the JPRD “umbrella,”
it includes, Hillcrest Golf Course, Two Rivers Activity Center, Eagles and
Wilson Arenas, city parks, biking and walking trails, baseball, softball, and
soccer complexes, and youth and adult programs.
While JPRD has been part of the community for many years, the
department has organically transitioned into a different role throughout
Jamestown. JPRD has gone from being ‘present’ to acting as a provider in the
community,” current executive director Amy Walters explained. While Jamestown
Parks and Rec do a great job in serving the community, it also comes with
challenges. Along with the ongoing need to evolve and improve as the
demographic and needs change, there is also a challenge with the operation of aging
facilities.
As the Parks and Rec department grows, Amy and the team have
been working to improve efficiencies by integrating advanced technology throughout
the Parks and Rec facilities. For example, JPRD utilizes a Dakota Central Cloud
Voice system in the administrative office and the Two Rivers Activity Center. This
allows them to conveniently transfer calls between facilities as if they were
in the same building, eliminating the need for the caller to hang up and call a
different number. JPRD also uses the same program for sign-ups and scheduling
across all programs and facilities. “Integration of the same technology makes
for a seamless experience across accounts for community members, whether they are
making a tee-time at Hillcrest or signing up as a member at TRAC,” Amy said. Along
with the cloud voice system and broadband connection throughout the department,
JPRD’s suite of Dakota Central services also includes business class Managed
Wi-Fi and security camera systems throughout their facilities. Business-Class
Managed Wi-Fi has given them the ability to easily create guest networks in
their facilities and either keep the network password protected or allow guests
to use without a password, like at TRAC. Although it may feel vulnerable for a
business to have a guest wi-fi network open to the world, Dakota Central’s
Managed Wi-Fi service includes threat protection, which means any threats to
the system are flagged and taken care of on the back end, before any damage is
done. “We don’t have internal capacity to do IT ourselves, so we appreciate our
relationship with Dakota Central and their ability to provide the technology we
need,” Amy explained.
Recently, JPRD went through the process of defining their
mission and values. The core values of JPRD include Community, Excellence,
Integrity, Accessible for All, Ongoing Improvement and Fun! The team at JPRD is
focused on those values and continues to use them as a guide when navigating
challenges. “It really helps having Dakota Central with us along the way
throughout changes,” Amy expressed. That’s exactly what Dakota Central is here
for- to support our customers however they need us, while providing the tools
and technology needed to stay connected.
And since we live here too and utilize JPRD programs and
facilities as community members, the Dakota Central team is grateful for the
top-notch services offered right here in Jamestown!