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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!