Puyallup is hiring a park ranger. City hopes patrols will help address safety concerns

Starting this May, people should expect to see a new uniformed face in Puyallup parks.

The city approved $25,000 in its 2019 budget to hire a full-time seasonal park ranger position as part of a pilot program.

“The goal (of the park ranger) is to really just be an extra set of eyes and ears out in the public,” Assistant City Manager Steve Kirkelie said.

The 17-week seasonal position will run from May to September and has a starting hourly pay of $20-25 per hour.

The park ranger will be uniformed and drive an marked vehicle.

In addition to patrolling parks, the ranger will assist in maintenance issues and provide customer service to park and trail users.

The ranger will monitor for any illegal activity but will not be armed.

“They will have direct communication with the Police Department,” Kirkelie said.

Mayor John Palmer said that hiring a park ranger is part of the city’s larger effort to help citizens feel safe.

People sometimes express concerns to the city about a lack of safety in outdoor spaces, many related to homeless encampments, Palmer said.

“We take great pride in our parks and our trails, and our citizens enjoy those,” Palmer said. “It’s critical that people feel safe when they’re going to the parks and walking on our trails.”

The park ranger will travel among all city parks and trails but likely will spend the most time at the most-used parks and special park events.

“You will see the park ranger a fair amount at Pioneer Park, the Riverwalk Trail and Bradley Lake Park,” Kirkelie said.

Puyallup police Capt. Ryan Portmann told The Herald in an email that the department welcomes “another set of eyes and ears in the park to help ensure we are providing a welcoming and safe atmosphere.”

The city received more than 100 applications for the position. City staff are currently reviewing them.

The goal is to have the ranger hired and on duty sometime in May, Kirkelie said.

In the future, the city is considering using volunteer park rangers to assist the Parks Department.

The program is modeled off other park ranger programs, like Metro Parks Tacoma and the city of Bellingham.

The city allocated $30,000 in the 2018 budget for a library security guard pilot program, which has been successful in taking the pressure off librarians, Kirkelie said.

Library staff have dealt with situations ranging from loud and unruly behavior to drug abuse. The library security guard program will continue this year.

The new park ranger position is separate from the caretaker position already in place at Wildwood Park. The city is currently seeking a new person to fill that position.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 5:39 PM.