Lackawanna County seeks volunteer “Park Ambassadors” to improve stewardship of the county’s four parks, give the public a more direct voice in park administration, and improve communication between park users and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

“This is an all-volunteer program that provides a means to promote community stewardship and bridge any communication gap between the community and the Parks and Recreation Department,” parks director Paul Bechtel said. “The community cares about its parks, and the county, in turn, will strive to be responsive to any identified needs.”

Bechtel said ambassadors will visit parks and document maintenance needs, report vandalism, interact with park users and encourage positive use of the public spaces. The volunteers will not have any rule-enforcement authority.

The ambassador position entails a minimum one-year commitment and requires participation in an orientation to be qualified to serve.

Ambassadors will be expected to visit a designated park at least twice a month to observe and report on its overall condition, report any unusual or suspicious activities in the park, assist with public outreach and provide feedback on proposed park projects, and organize one park beautification event per year.

The Parks and Recreation Department will train ambassadors, provide them with tools for beautification projects, keep ambassadors informed of park development and recognize them on the department’s web page.

Anyone interested in being a park ambassador may email director Paul Bechtel.

Lackawanna County operates McDade Park, Taylor and Scranton; Covington Park, Covington Twp.; Ayelsworth Park, Archbald; and Merli-Sarnoski Park, Greenfield Twp. The department also helps to maintain the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Trail and is developing a fifth county park, known for now as Riverfront or Boomerang Park, in downtown Scranton near the Steamtown National Historic Site and Lackawanna County’s Electric City Trolley Museum.