The parks under the care of the County of Cass may receive increased attention moving forward.

The county board of commissioners was presented with a resolution during its meeting Thursday that would allow the parks department to bring their current part-time maintenance worker up to full-time. The resolution was brought forward to the seven members of the board by Administrator Roger Fraser, who said, if the resolution is approved, he would move over $13,800 from his office’s budget to the parks budget to allow them to have their maintenance worker work more than 30 hours a week.

“Given the what we’re expecting of our parks and the opportunities that we have to provide a better environment for our citizens, I think this is a good way of reallocating some of our existing resources that are available to us, and improve the staffing level of our parks,” Fraser said.

The parks department currently consists of just one part-time maintenance position, currently held by Randy Hartley, and a full-time director, currently held by Scott Wyman. In 2002, the staff saw its first cut from three full-time employees to two; in 2006, while under control of the Road Commission, the department was reduced to its current set up.

In the time since the county government gained control of the department in 2008, the amount of land under its control has increased by 13 percent, and the amount of events and activities held at the parks has doubled, Director Wyman said.

“These 10 additional hours will be used for greater coverage on weekends,” Wyman said. “The parks have never been busier than they are now, and weekend coverage is one of things we are lacking.”

The director has been requesting increased manpower inside his department for several years now, he said. While they have had volunteers help out with parks duty intermittently, the inconsistent nature of this manpower isn’t enough to fulfill all the responsibilities needed for the upkeep of the parks.

“When you think about it, we have 900 acres of parkland, over 70 structures, 20-plus miles of trails and only one full-time person, and a 29 hour a week part-time,” Wyman said. “Common sense, ‘oh my god, how do you do it.’”

District 7 Commissioner E. Clark Cobb said he supported the proposal, saying that the parks are among the most popular attractions in the county and necessitate strong maintenance and upkeep.

“I think it’s a good investment and will keep people remarking good things about our parks,” he said.

The resolution will move forward for vote by the commissioners during a future meeting.