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[How I Work] 4 million park-goers, one very busy point-person

Published on: Apr 17, 2019

HIW_PiedmontPark

Piedmont Park Conservancy is responsible for maintaining Atlanta’s largest greenspace, a centrally-located, 200-plus acre park featuring multiple recreational fields, a resort-style pool, and much more. Each year, Piedmont Park welcomes 4 million visitors annually, and Manager of Program Experience Juliana De La Rosa is on-hand to make sure they all have a positive experience – a role new to the Conservancy as of April 2018, when De La Rosa started.

My role, the short version: Making sure everyone coming to Piedmont Park and using park amenities has a good time.

My role, the long version: I’m the main point of contact for the Active Oval and Piedmont Park Pool. I’m always there to answer questions and concerns, and I work behind the scenes administratively to make sure everything runs smoothly – ensuring people are able to reserve fields and other facilities, and scheduling pool groups and pool parties. I’m also responsible for improving the user experience, helping envision and implement the small changes that make a big difference.

What the role requires: A lot of customer service experience. There are a lot of moving pieces, especially as spring begins, so being able to organize everything and manage time appropriately is a big piece.

Something I love about my job: Being in the park. My office is right on the outskirts, so I try to be in the park as much as possible.

My favorite challenge: Thinking of new ways to improve the user experience. We’re working on a few projects at the pool currently. One is painting the ticket booth a bright blue, which will make it much more inviting for anyone arriving or walking by – rather than a drab wall with a bunch of signs. As it is, some people don’t even realize there is a pool at the park!

The most fun I’ve had on the job: I just attended the statewide Park Pride conference in March. It was awesome to meet other people who are really excited about parks, and come together with them to talk about how to build a community in a park space.

First thing I do when I get into the office: Call the park’s information hotline and pull up the park website to update notices about whether the fields are open today. It’s what I do even before getting my coffee – there are a lot of people who depend on it!

Piedmont Park Conservancy is a member- and donor-funded organization that works with the City of Atlanta to enhance and preserve Piedmont Park as a vital, urban green space, and as a cultural and recreational resource that enriches the quality of life for all Atlantans. Learn more about the Conservancy on their website, or by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. You can also find all their current job opportunities here.