Parks & Recreation Department

Under the general supervision of Gary Mills, Parks and Recreation director, the Kannapolis Parks and Recreation Department strives to exceed citizens’ expectations by offering the highest quality park facilities, a wide variety of programming and excellence in our interactions with users.

Two park managers, a grounds and facility manager, four full-time maintenance technicians and part-time seasonal maintenance technicians manage Bakers Creek Park, Veterans Park, Village Park, Walter M Safrit Park, Kannapolis Middle School Athletic Fields, Dale Earnhardt Tribute Plaza, the Kannapolis Cemetery and several City owned properties. These staff members are responsible for property management, open and closing park facilities, mowing, shelter reservations, playground management, semiannual city-wide flower plantings, turf maintenance, athletic field preparations, general upkeep and more.

Two full-time programmers coordinate events, festivals, athletic field uses and programs for families, children and senior adults. The Parks and Recreation Department also partners with the Kannapolis YMCA, the Cabarrus Arts Council, the Cabarrus County Library-Kannapolis Branch and other organizations to provide programs and events. In addition the Parks and Recreation Department staff also produces a summer event series each year.

The department has achieved new heights with the expansion efforts at Village Park. The Village Park Amphitheater, the largest in Cabarrus County, was the site of the first Summer Concert Series in 2004, and a successful Movie in the Park series was added in 2005. The award-winning Summer Events Series continues to grow attracting over 45,000 people annually from Kannapolis and the surrounding Charlotte region. In addition to the events at the amphitheater, the Splash Pad which was recently updated with a state-of-the-art re-circulating system draws visitors all summer long with its water cannons, geysers and jets. Visitors to Village Park can also enjoy a leisurely ride on the Rotary Express Train, a g-24 scale replica CP Huntington engine and three coaches that was a new addition to the park in 2008.

Other department highlights include:

• Maintenance of six parks and 40 parcels of City-owned land.
• Parks include: Village Park, Bakers Creek Park, William M Safrit Park, athletic fields at Kannapolis Middle School, Dale Earnhardt Tribute Park and Veterans Park.
• Maintenance of over 2 miles of greenways.
• Management of shelter reservations at Bakers Creek and Village Park and reservations for seven different athletic fields
• Citizen outreach through the Summer Events Series and other special events, programs for children and families, athletic leagues, and partnerships with the Kannapolis YMCA, Cabarrus County Library Kannapolis Branch, Kannapolis Intimidators and other City departments.
• Continue development of the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Plaza.
• Supplementation of 11 full-time staff and over 60 part-time seasonal staff with more than 4,500 community service hours and 3,700 hours of prison labor.