Addison Parks & Rec Director Slade Strickland says tree shaded/pedestrian friendly sidewalks are in the future

by Minnie Payne

ADDISON — Kaboom Town, held July 3; Taste of Addison, held in May; and Oktoberfest, held in September are Addison town-sponsored events, but according to Special Events Administrator Barbara Kovacevich they wouldn’t take place without the dedicated Addison Parks & Recreation Department.

“The Parks & Recreation Department is really the foundation for all the events that we do,” said Kovacevich. “Pretty much everybody, from the city manager on down, pulls together to help, but the Parks & Recreation Department really takes their responsibility seriously.

“They go above and beyond their duty from an operations standpoint to make the events successful.”

Slade Strickland, 49, Addison Parks & Recreation Director, was a young 28 when he took over the reigns in 1986.

“I was hired as the city horticulturist in 1982 when the town was young and growing,” Strickland said. “The director’s position came open, and I was given the opportunity to fill it. At that time, landscaping was the main focus.”

Strickland explained that he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Design and Urban Horticulture from the University of Arkansas in 1981 and wasn’t trained in the recreational field.

“When the Addison Athletic Club was built in 1987, I had to hire someone who was degreed in recreation management to run the club,” he said.

According to Recreation Manager Randy Rogers, the club has a 3,500 active membership and on a good day 400 to 500 people take part in some kind of activity.

“Requirements to belong to the club are that you be a resident of Addison and pay a one-time $10 fee,” Rogers said. “Activities range from children’s programs to senior adult programs.

“To name a few things, we offer swimming, dance, karate, aerobics, yoga, and Tai Chai.”

Because of the small number of children living in Addison, Director Strickland explained, there’s no big demand for athletic programs.

“Most children who live in Addison go to the Carrollton/Farmers Branch schools or the Dallas schools and participate in sports there,” he said. “Most parks are neighborhood parks that are tucked away in neighborhood areas.

“There are four parks in the Addison Circle District where special events are held and 13 parks, all total.”

He said that the event park, which has pedestrian jogging trails, was designed to accommodate as many events as possible.

The Parks & Recreation Department, according to Strickland, has 20 employees in the parks department and 14 employees in the recreation department.

“One reason I have been here so long is because there have been so many interesting projects that I have been able to be involved in,” he said. “Presently, there’s a team effort to revitalize Belt Line Road along the Addison corridor, in that we want to make it more pedestrian friendly.”

Strickland said that the plan is to create a different street appearance by looking at not just landscape, but the entire streetscape package.

“We are looking at lighting amenities, uniform bus shelters, different paving options, portal features, and tree-lined sidewalks.”

The total Parks & Recreation Department budget, he said, is about 3.5 million dollars.

Strickland has been married to his wife, Elizabeth, for 27 years, and they have two daughters, Rachel, 14, and Sara, 11.