The Aubrey Parks crew does far more than their title suggests.
They’re the ones fixing fences after a storm, refilling dog waste bags at the park, setting up for city events and decorating parade floats.
They know the city inside and out, and they are some of the people who help keep everything running.
On a Thursday afternoon in October, the crew made its way around Aubrey’s parks in a Ford truck, visiting every green space in town.
The amount of care and attention they give to the places most people take for granted stood out.
That care shows everywhere, from the freshly blown sidewalks to the merry- go-round at Leslie Park that spins just right.
At Leslie Park, their knowledge of the space became especially clear.
Parks Foreman William Niles, who’s been with the department since the park’s beginning, pointed out each feature with precision.
The sunken recreation area that floods during heavy rains, where the top of the soccer goals are barely visible.
The new hardtop, already showing wear from kids drifting on scooters.
Even the oak trees, which he can identify by species, are growing under his guidance.
“I like seeing them take off,” he said. “We planted those a few years back, and now they’re really starting to spread.”
He’s a bit of a part-time horticulturalist, among many other things.
Daily life for the crew is filled with small but essential tasks: blowing leaves and branches off walkways, repairing playground equipment, refilling dog stations, which, Niles said, empty fast.
Parks department works with other Public Works staff
“We go through those bags every few days,” Niles said with a laugh.
Their work, though, goes beyond routine maintenance.
Niles and Davey Krajnak, who works in the Streets Department, helped clear a wooded trail for a spooky ride at the original Haunted Harvest site. They also painted large jack-o’-lantern faces on old tires and helped craft floats for the Peanut Festival.
“It’s a lot of physical work, but we make it fun,” Krajnak said. “There’s always something different to do.”
Severe weather brings another level of challenge.
Krajnak recalled one storm when “a trampoline took flight and wrapped around a fence.”
He laughed. “We’ve had to get cats out of treatment plants before, too,” he said. “
You never know what’s coming.” When storms hit, cleanup can last for days.
The parks, and the city itself, are in need of constant upkeep.
The crew is always on call, often the first to arrive at events like Aubrey Cares or the Peanut Festival and the last to leave.
“During the Peanut Festival, we’re out here all week,” Niles said. “We set up everything: barriers, trash bins, tents, and then we’re the ones cleaning it all up when it’s over.”
Parks Superintendent Kurt Karnowski said that range of work is exactly what defines them.
“ Any Aubrey-sponsored event, these guys are the ones doing the legwork,” Karnowski said. “They’re out there the week of the Peanut Festival, cleaning, setting up, getting everything ready. And when it’s over, they’re the ones still there breaking it down.”
Karnowski oversees parks, streets, fleet, and building maintenance—all under Public Works.
He says the divisions often overlap. “It’s not just parks doing one thing and streets doing another,” he said. “We help each other out across departments. Everyone pitches in where they’re needed.”
He also pointed to the city’s Parks Master Plan, which guides new projects based on community input.
“About three years ago, the city surveyed residents to find out what they wanted: more trails, new equipment, shaded areas,” Karnowski said. “We use that list every day to shape what we’re working toward.”
When residents submit requests for smaller issues, like mowing or repairs, those messages are routed directly to the parks team, who address them within days As Aubrey grows, so does the city employees’ workload.
The department recently began contracting mowing services so the crew can focus on more specialized projects.
“We used to spend days mowing those big fields,” Niles said. “Now we can put that time into repairs and improvements instead.”
The city’s expansion mirrors the growth of Public Works itself.
“When I first got here, there were just four of us,” Niles said. “I was on a mower one minute and fixing a water line the next. Now we’ve got a full team. I used to not see city trucks around town, now they’re everywhere.”
The crew doesn’t seem to mind the extra work. For them, each clean trail and mended fence is proof of what they do—steady and essential.
Aubrey’s parks aren’t just maintained by them; they’re shaped by their hands.
