City of West Lafayette

The mission of the West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department is to enhance the quality of life in the City by connecting its citizens to the best possible parks, recreational facilities, and programs.

• About Us
  The formation of the West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department (WLPR) dates to 1939. The mission of WLPR is to enhance the quality of life in the city by connecting its citizens to the best possible parks, recreational facilities, and programs. WLPR maintains and operates 15 parks and facilities, totaling over 464 acres, along with 30+ miles of paved trails. The City’s parks include playgrounds, nature preserve areas, shelters, a dog park, recreational open spaces, and hiking footpaths. The Department also manages a municipal pool and the 73,000-square-foot West Lafayette Wellness Center facility. WLPR employs 27 full-time and more than 100 seasonal and part-time employees. Parks and Recreation staff also organize a wide range of community events, activities, and classes year-round.
• Our Impact
  The City of West Lafayette Parks and Recreation aims to establish an AmeriCorps program to begin addressing park development and maintenance needs, while building capacity within the current staffing structure. The development of an AmeriCorps program will support the communities needs of bettering our park system and develop additional capacity for current and future department needs. For example, proposed programming within the next 5 years includes nature-based programming, cultural/arts programming, and active recreation. The resources available through AmeriCorps will provide the opportunity to meet community requested programming while restoring existing parklands and overused facilities. The goals of WLPR’s AmeriCorps program are to improve public parks, land, and facilities and, thereby, improving health outcomes for the West Lafayette community.