ec2
 

Walt
Bratton

City of Green River, Wyoming - Director of Parks & Recreation

Green River, Wyoming

The City of Green River, Wyoming, is home to historic trails, recreational areas, tourist attractions, and dozens of sprawling wilderness trails. Walt Bratton, CPRP has served as the City of Green River’s Director of Parks and Recreation since 2005.

Daily, Walt Bratton brainstorms, supervises, evaluates, and directs every process concerning the operation and upkeep of the City of Green River, Wyoming, Department of Parks and Recreation. The Department has a $5 million dollar operating budget—a resource Walt Bratton is tasked with allocating wherever it is most needed. Aiding Walt Bratton are 24 full-time and more than 100 part-time and seasonal staff members. Walt Bratton is charged with the upkeep of over 800 acres of developed and undeveloped land, all of which encompasses 28 parks.

Hiking is but one option offered by the parks under Walt Bratton’s supervision. Outdoor shooting and archery ranges with 16 bays are available for use, while a 10-bay indoor archery facility is available when inclement weather threatens outdoor plans. Sports enthusiasts have five soccer fields, nine baseball and softball fields, and four youth football fields at their disposal. Those eager to hike or bike for recreation and exercise will find over a dozen miles of trails or a 3.5-acre Mountain Bike Park to traverse, and Green River’s 54,000-square-foot recreation center often plays host to a wide range of events.

Although Walt Bratton is a constant presence at Green River-based parks, he also represents the City of Green River Parks and Recreation Department in other capacities. Beginning early on in his tenure, Walt Bratton acted as liaison to eight different citizen boards and committees, including the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Horse Corral Committee, Bike Trails Committee, Greenbelt Task Force, and many others. Administering and presenting the Parks and Recreation Department budget to the mayor and city council is an annual practice for Walt Bratton, who has also written, submitted, and obtained over 2.1 million dollars in grant funding for his department since 2005.

A graduate of Arizona State University and a participant in numerous organizations and educational sessions, such as the Performance Based Discipline Workshop held in Burbank, California, Walt Bratton has led Green River, Wyoming’s Parks and Recreation Department to numerous honors and individual staff recognition awards since his initiation as Director of Parks and Recreation.


Walt Bratton's Schools

Walt Bratton's Publications

  • Preserving Play for Children with Playful City USA
    April, 2012
    by Walt Bratton, Director of Parks and Recreation for Deerfield Beach, Florida

    Operated by KaBOOM!, Inc., Playful City USA provides national recognition and exclusive grants to parks and recreation departments across the United States. KaBOOM!, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving play for children, administers the grant program to designate and preserve places where children can safely play.

    Since 2007, KaBOOM! has identified 151 Playful City USA communities in 38 states and Puerto Rico. Applicants to the grant program must map their current playspaces and identify “play deserts”—those neighborhoods with a large number of children and relatively few play areas. In addition to enhancing play for children, municipalities chosen for the program have access to grants and receive marketing materials that highlight the community’s status as a Playful City USA.

    About the Author: During his nearly 20 years in parks and recreation administration, Walt Bratton has overseen departments across the United States, including in the city of Green River, Wyoming, which received two Playful City USA awards under his leadership.