No one likes coming back from a holiday to a mountain of boring paperwork—especially our Parks and Rec friends. They would rather help their community use their parks and facilities than be stuck behind a desk, juggling spreadsheets or tracking down carbon copies. (Yes, we do mean paper carbon copies, like in the 1900s.)
So when we heard that Spotz was able to help Superior's Parks & Rec staff eliminate paperwork and increase reservations, we were overjoyed.
“Any reservations we would typically make would open up Jan. 1,” said Linda Cadotte, parks, recreation and forestry director. “So we come back from our break from the holidays and that first week would be slammed with people trying to make reservations for their wedding in June or for something later in the fall.”
But why was January 1 the day the "books were opened?" No one seemed to know, especially because there would no longer be a physical "reservation book."
Once all their facilities and spaces were loaded into their Spotz profile, Superior regained complete control over their reservations process. They could open reservations any date the City Counsel approved.
“With Spotz, we have the ability to keep it going on a rolling basis,” Cadotte said. “You can’t reserve for two years from now, but there’s no reason we have to stick with Jan. 1."
And what about those carbon copies? They're gone, finally.
Russ Behlings, park superintendent, is happy to see carbon copies go away. “Now I can print [the schedule] up any time I want or pull it up in the field to see what’s reserved and what’s not … and see day-to-day what needs to happen.”
Now that Superior's facility reservation and management system has entered the 2020's, they've tripled their availability. We're excited to hear how many more members of the Superior community will be able to find and book their places, like the Japanese Friendship Garden at Billings Park.
Congrats Superior Parks & Rec team! We're glad to be a small part of helping your next year get off to a better start with a lot less paperwork.
(Read the full story here: Timeframe to reserve space in Superior parks could be extended)
