For Edina High School junior Aiden Anderson, Parks and Rec is more than just an NBC sitcom. Anderson, who joined the Edina Parks and Recreation Board this year, partially credits his interest to the show. However, he agrees that while fun, serving on the commission is much more serious–and more impactful–than Netflix’s comedic portrayal of the board.     

Anderson applied to the Parks and Rec Board over the summer. After a short interview, he was placed on the Parks Commission along with fellow junior Bryn Osborne. The Parks Board meets once a month to go through emerging and ongoing issues regarding Edina’s parks and public green spaces.

As a student commissioner, Anderson proposes ideas and suggestions to the Board with the purpose of bringing a student’s point of view to the issue. “I’ll usually write down a list of what I think would be beneficial. They also sometimes ask us what our feedback is and what they should do going forward,” Anderson said.  

Currently, the Board is working on adopting the 2019 work plan and starting new projects for the year. Anderson is a part of several of these projects, including “figuring out what to do with Fred Richards Park and submitting the new Arden Park redesign.” During his time on the Board, Anderson will take part in park renovation projects, racial equity initiatives, park naming policies, facility use agreements, and park funding discussions.

Parks and Recreation Director Ann Kattreh values the input of students like Anderson: “This year’s student commissioners are a couple of the best! Aiden Anderson and Bryn Osborne are fairly new to the Commission but have already jumped in to volunteer for projects and to offer advice to the Commission, staff and the City Council,” Kattreh said, adding that “It’s valuable for the City to receive feedback from the perspective of young adults on our projects, policies, facilities, and programs. On the flip side, it’s valuable for the students to gain first-hand knowledge of how their local government works, how decisions are made and how to personally make an impact in their community.”

Anderson agrees that students should be just as involved in the parks process as adults. When asked about the best way to get involved, he replied, “show up to the meetings, even if you missed the application window. It’s always good to know what’s going on in the community, and they do listen to you and take that to note.”