Parks & Beautification

Did you know that Albany is home to 125 parks and 530 acres of greens? These areas are maintained by our Parks crew here at the Department of General Services.

Given that it would be impossible for them to sweep every park, every day this crew has an interesting way of handling this colossal task. The workers are split into 5 subdivisions, 4 of these groups are responsible for park maintenance, and one is assigned to the grassy roadway islands. These crews rotate responsibilities and clean and clear every park twice a week. Traditionally, these crews mow the lawns, weed-whack where the mower won’t reach, and survey the grounds for litter and debris.

One further task performed by this crew is the maintenance of the 5 off-leash dog parks in city limits. Responsibilities in this regard include mowing the grass, weed-whacking the fence line, and disposing of the dog bags and other trash.

The Department of General Services provides regular maintenance, upgrades and daily operations to over 100 parks, open spaces, ranging from large tracts of open spaces to neighborhood pocket parks.

Access a List of Park Locations and their Amenities (PDF) for more information.

Park Hours

Hours of operation for all parks in the City of Albany are as follows:

  • May to October: Sunrise to 11:00 pm
  • November to April: Sunrise to 10:00 pm
  1. Gardening
  2. Dog Parks
  3. Community Gardens
  4. Capital Hills Golf Course

Tulip blossoms in a variety of colorsIn anticipation of the spring, by January 1, all of the tulips and spring bulbs have been planted. Towards the end of winter DGS  starts making regular trips to the greenhouse to start from seed, some of the plants for Washington Park and other various garden beds.

As spring approaches the tulip's growth is carefully monitored and are in full preparation for Tulipfest.

After Tulipfest DGS has about two full weeks to remove all the bulbs and prep the soil for the next seasons' flowers. 

As of June 1, DGS will  start planting 200,000 summer annuals and 200 tropical plants. Through out the summer they will tend to over 300 garden beds.  This includes weeding, watering and carefully attending to gardens and hanging floral baskets.