Baytown Parks and Rec brings home awards

“Jenkins Park at Sunrise,” taken by David Berkowitz, won a photography award for the Baytown Parks and Recreation Department.  
David Berkowitz

Baytown Sun
By Mark Fleming, mark.fleming@baytownsun.com
​​​​​​​Jan 3, 2023

This is the third time a Baytown Parks and Recreation employee has been named parks professional of the year by the organization.

Kolarz has been with the department more than 30 years, Parks and Recreation Director Clifford Hatch said. In that time he has headed crews overseeing daily maintenance of every one of the city’s 53 parks. In nominating him, Hatch said, “He constantly surprises everyone around him with his can-do attitude, vast knowledge and willingness to get the job done.”

He has overseen construction of park shelters and other facilities and even led a team that designed and built portable tanks for live fish, crabs and similar sea life that are used for education activities. 

He has been active in TRAPS activities and workshops and participated in the organization’s maintenance rodeo.

The department won the advocate of the year award for work done in cooperation with BeWell Baytown, which is an initiative of MD Anderson sponsored by ExxonMobil.

BeWell Baytown focuses on cancer prevention in five areas: healthy eating, active living, sun safety, tobacco-free living and preventive care. It has been instrumental in placing more fitness amenities and shade structures in Baytown parks among its efforts.

The department also gained an amateur photography award for a photo taken by Baytown resident David Berkowitz of Jenkins Park at sunrise.

Berkowitz is a former Baytown Sun reporter who currently produces The Baytown Project.com, highlighting a cross section of people who live or work in Baytown. Incidentally, his photos and interviews often take place in Baytown parks.