No more ‘faceless bureaucracy’? How cities are deepening trust.
The lifeguard’s legs disappear into the pool. A few tense seconds pass. He emerges with an arm around a limp young man whom he hauls to the deck for CPR.
The audience applauds. Over a dozen Coloradans on bleacher seats are touring Woodland Park’s aquatic center, a sparkling, tiled complex with ample lap lanes. They convened earlier that April evening to learn about Parks and Recreation – not the hit sitcom, but the city department that hires local teens as lifeguards. The evening’s visit is part of an eight-week citizens academy, which ends with a graduation ceremony.
“It’s been super interesting,” says Dan Carroll in the pool parking lot. His doubts about the building’s $11.9
