The Arapahoe Park and Recreation District (APRD) is charged with planning, acquiring, developing, maintaining and programming parks, open space, trails and recreational amenities for the residents of unincorporated Arapahoe County (City of Centennial) that were not being served by adjacent entities. The current boundary includes approximately 10.5 square miles and approximately 40,000 residents.

APRD is a young and growing park district with eight developed parks, five miles of trails, and over 300 acres of maintained natural areas. The District shares elementary school playing fields with a local school district, and has an agreement with a nearby city for certain privileges at the Saddle Rock Golf Course. Its Trails Recreation Center opened to the public on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2004.

Photo identification cards allow residents to access all the services that the APRD has to offer. In addition, the cards are used by staff members to clock in and out during work days. The district selected two Zebra P420i printers to perform this critical card printing function.

“We wanted to be able to take a picture of a staff member or a resident and print their card right at the APRD facility,” reports Michelle McGhee, Assistant Facility Manager. “We didn’t want to go off site for anything. Our membership ID cards or passes are printed on demand for those residents and non-residents who want to take advantage of the facilities.”

The P420i is a standalone, dual-sided color printer that prints sharp, readable ID photographs, graphics, and text edge-to-edge in seconds. The P420i printer ribbon synchronizes automatically, eliminating the need for operator intervention.

The Arapahoe Park and Recreation District uses two P420i printers, one for back-up. Most staff members are trained to use the printers, including all the part-time front desk helpers, the front desk supervisor, and the facility manager.

The main printer is connected to a computer system so that when a customer comes in and proves residency, they are printed a pass on the spot. All residents must pay a fee for their pass, depending on where they live and the types of services they want. The district uses a point-of-sale system along with a software system created specifically for parks and recreation operations.

“In our first eight months, we have printed about 20,000 to 25,000 cards,” McGhee says. “Overall, the printers are easy to learn how to use. We have had a good experience with them.”