Some might say Dave Burger and Doylestown Borough are synonymous.
The borough’s parks and facilities foreman and assistant director of public works has spent his 30-year career improving his hometown since he began working as a part-time summer employee as a college student.
Burger is being recognized for his outstanding commitment to the community with the Good Job Award, presented by the Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society. The annual award is given to an individual whose “contributions, through leadership, community outreach, facility management, maintenance, or program and event planning, have directly influenced the health and vitality of their community.”
Burger, said borough officials, “is emblematic of the spirit of the award.”
“When you grow up in a town, its success is personal,” said Burger, in a statement. “One of my strengths is being able to switch gears six to eight times a day. I talk a lot but my talk also turns into very cool things that make this place even more special for the people who live and work here.”
That couldn’t be more evident than when Burger worked to help the borough’s restaurants survive the COVID-19 pandemic. From installing reserved parking spaces for takeout, to building barricades to close of streets to allow outdoor dining, his creative problem solving was instrumental, said his colleague Caitlin Hernandez, the borough’s recreation and special events coordinator, in a statement.
Burger is also responsible for creating a special viewing area for veterans to see Doylestown’s Memorial Day Parade, considered the oldest in the country. Never one to say no, he also stepped in to play the Easter Bunny.
“When we learned that everything Dave Burger has done for this community had earned him the nickname ‘Borough Dave’ amongst local residents, it spoke volumes to us about the type of person he is and what he brings to his community,” said PRPS CEO Tim Herd. “He is representative of the value of parks and recreation employees, and that is what this award is all about.”
Park and Recreation Professionals Day is celebrated on the third Friday of July during National Park and Recreation Month. It was created in 2019 by the PRPS and was elevated to a national celebration by the National Park and Recreation Association four years ago.
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