Doylestown's Dave Burger Wins Statewide "Good Job!" Award

Submitted by Doylestown Borough

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Dave Burger goes by many names, including Borough Dave and the Easter Bunny. On Monday, July 15, Burger can add "Good Job!" awardee to the list.

That evening at 7 p.m., Ken Lehr, president of the Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society (PRPS), will honor Burger with PRPS’s GOOD Job! Award at the Doylestown Borough Council Meeting.

The GOOD Job! Award is presented annually around National Park and Recreation Professionals Day 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, who was raised in Doylestown and has spent his 30-year career working for its success, is emblematic of the spirit of the award and the day of celebration.

“When you grow up in a town, its success is personal,” said Burger. “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.”

Burger began his career in municipal service during college as a part-time summer employee and has ascended to the role of Doylestown Borough Parks & Facilities Foreman, Assistant Director of Public Works. Burger is best known for his creative problem-solving. He was integral to ensuring local restaurants survived COVID-19, first installing reserved parking for takeout, and then building special barricades to close off the main streets to allow outdoor dining.

When Burger realized the popularity and size of Doylestown’s Memorial Day Parade – the oldest continuous parade in the country – was cutting off access for local veterans, he conceived a special viewing area. Now vets have the best spot on the route. And, when Doylestown had no one to play the Easter Bunny at its ginormous annual celebration, Burger took that on, too.

“Thanks to his commitment to his community, Dave has earned himself the nickname Borough Dave,” said his colleague, Doylestown Recreation and Special Events Coordinator Caitlin Hernandez in submitting Burger for the GOOD Job! Award. “He is known in Doylestown as the guy who is always willing to lend a hand, and he does it with a smile on his face, even after 30 years in municipal government.”

The GOOD Job! Award was created in 2017. It’s just one element of PRPS’s GOOD campaign, which highlights the good community members can find in their local parks and recreational facilities. This year, PRPS received 10 nominees for this award from across the Commonwealth.

“When we learned that everything Dave Burger has done for his 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. He is representative of the value of parks and recreation employees, and that is what this award is all about,” said PRPS CEO Tim Herd, CPRE.

Past recipients of the GOOD Job! Award have included:

• 2023 - Stephanie Robinson, Environmental Education Program Specialist, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
• 2022 - Mitchell Kulp, Parks Superintendent, Lower Gwynedd Township
• 2021 - Emily Croke, Director of Parks & Recreation, Springfield Township
• 2019 - Tom Richino, Richland Township Parks & Recreation
• 2018 - Centre Region Parks & Recreation
• 2017 - East Goshen Township

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.

Pennsylvania is home to more than 6,500 local and state parks. The typical park and recreation agency in the Commonwealth manages more than 19 parks and offers 175+ recreational programs. Together these agencies employ more than 8,000 people and engage more than 2,000 volunteers each year. Park and Recreation Professionals Day honors the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to provide the high-quality programs and facilities communities desire. This year, Park & Recreation Professional Day falls on July 19.