Parks & Recreation Magazine January 2018

JANUARY 2018 W W W. N R PA . O R G

RESILIENCY IN ADVERSITY

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contents january 2018 volume 53 | number 1 | www.parksandrecreation.org

38 Resiliency in the Face of Adversity This past year, several park and recreation agencies experienced some of the greatest challenges they’ve have ever faced from natural disasters — hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, extreme heat waves, drought, hail, ice storms and more. What have the consequences of natural disasters meant to parks and recreation?

Rich Dolesh and Cort Jones

44 Creating Social Media Policies for Your Parks and Rec Department Social media has proven to be one of the most impactful tools local governments can use to engage citizens and encourage them to explore their local park and recreation offerings. Like all good things, however, your social media accounts need boundaries.

Landon Schenck

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48 Community Connections and Older

Adults Health & Wellness By 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more than 20 percent of U.S. residents will be 65 or older and will need access to community servies to help them stay active and healthy. The Henderson [Nevada], Public Works - Parks and Recreation Department shares the approach it’s taking to meeting the needs of its older adult population.

Corey Clark

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columns

contents january

8 Perspectives Unsung Heroes of NRPA Barbara Tulipane, CAE

departments

10 Editor’s Letter

12 Research

Showing Our Resolve Gina Mullins-Cohen

Park Metrics: A Little Investment of Time for a Wealth of Information 12

22 Advocacy

Park Pulse: Favorite Holiday Events Sponsored by Parks and Rec 15

Congressional Outlook for 2018 Kyle Simpson and Kate Clabaugh

16 Community Center

24 Law Review

Boatworks Redevelopment Project Enhances Oshkosh Riverwalk System

Rope Swing Landowner Liability and Immunity James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

18 Member to Member

30 Future Leaders

Creating a Showplace and Destination Park for Marshalltown, Iowa 18

Arriving at My Dream Job Kathryn Jenkins

Senior Center vs. Community Center 20

52 NRPA Update

32 Conservation

The National Gold Medal Program 52

Carkeek Park’s New Viewlands Trail Chukundi Salisbury

Call for NRPA Board of Directors Nominations 55 Show Off Your Innovation 55

34 Health and Wellness

How to Effectively Prepare for the CPRP 56

Healthy Eating for Healthy Aging!

Lesha Spencer-Brown, MPH, CPH

Discover Yourself on the Cover of Parks & Recreation 56 Connect Hot Topics 58 Member Benefit: ‘I Just Got an Email About…’ 58

36 Social Equity

Member Spotlight: Lucky D’Ascanio 59

Being ‘OUT’ in the Outdoors Chelsea DeWeese

Parks & Recreation Crossword 60 Professional Development Calendar 61

Hosting Competitive Aquatic Events 62 Some Keys to Developing Effective, Fun Older Adult Fitness Programming 64

66 Products 67 Marketplace 71 Advertiser Index 72 Park Bench Window Dressing Cort Jones

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Copyright © Yellowstone Forever. Used with permission.

62 Operations

Page 36

It’s Your Time to Shine Get Recognition with an NRPA Award: Innovation Awards - Honor agencies improving their communities in inspirational ways.

Spotlight Awards - Honor individuals for their commitment to the field.

Scholarships & Fellowships - Give up-and-coming professionals access to the NRPA Annual Conference.

Submissions will be accepted January 22 - March 23

www.nrpa.org/Awards

P E R S P E C T I V E S A M E S S A G E F R O M N R PA’ S L E A D E R S

Unsung Heroes of NRPA The Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies Among the high-energy hustle and bustle of the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference in New Orleans last September, you may have missed one celebration that took place in the host city — the exuberant display by the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORD) staff members when they learned their agency had received its accredited status from NRPA’s Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).

Becoming accredited is one of the highest benchmarks of excellence that an agency can attain. It is a year-long process that requires an agency to meet or exceed 37 fundamental and 114 nonfundamental standards. The program continues to grow with 166 accredited agencies and about 30 more that are seeking to renew for another five-year term.

The members of CAPRA deserve high praise for their volunteer service to the field. This independent, 15-member commission determines the accreditation standards to ensure agencies are operating effectively and efficiently. It consists of highly experienced and dedicated volunteers who represent a concentrated wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of parks and recreation. Many have worked for decades in parks and recreation and are willing to give back to the profession by serving on the Commission.

CAPRA also includes nearly 200 “visitors” who conduct the agency on-site review. They are no less dedicated than the members of the commission, but their time commitment is less. At the expense of the agency seeking accreditation, visitors spend two to three days at an agency reviewing its evidence of standards compliance.

CAPRA celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018, and I encourage more agencies to pursue accreditation. As with other municipal departments that have their own accreditation, CAPRA signals to elected officials and the public that your agency is a department of excellence. To learn more about the accreditation process, visit http://www.nrpa.org/CAPRA. If you are interested in potentially volunteering your time and talent as a CAPRA visitor, send an email to CAPRA@nrpa.org.

BAR BAR A T ULIPAN E, C AE President and CEO

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NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Roslyn Johnson

Chair of the Board of Directors Leon T. Andrews, Jr.

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Greenbelt, Maryland

National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Chair-Elect Jack Kardys Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida

Past Chair Stephen Eckelberry Bartlett Park District Bartlett, Illinois

Treasurer Michael Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Michael Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Karen Bates Kress Park Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Herman Parker City of San Diego, California, Park and Recreation Department San Diego, California

Ian Proud

Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Molly Stevens

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Abbaté, FASLA City of Portland Parks and Recreation Portland, Oregon

Xavier Urrutia City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation San Antonio, Texas

Dr. Howell Wechsler LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman

PROS Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana

Hayden Brooks

Lexington, South Carolina

Anne S. Close Fort Mill, South Carolina

James H. Evans New York, New York

Rosemary Hall Evans Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

American Realty Corporation Austin, Texas

Earl T. Groves

Kong Chang

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Saint Paul, Minnesota

Kevin Coyle

Gastonia, North Carolina Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

National Wildlife Federation Washington, D.C.

Kathryn A. Porter

Stephen Eckelberry

Perry J. Segura

Bartlett Park District Carol Stream, Illinois

New Iberia, Louisiana

Richard Gulley

Round Hill, Virginia

Balboa Park Conservancy San Diego, California

Eugene A. Young, CPRP

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The Annie E. Casey Foundation Baltimore, Maryland

Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

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EDITOR’S LET TER

Showing Our Resolve Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

— Helen Keller 2017 has definitely challenged our endurance for withstanding whatever Mother Nature has thrown our way, such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires. And, while we’ve seen the devastation caused by these tragic events and grieved for those who suffered great losses, we’ve also witnessed extraordinary acts of compassion and heroism — especially within the parks and recreation industry.

In fact, this month’s cover story, “Resiliency in the Face of Adversity,” on page 38, shows how park and recreation agencies survived the wrath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, as well as the intense wildfires that burned out West, only to come back stronger and help their communities to heal and begin to rebuild. NRPA’s Rich Dolesh and Cort Jones examine this topic by going one-on-one with park and rec staff to understand the challenges they faced during these events, as well as the lessons learned that have helped them prepare for future catastrophes.

Social media played a key role during these harrowing events, as it enabled people to let their loved ones know they were alive or to alert others they were in need of assistance. Parks and recreation knows all too well the power of social media. What’s more, contributor Landon Schenck discusses the importance of establishing and implementing a thorough social media policy in your own agency in the article, “Creating Social Media Policies for Your Parks and Rec Department,” on page 44. He offers such tips as determining which employees may post to your social media accounts and ensuring all messaging is consistent with your community’s brand voice.

Our third feature this month on page 48, begs the question: “Who helps older adults?” According to contributor Corey Clark, Heritage Park Senior Facility in Henderson, Nevada, has certainly stepped up to the plate. This 29,667-square-foot center is able to meet the needs of its older adults by forming partnerships with other community service organizations. The key is having a separate office that connects older adults directly with community services, including Homebound Meals on Wheels, Meals on Wheels for Pets and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

Time and time again, park and recreation agencies have shown their resolve by facing challenges head on, leading their communities through tough times and finding the silver lining in the wake of tragedy and adversity.

GINA MULLINS-COHEN Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing Editorial Director

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sonia Myrick smyrick@nrpa.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Cort Jones cjones@nrpa.org EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR Catrina Belt cbelt@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Creative By Design www.creativebydesign.net SENIOR SALES MANAGER EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Kip Ongstad 703.858.2174 kongstad@nrpa.org SALES MANAGER WESTERN REGION AND ASIA Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Keith Anderson Gerald Brown Ernest Burkeen Brendan Daley Anthony-Paul Diaz Ryan Eaker Robert García Kathleen Gibi Sandra Gonzales Tim Herd Brian Johnson Todd Lehman Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Lisa Paradis Gil Peñalosa Vic Richard Dr. Kevin Riley Karla Rivera Paula Sliefert Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs Randy Wiger

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Staying informed of recent and new trends beyond the internals of our departments sends a message to the communities that we serve - hey, not only do we hold the degrees but we’re certified!

Daniel Stines, CPRP Parks & Recreation Director, Town of Harrisburg, NC

Become a Certified Park and Recreation Professional Apply by February 28 to Get a FREE CPRP Prep Course ($100 value)

To learn more, visit www.nrpa.org/CPRP-VIP

Research Park Metrics: A Little Investment of Time for a Wealth of Information

By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

I

t is that time of the year when the simple act of setting aside 15–30 minutes of your time can have a positive impact on our industry. Those 15–30 minutes spent either entering or updating your agency’s information in NRPA Park Metrics not only will provide other agencies like yours with access to invaluable peer insight, but also will help you identify steps your agency can take to ensure that it is best serving your community.

NRPA Park Metrics is the most comprehensive source of data standards and insights for park and recreation agencies across the United States. We are in the final stretch of collecting 2017 data, and you can help by completing your Agency Performance Survey. The data collected through this survey is the basis of the annual NRPA Agency Performance Review (APR) that will be published later this spring.

12 Parks & Recreation

The APR presents a comprehensive profile of local and regional park and recreation agencies in the United States.

There is no other industry benchmarking resource that provides you with more powerful data and insights to help you gauge your agency’s performance against those of its peers. Last year’s report contained the insights of nearly 1,000 park and recreation agencies, providing our

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field with a wealth of data. This includes every type of agency, spanning from large systems located in urban settings to smaller agencies that serve just a few hundred residents in small, rural towns.

The NRPA Research team has had the opportunity to speak with many of your peers over the past year. What you have told us is that the data presented in both Park Metrics and the NRPA Agency Performance Review have had a real impact on agency strategic planning and budgeting. However, these tools are only as good as the information contributed, so having your agency’s data in Park Metrics is imperative.

Park Metrics is the slimmed-down, streamlined questionnaire, based on the old PRORAGIS system. If you have not already checked out the survey instrument, you will see that the 30-question survey takes far less time to complete and only asks questions that are relevant to a majority of park and recreation agencies.

We have organized the questionnaire into eight different sections: • Jurisdiction (location, population, size of area served) • Agency Operations (operating expenditures, revenue sources) • Capital Budget (current year, five-year capital budget) • Personnel (FTE counts, distribution of responsibilities) • Workload (number of parks and buildings, mileage of trails, number of people served) • Agency Responsibilities (what agencies operate, maintain, contract) Continued on page 14

How Would You Judge Your Agency’s Performance?

You Shouldn’t Have to Guess NRPA Park Metrics is the most comprehensive source of data benchmarks and insights for park and recreation agencies. Use NRPA Park Metrics to easily build customized reports and compare your agency to others to gain more funding support, improve operations and better serve your community.

Enter your data by January 26 for a chance to win one free registration for the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis.

PARK METRICS

www.nrpa.org/Metrics

Research Continued from page 12

NRPA Park Metrics is the most comprehensive source of data standards and insights for park and recreation agencies across the United States.

• Facilities (counts of facilities, athletic fields) • Activities (sports leagues, cultural offerings, out-of-school time programs) Most agencies new to Park Metrics will be able to complete this year’s Agency Performance Survey in 30 minutes or less. Even better, agencies that have entered Park Metrics (PRORAGIS) data in recent years will likely be able to update their 2017 data in less than 15 minutes. All that’s needed is to click on the green “Copy Data From Existing Year” button in the upper-right corner of the data-entry page to copy a prior year’s data into the 2017 survey.

From there, updates to the 2017 data can be made (e.g., budget, personnel, 14 Parks & Recreation

newly built sports field) while not needing to fill in static answers.

With this easy-to-complete survey and the ability to push prior year’s data into it, entering or updating your agency’s 2017 data in NRPA Park Metrics couldn’t be simpler. And, for taking the time to enter or update your Park Metrics data for 2017, you will receive a customized Agency Performance Report that shows your agency’s performance compared to that of other agencies just like yours. This report will help you and your colleagues make better informed decisions and help your agency be more effective and efficient. If we have your agency’s data in Park Metrics by the end of Jan-

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uary, you will receive this customized Agency Performance Report later this spring. In the coming weeks, we will be putting the finishing touches on the 2017 NRPA Agency Performance Review, so please add your information by the end of January. It just would not be the same report without hearing from your agency.

After you complete the survey, check out the many resources available to you today — thanks to the more than 1,000 agencies that have kept their information up to date in Park Metrics. This starts with access to the 2017 NRPA Agency Performance Review report and 21 interactive charts on our website (www.nrpa.org/ metrics) that present all the insights of the report cross-tabbed by agency characteristics, such as: • Acres of parkland maintained by agency • Budget size • Jurisdiction population and type • Number of FTEs • Number of parks maintained • Population per square mile • Region of the United States In addition, you can take the analysis further with a custom reporting tool that allows you to design your agency’s peer group so you can compare your agency with others from across our nation.

Each of these valuable resources is only further enhanced with you completing the 2017 Agency Performance Survey in NRPA Park Metrics today.

Visit www.nrpa.org/metrics and select “Enter Your Agency’s Data” to begin inputting or updating your agency information today. If you need assistance, contact Greg Manns (gmanns@industryinsights.com), Melissa May (mmay@ nrpa.org) or me, Kevin Roth (kroth@ nrpa.org).

We would be glad to lend you a hand.

Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA’s Vice President of Research (kroth@nrpa.org).

NRPA Park Pulse Each month, through a poll of Americans that is focused on park and recreation issues, NRPA Park Pulse will help to tell the park and recreation story. Questions span from the serious to the more lighthearted, and with this month’s poll, we asked Americans about their favorite holiday events, sponsored by parks and recreation.

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Community Center Boatworks Redevelopment Project Enhances Oshkosh Riverwalk System

By Andrew Mott

A

s cities in Wisconsin and across the United States transition away from an industrial past, land use issues become increasingly difficult. This is especially true with contaminated sites that are usually inappropriate for other uses and pose a barrier to redevelopment. Such was the case in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where riverfront property originally designed with barge traffic and chemical usage in mind, was deemed unsuitable for use in today’s economy and a severe detriment to a major natural resource.

The global infrastructure firm, AECOM, worked with the city of Oshkosh, as well as environmental and public stakeholders to transform the formerly dilapidated marina into public space for recreational uses. Called the Oshkosh Boatworks Riverwalk/

Park Development, this redesigned public asset along the Fox River features a new 575-foot-long pedestrian bridge and an ADA-accessible kayak/ canoe launch, along with a shelter/ restroom, parking lot and stormwater controls.

The completed project boasts ADAcompliant restrooms, a picnic shelter and 260-degree concrete walk that connects the trestle bridge to the existing Riverwalk.

Environmentally Difficult Site In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the site, a former lumber yard and boat manufacturing location for more than 100 years, as a brownfield. Because of impacts from abandoned buildings and petroleum products, solvents, metals and PCBs in the soil, groundwater and sediments, the entire waterfront area was deemed off limits to the public and considered a nuisance to the surrounding neighborhood.

The property is in an area designated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a low-to-moderate income (LMI) census tract.

Redevelopment of the property has begun to play an important part in reversing the HUD designation and restoring the riverfront for all citizens of Oshkosh.

The old industrial facilities are being transformed into commercial, residential and retail developments along the riverfront. The Boatworks property and the Riverwalk trail system are spurring this development by helping to revitalize the historic downtown and riverfront areas, adding value and demand to the area while attracting citizens and tourists.

Resolving Design Challenges The engineering team resolved several design challenges while constructing around the old man-made landfill. Foundations for the bridge and its supporting structures needed to accommodate the impacted soils. Since the bridge itself is pile-supported, preloading and selective undercutting were used to construct the approach embankments to reduce

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Excavation activities for the ADA-compliant restrooms and picnic shelter are underway.

the construction cost and minimize the amount of impacted soils that would need to be landfilled.

A prefabricated, two-span bridge, constructed from weathering steel, was chosen to reduce the construction time and cut costs for the pedestrian bridge.

The weathering steel not only matches the aesthetics of a recently constructed Canadian National Railroad (CNR) movable bridge downstream from the Boatworks redevelopment, but also reduces the city’s long-term maintenance requirements. For the occupied restroom building, an under-slab passive ventilation system was used to mitigate the potential for methane intrusion into the building, creating a safer environment for occupants.

Multiple Recreational Facilities The Boatworks project encompasses both onshore and waterfront developments. Onshore development consists primarily of the riverwalk trail system, a picnic area, public restrooms and parking. Waterfront development includes boating facilities, such as the ADA-compliant kayak/canoe launch area, and site improvements, such as seawalls, rip-rap and natural shoreline revegetation. The Boatworks facility also connects to an adjacent fishing pier, which was built on an old railway crossing.

The Riverwalk trail system is a looped, multiuse pathway and riverwalk system that includes both sides of the Fox River, between the Wisconsin Street Bridge and the Main Street Bridge, and connects with the Leach Amphitheater complex.

The riverwalk provides continuous access along the downtown reach of the Fox River, as well as linkages to adjacent neighborhoods and the WIOUWASH state trail, a multi-county recreational trail that extends through Winnebago, Outagamie, Waupaca and Shawano — from Hortonville to its termination at

the newly constructed Wisconsin Street Bridge in Oshkosh.

The upland development feature of this section of the Riverwalk consists of a 12-foot-wide concrete path with benches and lighting. Landscaping occurs between the trail and river, with a 5-foot zone between the south edge of the concrete walkway and the north limit of the private parcels. Landscaping materials consist of low-stature native perennials and native canopy trees. The concrete Riverwalk curves up to a 12-foot-wide dual-metal trussell bridge that spans an island located in the middle of the lagoon, with a wildlife viewing platform located in the middle of the bridge. Additional upland features include a parking lot area with ADA-compliant bathroom facilities and a picnic shelter.

Engaging Local Stakeholders The city of Oshkosh has been planning the Fox River Riverwalk and Boatworks redevelopment area for more than 15 years. Public input, a critical component of the planning process, was initiated in several ways: public meetings with the Common Council and Redevelopment

Authority, an online survey on the city’s website and a group survey targeted at specific user groups. Public input was also provided at a May 26, 2011, Advisory Parks Board meeting, and finally, meetings with city representatives and the park staff provided critical input on existing and potential park needs.

On September 29, 2016, the parks department hosted a grand opening for the Boatworks redevelopment site. Music, food, speeches from public figures and a demonstration of the ADA-compliant kayak launch were enjoyed by the public.

According to Ray Maurer, parks director in Oshkosh: “The entire Riverwalk project has significantly rejuvenated the downtown and river access. The Boatworks site has really become a focal point of the Riverwalk system thanks to the addition of the pedestrian bridge and the accessible kayak/canoe launch.

Incorporating the original bridge portals from the CNR bridge built in 1899 into the Riverwalk system pays tribute to the historic significance of the sites along the Fox River.”

Andrew Mott is a Senior Project Manager at AECOM (info@aecom.com).

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Member to Member Creating a Showplace and Destination Park for Marshalltown, Iowa

By Anne Selness

T

he Mega-10 Park, located in the center of Marshalltown, Iowa, was slated for a playground upgrade in 2017. The park sits directly on the 7-mile Linn Creek Recreational Trail and is adjacent to a Family Aquatic Center, a YMCA/YWCA, a softball complex and a skate park. It is also near downtown shopping and the Fisher Community Art Center.

In April 2016, I was hired as the park and recreation director and set about making the centrally located Mega-10 Park a showplace and destination park for Marshalltown. I wanted it to be engaging to local and out-of-town visitors who would come to spend time biking, hiking, using the skate park, playing on the new state-of-the-art playground equip-

ment, discovering enchanting gardens and swimming at the aquatic center. We have since achieved that goal, and Mega10 Park was recently selected by the Marshalltown Times-Republican newspaper as one of the town’s best places to visit.

Marshall County is ranked 88 out of 99 counties for health overall in Iowa, and obesity and a lack of exercise, result-

ing in elevated levels of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, particularly observed in children, have been identified as two of its most pressing issues. The main challenge is to find a way to engage our diverse population in fun, inexpensive health and fitness options that they can do on their own or with friends. Our goal is to influence and empower people of all ages, abilities and demographics in Marshalltown and Marshall County to choose healthier lifestyles.

Marshalltown has a long association with the railroad industry, so a train theme was selected for the upgraded and new playground equipment. The new equipment includes a 130-foot-long seated gravity rail zipline (the first in Iowa); slides, climbers and activity stations; a small climbing wall; and a children’s fitness area with numerous stations for physical activity. Also included is Biba, a mobile game system that blends digital play with active outdoor play and imaginative fun, prompting kids to do the physical activities available at this playground.

Kristin Titus, the city horticulturist, designed a Children’s Discovery Garden for the park that not only includes activities for children, but also has plants in various areas to emphasize the five senses, a reading nook and little library, and a pergola with benches for reading or viewing the garden. A colorful fence that consists of almost 400 pickets, A fence comprised of nearly 400 pickets, hand-painted by students at the Woodbury School, surrounds the garden at Mega-10 Park.

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The Children’s Discovery Garden includes plants in various areas to emphasize the five senses, a little library and a pergola with benches for reading or viewing the garden.

hand-painted by students at the Woodbury School, surrounds the garden.

Anel Garza, the principal of Woodbury School and a park and recreation advisory board member, was kind enough to allow her students, under the direction of art teacher Maggie Parks, to design and paint the pickets for the fence. The “Paint a Picket Day” turned into a several weeks project as students added new colors and layers of paint.

A new garden was also planted around the historic caboose located in the park.

Local National Association of Veteran and Retired Railway (NAVRR) workers collaborated with Strands, a local paint company, to select the appropriate colors to restore the luster of the beautiful old railroad car.

The Iowa Valley Leadership class of 2017 chose the Mega-10 Park upgrade as its class project for the year, and the 28 class participants raised funds, did the marketing, hosted a trivia night fundraiser and helped install the children’s garden. Other fundraising included a $150,000 grant from the Martha Ellen Tye Foundation, City of Marshalltown CIP funding and $15,000 from the Mega10 Park board of directors. The fundraising also included the sale of tan-colored pickets for $100 each. These pickets had wood-routed letters with a name or business on them, painted in green. There were more than 100 monetary donors for this project. Bench plaques and publicity in the local Chamber News brochure were provided for those who donated more than $1,000; donation board members got butterfly-shaped plaques. The huge outpouring of support for this project was astounding! In addition to the Woodbury School children, more than 400 people volunteered their time for this amazing upgrade to Mega-10 Park.

Anne Selness is the Director for Marshalltown Parks and Recreation (aselness@ci.marshalltown.ia.us).

The new playground equipment in the park includes a 130-foot-long seated gravity rail zipline.

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Member to Member

Senior Center vs. Community Center

By Carl Guarnieri

C

ities are facing the dilemma of how best to provide services and facilities to resident older adults. Administrators and city councils recognize that as their residents age, the need for both active and passive recreation opportunities for older adults becomes more important, and the question then becomes how to deliver these services efficiently and cost effectively.

What is so challenging in dealing with the older adult population is the range of ages within this group. With older

adults being defined from as young as 50, it is easy to see how there can be conflicts when you consider there could

For older adults, seeing, being seen and interacting with children and families create a wonderful synergy.

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be a 40-year difference within this age group. Something as simple as scheduling a band for a dance or a field trip will see vastly different requests from participants in their 50s or 60s, compared to those in their 70s or 80s.

A Standalone Center vs. Incorporating into an Existing Facility Perhaps the one older adult issue that is more apparent than any other is when a decision must be made on whether a city should sponsor a standalone senior center or incorporate it into an existing community center. For many cities, this issue was already settled years ago when senior centers were the norm. These facilities often were housed in former school buildings that were donated or sold to cities and converted for senior use. Initially they were well-attended and used, but as time went on, many had to open their “memberships� to non-residents in order to survive. These older buildings were expensive to maintain and staff, but they provided rooms for classes, a cafeteria for snacks and lunches, and a gym and stage for senior dances.

As these older centers began to fail and become more expensive to operate, cities began considering either new facilities or incorporating the senior center into an existing facility — oftentimes, a recreation/community center.

Any new senior center under consideration today must be versatile to justify its use. Since older adults will use the facility mostly during weekdays, it can be rented for other uses, be it family events, such as showers or birthday parties, or by outside organizations, including independent classes such as yoga or dance instructions. These new facilities are significantly smaller

than the former school buildings and much more efficient to operate. The issue then becomes — what is a city willing and able to afford.

The other alternative in this scenario is to add on to an existing community center or just incorporate older adult activities into the community center.

There are several advantages to this. Many baby boomers shy away from the designation of “senior center.” They consider themselves to be active adults and prefer to use the pools, tracks, gyms and exercise rooms. However, there’s still a need for passive recreation so the need remains to offer classes, instructions and social activities. A bit of creative scheduling is required to accommodate everyone, but since most older adult use is during the weekday morning to afternoon time, it does have less of an impact on total members.

Community centers often offer special senior discount memberships and small fees for activities — the Silver Sneaker program has been a great impetus for older adults to join community/recreation centers. There is also a feeling of belonging to the community as older adults interact with their peers and other community members. And, this interaction highlights a key concept — social interaction is a vital part of the older adult experience, no matter the age. For older adults, seeing, being seen and interacting with children and families create a wonderful synergy.

Those cities that collaborated with school systems on a community center face a different dynamic. Having students use the facility during the school day creates some challenges with sharing of spaces and equipment with older adults. Here again, a bit of creative scheduling and supervision is needed, and cities considering such a collaboration must be aware of this dynamic.

Whether the decision is to maintain a current facility, build a new one or incorporate a senior center into an existing community center, the important thing to remember is that this segment of the population is only going to continue to grow and will continue to provide challenges around how and where their services will be provided.

Carl Guarnieri is a Member of the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association and a Retired Recreation Director for the City of Middleburg Heights, Ohio (carlg919@yahoo.com).

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12/13/17 9:49 AM

ADVOCACY

8 Congressional Outlook for 2018

By Kyle Simpson and Kate Clabaugh

H

appy New Year from NRPA’s Public Policy Team! We look forward to continuing our work together in playing both offense and defense on policy priorities that are critical for parks and recreation.

Congress has come into 2018 with a lot of unfinished business and a few key priorities for the coming year. We are just nine short months from midterm elections, something that is on the minds of much of Congress in the new year.

Pending Business from 2017 House and Senate Republicans were unsuccessful in their attempts to completely repeal the Affordable Care Act. While they have been successful in removing some provisions of the law, their goal of repeal and replace remains an unfinished priority. We expect this issue to continue bubbling up throughout the year in one form or another. Within the healthcare repeal debate, there continues to be an attack on the Prevention and Public Health Fund, originally created by the Affordable Care Act, and intended to support investments in local preventative health services. The Fund

22 Parks & Recreation

has been used as a “pay-for” in the repeal debates for other priorities, but we will continue to defend it and the need for preventative health services as part of any healthcare package.

We also have yet to see specifics related to the administration’s declaration of the opioid epidemic as a national public health emergency. NRPA will be working with Congress and the administration to assess and determine appropriate federal resources for local community organizations, such as parks and recreation, to play a role on the prevention and treatment side of substance use.

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New Debates to Expect in 2018 A few key pieces of legislation could be moving forward in 2018, including reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), the Farm Bill, and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. LWCF provides funds from federal oil and gas leases to states and local park agencies, through the LWCF State and Local Assistance Fund. This program has benefited states, territories and local communities to the tune of $4 billion in funds. NRPA will continue to focus on this important funding stream and urge Congress to reauthorize and fully fund the program for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Building on our very successful work in the child nutrition space through our Commit to Health campaign, NRPA hopes to work with partners on the Farm Bill, which is also due for reauthori-

zation in 2018. A few areas of interest will be investments in connecting local farmers to out-of-school time programs for increased use of local produce in meals and snacks, gardening curriculums and the potential for use of public lands in parks for farming and gardening.

The reauthorization of the Perkins Act provides a new opportunity for park and recreation agencies to be at the table with educational institutions, creating career and technical education (CTE) programs. The Perkins Act reauthorization passed the House in July 2017 and included several provisions that would benefit local community-based organizations (see August’s Parks & Recreation magazine article titled, “Career and Technical Education for Youth at Park & Rec Agencies” - http://www.nrpa.org/prm-youthteched). We will be working with members of the Senate, encouraging them to include those provisions in their version of the reauthorization bill.

Other Administrative Priorities in the New Year An additional priority for the administration that has yet to be considered by Congress is an infrastructure package. President Trump and congressional leadership have indicated that they intend to focus their attention on infrastructure in 2018, including a statement by Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, that a plan will be released in early 2018. We anticipate this plan will be a list of priorities, and then Congress will need to take the lead on how to move forward.

NRPA believes that local parks should be part of any infrastructure discussion and will be looking to make this point to Congress and the administration. We know from our Economic Impact of Local Parks report that local and regional parks generate more than $140 billion in economic activity nationwide.

We believe we have a strong message to take to Congress and the administration to share with them the importance of supporting local parks in an infrastructure package. From accessing TIGER Grants in Pittsburgh to help provide transportation alternatives and stimulate economic development, to managing polluted stormwater runoff in Atlanta, and providing low-cost, high-value flood management solutions in Houston, local parks play a critical role in creating, maintaining and improving our nation’s infrastructure.

Many of these parks are also the perfect example of a public-private partnership, something the Trump administration has emphasized as a priority. NRPA’s public policy team will continue to work with partner organizations, our members and national coalitions to remind policymakers about the central role parks have and to ensure that park and rec agencies can take advantage of any funding that may become

available through a transportation package and other opportunities that may be on the horizon in 2018.

How You — Our Members — Can Help Help us make the case to members of Congress and to the administration. When you are unveiling your agency’s next park infrastructure improvement project or introducing a new park or trail to your community, make sure you’re making that event a Park Champion event. NRPA members from coast to coast are helping us make the case to elected officials by showing them first-hand the power their projects have in transforming communities. You can’t have a great community without great parks, and with your help, we can show members of Congress how parks are a critical part of the fabric of our nation’s infrastructure. To learn more about and to sign up to become a Park Champion, visit www.nrpa.org/Park-champions.

PARKS & REC Salsbury

Kyle Simpson is NRPA’s Senior Government Affairs Manager (ksimpson@ nrpa.org). Kate Clabaugh is NRPA’s Government Affairs Manager (kclabaugh@nrpa.org).

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L AW R E V I E W

Rope Swing Landowner Liability and Immunity

By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

A

s illustrated by the court opinions described herein, a rope swing hanging from a tree in a public park would not normally constitute the type of unreasonable risk of harm necessary to establish landowner liability for negligence. Moreover, applicable statutory or governmental immunity may preclude liability for ordinary negligence.

The mere existence of a rope swing hanging from a tree does not make the land itself unreasonably dangerous, providing a basis for landowner liability.

On the contrary, the danger associated with one’s choosing to use a rope swing installed on the land by unknown third parties would present an open and obvious risk of serious injury.

While rope swings pose an obvious and easily avoidable risk of harm, under limited circumstances, a public agency may still have a general legal duty to discover and remove known or readily discoverable hazardous debris from the premises within a reasonable time.

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Notice of Dangerous Rope Swing In the case of Khachadourian v. State of New York, 2015 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 4842 (4/9/2015), claimant Nicholas Khachadourian was injured when he fell from a rope swing on a boat launch located on state property. In the state claims court, Khachadourian alleged the state was negligent in “failing to prevent the use of the rope swing or warn of its dangers, failing to monitor or supervise the use of the rope swing and failing to ensure the safety of the rope swing.”

On August 5, 2012, claimant Khachadourian, who was 21 years old at the time, went to the Upper Hudson River Boat Launch with his broth-

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er and three other friends. The group parked in the boat launch parking lot and used a path through the woods to access a rope swing located in a wooded area near the shoreline.

The rope swing area was located approximately 131 feet from the end of the boat launch’s bulkhead and approximately 124 feet from the fence line of the neighboring property. The path from the boat launch parking lot to the rope swing area was approximately 97 feet long.

At the time of the accident, there were several wooden platforms affixed to the trees, and a rope swing hung from one of the tree branches. The rope was about 1 inch in diameter and about 25 feet long. The bottom of the rope hung over the water, about 10 feet from the shore, where the water depth was 2–3 feet. The rope had knots for people swinging on the rope to grab onto.

About 20 minutes after they arrived,

least 1990. Similarly, the owner of the property on the north side of the boat launch, testified that he became aware of the rope swing in 2007, after he purchased his house.

All three of the neighboring property owners confirmed that the rope swing and rope swing area was a popular summer recreational spot. One property owner testified that he had observed kids swinging on the rope and jumping into the river “all summer long.” The claimant himself had testified at trial that “there was always a good amount of people on

Khachadourian took the rope and climbed onto a platform about 16 feet above the ground. He tugged on the rope to make it taut and jumped off, intending to swing out over the water and let go. However, as soon as he jumped, the rope broke and Khachadourian fell to the ground on the shore, injuring himself. The rope broke at a point about 6–12 inches down from where it was tied onto the tree limb. There were no signs in the boat launch area or rope swing area warning against or prohibiting rope swinging.

court was “whether the State had constructive notice of the dangerous condition.” The claims court defined “constructive notice” as follows: To constitute constructive notice, a defect must be visible and apparent, and it must exist for a sufficient length of time prior to the accident to permit defendant’s employees to discover and remedy it. Additionally, constructive notice may be based on the state’s failure to reasonably inspect its property, provided such reasonable inspection would have revealed the dangerous condition.

Visible Discoverable Danger As noted by the state claims court, the state, as landowner, had a legal duty “to maintain its property in a reasonably safe condition in view of all the circumstances, including the likelihood of injury to others, the seriousness of the injury, and the burden of avoiding the risk.”

On the other hand, the claims court acknowledged the state was “not an insurer against every injury that might occur on its property.” Accordingly, negligence liability could not be “presumed from the mere happening of an accident.”

Aside from the accident itself, to establish the state’s negligence liability for claimant’s injuries, there had to be “proof that the State created a dangerous condition or had actual or constructive notice of a dangerous condition.”

Moreover, they had to prove that the state “failed to properly act to correct the problem or warn of the danger and that such failure was a proximate cause of the claimant’s injuries.”

In this case, the claims court noted there was “no dispute that the particular rope swing at issue in this case was a dangerous condition.” The claims court found no evidence that the state had created the dangerous condition or had actual notice of it.

Therefore, the issue before the claims

In the state claims court, Khachadourian alleged the

state was negligent in “failing to prevent the use of the rope swing or warn of its dangers, failing to monitor or supervise the use of the rope swing and failing to ensure the safety of the rope swing.”

In this instance, the claims court found the state had constructive notice of the rope swing. In the opinion of the claims court, the “credible evidence presented at trial established unequivocally that the rope swing and the platforms had been present at the location for a significant period of time prior to the accident.”

Claimant Khachadourian testified that he had visited the rope swing area “about a dozen times” between 2009 and August 5, 2012, the date of the accident.

The claimant had also testified that the platforms had been there since he started visiting the site in 2009. While claimant could not tell “how long the platforms had been there,” he had testified that “the pine tree was growing around the wooden platform affixed to it.”

In addition, the owner of the property on the south side of the boat launch had testified that the rope swing and platforms had been there since at

the weekends” at the rope swing, located in “a pretty big area in the woods.”

As described by claimant: “There’s a log to sit down on. People were just hanging out, really, enjoying the water.”

Other neighboring property owners had similarly observed people accessing the swing from the river and from a path from the parking lot. Moreover, the claims court found the “path from the parking lot through the woods to the rope swing area had been there for a significant period of time and was visible from the parking lot.”

Inspection Responsibility?

Given trial testimony that “the rope swing was visible and apparent,” the claims court considered whether “a reasonable inspection of the property would have revealed the dangerous condition” on this particular portion of state land.

Three state employees responsible for

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managing the boat launch at the time of the accident testified that they had not “inspected the wooded area where the rope swing was located because they believed that the wooded area was not within their responsibilities.” One state employee testified that he was “aware of the path leading from the parking lot.”

Another former state employee testified that “he was aware that there was a path leading from the parking lot into the woods, but he never went down that path

circumstances of this particular case, the claims court found “the injury-producing activity was visible and apparent and would have been easily discoverable under any reasonably diligent inquiry or minimal inspection.”

Having found the greater weight of credible evidence had established Khachadourian’s negligence claim, the state claims court concluded the state of New York should be held liable for his injuries.

Given shared responsibility...the state of New York would be responsible for paying 60 percent of the damages associated with the claimant’s injuries.

because he did not have any reason to, as the woods was not part of the area that he was required to maintain.”

In addition, the claims court noted evidence that the state had received a complaint from one of the neighboring property owners “concerning partying and garbage at the boat launch, but no inspection of the wooded area was done in response to this complaint.” Following the accident, a state employee had visited the site and “ordered that the platforms and the remains of the rope be removed.” This state employee “estimated that a person would have to go only about 10 feet down the path to see the structures in the trees.”

Based on this evidence, the claims court held “the State should be charged with constructive notice of the dangerous condition.” In reaching this conclusion, the claims court acknowledged “the limited resources available to the State to inspect the vast amount of property that it owns.” However, under the 26 Parks & Recreation

Shared Responsibility Based on the following facts, however, the claims court further found the “claimant must also bear some responsibility for the accident”: Claimant, who was 21 years old at the time of the accident, is a high school graduate with some community college experience. He was very familiar with the rope swing, having used it before “at least a dozen times” in the four years prior to the accident. He was well-aware of the risks involved, which included having to clear 10 feet of shoreline and shallow water depths of 2 to 3 feet before letting go of the rope at about 20 feet from the shoreline where the water depth was 10 to 12 feet.

According to the claims court, in light of these facts, it was “reasonably foreseeable to claimant that his actions could result in an accident like the one that befell him.” Moreover, the claims court noted the claimant had testified that he knew “there was a clear risk of getting injured on the rope swing.” In his testimony,

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claimant had further admitted that “he did not look at the rope before he started swinging on it that day.”

Apportioned Liability Given shared responsibility, the claims court concluded “the liability should be apportioned 60% against the defendant and 40% against the claimant for the injuries allegedly sustained by claimant on August 5, 2012.” Accordingly, as determined in further trial proceedings, the state of New York would be responsible for paying 60 percent of the damages associated with the claimant’s injuries.

Tree Debris in Park Ravine Similarly, in the case of County of San Diego v. Superior Court, 242 Cal. App. 4th 460, 195 Cal. Rptr. 3d 374, 2015 Cal. App. LEXIS 1033 (11/20/2015), the issue was whether landowner liability should attach for injuries associated with rope swing activity in a county park.

Damon Lane County Park in El Cajon, California (the park), is a 29-acre open space park with trails for hiking, walking and equestrian use. The park is owned and controlled by the county of San Diego (the County) (http:// www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/ park-pages/DamonLane.html).

The county has a maintenance crew who services the park daily to collect trash and, as needed, clear the trails and cut weeds. Another crew trims trees and cuts up downed trees. Trees posing a falling hazard to trail users are removed, but trees that have fallen off a trail are often left to support the natural habitat.

Plaintiff Ben Casteen had been rope swinging at the park since he was 12 years old. On a day in 2012, Casteen, a high school student, used a rope swing tied to a tree at the park. The tree was located above a ravine. The rope broke, causing Casteen to fall into the ravine and onto debris located in the ravine.

The debris in the ravine included cut down tree limbs and other brush left by the county’s maintenance crews. Casteen suffered injuries to his head and face. Although Casteen did not remember the incident, his custom and practice before using a tree rope swing was to visually check the rope and branch it was hanging from, give the rope a big tug or yank to check for strength, and then take a tentative short swing on the rope.

The county had no policy requiring maintenance personnel to remove rope swings in the park. There were no signs posted in the park forbidding tree rope swinging and park personnel doing maintenance never told Casteen to stop tree rope swinging or to remove the rope.

A civil engineer who inspected the broken rope opined that the rope had been in the sun for more than three months and that the rope broke because of ultraviolet-based breakdown of its material.

No Duty to Remove Rope Swings Casteen sued the county, alleging the rope swing constituted a dangerous condition in the park known to the county. In so doing, Casteen claimed the county was negligent in leaving tree debris in the ravine and failing to remove the rope swing. In response, the county claimed the park was not in a dangerous condition. Moreover, the county asserted statutory immunity available to public entities in California for injuries sustained during “hazardous recreational activities.”

Since the county did not construct the rope swing, the trial court concluded “the county had no duty to maintain the swing.” Moreover, the trial court found “the County had no duty to police the park and remove rope swings, and leaving wood debris in the ravine did not constitute negligence as a matter of law.” The trial court, however, denied the county’s motion for summary judgment. In the

opinion of the trial court, further trial proceedings were necessary to determine whether the partially hidden wood debris in the ravine constituted “a separate and distinct danger not inherent in the haz-

ardous activity of rope swinging.” The county appealed and, on appeal, claimed statutory immunity for hazardous recreational activities precluded any liability for Casteen’s injuries.

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L AW R E V I E W

Reasonably Safe for Careful Use As cited by the appeals court, under the state tort claims act, public entities in California could be held liable for an injury caused by a “dangerous condition” on public property. State law defined a “dangerous condition” as “a condition of property that creates a substantial risk of injury when such property is used with due care in a manner in which it is reasonably foreseeable that it will be used.”

Accordingly, as noted by the court, a public entity would “not be held liable for failing to take precautions to protect” when it was “foreseeable that persons may use public property without due care”: Any property can be dangerous if used in a sufficiently abnormal manner; a public entity is required only to make its property safe for reasonably foreseeable careful use.

Hazardous Recreation Immunity Further, the appeals court noted state law precluded “the imposition of liability on a public entity for hazardous recreational activities.” In particular, “tree rope swinging” was included within the statutory listing of a “hazardous recreational activity.” That being said, the court acknowledged that governmental immunity under the hazardous recreational activity statute would not apply where the “danger” was “not reasonably assumed as inherently a part of the hazardous recreational activity,” which caused the injury.

The issue, therefore, was whether the wood debris deposited by the county in the ravine and partially hidden wood debris “constituted a separate and distinct danger not inherent in the hazardous activity of tree rope swinging.”

The appeals court noted liability for a public entity’s failure to warn of a dangerous condition was based on “the presence of an actual dangerous physical defect or an otherwise dangerous condi28 Parks & Recreation

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tion, which was not apparent to persons using the property with due care.” In other words, liability would be based on “the inability of any user to see or appreciate the danger” without regard as to whether the property was “used by careless or careful persons.”

Applying these principles to this situation, the appeals court found “the debris in the ravine, including partially hidden, freshly cut wood left by County personnel, did not create a substantial risk of injury when the park was used with due care.” On the contrary, the appeals court determined Casteen had not been “using the park with due care,” and his own activity was hazardous as a matter of law; i.e., “swinging from a rope at least 10 feet off the ground.”

In reaching this conclusion, the appeals court found Casteen had presented “no evidence showing the debris in the ravine posed a substantial risk of danger to any member of the general public using the park with due care.” The appeals court, therefore, rejected Casteen’s contention that “the debris posed an additional dangerous condition that the County had a duty to guard against or warn of.” According to the court: “Landing on the ground or something located on the ground that could cause injury is reasonably assumed as an inherent risk of tree rope swinging,” including landing on tree debris.

[A]nyone looking into the ravine could see it was cluttered with tree debris. This debris could hide rocks, larger fallen branches or tree cuttings left by the County’s maintenance personnel. Should a tree rope swing break, the danger posed to the user of the swing by the ground itself or any type of debris on the ground or in the ravine, natural or manmade, was obvious.

On appeal, Casteen had claimed that he was not engaged in an immune “hazardous recreational activity because he did not consider tree rope swinging to be a danger

ous activity that created a substantial risk of injury to himself.” The appeals court rejected this argument. In the opinion of the appeals court, Casteen’s “subjective belief regarding the risk of injury” was “irrelevant” because “the statute refers to the reasonable assumption of the public generally (i.e., what a reasonable participant would assume to be inherent in the activity).”

abandoned recreational equipment.” In this particular instance, had the county removed the tree rope swing, the court further acknowledged “someone could have easily installed another one.”

As a result, the appeals court held public entities “do not have a duty to maintain or remove all items on public lands that could potentially pose hazards to

According to the court: “Landing on the ground or something located on the ground that could cause injury is reasonably assumed as an inherent risk of tree rope swinging,” including landing on tree debris.

By using a tree rope swing, Casteen reasonably assumed that an inherent part of the activity included the possibility that the rope or branch might break and he could be injured falling to the ground or into the debris filled ravine.

Moreover, according to the court, Casteen’s own “custom and practice of testing the rope and branch before using the rope swing” belied his subjective belief and assertion that his activity was neither dangerous nor hazardous.

On appeal, Casteen had further alleged the county had notice of the existence of the tree rope swing and “negligently failed to maintain the rope swing in good repair or remove it.” The appeals court rejected this argument.

As characterized by the appeals court, Casteen was “seeking to impose a duty on public entities to bear the cost of continually policing potentially large expanses of public lands for recreational equipment left by third parties.” In contrast to the high cost of constantly policing public land to remove rope swings, the court noted “it costs users of public land, such as Casteen, nothing to simply avoid

individuals not exercising due care,” including rope swings.

[A]s a matter of law, individuals engaging in hazardous recreational activities utilizing recreational equipment abandoned by unknown third parties on public property [such as rope swings] are not exercising due care.

[T]here is a limit as to how far society should go by way of direct governmental regulation...in order to protect individuals from their own stupidity, carelessness, daring or self-destructive impulses.

Having found the county was immune for liability for injuries sustained in a hazardous recreational activity, the appeals court ordered the trial court to enter summary judgment in favor of the county.

See also: “Rope Swing Presents Obvious Risk of Fall,” November 1994, Parks & Recreation http://cehdclass.gmu.edu/jkozlows/lawarts/11NOV94.pdf.

James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., is an Attorney and Associate Professor in the School of Recreation, Health and Tourism at George Mason University (jkozlows@gmu.edu). Webpage with link to law review articles archive (1982 to present): http://mason.gmu.edu/~jkozlows.

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FUTURE LEADERS

Arriving at My Dream Job

By Kathryn Jenkins

E

ight years ago, if asked, I would have said that my dream job would be with an organization I love, in a community I love, with people I love, and it would have had the following characteristics: a salary equivalent to my experience and worth as an employee, great health benefits, ample vacation and a retirement plan. I told my then boss, the aquatics director, that I wanted her job.

I knew she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and figured I could find a similar situation elsewhere. I was 19 years old and ready to take on the world.

Two years later, the path to my dream job still seemed clear. I was going to finish school, take my Recreation Management Associates Degree to a community swimming pool and push out some killer programs. I’d grow to love the organization, the community and people, and I did that for nearly three years: creating new programs, revamping old ones and training staff to take ownership of its facility. However, even with my drive to create new programs and take on the world, there were only so many things to be done with an eight-lane lap pool on a school district’s budget. I became bored and burnt out,

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needed a change and began looking for something to shake things up.

That “thing” was a job that would take me to the other side of the country, just outside of Lake Tahoe. This new job, with its awesome facility and location at a salary I’d only dreamed of in Wisconsin, was my dream job. There were six pools in one facility, mountains and a lake, and it was within driving distance to San Francisco.

So, I applied, interviewed over Skype, exchanged a few emails and was flown out for a second interview. The facility and staff were lovely. I gave myself a tour of Lake Tahoe and decided the location was

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also absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t imagine a better place to be. The 24-year-old me knew I could grow to love the organization, the community and the people. A week or so after my face-to-face interview, I got the call from the director of the facility offering me the position as her assistant director. I was so eager I didn’t wait for the conversation to end before verbally accepting the position. This is where the learning curve began. Note to self: Always sleep on it, think about it, crunch the numbers and then negotiate.

Soon, the trunk of my Honda was stuffed with three totes full of clothing, minimal kitchen items and everyday necessities, and my bike, wetsuit, running shoes, bedding and things for my new office were crammed into my back seat. Alone, I made the 1,600-mile journey in three days. I arrived and spent the first three days in a hotel room until I could find an apartment.

Though stressful, this was all part of my

journey to “shake things up,” and I embraced it. Months went by, I tried to do the best job I could, but something didn’t fit.

After almost nine months, I realized that even though I thought I loved the organization, the people and the community, it wasn’t my dream job.

As if the stars were aligned, that boss from my high school and college years contacted me to say that her job was going through some restructuring. After two attempts at what I thought was my dream job, I was certain fate was telling me this was it!

Résumé updated, career comparison complete, references secured and application materials sent, I was ready. I again interviewed, (this time) negotiated my salary, and was offered and accepted the position. I’d be working for an organiza-

Always sleep on it, think about it, crunch the numbers and then negotiate. tion I loved, in a community I loved, with people I loved, but with no health benefits, minimum vacation and a decrease in salary. This time, my journey back to my dream job included a caravan with two best friends, two cats and two vehicles with a trailer loaded with all my stuff.

I’m nearly two years in, and it’s still my dream job — working for an organization I truly love, in a community I

truly love, with people I truly love. I still have minimum vacation and a salary level that’s still not where I think it should be, but at least I do have health benefits.

My 21-year-old self wasn’t too far off the mark about my dream job, but it took me a while to realize my expectations. The fact is that reality and timing don’t always align when you want them to and, with experience, your ideal job characteristics from three, six or eight years ago may or may not change. You also don’t need to try to conquer the world in a few years. Relax and enjoy the journey while gleaning all you can from each situation.

Kathryn Jenkins is Director of Aquatics Operations for the Cambridge Community Activities Program (kjenkins@cambridge. k12.wi.us).

We’re Here to POWER YOUR POTENTIAL, both Indoors and Outside.

WE PROVIDE THE TOOLS, YOU PROVIDE THE RESULTS

Learn more:powersystems.com/NRPA

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Carkeek Park is one of Seattle’s best-known destination parks, known for its stunning wide-open sandy beach.

Carkeek Park’s New Viewlands Trail

By Chukundi Salisbury

T

“

ake me to the salmon!” is surely going to be among the screams and cheers heard from the students of Viewlands Elementary in Seattle, Washington, this fall as they enter Carkeek Park, via the new Viewlands Trail reroute that was built this past summer. The Viewlands trail has been the main pedestrian entrance not only for school kids, but also for the greater community east of 3rd Avenue NW and North of NW 105th Street in Northwest Seattle.

Carkeek Park is home to an urban area that sees salmon return to spawn yearly and is an environmental education gem, especially for the students and teachers of Viewlands Elementary. It is also one of Seattle’s best-known destination parks, known for its amazing network of trails and stunning wide-open sandy beach. The issue is that there is only one road into the park, and it has no sidewalks. The other formal entrance to the park is at its southern tip, which makes the Viewlands Trail entrance very critical to the adjacent neighbors and pedestrians.

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Creating a More Sustainable Reroute The existing trail was last upgraded in 1999 with a magnificent set of timber steps; however, due to the geology of the site along with perpetual water, they have served their lifespan. With the addition of the Meet Me at The Park grant funding from NRPA, proactive steps can now be taken to create a much more sustainable reroute prior to the eventual failure of the existing structure.

Once we were awarded the grant, planning the reroute turned into a truly collaborative effort. With our busy summers and existing programs and with a Sep-

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tember 15 deadline for the completion of the work, the project schedule was very tight. Before work could start, the plan needed to be reviewed and vetted by Seattle Parks & Recreation (SPR) Planner David Graves and SPR GeoTech Scott Stevens. Graves ensures that projects are following our environmental policies and regulations, and with the reroute taking place in a riparian (creek) zone, it was important to ensure we followed all the best management practices for work on sites such as this. Stevens made sure the soils and geology of the area were conducive to the proposed project, and we all learned a lot about the variety of soil types in the area.

As soon as the ink was dry on our work permit, we scheduled work parties with our partners, Seattle Trails Alliance and the Washington Trails Association.

We held a total of five work parties that

The Northwest District staff ‘s effort got the Viewlands trail project done on time and on budget.

included more than 80 volunteers contributing more than 500 service hours.

Volunteers from the neighborhood and from companies like REI and Amazon performed some of the most arduous tasks, such as moving crushed rock via bucket brigade over difficult terrain.

Although volunteers were critical to the completion of the project, the bulk of the work was completed by Seattle Parks and Recreation staff. The greatest effort came from the Northwest District and crew chief, Brian Ta. In addition to the work needed to complete the project, the normal tasks of mowing turf, cleaning restrooms, emptying garbage cans and the overall business of parks, during the busiest time of the year, still had to be done. The Northwest District staff, along with a final push from the Natural Area Crew staff, got this project done, on time and on budget.

Getting Feedback The true joy of this project was seen in November, when the salmon returned to the creek and members of the community along with students from Viewlands Elementary could enjoy safe, enhanced access to the park. As the usage of the new trail increased, we received many kudos, feedback and suggestions from parents and community members. A couple of these suggestions called for adding railing along portions of the trail and installing some additional steps. The new trail follows grade adjacent to a tributary of Pipers Creek, and some trail users found it to be a bit steep.

Carkeek Park is home to “Sound Steps,” one of its flagship programs that caters to those more than 65 years old and that encourages a healthy, active lifestyle by walking in the park. It was the members of this group who requested the installation of a few more check steps to the trail, much to the chagrin of the Viewlands Elementary students who

like to “fly” down the trail unimpeded by the steps. The students’ chaperones and teachers were the ones who requested railing be added at one of the switchbacks, which has a short drop off below it. The park’s metal shop fabricated and galvanized a new metal railing, which was installed along the section of the trail in question.

Seattle is fortunate to enjoy large green spaces across the city in parks like Carkeek. Creating safe, equitable access for the largest amount of people is an important aspect of managing trails, especially in urban environments where traffic can be as high as thousands of people per month. With salmon bearing creeks, old growth forest, nesting eagles, and a variety of wildlife, it is important to have directed use via a well-built, well-maintained trails system. Trails also protect these assets and get our community

members where they want to go. Most of the users of the new trail are in the park for recreation and education; however, we cannot forget those who use the trails for transportation. Our urban green spaces serve as buffers between neighborhoods and trails serve as the connection between communities.

So, if you get a chance to visit Carkeek Park and the new section of the Viewlands trail, you most certainly will see young people whipping up and down the trail and, perhaps, Sound Steppers moving gingerly along and joggers running the trail. You will also see neighbors returning from the grocery story, happy to be able to walk in the forest instead of along a busy street.

Thank you, NRPA. Chukundi Salisbury is the Trails Coordinator for the City of Seattle Washington (chukundi. salisbury@seattle.gov).

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Photo courtesy of the City of Tualatin Parks and Recreation

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The City of Tualatin Parks and Recreation’s Community Services Department partners with its local Meals on Wheels People (MOWP) to provide nutrition services.

Healthy Eating for Healthy Aging!

By Lesha Spencer-Brown, MPH, CPH

H

ow often do you think about where your only hot and nutritious meal for the day will come from? For more than 15.8 percent (10.2 million) older Americans, this is increasingly a reality, which often forces difficult choices between healthy foods, paying utility bills and paying for medicine. Food insecurity — the inconsistent access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious foods for active, healthy living (U.S. Department of Agriculture) — is a growing crisis among all Americans, but has increased by more than 65 percent among older adults in the past 20 years. Currently, 1 in 6 older Americans are food insecure!

Research shows that older adults are at an even greater risk of food insecurity if they fall into any or all of the following categories: • Live alone • Lack transportation • Are widowed, divorced or separated • Have a form of disability • Are African-American or Hispanic/ Latino • Have lower incomes • Live in Southern and Southwestern states and other areas referred to as “food deserts,” where there is little to

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no access to fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthful whole foods Having reliable access to healthy foods is an important determinant of healthy aging. Like the role of an active lifestyle, healthy eating improves psychological function, helps older adults maintain a healthy weight and reduces their risk of developing chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and hypertension.

How is parks and recreation part of the solution to combat food insecurity among older adults?

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To combat food insecurity among older Americans, local park and recreation agencies across the country, like the City of Lincoln Parks and Recreation in Lincoln, Nebraska, which served more than 38,000 meals during the 2016/2017 fiscal year, have been offering a range of older adult nutrition programs. Many of these nutrition programs are offered five days a week, are either available at centers or through home-delivered services and may be funded through partnerships, the federal government, private donations or fundraising efforts. But more than just a healthy meal is offered, programs are a means for social engagement and volunteerism for older adults.

Through the City of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, six older adult centers offer free lunches and nutrition education to approximately 800 older adults per day.

“Our meals are funded by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging and are pre-

Meals on Wheels People (MOWP) volunteers prepare meals for older adults who may not be able to prepare meals for themselves.

pared by a local catering company,” says Barbara Gillette, director of older adult services in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Our older adults appreciate that they are guaranteed a hot meal every day. Some have stated that this is their only hot meal for the day, as they are unable to prepare hot meals for themselves.”

The City of Moraine Parks and Recreation, which serves a rural community in Moraine, Ohio, also offers a nutrition program, Mondays through Fridays, at the Gerhardt Civic Center, where 15–20 older adults are served each day. According to Program Coordinator Tiffany Osgood, “For most, this is their only meal choice.” Meal prepping classes are also offered where local chefs demonstrate easy ways to prepare healthy meals.

Many agencies, like the City of Tualatin Parks and Recreation’s Community Services Department in Tualatin, Oregon, also partner with their local Meals on Wheels People (MOWP), American Red Cross and other organizations to provide nutrition services. “I think the best part of my job is knowing I’m meeting a need, whether it is for a meal or just a conversation. It makes it all worth it,” says Julio Lopez, center manager for MOWP at the Juanita Pohl Center.

Through these partnerships, the Juanita Pohl Center serves more than 1,600 older adults per month at the center itself or through home-delivered services.

How can your agency get involved or expand current nutrition program services?

Following are a several ways to get your agency involved in or to expand your current nutrition program services: Learn more about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Enrollment Initiative (https://www. ncoa.org/economic-security/benefits/ food-and-nutrition/senior-hunger-snap/), a national program offered through the

National Council on Aging, supports community-based organizations to assist older adults 60 years and older in applying for and enrolling in SNAP. While SNAP is the largest federal nutrition program, helping 4.8 million low-income older Americans access food and improve economic security and health, only 42 percent of those eligible participate in the program. Agencies can become enrollment centers through this initiative or simply provide educational materials about SNAP and its benefits.

Visit https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/ hunger-and-nutrition/ for more information.

Apply to receive meal reimbursement through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) (https://www.fns. usda.gov/cacfp/child-and-adult-carefood-program). This federally funded program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides meal reimbursement to qualifying organizations that serve nutritious meals to children in child care and afterschool programs, and to older adults participating in adult day care centers, like senior and community centers. While the prevalence of organizations and schools utilizing the child care component of CACFP for meal reimbursement is increasing every year, the adult day care component of the program is highly underutilized.

Learn more about the National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging (http://nutritionandaging.org/), hosted

by Meals on Wheels America. The center is available to assist in the administration of the nutrition programs available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The center also provides training, technical assistance, as well as tools and resources that improve the service quality and sustainability of nutrition programs.

Partner with a local Meals on Wheels America provider. Meals on Wheels America (https://www.mealsonwheels america.org/national/) is a national organi-

zation supporting more than 5,000 community-based older adult nutrition programs across the country. Local providers deliver nutritious meals, socialize with and perform safety checks on the older adults they serve.

Visit (https://www.mealsonwheelsamerica. org/signup/find-programs/) to find a provider near you.

For a comparison of the various nutrition programs your agency may be eligible to offer, check out https://www. ncoa.org/healthy-aging/hunger-andnutrition/.

Cheers to Healthy Aging in Parks (http://www.nrpa.org/our-work/partner ships/initiatives/healthy-aging-inparks/), NRPA’s campaign to improve and maintain the health and well-being of older adults by increasing opportunities for physical activity through parks and recreation.

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation.org/2018/January/ healthy-eating-for-healthy-aging.

Lesha Spencer-Brown, MPH, CPH, is NRPA’s Health and Wellness Program Manager (lspencer@nrpa.org).

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Copyright © Yellowstone Forever. Used with permission.

SOCIAL EQUITY

Participants in the first-ever LGBTQ-specific retreat, organized by Yellowstone Forever, gather around a campfire in Yellowstone National Park.

Being ‘OUT’ in the Outdoors LGBTQ visitors celebrate diversity, education and conservation in Yellowstone National Park

By Chelsea DeWeese

A

s Jodie Adams climbed a rolling hillside in Yellowstone National Park last summer, the late-June sun warmed wildflowers and sagebrush around her. She and her fellow hikers were part of the first-ever Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ)-specific retreat organized by the park’s nonprofit partner in education and fundraising, Yellowstone Forever. The program was deemed a resounding success by the participants, and, according to Stephen Abatiell, program manager for Yellowstone Forever field seminars, the organization promises to spearhead similar programming in the future.

He, along with course instructors Hobie Hare and Kai West, initiated the idea and developed the itinerary.

The course couldn’t have come at a better time. Nationwide, the National Park Service (NPS) is striving to welcome a new and increasingly diverse audience. It’s an effort well-known to the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) — of which Adams, a former parks director, is a past president.

NRPA’s mission of improving communities with parks and recreation focuses

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on its three pillars: Health and Wellness, Social Equity and Conservation.

Health and Wellness It comes as no surprise to nature educators like Hobie Hare that studies indicate time outdoors leads to better health and mental well-being. A 2015 research team at Stanford University found that time outside positively affects mood, increases memory,

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improves cognitive function and dampens anxiety in humans. Hare currently operates an independent nature connection and photography business and sees this firsthand in his clients. “Nature connection helps people focus, relax and remember what is important,” he says, “and Yellowstone’s an especially powerful, wild place for people to experience this.”

Hare identifies as a gay man and prior to 2008, felt he couldn’t be open with his sexual orientation while working in the field of nature connection. However, “beginning around 2008, I realized that I could totally do and be both, and it’s great to have come full circle with Yellowstone Forever and offer this much-needed programming.” When Abatiell approached Hare about the LGBTQ retreat, Hare saw a wonderful opportunity to bring his philosophy to the table.

Hare’s background in outdoor education and program development made him a prime candidate to get the new retreat up and running. He, his co-instructor West and Abatiell worked hard to create and maintain a safe and supportive environment in which LGBTQ participants could experience Yellowstone.

“With LGBTQ-focused retreats, participants don’t have to hide who they are or whom they love from others they are just getting to know,” Hare says. “They arrive and sense upfront that other participants will likely understand and support them, not only on their life journey, but throughout their time together in an outdoor setting.”

Social Equity Although the National Park Service doesn’t track visitor demographics, a recent visitor-use survey found a measurable disconnect in who was, or wasn’t, visiting national parks and why.

While ethnic minorities make up nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population, they constitute only 20 percent of park visitors, according to the survey. Survey participants cited cost, safety concerns and a sense of not belonging as reasons they may not visit national parks. LGBTQ visitors prove even harder to track, but the overriding sense among Abatiell and others is that LGBTQ percentages are similarly skewed.

With the U.S. Census Bureau projecting minorities will become the majority of U.S. citizens in the next 25 years, the NPS is recognizing change is needed for parks to remain relevant with an evolving population. Seemingly little things — gender-neutral bathrooms, mindful educators and organizations promoting belonging — make a big difference if you’re LGBTQ and are ways to attract new faces. “We experience barriers that straight people might not see or be aware of, but just because they don’t know what

they are doesn’t mean they don’t exist,” says West, who identifies as a queer and trans-masculine person. “When I am in a program that is specifically geared for LGBTQ people, I can feel more confident that my identities will be welcomed,” he says. “As a facilitator, I can incorporate them to help create a deep, powerful and positive transformational experience.”

Initiatives are underway nationally to narrow the gap: Pura Vida in Grand Teton National Park engages Latino youth, while Outdoor Afro focuses on African-American nature connection. In terms of LGBTQ, visitation efforts are ongoing. In 2014, the NPS introduced the LGBTQ Heritage Initiative, which recognizes locations and moments important to the LGBTQ community in the form of historic landmarks. In addition, nonprofits like Yellowstone Forever and organizations like Camp it Up!, a nature camp in California, provide outdoor opportunities specifically for LGBTQ families.

Conservation For organizations like Yellowstone Forever, engaging new audiences in wild places is a guiding philosophy. “When people feel truly welcome and comfortable in a program like this, they’ll connect with each other and with the landscape,” Abatiell says. “That will make for a meaningful experience and, hopefully, for more engaged stewardship of the environment.”

The NPS, in announcing the LGBTQ Heritage Initiative, gave credit to underrepresented populations for being essential to the national fabric — natural and otherwise. “Yellowstone National Park was created for the benefit and enjoyment of the people,” says Morgan Warthin, the park’s spokesperson. “As such, the National Park Service is a champion for relevancy, diversity and inclusion.

Relevancy is achieved when all Amer-

icans are able to establish a personal connection to parks, and find meaning and value in the National Park Service mission. Diversity represents the wide range of visible and invisible differences and similarities that make each of us unique, and inclusion values diverse ideas and embraces the meaningful participation of all.”

“However,” the NPS notes, simply “increasing awareness of parks among non-visitors will not necessarily lead to increasing visits from these groups. Parks must still provide experiences that are relevant and desirable to those they are trying to attract.” In other words, the NPS needs people to visit — and experience — national parks if they are to become stewards in public land preservation.

What’s Ahead Looking back on her most-recent Yellowstone experience, Adams believes she is also looking forward. “This is the type of programming needed for our society through our local, state and national parks,” she says. “We only have so many of these one-of-a-kind, special ecosystems on this earth, so we need to treat them, and one another, with respect.”

When Abatiell considers the future of public lands — and the future of organizations like Yellowstone Forever, NRPA and the NPS — he offers this insight: “I embrace the reality that public lands have not been equally accessible and programs have not been inclusively developed. If public lands are going to be relevant in the future, it will be because we have done the work of inclusion today.”

Note: For more information on Yellowstone Forever and the 2018 Yellowstone LGBTQ Retreat, call 406.848.2400 or visit Yellowstone.org.

Chelsea DeWeese is a Field Instructor with Yellowstone Forever and a Gardiner, Montanabased Journalist (chelsea.deweese.80@gmail.com).

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Resiliency in the Face of Adversity Surviving the worst and coming back stronger

By Rich Dolesh and Cort Jones

T

his past year, many park and recreation agencies experienced some of the greatest challenges they’ve ever faced from natural disasters — hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, extreme heat waves, drought, hail, ice storms and more.

In 2017, a series of natural disasters, many say were made significantly worse by climate change, affected large areas of the country. By Labor Day, more than 80 wildfires were burning in California, Montana and Oregon, affecting more than 2 million acres, an area larger than the state of Delaware. Air quality in much of the West and Northwest was so bad from smoke and particulate air pollution that children were restricted from playing outdoors and public health advisories were issued for people of all ages to avoid exertion and active outdoor recreation. Fueled by extreme drought conditions throughout much of the West, some of the fires continue to rage today, including the Thomas fire, which is now considered to be the largest wildfire in California history. California Governor Jerry Brown says wildfires of this magnitude are the “new normal,” and could occur annually.

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R E S I L I E N C Y I N T H E FA C E O F A D V E R S I T Y

what kind of shocks or stresses they may face. Parks have become increasingly important to community systems through proven benefits to health, stormwater management, urban heat island effects and other stressors, and thus, are a vital component of community resilience.”

To assess how park and recreation agencies are becoming more resilient, NRPA staff writers interviewed key park and recreation staff from cities, towns and regions that were most affected by some of the most damaging natural disasters. Their stories present a fascinating picture of how they and their personnel have become more resilient in the face of adversity

Hurricane Harvey caused heavy damage to six parks in Ingleside, Texas.

In late August, Hurricane Harvey stalled over the Texas Gulf Coast, pulling an unimaginable amount of moisture from heated Gulf waters that then inundated urban and rural areas with up to 60 inches of rain: possibly the greatest rainfall in our nation’s history. Soon after, Hurricane Irma smashed into South Florida, carving a path north through the state and knocking out power for up to 9 million people at one point. Hurricane Maria destroyed parts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the impacts and costs from all these systems are yet to be fully evaluated.

Numerous other extreme weather events struck Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota and many other states across the country.

Literally, thousands of communities were damaged by these extreme weather events, and virtually every park and recreation agency within those communities was impacted. The increasing frequency and severity of such natural disasters have prompted park and recreation officials to examine how prepared they are for whatever comes and how resilient they will be able to be in recovering. Much is at stake. Tens of billions of dollars of damage to public infrastructure and lands have resulted from these “climate-enabled” extreme 40 Parks & Recreation

weather events, and they are increasing in number. Agency budgets and self-insurance funds are often not designed to cover the consequences of major natural disasters, and unprepared agencies can spend months or years recovering.

Recognizing the magnitude of this challenge, at its meeting in New Orleans this past September, NRPA’s Board of Directors requested that NRPA staff give special attention to the issue of resiliency for parks and recreation. This mirrors a national trend that’s being followed by many local and state government agencies. Cities, counties and states are ramping up their resiliency programs, hiring chief resiliency officers and establishing multiagency teams to assess preparedness and evaluate readiness for damages and stresses that will inevitably affect their communities.

David Rouse, research and advisory services director for the American Planning Association, says the American Planning Association is devoting considerable resources to planning for resiliency. “Community resiliency has multiple dimensions,” says Rouse, referencing the Rockefeller Foundation definition of resilience. “Fundamentally, resiliency is about the ability of people and systems to adapt, survive and grow, no matter

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Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey has been called “the worst disaster in Texas history” by FEMA Director William Long, and it affected major cities, small towns and rural agricultural areas alike. Mariana Garcia, parks and facilities manager for the city of Ingleside, Texas, on the coastal bend of the Gulf, says when Hurricane Harvey approached, it got “way bigger than anyone ever anticipated. We began to seriously start preparing on Tuesday, August 24, and we were secured by Thursday morning before the storm hit.”

The greatest damage to their parks occurred from wind. “Six of our parks were heavily damaged. Wave damage pounded Cove Park, which is on the water. The wind tore the roof off the service building and support facilities like our fish cleaning station were just gone.

“We know awareness and preparedness are really important,” says Garcia, “but communications during storms is critical. Our phones were down, electricity was off, and what made it worse was we had to work from temporary offices.

Our recreation center is still closed,” Garcia explains. “It tested positive for mold and the A/C system was seriously damaged. Contractors are totally overloaded. They say they can get us a quote, but not for a couple of months.”

However hampered they were, Garcia says they are driven to get back on their feet. “We have worked really hard to do some special programming and get some of our fields playable. It is so important to kids and youth to have something to look forward to,” she says.

Meanwhile, in greater Houston and Harris County, Texas, flooding, not wind from the stalled hurricane, inflicted the most damage. In Baytown, a municipality of 80,000 people east of Houston, Scott Johnson, director of parks and recreation, was dealing with an unbelievable 50 inches of rain that fell on the city over four straight days. “There is nothing you can do to prepare for that,” Johnson says.

“When the rains abated, we only had a skeleton staff. We opened a community center as an emergency shelter as soon as we could. The Fire Department had some high-lift vehicles, and they were bringing people in who had nothing but the clothes on their backs. Some of our playgrounds and parks were underwater for days and became covered with up to 6 inches of muck. It silted in everything, including our stormwater management ditches, which we are still working to clear.”

“We didn’t lose our communications network, which was a huge help. The problem for us was getting our people to work — they just could not get to their work stations,” says Johnson. “We found the best way to help our city employees was to provide day care for their kids. Schools were closed, grandparents were inaccessible, and once people got to work they had difficulty going home. We called it Camp Harvey, and it was a huge help to our workforce.”

According to Kyle Kelley, parks director for Precinct 2 in Harris County, Texas, floods severely damaged many of their parks and 25 miles of trails. When Hurricane Harvey hit, “Our priority was people — we had to ensure our staff was safe before any consideration of property and buildings,” he says.

“One of my parks, Meadowbrook Park, was literally wiped off the map,” Kelley continues. “Eight pavilions gone, asphalt trails, picnic tables — just gone.

There was a very large sinkhole that opened up in the park where the flood waters were obstructed. It took 60 dumptruck loads of fill just to fill it in. Staff really stepped up even though some were really affected. Some still don’t have a home. Many were in disbelief that we could have that kind of rain. It was just unimaginable. One thing we learned in the recovery was that parks really do provide a measure of healing. We have heard this after major disasters, but we saw it come true in our own community,” he says.

Hurricane Irma Following on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma made landfall in the lower Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm on September 10. Irma was such a monster storm that it blasted both coasts simultaneously as it spun northward toward Tampa. The damages in Miami-Dade County were primar-

ily from powerful sustained winds that cut through the entire park system. “We lost 30 percent of our tree canopy cover throughout our 2,000 square miles of parks,” says Maria Nardi, director of Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation. “Our park staff are first responders after a hurricane, clearing roadways, causeways and critical transportation network components, but this storm really tested us.”

“We had incredible damage from the wind,” Nardi relates. “Not so much structural damage or flooding of buildings, except in our coastal parks, but more to our natural systems — trees, wetlands and beaches.”

Miami-Dade County has an excellent emergency preparedness plan that serves as the basis for the parks and recreation plan of action. It follows extensive checklists for pre-storm, in-storm and post-storm actions and does extensive training for staff, including administrative staff, who are tasked with documenting damages and assessing what happened because of the storm. Nardi says, “The culture of teamwork, care

In Miami-Dade County, 30 percent of the tree canopy was lost throughout 2,000 square miles of parks, due to Hurricane Irma’s high winds.

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R E S I L I E N C Y I N T H E FA C E O F A D V E R S I T Y

and collaboration is remarkable. The staff is just amazing.”

As with many other park agencies in times of natural disaster, Miami-Dade’s staff supported county-wide emergency operations in many ways. Rec centers became food and emergency supplies distribution sites; parks were made available for the vehicles of 800 utility crews that were staged in advance of the storm. After the storm, their open space parks were used for debris collection and staging. Their biggest task poststorm was the cleanup of their 17 miles of beaches. Every one of their public beaches was piled up to 3 feet high with storm-tossed seaweed, all of which had to be removed by hand.

Getting their community centers open to the public soon after the storm was their most important goal, and within a week, they had 25 centers functioning.

With widespread power outages lasting weeks, public pools and air-conditioned centers were extremely important for the

public. “They were packed as soon as we opened them,” says Nardi.

As Irma churned toward Tampa, new director of Tampa Parks and Recreation, Paul Dial, says its unrelenting high winds caused a big storm surge and much infrastructure and tree damage.

Tampa’s emergency preparedness plan is based on a concept, called “Know Your Role,” a city-wide action strategy in which all employees know their duties and what they should do in natural disasters. The park and recreation department observes a people-first approach. For example, park and recreation staff distributed more than 80,000 sandbags to residents before the storm, and staff and equipment were pre-positioned to respond immediately after the storm to begin clearing roads and reopening public facilities.

At the last minute, Hurricane Irma turned to the east and spared Tampa the worst of the storm. Nonetheless, Dial believes Irma was a cautionary lesson and that training and vigilance are criti-

In Tampa, Florida, Hurricane Irma’s unrelenting winds caused much infrastructure and tree damage.

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cal. “We train for the worst and hope for the best,” he says.

“We had many important lessons learned from Hurricane Irma,” says Nardi. “With such an extensive park system in populated communities, we found that unpruned trees on private property caused us havoc. We can work with the public on educating property owners about how to prune trees. We did an extraordinary job responding to this storm, but we can improve in many ways, especially in utilizing volunteers. We have great goodwill from the community, and we need to have staff ready to manage them whatever the conditions.”

Wildfires in the West Late on the night of October 8, 2017, a series of extremely destructive wildfires began burning across Sonoma County in Northern California. These wildfires, driven by 70-mile-per-hour winds, spread at an incredible speed and burned more than 200,000 acres of land, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes and taking the lives of 44 people.

Park rangers from Sonoma County Regional Parks began evacuating campgrounds that were within a few miles of the active fires and began calling agency staff and other folks they knew lived in the affected areas. With no formal, centralized command system in place at the time this disaster unfolded, park rangers and other staff from Sonoma County Regional Parks began knocking on the doors of county residents, waking up people in the early morning hours and helping to stage ambulances and to assist other emergency personnel with evacuations.

“Our rangers are trained in emergency scenarios around earthquakes and floods, but we didn’t anticipate a truly wildland fire like this where people are jumping in their cars and driving away from their homes and running for their lives,” says Sonoma County Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker. “That was really the way things looked for the

first 12 hours of this fire.”

By day two, maintenance crews and staff were clearing out the county parks, and clearing state parks of fallen trees and debris from the high wind so fire crews could get into areas. In addition to helping respond to this crisis, many members of the park staff were also impacted by it. Ten of Sonoma County Regional Parks staff lost their homes in the fires, and 50 percent of the staff was on some sort of mandatory evacuation.

Staff members were trying to take care of their park system while simultaneously trying to ensure their families’ safety.

It took about 10 days before the fires were partially under control and about two weeks before they were officially declared under control. Sonoma County Regional Parks, as well as California State Parks, opened safe areas in their campgrounds to people seeking refuge from the fires. Two of the Sonoma County’s parks that were hard hit had previously been slated as sites for future subdivisions. That they remained as open space, Whitaker believes, potentially prevented far more damage and loss of life. Fire crews were able to halt the fires’ deadly advance in these open areas, highlighting the importance of local efforts to keep these lands open and protected.

Sonoma County has seen an outpouring of public support, both on the human side of the tragedy, as well as in the community’s care and concern for its public lands. Sonoma County staff has also learned that fires are not just fires. Because of the rain patterns in the winter, fires are often followed by floods, so they have been aggressively working to prepare for floods, landslides and mudslides.

This season of wildfires has highlighted two important lessons: the community really loves its parks and, now, probably appreciates them even more after this devastating event; and the need to expand emergency preparedness efforts to be sure they include and help other partners in the community.

Wildfires in Sonoma County, California, spread at an incredible speed and burned more than 200,000 acres of land.

Whitaker says his agency needs to have a plan in place to work with the fire agencies, including California State Parks, to be able to predict fire behavior in the future. To be prepared, it is necessary to look at these types of disasters with the best available science.

“These fires have brought us together at a new level of just our basic needs of shelter and safety,” says Whitaker. “It kind of made us all look at how our perceived safety can change very quickly.

Our parks will heal with time, and we are here to support our community that cherishes the incredible natural resources and beauty of Sonoma County.”

Conclusion Despite large losses and painful recovery from these climate-enabled disasters, there were powerful lessons on the value of resiliency for parks and recreation.

“In our community,” says Johnson of Baytown, “we owe it to our citizens to do the best we can. We have really tried

to get a sense of normalcy back. Parks and recreation shows the best of all of us. Helping people who are hurting get back on their feet, we do year-round, but it’s never more important than in times of need.” Kelley of Harris County says, “People associate parks with healing and quality of life. They are one of the reasons people love where they live.”

So, how prepared is your agency and what does resiliency mean for you? In the coming months, the subject of resiliency will be a recurring topic in NRPA’s professional development and educational offerings. Valuable new NRPA resources on how green infrastructure in parks can aid in making park and recreation agencies more resilient is now available at http:// www.nrpa.org/our-work/partnerships/ initiatives/water-conservation/green infrastructure/.

Rich Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives (rdolesh@nrpa.org). Cort Jones is the Associate Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine (cjones@nrpa.org).

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a i d e M l a i c o Creating S s k r a P r u o Y r o f s e i c i l o P t n e m t r a p e D c e R d n a

By Landon Schenck

S

ocial media has proven to be one of the most impactful tools for local governments to engage citizens and encourage local park exploration and activity engagement. Its platforms lend themselves to the sharing of beautiful photography, location-specific postings and event-participant promotions — all of which are ideal for park and recreation departments. Like all good things, however, your social media accounts need boundaries.

Every public- and private-sector entity that uses social media needs to have internal policies in place to ensure proper, safe and legal use of the social platforms that are becoming the new normal for how citizens learn, communicate and share.

Not only do social media policies ensure consistency and use of best practices, but they will also keep your staff from inadvertently violating the public’s trust or disappointing followers. Establishing and following social media policies will allow your park and rec department to maintain

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SOCIAL MEDIA

social media accounts your citizens perceive as valuable and choose to engage with — helping you meet your communication and promotion goals.

Social Media Legal Considerations All individuals who manage a social media account need to have a basic understanding of some legal considerations that surround these platforms to help protect your park and rec department from an inadvertent violation. (Note: this information is not intended to serve as legal guidance; always consult your legal department for proper counseling and advice.) Make sure everyone in your park and rec department with access to post to your social media accounts understands the following three basic principles: Photographs found online are typically copyrighted. Most likely, your parks and rec department will share photos you take of your parks, trails, local scenery and public events. Understand, however, that even though an endless supply of photos is only a Google Image search away, they are the property of the individual who took the picture and cannot be shared by a public- or private-sector entity without permission. This requirement pertains to pictures that are as seemingly innocuous as those that depict sporting equipment, technology devices or holiday imagery.

You’ll want to secure permission to share photos of citizens. Consult your legal department regarding policies your park and rec department should follow when it comes to sharing pictures of citizens. You 46 Parks & Recreation

may take gorgeous photos of a group of kids participating in your community’s youth art class, but without the written permission of the parents, you may not want to post them on social media. Photos of citizens participating in outdoor public events or in which the face of the individual is obscured or unclear may not be subject to the same legal restrictions, but wherever minors are concerned, air on the side of caution and seek legal guidance.

Any contests or promotions must follow the platform’s terms of service. Some social media platforms outline specific guidelines in their terms of service as to how to operate contests and promotions that use their platforms. Refer to them to familiarize yourself with such terms before building and executing a social media contest.

Creating Social Media Policies that Protect Your Citizens and Your Park and Rec Department With an understanding of the three aforementioned legal considerations, ensure your park and rec department’s social media guidelines address the following scenarios and policies: Outline goals for your social media accounts, and determine the types of content you want to share. Don’t underestimate the importance of establishing goals for your park and rec department’s social media use. Whether you are trying to promote activities, increase awareness about available public resources or educate citizens on the importance of advocacy, your goals should directly impact the types

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of content and messages you share.

For example, if your main priority is to promote park and rec activities, you may want to restrict posts to only messages focused around events and decide, as a rule, that your department will not share news or editorial content. Having such policies ensures a consistent experience for followers, and will encourage those citizens who care about your goals to connect with your park and rec department on social media.

Determine which employees may post to your social media accounts. It’s best to restrict access to your social media accounts to a single individual, or a small number of staff members who work closely together to ensure consistently coordinated messages. The more people who have access to your profiles, the more chances there are for duplicative posts, conflicting posts or posts that seem inconsistent in their messaging and tone.

For example, if one staff member shares a news story about a campfire that got out of control in one of your local parks, and an hour later, another staff member posts a photo of camping citizens roasting marshmallows, your social media followers may feel your park and rec department is sending inconsistent messages. Such perceptions may damage your ability to gain followers, likes, shares, retweets and regrams.

Identify when you will need a citizen’s permission to share his or her photo. If you’re responsible for photographing local events, it may be logistically difficult to obtain written permission to share photos of every single citizen you photograph. As a proactive step to getting the approvals you need, consider including language in your event registration materials that allows individuals to consent to have their picture, or a picture of their child, used in social media.

An example of such language might state: I grant [Community Name], its representatives and employees the right to take photographs of me and my property in connection with the community activity for which I am registering to participate. I authorize [Community Name], to copyright, use, and publish the same in print

and/or electronically. I agree that [Community Name] may use such photographs of me with or without my name and for any lawful purpose, including publicity, illustration, advertising, social media, and Web content. Your legal department can guide you further.

Remember that even more important than deciding when you need permission is making sure you have it. It can be tempting to quickly snap a beautiful photo of kids at a local event and post it right away to social media, but imagine how parents may feel if they, unexpectedly, came across a picture on social media that revealed their child’s current location.

Ensure all messaging is consistent with your community’s brand voice. Your community is unique, and it has a brand all its own. Remember, however, that your city, county or town has one brand and one voice, regardless of how many departments have individual social media accounts..

Citizens who follow your park and rec social media accounts likely also follow your primary community social accounts, which is why the language and voice used in your department-specific accounts should align with those of your primary accounts.

Your communications department can help you understand essential considerations, like tone, style, municipal terminology and other community-specific communication considerations, that will ensure a consistent citizen interaction experience.

Establish policies regarding direct citizen communications. Social media provides both one-to-many, and one-toone communications, which means it’s a direct channel for citizens to reach you to ask questions, share feedback and make suggestions. In this way, social media is an excellent tool for increasing citizen engagement. However, if mismanaged, it can quickly lead to citizen disappointment on a public platform.

Make sure you and your staff determine who is responsible for responding to direct messages and comments, and in what time frame. Facebook pages include an

indicator of your page’s response rate and response time. If a citizen sees your page administrators don’t respond consistently, or in a timely manner, he or she will be less likely to attempt to engage with you via your social account in the future.

Establish a policy for responding to negative feedback. One of the most challenging aspects of managing a social media account for any entity can be responding to public criticism. Having a platform that allows direct, public access to citizens means your park and rec department is opening itself up to both public praise and criticism. It will, undoubtedly, be disappointing to see a social media comment from someone complaining about an aspect of a recent event, but as your municipality knows, governing

requires listening, accepting feedback and using it to make improvements moving forward. Your park and rec department shouldn’t fear criticism. More importantly, you can’t ignore it, delete it or block the commenter. It will do more good for your department’s reputation for your followers to see you have responded to a concern than to ignore it.

Establish department policies for who will respond to negative messages or comments, how quickly, and with what type of response. You may want to consider a standard response such as: Thank you for your feedback. We value the input of our citizens and are sorry that you felt [insert concern here]. Please know that

we will consider this feedback when planning future [event type].”

If a comment is hypercritical or includes personal information, such as an accusation of something a representative of your community or a citizen may have said or done, encourage the commenter to discuss further outside of the social media channel. There is no need for such correspondence to be public.

Consider a message such as, “We are sorry to hear that (events) occurred and would like to discuss with you further.

Please call our department at (contact information), or message us privately and tell us how we may reach you.”

Establish policies for when you should delete negative comments. While your park and rec department should respond to negative comments, there are times when it is acceptable to delete them.

Your department will want to outline clear guidelines to help staff identify these instances. You should consider removing social media posts that could be deemed as offensive, inappropriate, libel or slander. Your legal counsel can guide you further.

It would also be acceptable for your park and rec department to delete spam comments. These may be fake accounts posting sales or promotional messages with links to products or services unrelated to your community. In the worst cases, the links may be malicious and transmit viruses or malware to anyone who clicks them.

Conclusion Managing your park and rec department’s social media accounts should be a fun and creative part of your day, not a burden or stress point. With proper guidelines and staff training, you can take advantage of all the benefits that social media offers for connecting to citizens, with minimal risk of privacy, copyright and legal concerns.

Landon Schenck is the General Manager of CivicRec (schenck@civicplus.com).

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Community O

verall, most older adults in the United States seem to be pretty upbeat about the prospect of aging in place in their respective communities. According to a report, titled “The United States of Aging,” the majority of older adults plan to “age in place” (approximately 90 percent) and “of those individuals, 85 percent are confident in their abilities to do so without having to make significant modifications to their homes.” This report was generated from a survey of some 2,250 older Americans, 60 years and older, that was conducted in 2012 by Penn Schoen Berland on behalf of the National Council on Aging, USA Today, WPBT2.org and United Healthcare.

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However, there is a level of concern about the long-term outlook for their physical and financial health. According to the survey, “15 percent of seniors…say they are not confident their finances will last through their retirement years” and “one-third…feel financially unprepared for the costs of longterm care.” In addition, “more than 25 percent of seniors in their 60s are not confident their communities will have the resources and services they need to lead a healthy and independent life….”

This by no means is a monolithic group, and nearly two in 10 of those ages 70 and older believe they will be able to live independently without assistance from

Connections and Older Adults Health & Wellness

By Corey Clark

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SENIOR FITNESS

A Lifetime in the Outdoors Jean Dolan’s keys to a healthy, active 102 years

By Cort Jones Jean Blair Dolan and a group of about 15–20 of her friends get together every other Friday morning at a designated meeting place in the Signal Mountain, Tennessee, area and hike for hours on end. These hikes aren’t just leisurely walks, either. According to Dolan’s longtime friend, Karen Stone, they are “really hiking, like climbing cliffs and things like that.” Dolan also exercises regularly, loves to dance and goes canoeing and kayaking. This may not seem like a big deal, because lots of people go hiking and exercise regularly, right? Well, on November 12, 2017, Jean Dolan turned 102 years old.

Born in Massachusetts in 1915, Dolan developed her love for the outdoors at an early age.

Her father regularly took her hiking, which is where she fell in love with the beauty of nature, as well as learned the importance of leading an active lifestyle. She joined the Girl Scouts at the age of 10, and continued through adulthood where she became a Girl Jean Dolan at 102 Scout leader. At 100 years years young. old, the Girl Scouts presented Dolan with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her 90 years of service.

The hiking group that Dolan is a part of began 60 years ago, and was started by a group of women who wanted to get outdoors during the day once they sent their kids off to school.

According to Stone, sometimes the men come along, but they don’t last very long! The women get together to hike, enjoy nature, stay fit, talk about their husbands and families, and sometimes, when it’s one of the women’s birthdays, they even bring wine. Sometimes, they are having such a wonderful time that they get lost, and their husbands have to come out looking for them!

Stone also explains the health benefits and importance of getting outdoors and going on these biweekly hikes. “We wouldn’t still be walking if we couldn’t walk,” she says, alluding to the fact that Dolan’s long life is very much attributed to her active lifestyle.

Dolan is truly an inspiration to her friends and fellow hikers. Through the years, she has kept journals of her hikes and compiled them into a book, titled, “Walking with Friends,” which also features water-color maps and paintings that she has done. As noted in her book, Dolan, at 102 years old, continues to enjoy life and make friends wherever she goes.

–Cort Jones, Associate Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine

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caregivers or community resources. The concern, across all the ages, is that their communities will not have the resources or services that are necessary for them to lead healthy, independent lives.

By 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more than 20 percent of U.S. residents will be 65 or older. A Health Services Research paper, titled “The 2030 Problem: Caring for Aging Baby Boomers,” published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, states the following: The real challenges of caring for the elderly in 2030 will involve: (1) making sure society develops payment and insurance systems for long-term care that work better than existing ones, (2) taking advantage of advances in medicine and behavioral health to keep the elderly as healthy and active as possible, (3) changing the way society organizes community services so that care is more accessible, and (4) altering the cultural view of aging to make sure all ages are integrated into the fabric of community life.

All this information points to some very real opportunities for parks and recreation. We are community hubs and connection points for our citizens who need services. In fact, the results from a recent “Healthy Aging in Parks & Recreation” (http://www.nrpa.org/healthyagingsurvey) survey, conducted by NRPA, show that parks and recreation is already a leading provider of services to this segment of the U.S. population, but there’s room to do more. Based on the responses from 524 park and recreation professionals, the survey also shows that “the typical park and recreation agency devotes only 5 percent of its annual operating budget to older adult programming and outreach.”

As is evident from the preceding data, keeping older Americans as healthy and active as possible as they age and ensuring the community services they need are organized in a centralized and accessible way are two elements critical for them to successfully age in place.

The Henderson, Nevada, Approach to Older Adult Care In Henderson, Nevada, we love our older adults, and we have found that many partners in our community love them as well. Those familiar with the demographic know that older adults are interested in a wide variety of services, but many do not know where to turn for information or assistance. In response, the city of Henderson has focused the effort in its senior facility on providing personal and advanced information and referral support to the community.

Henderson’s Heritage Park Senior Facility is a 29,667-square-foot facility, and among its many unique amenities is a separate, private office that was specifically created as a place to connect seniors with community services. The emphasis on and privacy of this separate space allows seniors of any circumstance to talk with a skilled employee or volunteer about their specific needs. During the conversation, staff assesses the needs of the older adult and evaluates support resources in the community. Examples of our referral opportunities include State of Nevada Health Insurance Assistance Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs, senior housing assistance and utility assistance.

In addition to referrals, this center strives to be a place of community where needs are met through the following services: • Congregate meals — Lunch is provided daily to seniors through state and federally funded grants coordinated by the State of Nevada’s Aging and Disability Services Division federal grants.

• Homebound Meals on Wheels — Seven meals, funded through the aforementioned program, are provided five times per week to homebound seniors.

• Meals on Wheels for Pets — Community support provides pet food supplies for homebound seniors who have pets.

Prior to the program, many who were

receiving meals were sharing those meals with their pets.

• Meals on Wheels Book Buddies — In collaboration with the Henderson District Public Libraries and local nonprofit, the Henderson Seniors’ Auxiliary, volunteers are connected with homebound seniors. These volunteers check out books for the seniors. This increases the human connection and provides those who are homebound with mentally stimulating outlets to stay sharp, engaged and entertained.

• Commodity Supplemental Food Program — Seniors who qualify receive food items once per month. While these are not complete meals, they do include foods that provide nutrients typically lacking in the diets of many seniors.

• Mini Mart — This is a miniaturized version of the local market that is available at our senior center, and is provided by the Henderson Seniors’ Auxiliary, local 501c3 nonprofit. Volunteers find coupons and deals and pass the savings along to seniors in

need. Many of the seniors are able to access food staples for a fraction of the cost at the corner market.

By exploring ways to partner with other organizations and agencies that already cater to older adults, the city of Henderson has been able to offer up its facility and services and, essentially, become a clearinghouse for our older adult population.

If you haven’t already begun to do so, I hope you will consider how your agency can become a centralized connection point for older adults. In Henderson, Nevada, the parks and rec department has been fortunate to have the highest caliber part-time staff and volunteers who have made this service their personal commitment to excellence.

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation.org/2018/ January/community-connections-and-olderadults-health-wellness.

Corey Clark is the Recreation Manager for the City of Henderson, Public Works - Parks and Recreation Department (corey.clark@ cityofhenderson.com).

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NRPA Update The National Gold Medal Program It’s not all about winning…

By Merry Moiseichik and Carolyn McKnight

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here are approximately 8,000 park and recreation agencies representing thousands of communities across the United States, but most of them do not apply for the Gold Medal Award program, governed by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA). Some believe they do not have a chance to win, others believe it too hard to apply and still others do not see a return on the resources invested if they do not win. To understand the benefits of applying for the Gold Medal, particularly for agencies that do not win, we interviewed representatives from agencies that were finalists but were not Grand Award winners.

Where It All Began The Gold Medal Award (GMA) program dates to 1965, the same year that the program’s principal advocate, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) was founded. The re-

lationship continued until 2003 when oversight of the program was assumed by the AAPRA (http://www.aapra.org/ about-us), which believes that awards create motivation to be the best and the GMA program helps it meet this

goal. The award was established by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) and its Sports Foundation, Inc., as a means to promote the participation of individuals in sports and recreation activities through the recognition of the country’s best park and recreation agency programs.

The GMA program has five classifications divided by population size: Class I through Class V. In 2005, the first award for state parks was given, followed, in 2013, by the first Armed Forces Award, bringing the GMA categories to a total of seven.

The GMA Study • • • • • • •

Class I – more than 400,000 Class II – 150,001 – 400,000 Class III – 75,001 – 150,000 Class IV – 30,001 – 75,000 Class V – under 30,000 State Parks Armed Forces

Twenty-five communities were asked to participate in this study: three from each community class size and three from the Armed Forces. Each had been selected as a finalist in the past three years but had not been awarded the Gold Medal.

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and recreation departments participated — two from Class I, two from Class II, three from Class III, three from Class IV, one from Class V, and none from the Armed Forces — a response rate of 40 percent.

Responses Survey participants were asked about the number of times they had applied for the Gold Medal. Most had applied at least five times, but one had applied every year since the inception of the program (meaning that agency had applied more than 50 times) and had yet to win the award, and one Class V community had applied twice.

Motivation to apply — For some, the motivation was to show off their agencies and their great accomplishments.

They really believed they were good enough to win, with one Class V community stating: “We’ve got an amazing system and an amazing community, and I think it is Gold Medal worthy.” Another shared: “We felt like we had made it to a place where we could be competitive with other quality agencies.”

Other reasons for applying included boosting the staff and recognizing employees for their hard work and showing their commitment to maintaining and providing accessible recreation opportunities for the community. Several communities said it helped them set goals and compare where they were in regard to other cities, while some said it had to do with benefits for the community if they won. They believed that being in the limelight would help “sell the department to top management and elected officials and then by being recognized, it’s a huge marketing tool that we can help sell to our citizens and community.”

Benefits of applying — All the communities saw significant benefits from applying for the GMA program. “It allowed us to complete the internal review

BREC Superintendent Carolyn McKnight and her team were finalists for the National Gold Medal Award in the Class I division in 2017.

of our system that further enhanced our professionalism and commitment…it validated our organization’s excellence in park and recreation management,” one department shared. “The biggest internal benefit has been seeing staff work together better, because we are working toward a shared vision for wanting to be the best we can be as a park district family.” Two communities were even able to get a tax passed in an anti-tax environment.

Advice to Potential Applicants Almost all the respondents would encourage agencies to “do it” or “give it a shot.” They cautioned that the application process cannot be done in a few weeks, and, initially, it may take more than a year to improve your department to Gold Medal status. Before applying, they suggest discussing what it will take

with others who have applied. Other advice offered included: • Talking with directors of winning agencies to learn as much as possible about their process before talking with your own staff.

• Making the application process a team effort. Get staff inspired by showing them videos from winning agencies, and hold brainstorming sessions, where they can honestly evaluate their programs and facilities and come up with solutions for improvement.

• Creating a timeline with measurable milestones to get the agency ready to compete with the best in our business.

• Having the staff point of contact for the application attend the Gold Medal Sessions at NRPA conference.

• Considering gaining agency accreditation. Accreditation helps improve

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NRPA Update

the agency when the standards are met It may take years to achieve a Gold Medal Award, but use the feedback to improve your organization. This objective critique can provide fresh and innovative ideas that can create compounded benefits. A critique can lead to an idea that leads to a new program, service, etc., which creates new customers and increases customer satisfaction. This, in turn, can help make you a stronger candidate for the Gold Medal Award next year. Not everyone can win but, certainly, all who participate seem to agree it is well worth the time and energy.

Merry Moiseichik is a Professor at the University of Arkansas (merry@uark.edu). Carolyn McKnight is Superintendent for the Park and Recreation Commission of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana (cmcknight@brec.org).

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is looking for both professional and citizen leaders who are passionate about parks, recreation and environmental conservation. Candidates should be

active leaders who wish to further the mission of the association and who have demonstrated talent and expertise in the field or in their community.

NRPA values and seeks diverse leadership as defined by race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, appearance and geographic location. We also encourage all types and sizes of park and recreation organizations.

For more information and to apply, go online to http://www. n r p a . o r g / A b o u t - N a t i o n a l - Re c r e ation-and-Park-Association/leadership/. Applications must be submitted or date-stamped by February 16, 2018.

If you are interested in serving, know someone who is or have questions about the nomination process, please email Michele White at mwhite@nrpa.org or call 703.858.2144.

to apply for NRPA’s awards, so clean out your trophy case and visit www.

nrpa.org/awards to get started. Deadline to apply is March 23, 2018.

Call for NRPA Board of Directors Nominations

H

ave you ever thought about being a board member or know someone you think would excel as one? NRPA

Show Off Your Innovation

A

wards season for parks and recreation starts this month with applications opening for the National Gold Medal Award and the NRPA Awards, including Innovation Awards, Spotlight Awards, Fellowships and Scholarships, and the Robert W. Crawford Hall of Fame. New this year are the Innovation Awards that will showcase the inspiring park and recreation agencies that have improved and empowered their communities through innovative practices in park design, health and wellness, conservation and social equity. The four winners of these awards will be put to a public vote to be determined as the NRPA Best in Innovation Award winner. There’s no cost

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NRPA Update

How to Effectively Prepare for the CPRP

D

id you know that study groups are one of the most effective ways to prepare for the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) Certification? Many colleges and universities agree that study groups are an effective method of preparation for exams. Study groups can…

Help with procrastination: Professionals and students who have applied for the CPRP have one year to schedule and pass the exam. However, we know how busy life can be, and how easy it is for that year to fly by before you know it. Meeting at scheduled times, with a group that is counting on you to engage in the material, can help motivate you to show up prepared, keep on task and focused on the material.

Help you absorb information more effectively: For some, self-study is the way to go. However, for a lot of people work-

ing alone can lead to a lot of time spent mulling over difficult concepts or zoning out on challenging material. Working in a group provides the opportunity to share ideas, explain concepts and discuss differing opinions — all leading to a higher level, and faster understanding, of the test material.

Provide good company: Studying alone can become dull and repetitive, while studying with a group can create an encouraging and positive social atmosphere that can help keep you motivated. You and your colleagues can

receive group discounts on exams and study materials starting with three or more professionals, by signing up with one of NRPA’s Group Certification Discount Packages.

Now is the time to become a CPRP. Apply by February 28, 2018, to get a free, Online CPRP Prep Course. To learn more, visit www.nrpa.org/CPRP.

Discover Yourself on the Cover of Parks & Recreation

R

ound up your top photos and get ready to submit them for the 2018 Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest. As we prepare to celebrate Park and Recreation Month in July, yours could be the photo chosen to be featured on the cover of Parks & Recreation magazine.

As always, we’re looking for photos that tell a great story about the impact parks and recreation has in your community. And, this year, we’d love to see the unique programs your agency has to offer.

Entries will be accepted now through March 30, 2018. By April 20,

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NRPA will choose a series of finalists based on how well they meet the criteria.

All finalist photos will be put to a public vote May 21–25 on Facebook. The photo with the most social power (likes) will be chosen for the coveted cover spot!

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When considering which photo to submit, keep these tips in mind: • Submit a photo with an interesting and compelling story behind it — maybe of a unique program or community event. A great photo should tell a great story. You can share this story in the comments section when you upload your photo.

• Submit a photo that includes people in it.

• Submissions must be high-resolution (at a minimum of 300 dpi) and at least 9.25 inches wide by 11 inches tall.

• Consider how the Parks & Recreation logo will fit over your photo.

Submit your photos at www. nrpa.org/cover-contest.

Is Your Agency Gold Medal Worthy?

Apply for the most prestigious award recognizing only the best in parks and recreation.

Submit your application by March 23, 2018.

www.nrpa.org/Awards

NRPA Update

‘I Just Got an Email About...’

Hot Topics NRPA Connect is the only networking platform that provides you with direct access to professionals in your field. You now can ask 60,000 of your colleagues questions about parks and recreation and for professional advice! Below are some of the hottest topics this month:

P

ark and recreation agencies lead rewarding lives. Who else improves the quality of life for their communities, in a demographic world that is rapidly changing? This mission requires leadership, good listening skills, human and fiscal resources, no small plans, and embracing the state and federal statutes that mandate equity in the delivery of services.

1

Mother/Son Events — Looking for a fun way for your community to celebrate the relationships between parents and children? Check out some of the many ways communities are already doing so on NRPA Connect today.

“Definition” of a Special Event — What is your city’s definition of a special event and how you differentiate it from programs and activities? Your colleagues are looking for your assistance, so add your definition to assist them with their challenge.

Scholarship Policy — Does your agency have a scholarship policy/ program? Are you considering creating one soon? This may be the opportunity to get some insight into the work other agencies are doing to provide scholarships.

Recreation Center Operation Manual — Opening a new recreation center soon? Looking for policies and procedures (i.e., examples of operation manuals, emergency procedure manuals, child watch policies and dress code policies)? Some of the research may have already been completed for you.

Park and recreation professionals have shared their feedback and materials, so make sure you check out this post in NRPA Connect.

Visit www.nrpaconnect.org to join the conversation today!

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3

4

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That includes the comprehensive Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II (https://tinyurl.com/ ybofjsnf) of this law, effective in 1992, has been supplemented by design standards (https://tinyurl.com/gvt3hde) that became effective March 15, 2012. The ADA, however, is about much more than the design of sites and facilities: It includes: • Websites — Is the one you use to promote programs accessible to visitors who are sight impaired? The WCAG 2.0 guideline is your webmaster’s friend.

• Recreation programs — Do you know the eight-step inclusion process? Is your department prepared to provide support to individuals with disabilities in your camps, sports leagues, senior programs and art programs? Even in the new administration, in October, the U.S. Department of Justice issued three new settlement agreements regarding programs.

• Existing facilities — Access audits are mandated for park and recreation sites, other municipal sites and public right-

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of-way assets. Cities and counties risk the loss of federal road funds if a transition plan, a phased retrofit schedule, is not in place.

• New facilities and sites — Any new facility or site must be designed and constructed to meet the scoping and technical requirements of the 2010 Standards.

Don’t be the director who calls the city manager (or county manager or park district president) to say, “I just got an email saying the Browns filed a federal lawsuit against us for ADA violations.” Instead, be the director who shares with your community the positive news about your 10-year plan to retrofit existing sites, your accessible website and the way your staff will provide inclusion support.

NRPA resources include the accessibility practice of WT Group, formerly known as Recreation Accessibility Consultants. The WT Group provides ADA-related guidance with pace, precision and passion for park and recreation agencies. For more information, contact John McGovern at john.mcgovern@racllc.com.

Member Spotlight: Lucky D’Ascanio

By Cort Jones

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hanging lives for the better and creating opportunities for activities that otherwise may not be available for many people is a very rewarding part of being in the parks and recreation industry. Opportunities and activities shouldn’t stop at a certain age, and providing recreation programs for older adults is just as vital for this age group as it is for any other. Lucky D’Ascanio, Falmouth Parks and Community Programs director, in Falmouth, Maine, has worked with providing programming for older adults for more than 20 years, starting as an intern while working on her master’s degree, and she says, from the very beginning, they always just light up her day. When it comes to staying active, the senior citizens in Falmouth have an array of options, everything from games to yoga and aerobics, to trips around the world.

Parks & Recreation magazine recently caught up with D’Ascanio to learn about her department’s widespread approach to programs for the senior citizen community in Falmouth.

Parks & Recreation: What is your role as the Falmouth Parks and Community Programs director?

Lucky D’Ascanio: I oversee the parks division facilities scheduling for the town of Falmouth, the open space program, which is robust, as well as adult recreation and senior programming.

P&R: What are some of the programs that you’re proud of that are directed at older adults?

D’Ascanio: In the past two years, we’ve had a Senior Citizens Advisory Committee, and from that, we’ve gotten funding for a “senior room” in our small activity center. In that senior room, which we call the Presumpscot Room, we have programs such as Mahjong and cribbage.

We also offer a AAA defensive driving course for seniors and partner with the southern Maine-area Agency on Aging to offer fall prevention courses and things like that. We’re also working with seniors in our community on projects such as ride shares. We may partner with

a local church to offer rides to seniors to get them to doctor’s appointments, hair appointments or to pick up groceries. One of the best programs we offer here is a safe indoor walking program, where seniors come in and they get these lanyards with foam cutouts to put in a basket each time they walk one lap. Eleven laps measures to be one mile, and the cutouts help so they don’t have to keep track of how many laps they’ve walked.

We also have a really vibrant pickleball community here in Falmouth.

P&R: What are some of the benefits, as well as challenges, of offering a wide range of programs for seniors?

D’Ascanio: The greatest benefits for seniors are the socialization aspects and just the comradery, making new friends and connecting with old friends. Another benefit is just having a place in town where they can gather and have some fun. Some of the challenges that we are having are trying to partner with someone to be able to offer the ride programs.

We have a program right now that’s in the hands of the finance committee to be able to offer some tax relief for seniors. Our senior services coordinator, Kim Doyon, is also working with the volunteer coordinator at Falmouth High

School to try to match “seniors with seniors” to have these students do odd jobs for senior citizens. We’d love to be able to offer handyman services, however, it’s difficult to work around liability issues with recommending someone and them not working out. So, we’re really trying to develop a volunteer network.

P&R: So, it’s safe to say that you all are offering a lot of programs even outside the realm of parks and recreation?

D’Ascanio: Absolutely. We have a robust senior population, so we have 15-passenger vans and take them on day trips and outings with lunches, which they love.

We partner with community recreation areas and we do larger trips. In fact, we just came back from Ireland, and the average age was 70-something. These are people who have always wanted to go to Ireland, but only feel comfortable doing it with recreation professionals like myself and my colleagues. We’ve been doing these types of things for a long time and realize that regionalization for these types of programs is key in keeping the price point down for the seniors, and it’s been very successful.

— Cort Jones, Associate Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine

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©Myles Mellor

Parks & Recreation Crossword

Across 1 The result of regular exercise 5 Feature of many popular urban festivals 8 Shade providers 9 Corner of a diamond 11 Downhill exercise 12 All undomesticated living things 15 Tree juice 17 Encourage, 2 words 18 Maple, for one 20 Source of solar power 21 Free community-building events being held across America, 2 words 22 You and I 24 Green fields 25 Soccer or baseball, e.g.

27 Land of the brave and free 28 Coarse, textured grass 29 Paving material

Down 1 Large and stately tree in tropical latitudes 2 Everyone deserves a park within a _____ of home, 3 words 3 Paranormal ability, for short 4 They are scattered on many beaches 5 State where Acadia National Park is located 6 Last word of “America, the Beautiful” 7 Ship members 10 Austrian peak 12 Iconic counter-culture defining event 13 Hydroelectric facility 14 Seedless plants 16 Eco-friendly lighting, abbr.

18 Egyptian kings, for short 19 Reliable 20 _____ tour, enabling people who are blind to experience nature 21 Resistance measurement 22 Bear constellation 23 Polaris, for one 26 In the open

Check the answers to the crossword at www.nrpa.org/crossword. As an added bonus for completing the crossword, you can enter a drawing to receive some fun NRPA swag. The winner will be randomly selected and notified January 31, 2018.

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NRPA is dedicated to providing learning opportunities to advance the development of best practices and resources that make parks and recreation indispensable elements of American communities.

Find out more at www.nrpa.org/education.

SCHOOLS AND CONFERENCES MONEY ON YOUR MIND? The holidays inevitably left us thinking about our finances as we budgeted for presents, parties and celebrating the new year. You probably were thinking about your department’s finances, too. As park and recreation departments rely more and more on generating revenue versus taxpayer dollars, knowing how to generate that revenue is more important than ever. The Revenue Development and Management School teaches those responsible for generating revenue just how to do it. Gary of North Carolina called it the “best educational experience I have had in my professional career.” The school takes place March 11–16 in Wheeling, West Virginia.

January 28February 1, 2018

March 11-16, 2018

November 4-8, 2018

August 2018

September 25-27, 2018, Indiana Convention Center

www.nrpa.org/education

Sacramento, California Orlando, Florida

MAR

1-2 6-7 8-9 14-15 15-16 28-30 29-30

Seattle, Washington Ellensburg, Washington Canton, Michigan Lawrence, Kansas Margate, Florida Cheney, Washington North Miami, Florida

APR

5-6 9-10 25-26 26-27 28-29

Riverside, California Brookhaven, Georgia Fife, Washington Derby, Kansas Gainesville, Florida

Landover, Maryland

7-9 7-9 21-23

Hulbert, Oklahoma Meridian, Indiana Shelbyville, Tennessee

1-3 6-8 6-8 7-9 13-15 13-15 14-16 20-22 21-23 27-29 27-29 28-30

Louisville, Kentucky Phoenix, Arizona Shawnee, Kansas Newport News, Virginia Bismarck, North Dakota Long Beach, California Plymouth, Minnesota Ashburn, Virginia Boston, Massachusetts Wheeling, Illinois St. Charles, Missouri Mercer Island, Washington

JAN

13-14 22-23

10-12

FEB

Galveston, Texas Punta Gorda, Florida Lewisville, Texas Aurora, Colorado

MAR

14-15 18-19 23-24 25-26

JAN

January 14-19, 2018

CPSI PROGRAM

AFO PROGRAM

FEB

All NRPA Schools are held at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, unless otherwise noted.

www.nrpa.org/CPSI

www.nrpa.org/AFO

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Operations Hosting Competitive Aquatic Events

By Joe Wakeley

T

he starter calls out, “Swimmers…take your mark,” the horn sounds, and for the aquatics director there’s the realization that he or she is almost at his or her own “finish line.” It’s the last leg of their long-distance relay race through logistical planning sessions, staff training, facility setup and equipment testing, complete with individuals and groups with various skills, abilities and perspectives about how this event should be done. The goal is to host an event where the logistical planning and details go unnoticed by the participants and spectators, resulting in a positive perspective on the event and the host facility.

Like many in the aquatics industry, my 30 years of experience began with summer swimming leagues. At the core, this is as simple as aquatic event planning gets: make sure stopwatches are working, coaches have a lineup, a parents group is running the concession stand, and there are countless awesome volunteers to assist with everything from

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timing and judging, to scorekeeping and trying to control kids as they wait for the race. Wearing the facility director hat, there are added staffing, equipment care, and water chemistry issues to monitor.

And, at the completion of the event, it’s making sure everything is put away so it can all be done again another day.

So, what has really changed? The ba-

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sic idea of the swim meet is still there; however, the world around the event has changed. Most of the planning and processes come down to two areas: safety and operational readiness.

Safety Safety used to mean making sure someone on deck had some level of lifeguarding experience or certification. It focused primarily on the athlete experience and on ensuring that for all involved the event entrance and regress happened without incident. The main considerations were equipment functionality and water quality, with the spectator experience being a close second.

In 1988, after American diver Greg Louganis hit his head on the board at the Olympics, the focus on safety changed.

Incidents like this had happened before (Louganis in 1979), but it was the 1988 incident that was most witnessed and remembered. As a result, facilities looked closer at participant safety and having emergency action plans at the ready.

The focus would remain on athlete safety until September 11, 2001, when spectator safety was included in the conversation. Drawing on the expertise of local law enforcement and security companies, a layer of security was added that directly influenced some logistical planning. Over time, this layer has become seamless within our operation.

Spectators, participants and facility staff have all come to expect bag checkers, metal detectors and K-9 sweeps of the facilities prior to the start of an event.

For the facility director, this extended

planning and focus on safety has resulted in a few more hours of logistical planning and an increase in the costs related to hosting the event. However, we never truly stop asking the same basic question, “Can we improve safety for those who attend this event?”

Operational Readiness A staff member once asked me, “What do we need to be ready for?” My response is simple, “everything.” I would argue that operational readiness is a delicate balance between paranoia and preparedness. Many of the things we improve and add to our process are things that have “gone wrong” in past events: things we can laugh about now, but did not even consider smiling about as we experienced them.

In my early years, we needed working stopwatches, a starter’s pistol, lane lines, backstroke flags and volunteers to operate them. In the years since, we have added timing systems, replaced the starter’s pistol with a starter’s horn and added a display to show the competitors’ progress to the spectators. The meet, which once used to take as long as it needed to complete the event, now has a system that manages every second of the event, with swimmers waiting in the water while the next race starts.

Much like safety, we look for things that can go wrong: weighing the chances and probabilities for each element, and planning accordingly; using what we learned from past events to improve on the next. In one instance, it was a swimmer in pre-race stretching who jumped up hitting the support wire for the backstroke flags. The support hook snapped, causing the backstroke flags to “gently flutter” down onto the surface of the water. Watching this unfold, like in a slow-motion horror movie, we quickly tried to find a solution. While we hope this never happens again, we have devel

The basic idea of the swim meet is still there; however, the world around the event has changed. oped processes to prevent this type of incident from affecting the event.

So, we test and retest timing equipment and backups, review procedures with staff about the entry of meet personnel and how to care for them should a situation arise, and conduct walkthroughs with law enforcement and security. There is training for facility staff and reviewing and revising of emergency action plans. Through it all, the facility director has a unique perspective of the competitive event. As the sights and sounds of the event fade and the equipment is stored, there is only time to pause briefly before resuming the

planning process for the next event.

There are several questions and considerations in the planning process for aquatic competitive events (a handy checklist can be found at http://www. nrpa.org/connect-eventplanlist). Whether it’s a summer swim league dual meet or collegiate championship event, the scale may differ, but the desire is to have each element operate like a well-oiled machine, ready and firing on all cylinders for the day of the event.

Joe Wakeley is the Assistant Director, Campus Recreation Aquatic Center at Ohio University (wakeley@ohio.edu).

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Operations

Some Keys to Developing Effective, Fun Older Adult Fitness Programming

By Sheila Franklin

S

eniors are the fastest-growing population in the United States. In fact, by 2030, one in five Americans will be at least 65 years old. This explosive population growth has created a tremendous demand for unique health and fitness services to meet the needs of older adults. Regular physical activity contributes to the prevention and management of chronic diseases, as well as a host of other health issues older adults face. It also has been shown to reduce the risk of falling and bone fractures as people age, can help prevent or lessen a variety of physical limitations, stave off depression and improve mental well-being, and can significantly help older adults maintain their independence and enjoy daily life.

As baby boomers age, they are not ready to accept the “senior status” label as quickly as previous generations. While

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the traditional definition of “seniors” includes everyone aged 65 and older, many baby boomers in their mid-to-late 60s re-

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ject the label and don’t want to be treated as such. Baby boomers look forward to active, mobile and productive years in the later decades of life. This younger mindset of older adults is requiring recreation and park departments to get creative with their fitness programming.

In days of yore, “senior fitness” classes often took place at “senior centers” and were often a bit more passive than what many older adults are looking for today.

Following are some thoughts to help you develop older adult fitness programming that is safe, fun and effective.

Branded Group Exercise Classes Branded classes (think Jazzercise; BodyPump, Zumba) have been around for many years and are offered by many recreation departments. However, in recent years, there has been a significant increase in both the number and variety of classes available. These classes often develop legions of fans, and as a result, the companies develop multiple spinoffs.

Traditionally, many of these branded classes did not include programming designed for older adults, but there is evidence that this is changing.

For example, Zumba has been wildly popular among a variety of populations and is offered far and wide. One of Zumba’s latest offerings, Zumba Gold, was designed to be a low-intensity workout, specifically for older adults. And, the research suggests that Zumba Gold is effective. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) conducted a small independent research study to determine whether Zumba Gold meets current guidelines for improving and maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness. This study found that participation did fulfill the exercise intensity guidelines. Perhaps most importantly, the participants in the study enjoyed the experience of Zumba Gold, which suggests that they are likely to continue attending classes.

Given this information, Zumba Gold might be an ideal exercise program to add to your menu for middle-aged and older adults. You can read more about the study at https://www.acefitness. org/certifiednews/images/article/pdfs/ ACE_Zumba_Study.pdf).

Hire Well-Qualified Exercise Professionals One of the key elements to offering safe and effective fitness programming for older adults is to make sure you hire individuals who have the proper expertise. The “gold standard” in

fitness credentialing is the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). One of the qualities you should be looking for when hiring group exercise instructors is a certification that is accredited by the NCCA. When offering branded programming, you will also need to ensure that your instructors have the proper credentials to offer that particular brand.

indoor recreation facilities might well accommodate group exercise classes, depending on the flooring and space — the fitness area should be appropriate and safe for whatever class you are offering.

If you don’t have appropriate space at your facilities, consider partnering with other organizations around town to offer classes. Is there a corporate campus in town that might have a gym

This younger mindset of older adults is requiring recreation and park departments to get creative with their fitness programming.

In addition to basic group fitness certifications, you may also want to look for additional training that specializes in working with older adults. Several well-respected organizations certifying exercise professionals offer these under different names. ACE offers a Senior Fitness Specialist program that educates fitness professionals about the unique challenges of working with older adults, and teaches modifications and progressions for guiding them through fitness routines that will help them prevent muscle deterioration, improve balance and bone strength, and boost quality of life.

Choose the Setting with Care One of the best parts about group exercise classes is that you have a lot of flexibility around where to offer them.

Don’t fret if you don’t have a gym!

If you are in a mild climate, consider outside on grass. You would want to ensure that the area is flat and relatively free of obstacles, such as tree limbs, rocks, etc. Community centers or other

or classroom and be willing to allow you to run some community classes during non-peak times as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts?

Are there faith-based facilities that might be interested in partnering with your department and offering some programming at their facility? One word of caution: don’t be tempted to only offer “older adult programming” at the senior center. With the determined, youthful mindset of today’s older Americans, “fitness for old people” may experience less than ideal registration numbers. You may find that a slate of classes full of older adults will require a variety of programming for sustaining vibrant lifestyles well into the golden years.

Sheila Franklin is the Director of Government Relations for the American Council on Exercise and a former Park and Recreation Professional, having worked for both the Wheaton Park District in Wheaton, Illinois, and the Maryland Recreation and Parks Association (sheila. franklin@acefitness.org).

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Safety Custom Bumpers for Slides RenoSys SoftSide™ safety pads provide soft, padded surface to help avoid injury. Custom bumpers are available to protect the heads of patrons as they enter a closed-flume slide, as well as pads for behind ladders where falls often occur. SoftSide™ pads provide a slip-resistant padding made of a thick foam pad (3 inches thick) bonded to a textured PVC material. SoftSide™ passes all CPSC-ASTM 1292 tests for impact attenuation for drop heights of 10 feet. Durable, watertight and slipresistant, these pads are algae and fungus resistant, low maintenance and hygienic. RENOSYS, 800.783.7005, WWW.RENOSYS.COM

Truck Loader Building on a tradition of unmatched innovation, Harper Turf Equipment today unveiled its latest solution to the debris management line — the MultiLoader. This new truck loader features a belt-driven impeller and coned inlet to maximize debris reduction and cut cleanup time. The ML32 contains four, 20-inch serrated impeller blades, providing 7300 CFMs for extreme shredding and decreased particle size.

The belt-driven impeller isolates the 32.5-HP Kohler carbureted engine from shock loads, increasing engine life. HARPER INDUSTRIES, INC., 800.835.1042, WWW.HARPERINDUSTRIES.COM

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(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions. Copyright Š2018 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $46 a year in the U.S.; $56 elsewhere. Single copy price: $7. Library rate: $58 a year in the U.S.; $68 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Parks & Recreation

71

Park Bench

Window Dressing There’s nothing quite like taking a stroll in your community’s downtown area during the holiday season and feeling like a kid again as you bask in the glow of the lights and decorations. Since 2012, the Edwardsville [Illinois] Parks and Recreation Department, has been hosting its “Downtown in December” to draw people in the community downtown to take in the holiday festivities, do some shopping and patronize the restaurants.

A popular part of the festivities is the annual Holiday Window Decorating Contest, which offers the city’s downtown merchants the opportunity to decorate their store windows. They then can send a photo of their decorations to the Edwardsville Parks and Recreation Department to post on its Facebook page, in the hopes of gaining the most “likes” to win the contest.

“There really isn’t a prize. It’s just kind of bragging rights that they won the contest for the year,” says Hayley Verheyen, recreational activities supervisor for Edwardsville Parks and Recreation Department. “I think it’s awesome that the businesses are so involved in this.”

This year’s bragging rights went to Eaker’s Family Barbershop, which has been a Main Street business in Edwardsville since 1961.

Its window decoration garnered 351 likes.

Not only does this contest provide no-cost advertising for the city’s downtown businesses and generate traffic for them, but it also brings awareness to programs offered by the Edwardsville Parks and Recreation Department when people are viewing the Facebook page and casting their votes.

“It’s a win-win situation for everyone,” says Verheyen. “I just think about back in the day when businesses would decorate their windows, and it was a big deal to go downtown and see the displays. We wanted to bring that kind of feeling back to our downtown.”

— Cort Jones, Associate Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine

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PARKS & RECREATION JANUARY 2018 ◆ RESILIENCY IN ADVERSITY ◆ OLDER ADULT SERVICES ◆ CREATING SOCIAL MEDIA POLICIES