Parks & Recreation Magazine January 2021

JA N UA RY 2021 N R PA .O RG

TOP TRENDS IN PARKS & RECREATION 2021 TECHNOLOGY, HEALTH EQUITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE MAKE THE LIST

2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience Revisited Saving Pracht Wetlands Park

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contentsjanuary 2021 volume 56 | number 1 | parksandrecreation.org

Pracht Wetlands Park in Northwest Wichita, Kansas, now is accessible to all as one of a few remaining Midwestern wetland environments.

FEATURES

34 Top Trends in Parks and Recreation 2021

40 Restoring the Beauty of Pracht Wetlands Park

It is time for the annual rundown of the predicted top trends in parks and recreation.

Eagerly awaited for, these predictions stimulate the anticipatory senses and offer a respite from the winter blues.

Despite all of the development that has sprung up in the vicinity, Pracht Wetlands Park remains a natural haven and tribute to generations of the Pracht family, government agencies, conservationists and even developers that preserved this gem for others to enjoy for many years to come.

Richard J. Dolesh

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Parks & Recreation

Gentry Thiesen

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46 Highlights from the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience

Vitisia Paynich, Jennifer FulcherNguyen and Lindsay Hogeboom

The first-ever NRPA virtual conference comprised three full days of general sessions, education programming, coffee talk discussions, special events and an exhibit hall featuring the latest products and service offerings from exhibiting companies.

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contents january

columns 6

departments 10 We Are Parks and Recreation South Suburban Sports Complex — Building for the Future 10 Announcing the Newly Accredited and Reaccredited CAPRA Agencies 12 2021 NRPA Awards Applications Open January 8 14 We Are Parks and Recreation: Submit Your Stories 14 Member Benefit: How ePACT Supports Parks and Recreation During COVID-19 14

16 Research Make Your Voice Heard Melissa May

17 Park Pulse Park and Recreation Professionals Provide Important Mentorship to Youth

52 Operations Back to a New Reality: How to Adapt Your Recreation Center in a Post-COVID-19 Era Craig Bouck, AIA, LEED AP, and Michael ‘Mick’ Massey, RLA

Perspectives Parks and Recreation: A Business of Flexibility and Adaptation Kristine Stratton

8

Editor’s Letter What Will the ‘New Normal’ Look Like in 2021?

Vitisia Paynich

18 Finance for the Field The Partnership Imperative: Differentiating the Provision and the Production Decisions John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

20 Advocacy Looking Ahead to the Federal Opportunities in 2021 Elvis Cordova

22 Health and Wellness Health and Wellness: Top of Mind During NRPA Virtual Lauren Kiefert, MPH

24 Equity Making Community Youth Sports Fair and Accessible for Girls, Once and for All Kim Turner, J.D.

26 Conservation COVID-19 Is Prompting Changes to Conservation Kelli Ondracek

53 Park Essentials 55 Advertiser Index 56 Park Bench Athena: The Goddess of Nashville?

28 Law Review COVID-19 Emergency Order Regulated Park Protest James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

Cover image: Photo courtesy of Andrea De Martin, Dreamstime.com

Parks & Recreation is printed using soy ink on at least 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper and is mailed in a wrap — only when required — that is plant based and certified compostable. If you are interested in helping us go even greener, email us at prmagazine@nrpa.org and ask to opt out of receiving the print magazine. Parks & Recreation is always available to read in an ezine format at ezine.nrpa.org.

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Page 24

Park and recreation professionals and agencies can play a major role in ensuring that girls have equitable access to sports opportunities.

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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 P A’ S L E A D E R S

Parks and Recreation: A Business of Flexibility and Adaptation This January 2021 issue is a great opportunity for us to take a collective breath and appreciate the remarkable ways that park and recreation professionals faced the relentless uncertainty of 2020, and that we are here at the beginning of a new day and a new year.

During NRPA Virtual this past October, we heard from leaders across the field talking about trends, “next practices,” “trailblazing technology,” continued engagement through the pandemic, and ways to leverage P&R for greater health, equity and climate resilience.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic accelerated the trends we were already seeing — virtual programming, community outreach and meetings; the role P&R plays as community wellness hubs; and the ability and necessity of parks and recreation to be the ultimate adaptive community resource in times of trauma and disaster.

As an adaptive community resource, P&R will continue to grow — both from health and climate-resilience perspectives. Taking the good work that nearly 60 percent of agencies have done to support community health during the pandemic and building upon that to position P&R agencies as community wellness hubs is a trend that will strengthen P&R’s role as essential community infrastructure, as well as the trust and relationship between P&R professionals and community members. Further, health equity will become one of the most important decision-making drivers for planning, inter-agency and cross-sector partnerships, allocation of resources, and community engagement.

Climate resilience will be an increasingly universal focus in communities across the country as they grapple with climate change impacts. This, coupled with an anticipated investment in community infrastructure and workforce development, as part of an economic recovery period, has the potential to cement the field as an essential solution provider and innovator. This will combine with the park access imperative to generate increasingly creative approaches to climate solutions and adaptive usages of the urban and suburban landscapes. The flexibility that COVID-19 response has demanded, along with the continued economic challenges, will serve to reinforce the viability of more pocket parks, parklets, shifts 6

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in streetscapes to support linear parks and trails in dense urban areas, and conversion of underutilized real estate like malls and big-box stores. These creative spaces and the P&R partnerships that will produce them will solve for things, such as Wi-Fi equity in communities, flood prevention and control improvements, and facilities for physically distanced education, to name a few.

Data and technology are increasingly available and more economical for use by park and recreation professionals.

Uses include: GPS and telematics to support fleet management; drone, robotic and smart equipment to increase efficiency; tracking cellphone data to show park usage; and experimenting with integrated video feeds for everything from security to community engagement programming.

All of this puts even greater pressure on how P&R should understand and address privacy and security concerns.

Community trust and engagement are essential to our work, so we must be careful how data and technology are deployed in our management and operational practices.

And, community power building, co-creation and shared ownership of public spaces and resources will be increasingly built into local governmental models. Building up the skill and capacity for P&R professionals to create authentic community engagement and a new paradigm for shared ownership will be a trend in P&R training and development.

Many trends we discussed in the past accelerated in 2020 — including how we face increasing degrees of uncertainty, and our principle job is understanding how we navigate that uncertainty. From innovating our community engagement, to continuing to diversify revenue sources, to ensuring that our operations are as efficient and impactful as possible, and to infusing inclusion and equity into all our planning and practices — we are in the business of flexibility and adaptation — and this will be influencing our operating models, planning and professional development for years to come. As we embark on a new year, I am confident that P&R professionals, the most adaptable problemsolvers out there, will be ready and willing to take on any challenges that may come their way.

KRISTINE STR AT TON President and CEO

2377 Belmont Ridge Rd. | Ashburn, VA 20148 2 703.858.0784 | nrpa.org

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

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board of Directors Michael P. Kelly

Park Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Gurnee Park District Gurnee, Illinois

Past Chair Jack Kardys J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Treasurer Xavier D. Urrutia Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

Secretary Nonet T. Sykes

Susie Kuruvilla

Joanna Lombard University of Miami School of Architecture; Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences Miami, Florida

Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

parksandrecreation.org

Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

@parksrecmag

Joshua Medeiros, Ed.D., CPRP, AFO

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

City of Bristol Parks & Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

At Large Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

Ian Proud

Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

At Large Mike Abbaté, FASLA, LEED AP Abbaté Designs Portland, Oregon

President and CEO Kristine Stratton, Ex Officio National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Abbaté, FASLA, LEED AP Abbaté Designs Portland, Oregon

Kathy Abbott Boston Harbor Now Boston, Massachusetts

Jesús Aguirre, CPRE Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Jose Felix Diaz Ballard Partners Miami, Florida

Victor Dover

PlayPower Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

Nonet T. Sykes Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

(or your favorite podcast app)

Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

@openspaceradio

Lakita Watson, CPRP Richland County Recreation Commission Columbia, South Carolina

Greg A. Weitzel, M.S., CPRP City of Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Las Vegas, Nevada

Philip Wu, M.D. (Retired) Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region Portland, Oregon

James H. Evans

Greening Youth Foundation Atlanta, Georgia

Earl T. Groves Gastonia, North Carolina

Richard Gulley

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

Rosemary Hall Evans

Richmond, Virginia

nrpaconnect.org nrpa.org/connect-app

NRPA SOCIAL MEDIA

Harry G. Haskell, Jr.

@NationalRecreationandParkAssociation

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

@nrpa_news

Kathryn A. Porter Mendham, New Jersey

J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Perry J. Segura

Michael P. Kelly

R. Dean Tice

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Round Hill, Virginia

Karen Bates Kress

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CONNECT

Fort Mill, South Carolina

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Jack Kardys

NRPA

Anne S. Close

Angelou Ezeilo

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ashburn, Virginia

nrpa.org/blog

Lexington, South Carolina

New York, New York

Monica Hobbs Vinluan

Blog

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman

Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning South Miami, Florida

Balboa Park Conservancy San Diego, California

openspaceradio.org

Xavier D. Urrutia

New Iberia, Louisiana

@nrpa National Recreation and Park Association

Eugene A. Young, CPRP

PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | J A N UA RY 2 02 1 |

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EDITOR’S LET TER

What Will the ‘New Normal’ Look Like in 2021?

For the past 10 months, terms like “social distancing,” “shelter in place” and “new normal” have been infused into our daily lexicon. And while we begin a new year with a record number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the United States, we may start to see that speck of light at the end of the tunnel. Healthcare officials express cautious optimism about multiple COVID-19 vaccines, but also stress that their rollout depends on a multitiered approach — along with great patience and cooperation among the U.S. population. It also requires all of us to help mitigate the spread of the disease by physical distancing, wearing masks and washing our hands. While it is clear that park and recreation agencies across the country have been forced to alter their operational practices during this global pandemic and subsequent economic recession, what’s not clear is what the “new normal” will look like for the field in 2021.

Richard J. Dolesh, Parks & Recreation magazine’s editor at large, explores this in the cover story, “Top Trends in Parks and Recreation 2021,” on page 34. “COVID-19 has affected nearly everything we do in parks and recreation, and the effects will reverberate for a long time after we have defeated the virus,” Dolesh writes. “Changes to work programs, such as working remotely as a standard practice; participating in virtual learning, training and meetings; and contactless transactions will continue post pandemic.” In addition, he addresses the impact technology will continue to have on the P&R profession, especially when it comes to serving and connecting with community members.

One trend that will no doubt continue well beyond the pandemic is the public’s need and appreciation for parks and green spaces. In the feature article, “Restoring the Beauty of Pracht Wetlands Park,” on page 40, contributor Gentry Thiesen shares how City of Wichita (Kansas) Park and Recreation, along with its partners, brought this once threatened habitat and preserve back to life.

According to Thiesen, “The goals determined through master planning [of the park] very closely mirrored those set by the original task force: to preserve the wetland environment and develop an educational site, accommodate future development in the area by improving stormwater retention, and mitigating the loss of future wetlands through a careful, deliberate development of the site.”

Lastly, the magazine’s editorial team provides an in-depth look at NRPA’s first-ever virtual conference in the article, “Highlights from the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience,” on page 46. Online attendees had an opportunity to not only attend the live broadcast of our daily general sessions, but also could select education sessions from a plethora of tracks, such as health and wellness, equity and inclusion, planning, design and maintenance, and conservation, to name a few. What’s more, the editors highlight the National Gold Medal Award Program’s Finalist Award honorees and Grand Plaque recipients for 2020, as well as winners of the 2020 Best of the Best Awards.

Not unlike your own park and recreation agencies, NRPA also remains hopeful that we will be able to regain some semblance of “normal practice,” in the near future. What will parks and recreation look like in a post-pandemic world? Perhaps it will look like a union of pre- and postpandemic best practices that ultimately creates a stronger, more equitable field — one that carries P&R professionals into the next chapter and beyond.

VITISIA “VI” PAYNICH Executive Editor Print and Online Content 8

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Kristine Stratton VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PRINT AND ONLINE CONTENT Vitisia Paynich vpaynich@nrpa.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lindsay Hogeboom lhogeboom@nrpa.org WEB EDITOR Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen jnguyen@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Kim Mabon/Creative By Design CreativeByDesign.net SENIOR CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Meghan Fredriksen 703.858.2190 mfredriksen@nrpa.org PHOTOGRAPHY Dreamstime.com or NRPA (unless otherwise noted) MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Anthony-Paul Diaz, Chair Michael Abbaté, FASLA Neelay Bhatt Ryan Eaker Beau Fieldsend Kathleen Gibi Paul Gilbert, CPRP Tim Herd, CPRE Brian Johnson, CPSI Denise Johnson-Caldwell Roslyn Johnson, CPRP Michele Lemons Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Lisa Paradis, CPRP Paula Sliefert Shonnda Smith, CPRP, AFO Ronnetta Spaulding Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs

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WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION South Suburban Sports Complex – Building for the Future

By Becky Grubb

T

he South Denver (Colorado) metro area population continues to steadily grow, and South Suburban Park and Recreation District (SSPRD) staff are doing their part to meet the needs of the changing community. A new 206,000-square-foot sports complex is set to open in February 2021 after SSPRD’s 2017 Master Plan outlined the desire for more indoor recreational amenities. SSPRD is a special district that encompasses 46 square miles. Currently, it serves approximately 160,000 residents in six cities and towns throughout Arapahoe, Douglas and Jefferson counties. gional sports complex will provide more opportunities for ice sports and drop-in activities, such as pickleball, basketball, lacrosse and soccer.”

In November 2017, SSPRD took a ballot initiative to the voters, asking them to allow SSPRD to increase its debt to improve trail connectivity, as well as fund water and ener-

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARCH AERIAL

“We recognized a need in our community to provide first-class, indoor recreation facilities,” says SSPRD Executive Director Rob Hanna. “We’ve made a commitment to our patrons to provide the best in recreation and replace aging facilities, like the 52-year-old South Suburban Ice Arena. The new re-

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gy efficiencies and improve and repair recreation facilities for seniors, families and children; build a new indoor multigenerational facility; and renovate and upgrade existing playgrounds and parks. Recognizing the importance of community investment and upgraded facilities, the public passed the measure.

“We created a Gold Medal Committee, which was a citizen’s forum to discuss community needs and requests from South Suburban,” says John Ostermiller, SSPRD Board chair from 2012 to 2018. “We learned that there was a strong interest in more ice time and additional turf fields. That feedback gave us confidence that voters would support a bond issue to increase the borrowing capacity, while not raising taxes. The response was very positive — we received more than a 70 percent favorable vote.”

The facility will replace the aging South Suburban Ice Arena and the current administration offices. The project enlisted the architecture firm of Perkins + Will, and Adolfson & Peterson Construction, and broke ground on May 14, 2019.

The state-of-the-art complex is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and boasts energyefficient lighting, plumbing and mechanical equipment. SSPRD also worked within Xcel Energy’s design assistance program to ensure equipThe aerial view of the South Suburban Sports Complex facing west toward the mountains.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOUTH SUBURBAN PARKS AND RECREATION

The South Suburban Sports Complex will feature three sheets of ice. The second sheet is pictured here.

The South Suburban Sports Complex gymnasium can be divided into two full-size basketball courts, four junior basketball courts, four volleyball courts or eight pickleball courts.

ment is being used as efficiently as possible.

“Our community spoke, and we listened,” says SSPRD Board Chair Susan Pye. “This is a unique facility that allows South Suburban to expand its recreation programs, leagues and classes to athletes of all ages and abilities.”

The new regional complex features: • A center ice sheet with five locker rooms and seating for 800 spectators; a second sheet with five locker rooms and seating for 220 spectators; a third sheet with five locker rooms • A gymnasium that can be divided into two full-size basketball courts, four junior basketball courts, four volleyball courts or eight pickleball courts • Two indoor synthetic turf fields with dasher board systems • A restaurant and bar with views overlooking the ice sheets • A figure skating room

The South Suburban Sports Complex will house two indoor synthetic turf fields with dasher board systems.

• A dryland training room (office training area) with springboard floor, mirrors and a ballet bar • Concession stands • A pro shop • Party rooms and offices “We’re excited at the opportunity to grow our recreational skating programs with three available sheets of ice,” says SSPRD General Manger of Ice Bill Dobbs. “We currently have the largest skating program in the region, but we are always look-

ing to expand. We are working with USA Hockey on a grow-the-game pilot program, where skaters can try hockey for free. The goal is to make the sport accessible for everyone at a grassroots level.”

To learn more about the South Suburban Sports Complex, visit ssprd.org/sports-complex.

Becky Grubb is the Communications and Marketing Manager at South Suburban Park and Recreation District (bgrubb@ssprd.org).

PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | J A N UA RY 2 02 1 |

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W E A R E P A R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

Announcing the Newly Accredited and Reaccredited CAPRA Agencies

N

RPA and the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) are proud to announce the accreditation of 15 agencies and reaccreditation of 22 agencies. This distinguished accomplishment was awarded during the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. This mark of distinction indicates that an agency has met rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities, resources, programs, safety and services. Congratulations to the following agencies:

Newly Accredited Agencies • Anne* Arundel County, Department of Recreation and Parks, Maryland • City of Deer Park, Parks and Recreation Department, Texas • City of Lancaster’s Quality of Life and Cultural Services Department, Texas • City of Loveland Parks and Recreation, Colorado • City of Plantation Parks and Recreation, Florida • Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, Colorado • DeKalb County Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs, Georgia • Douglasville Parks and Recreation, Georgia • Gilbert Parks and Recreation, Arizona • Grapevine Parks and Recreation, Texas • New Braunfels Parks and Recreation Department, Texas • Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Virginia • Provo Parks and Recreation, Utah 12

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• Reston Community Center, Virginia • Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department, North Carolina

Reaccredited Agencies • Bend Park and Recreation District, Oregon • Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Ohio • City of Bellevue Parks and Community Services, Washington • City of Buckeye Community Services Department, Arizona • City of Golden Parks and Recreation, Colorado • City of St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation Department, Florida • City of Tamarac Parks and Recreation Department, Florida • City of Westerville Parks and Recreation, Ohio • Collier County Parks and Recreation, Florida • Coppell Parks and Recreation, Texas • Durango Parks and Recreation Department, Colorado • Gainesville Parks and Recreation Agency, Georgia

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• Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, North Carolina • Hartford Parks and Recreation, Vermont • Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Maryland • Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, Florida • Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Georgia • Park District of Oak Park, Illinois • Peoria Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department, Arizona • Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation, South Dakota • Town of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation Department, Colorado • Tucson Parks and Recreation Department, Arizona If you are interested in becoming CAPRA accredited, visit nrpa.org/ CAPRA for more information.

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The Latest Park and Recreation News and Trends On the Go

W E A R E P A R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N

2021 NRPA Awards Applications Open January 8

A

pplications open this month for the NRPA Awards. The Innovation Awards showcase the inspiring work P&R agencies do to improve their communities through innovative practices in park design, health and wellness, conservation, and equity.

The Spotlight Awards are presented to P&R professionals, volunteers and advocates to honor their efforts in the field of P&R. Scholarships and Fellowships provide recipients with the opportunity to attend and explore the operation of the field at the NRPA Annual Conference.

Want to learn more about writing an engaging application? Watch the webinar, Taking the Mystery Out of the Innovation and Individual Awards Process (tinyurl.com/ y65x9n85). Visit the awards webpage to get started at nrpa. org/Awards. The deadline to apply is March 26, 2021.

We Are Parks and Recreation: Submit Your Stories

I

f you read the July issue of Parks & Recreation magazine, you saw the stories of many park and recreation professionals from across the country performing essential work in their communities. NRPA wants to continue telling these stories by showcasing the field’s dedicated, selfless individuals.

Seize this opportunity to share your story or your colleague’s story with NRPA. Through the ongoing We Are Parks and Recreation campaign, NRPA is collecting photos and short stories about how a park and recreation professional has impacted you or your community. Nominate yourself or another individual, and NRPA will select nominees to highlight on social media and/or in Parks & Recreation magazine. Share your stories here: bit.ly/3kTY0a9.

If you have questions, please contact NRPA Communications Manager Cort Jones at cjones@nrpa.org.

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Member Benefit: How ePACT Supports Parks and Recreation During COVID-19

A

s we enter 2021, COVID-19 committees, park and recreation programmers, risk managers, and legal and IT staff members will be evaluating where they are and, more importantly, where they go from here. Many NRPA members have implemented new processes, enabling them to run fall and winter programs safely but are constantly tweaking them to align with the new reality. They will be evaluating these program safety measures for spring/summer 2021 to ensure a safe and cost-effective return to regular programming.

Risk Mitigation — Software Is a Viable Option Software expenditure may seem counter-intuitive while budgets are being cut, but it can be the most effective way to reduce risk and save on administrative costs.

Program Safety Is a Priority ePACT has developed a toolkit that streamlines the collection of health and emergency information, enabling you to concentrate on delivering great programs.

ePACT’s Response to COVID-19 At ePACT, we’re proud to be NRPA’s official emergency network provider. Since 2012, ePACT has provided a secure emergency network used by organizations offering recreation programs. Fast forward to 2021 — we continue to support our customers with COVIDspecific enhancements that have helped NRPA member agencies stay open, stay safe and remain able to run programs. With vaccines emerging, ePACT’s vaccination module is ready to help streamline this process as well.

How ePACT supports you We believe that in times like these, the right tools are crucial, and we acknowledge that budget constraints can make this a challenge. To get you the tools you need, we’ve launched the Community Support Program to help overcome any budget obstacles. Find out more at bit.ly/NRPA -CSP. NRPA members can access discounted pricing on ePACT licenses by visiting bit.ly/NRPAdiscount.

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RESEARCH Make Your Voice Heard

By Melissa May

W

hat a year 2020 was. Hope, heartache, uncertainty and resilience was around every corner during these challenging months. The past year demonstrated just how essential parks and recreation is in everybody’s lives, something park and recreation professionals and advocates have always known. As we move forward through the cliché of “the new normal,” how do we keep the public’s attention? How do we recover from budget cuts, downsizing and the myriad of changes that resulted from the pandemic and recession? One way to keep focused and move forward is by embracing data.

While parks and recreation comprises much more than facts and figures, data is at the heart of many of our external services and internal makeup. Is the national median of roughly 10 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents reflected in your community? Is that number even relevant for your community and its unique needs? What are the park and recreation amenities and programming opportunities offered elsewhere in your state or across the nation? What can your team learn from peer agencies to develop or further strengthen programs that promote equity in your community? Are you looking for robust staffing data that you can present 16

Parks & Recreation

to key stakeholders and elected officials? Each of these questions requires data, and that data comes from you.

Countless park and recreation professionals and advocates use the NRPA Agency Performance Review (nrpa.org/APR) to answer these questions and to inform their annual budgets, master plans, department reviews and daily reports.

This review, and the answers therein, is only made possible through contributions to NRPA Park Metrics (nrpa.org/Metrics) by the dedicated professionals at park and recreation agencies across the nation. Your agency’s contribution to NRPA Park Metrics influences the entire profession.

NRPA Park Metrics is the most comprehensive source of park and recreation agency data benchmarks and insights in the United States.

With more than a decade’s worth of agency-contributed data, NRPA Park Metrics strives to provide you and your agency with the information necessary to effectively engage your local stakeholders and elected officials, and to plan for the future.

In just a short amount of time, you and your agency can make a real,

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lasting impact on parks and recreation throughout the country by contributing to NRPA Park Metrics.

Annual participation in NRPA Park Metrics is a habit for many park and recreation professionals and their agencies. It is time for you and your agency to contribute to the discussion and make your voices heard! As a special thank you to agencies that provide their Park Metrics data by January 22, contributors will receive a custom Agency Performance Report, highlighting your agency’s data against the national findings.

Visit the NRPA Park Metrics website and select “Enter Your Agency’s Data” to begin inputting or updating your agency information today. If you need assistance creating an account (for new participating agencies), accessing your agency’s existing account or need further details, contact Melissa May (mmay@nrpa.org). Additionally, Live Chat “Office Hours” will be available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, beginning January 11 until the end of January, directly from the NRPA Park Metrics website (nrpa.org/Metrics).

Data gives us direction — a target for which to strive. Now, more than ever, the public needs parks and recreation. By sharing your agency’s data in Park Metrics, together we can deliver on this promise.

Thank you to those professionals and their agencies that already have submitted their data this season!

Melissa May is NRPA’s Senior Research Manager (mmay@nrpa.org).

NRPA PARK PULSE

Park and Recreation Professionals Provide Important Mentorship to Youth

9 in 10

Nearly U.S. adults say it is important for children and young adults to have access to mentors, including 71% who say it is extremely or very important.

Park and recreation professionals include teachers, coaches, counselors and community leaders who act as mentors by helping to build confidence, encourage positivity and values, empower healthy decision making and provide support.

Gen Xers (79%) and parents (80%) believe it is extremely or very important for children and young adults to have access to mentors.

Each month, through a poll of 1,000 U.S. residents focused on park and recreation issues, NRPA Park Pulse helps tell the park and recreation story. Questions span from the serious to the more lighthearted. The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com).

Visit nrpa.org/ParkPulse for more information.

FINANCE FOR THE FIELD The Partnership Imperative: Differentiating the Provision and the Production Decisions

By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

U

nderstandably, but incorrectly, a popular perception is that government is what it does rather than what it decides. Peter Drucker, who was perhaps the most influential figure in business management thinking in the latter half of the 20th century, was the first to articulate the distinction in one of his many books, The Age of Discontinuity, published in 1969.

In the book, Drucker argues that the decision making and the “doing” roles of government should be differentiated. It is remarkable how infrequently separation of this duality of roles is overtly discussed and how powerful the implications are once their independence is recognized.

The word government is derived from a Greek word, meaning helmsman. The job of a park and recreation manager is to steer the ship, not to man the oars. The first decision is: Should a service be delivered? If the

answer to that question is affirmative, then the second and independent decision is: Who should provide it?

Drucker likens government’s role to that of an orchestra conductor: “The conductor himself does not play an instrument.

He need not even know how to play an instrument. His job is to know the capacity of each instrument and to evoke optimum performance from each.

Instead of being the performer, he has become the conductor.

Instead of doing, he leads.”

Partnerships between P&R agencies and other groups allow agencies to meet policy objectives through supplementing limited resources with resources that partners supply.

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This insight has transformed how park and recreation services have been delivered in the past halfcentury. Partnerships with other public entities, commercial organizations, nonprofits and individual volunteers are now the norm. An agency seeks to meet policy objectives through supplementing its limited resources with resources that partners supply.

One of the striking characteristics of our field is the plethora of organizations that produce recreation services in the public, commercial and nonprofit sectors. Most communities are likely to have entities that, in a defined program area, can offer more financial resources, managerial expertise, technological innovation and business acumen than are available within the park and recreation agency.

Hence, instead of being the first choice for delivering a program, the contemporary model is for agencies to be the option of last resort — directly delivering a program only if there is no viable alternative in a community. With this model, P&R agencies have shifted departments from being primarily sellers of services to being primarily facilitators or buyers of services. Management’s role shifts from operational issues to monitoring the nature and quality of what is delivered.

Three types of benefits may emerge from a partnership, in addition to financial efficiencies. First, efficiencies may occur by removing service duplication or using com-

plementary assets and strengths to jointly deliver a service. Second, stability may be enhanced because future continuation of a service may be more probable when multiple parties make a commitment to it.

Third, enhanced status on one or more of the partners may occur. For example, in communities where there is widespread resentment of government, linking with nonprofit or commercial organizations may enhance a park and recreation agency’s reputation and image.

Illustrating the Service Delivery Options If a policy decision is made that all children in a community should be provided with the opportunity to learn to swim, the second task is to optimize the production options that are available. These may include: • Hiring instructors to teach classes in a recreation department’s own pools • Setting up the learn-to-swim program as an enterprise fund • Contracting with private instructors, YMCA, American Red Cross, a fitness club or another entity to teach classes in the department’s pools • Allowing other organizations to lease space in the city’s pools and to take responsibility for arranging and teaching the classes • Organizing and teaching classes using contracted employees and leasing pool space from a nonprofit organization (e.g., YMCA), a commercial health and fitness club, a motel, a school or some other entity • Permitting nonprofit and commercial organizations to offer classes to the general public, and

subsidizing those children unable to afford the classes

Aligning Goals The first challenge is for partners to understand, reconcile and accept as legitimate their different value systems, constituent expectations, objectives, reward structures and codes of conduct.

The primary goals of recreation departments relate to social outcomes, equity and benefits that are relatively intangible and difficult to measure. A department is likely to be concerned about inclusiveness and serving the most disadvantaged members of the community. Further, they are constrained by bureaucratic procedures that are necessary to ensure accountability for their expenditure of public funds.

In contrast, the goals of business partners focus on the easily measured metric of financial return on investment. This is likely to be best achieved by focusing on narrowly defined, responsive target markets; businesses are relatively flexible with the ability to respond quickly to shifts in the marketplace and new opportunities.

Clearly, there is inherent potential for frustration, friction and conflict between those focusing only on responsive market segments with willingness and ability to pay, and those concerned with equity and social outcomes. As an example, a senior park manager who is experienced in developing partnerships stressed the importance of reconciling these ostensibly antithetical goals before entering into a partnership, says: “The reason to partner is to provide the best delivery option. You want to find a

Partnerships are most likely to flourish in jurisdictions where leadership in the park and recreation department, nonprofit and private sectors is relatively stable, enabling networks of trusting interpersonal relationships to evolve. partner who can complement your strengths and improve on your weaknesses, and every department has both. When partnerships fail, it is often because the parties were too eager to close a deal before they have squared their visions and clearly communicated their goals and expectations to each other.”

There are no generalizable formulas for forging partnerships because personalities, local conditions, state and local enabling laws, community values and other factors vary widely, but the elements of personal relationships, mutual trust and effective communication are common principles that determine the effectiveness of partnerships.

This suggests that partnerships are most likely to flourish in jurisdictions where leadership in the park and recreation department, nonprofit and private sectors is relatively stable, enabling networks of trusting interpersonal relationships to evolve.

John L. Crompton, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor and Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University and an elected Councilmember for the City of College Station (jcrompton@tamu.edu).

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ADVOCACY

The year ahead looks full of opportunity for strong, meaningful and equitable growth.

Looking Ahead to the Federal Opportunities in 2021

By Elvis Cordova

H

appy New Year from NRPA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Team!

In looking back at 2020, we see a year that was filled with adversity, but one that also provided significant triumphs for our field.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, park and recreation departments all over the nation rose to the challenge (tinyurl.com/y4rb79hd) and served as critical community hubs. Additionally, July brought a major policy win with the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act (tinyurl.com/ y4f2n92y), which provided increased, permanent funding for essential park infrastructure. As we look toward 2021, here is what to expect on the policy front.

The unprecedented 2020 election has come and passed. Despite coronavirus (COVID-19) case numbers surging nationwide, it is projected (tinyurl.com/y5rb37v4) that 66.3 percent of eligible voters — more than 150 million people — cast a ballot during this historic election. To avoid long lines and to keep from getting sick, more than 100 million people voted early or by mail (tinyurl.com/y4jgjyyc).

20 Parks & Recreation

A New Year Brings a New Administration On January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden Jr. will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.

He will begin his term working alongside the 117th Congress.

The incoming administration will preside over a nation reeling from the pandemic and experiencing its most intense political divide in decades. President-elect

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Biden hopes to heal the country on both fronts, regardless of political affiliation.

The first agenda item following the inauguration will be passing a comprehensive response package to keep our frontline workers safe and the economy afloat until a vaccine is widely available.

Millions of U.S. residents have been unable to pay their rent, mortgage and utility bills for months due to the pandemic. A major injection of cash is needed to maintain solvency ahead of the expirations of these protections.

The Biden-Harris transition plan calls for massively scaling up COVID-19 testing and replenishing personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as enacting a $25 billion plan to ensure the effective

and equitable distribution of a vaccine (tinyurl.com/y6zkwggc).

We can expect to see this targeted relief to low-income communities and medical supply funding in an initial package.

Once a vaccine is approved for widespread use and the pandemic has an end in sight, the focus on Capitol Hill will shift toward recovery.

There is no better way to get people back to work than to invest in our aging infrastructure. Presidentelect Biden has long made ambitious infrastructure spending a key tenet of his platform — even naming his transition website as buildbackbetter.gov.

Park and recreation departments are well-positioned to make significant contributions to both these response and recovery phases.

The Advocacy Work Ahead As a recovery package is considered down the line, NRPA believes that local parks must be included in discussions about infrastructure. The NRPA report, The Economic Impact of Parks (nrpa.org/EconomicImpact), shows that local and regional parks generate more than $160 billion in economic activity and support more than 1.1 million jobs annually. Local parks also are primed to advance equitable access to public lands and green spaces, particularly in lowincome communities and communities of color. We are firmly committed to ensuring that the numerous benefits of outdoor recreation opportunities are provided to all.

There is also much growing evidence that shows how parks are vital

for confronting the challenges associated with a changing global climate.

The year ahead looks full of opportunity for strong, meaningful and equitable growth. We will work tirelessly to advance the interest of our members and strengthen NRPA’s profile with policymakers in Washington, D.C. Mae Stevens and Charlie Moskowitz were a part of the team that composed this article. Both Stevens and Moskowitz are executive vice presidents at the Signal Group, a full-service public relations and communications firm specializing in government relations, strategic communications, public affairs and digital strategy.

NRPA is a client of the Signal Group.

Elvis Cordova is NRPA’s Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy (ecordova@nrpa.org).

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

NRPA programmed specific sessions for this year’s virtual conference, NRPA Virtual, regarding how park and recreation professionals can play a role in the mental health and well-being of their communities.

Health and Wellness: Top of Mind During NRPA Virtual

By Lauren Kiefert

T

he 2020 NRPA Annual Conference looked very different compared to past years. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the majority of our daily lives — with our new normal consisting of virtual learning, video chatting, teleworking and physical distancing. With these changes come challenges, often in the form of isolation, and feelings of depression and sadness, anxiety and worry, and more. With more and more restrictions and no clear end in sight, it’s no surprise that mental health has become a large focus.

NRPA recognized this challenge and intentionally programmed specific sessions for this year’s virtual conference, NRPA Virtual, regarding how park and recreation professionals can play a role in the mental health and well-being of their community.

Supporting Children’s Mental and Physical Health It’s a “new day” for learning, from staggered schedules to hybrid 22 Parks & Recreation

learning and virtual education. The Afterschool Alliance (afterschool alliance.org) and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG) (healthiergeneration.org) shared an easy-to-use blueprint to help recreation agencies support the social, emotional and academic development of children. The speakers also provided ideas for supportive community partnerships and tangible resources that can be

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shared with staff and caregivers.

The Blueprint for How Afterschool Programs and Community Partners Can Help (tinyurl.com/ y4cjm2tx) is broken into five main building blocks, with equity embedded into each category: 1. School-Community Partnerships 2. Commitment to Active and Engaged Learning 3. Family Engagement 4. Intentional Programming 5. Health and Well-Being Resources also were shared to help support all aspects of health and well-being during times of uncertainty and change: • NRPA’s Commit to Health campaign (nrpa.org/CommitToHealth) • Afterschool Alliance’s Protective factor issue brief (tinyurl.com/

y2ozjljh) • AHG’s Self-Care Sunday video series (tinyurl.com/y6z7e9dl) • NRPA’s vision for parks and recreation as community nutrition hubs (tinyurl.com/yx8qvyk2) • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Healthy at Home initiative (tinyurl.com/yyjn7tzn) • Greater Good Science Center’s mindfulness exercises: Loving Kindness Meditation (tinyurl. com/ybub3qao)

A Comprehensive Response to the Substance Use Crisis NRPA has been monitoring the opioid epidemic’s impact on P&R professionals and the communities they serve. In response, NRPA created a Community of Practice (CoP) that specifically addresses substance use.

The CoP examined two main categories specific to parks: (1) prevention and (2) operations/facility management; the CoP developed a summary report (tinyurl.com/yyezy37c) highlighting overarching themes and lessons learned, data collected from agencies, future recommendations, and case studies exemplifying various response strategies.

Response strategies specific to parks and recreation are grouped into three categories: 1. Responding to substance use in parks and recreation 2. Supporting community members impacted by substance use 3. Focusing efforts using a prevention lens

Why Parks and Recreation Are Key Factors in the Support of Mental Health Initiatives Mental health issues throughout

the United States continue to rise.

The park and recreation field can offer services and support for those experiencing challenges. This session provided an overview about the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) (nami.org) and its efforts in providing resources and support nationwide. Best practices for developing partnerships and supporting emotional, physical and mental health of community members also were shared.

• Partnership Building and Incentive-Based Approach: Washington state is working on a Park Rx pilot program, testing an incentive-based approach to connect public health, parks and recreation, and medical insurance providers. In theory, an agency, state healthcare provider and an insurer will be connected and develop agreements, enabling insurers to offer employees incentives for participating in a wellness program. Employees would receive discounts on health insurance in exchange for outdoor park and recreation use and physical activity.

• Mental Health and Self-Care Walks: Stark County Parks in Ohio is partnering with county mental health, addiction and recovery services to offer one-mile walks on different types of surfaces and in various habitats, while incorporating activities related to mental health and self-care, such as 10 strategies that promote relaxation, focus, awareness, reflection, presence, etc.

• Crisis Support and Trauma: Chicago Park District created a crisis support manager position to assist staff during and/or after a crisis or traumatic event, while also providing proactive training

and support tools to employees.

The park district also has helped the city become trauma and mental health-informed by partnering with NAMI to offer various trainings and workshops.

Physically Distant, Socially Connected The goal of this session was to inspire and educate park and recreation professionals during COVID-19 with ways to connect through virtual recreation options serving youth and adults with disabilities. Staff from Seattle (Washington) Parks and Recreation examined successful virtual recreation trends and strategies to plan for future shifts in an increasingly unpredictable time. Creative solutions to combat barriers to technology access also were shared.

Many people with developmental disabilities have lost access to caregivers and service. This includes reduced access to schooling and therapies, changes to transportation arrangements, and lack of access to personal protective equipment (PPE). To combat this, Seattle Parks and Recreation created various ways to continue providing support and connection in a more virtual and physically distant manner, while also proving how essential parks and recreation truly are: 1. Created mass mailings for program participants and included independent activities, arts, crafts, exercises, recipes, etc.

2. Used social media more intentionally 3. Created a video library and various campaigns and initiatives to continue providing recreational services to the community Lauren Kiefert is a Program Specialist at NRPA (lkiefert@nrpa.org).

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EQUITY

Park and recreation professionals and agencies can play a major role in ensuring that girls have equitable access to sports opportunities.

Making Community Youth Sports Fair and Accessible for Girls, Once and for All

By Kim Turner, J.D.

N

ationwide there continues to be an enormous amount of gender inequity among competitive youth sports programming hosted by park and recreation departments and programming enabled through public department facilities and resources. For your offerings, it’s important to ask the following: • How many girls are getting the chance to practice and play youth sports compared to boys?

• What resources are girls’ teams and girls’ leagues getting compared to boys’ teams/leagues?

• If you’re running co-ed programs, are girls a small percentage of those programs? Is co-ed play working for girls, or would they prefer all girls’ teams as well?

• What are girls’ experiences overall?

Are they getting equal treatment and benefits compared to the boys?

Over the past nearly 20 years of

24 Parks & Recreation

our Fair Play for Girls in Sports project, we have found that girls are getting far too few sports opportunities in leagues and teams run or facilitated by P&R departments across the country. In particular, low-income girls of color lack opportunity, access and equity. In one study we conducted, California park and recreation departments reported girls receiving just one-third of the sports opportunities despite girls’ strong interest in playing sports in greater numbers.

The girls who are playing sports face a host of inequities, including:

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• Second-rate facilities, such as girls’ teams using shared community fields, while boys’ teams have lengthy leases on premier fields • Fewer and less experienced coaches • Less practice and game time on shared facilities — girls’ teams and leagues get inconvenient time slots or unlighted facilities restricting nighttime play • Publicity, banners and social media feature few, if any, girls, which suppresses girls’ sign-ups and interest • Budget inequities with girls’ teams and leagues having to pay to use public space, whereas boys’ teams have free or low-cost land arrangements In addition to all the health bene-

fits of athletics, girls who play sports graduate at higher rates from high school and college. Also, laws modeled after the federal Title IX statute requiring gender equity in publicly funded school sports across the country — like California’s AB 2404 (2004) and Washington state’s Fair Play in Community Sports Act (2009) — mandate gender equity in community youth sports in addition to other local, state and federal obligations potentially applicable in your area. Most importantly, creating gender equity in youth sports is the right thing to do.

Five Keys for Ensuring Gender Equity Here are five key tips for jumpstarting gender equity in your sports programs:

1

Count the girls by auditing your department’s programs, including third-party leagues. How many opportunities are girls getting? If it is not comparable to the percentage of female youth residents, increase opportunities. Survey girls regarding what they want to play and learn what barriers exist.

Assess the amenities of girls’ teams, leagues and player experiences, such as facilities, coaching, budget and advertising, and make adjustments to fix any inequities.

Recruit and elevate female coaches and administrator role models. Ensuring girls have great female “influencers” helps them “see it, to be it.”

Feature girls in advertising and social media; host women’s

2 3

4

sports watch parties and celebrate your area’s female athletes of all ages.

Regularly convene a resourced and supported task force of girls’ teams and leagues to find out how and what they need to grow.

All departments and the thirdparty leagues they host can be gender equitable to ensure all girls can get into the game. Visit fairplayfor girlsinsports.org for more information and to download a model girls’ sports interest survey.

Note, this article does not contain legal advice. Please contact an attorney should you need a legal consult regarding gender inequity in sports.

5

Kim Turner, J.D., is a Senior Staff Attorney and Director of the Fair Play for Girls in Sports project of Legal Aid at Work, and serves as a Youth Coach in her local community sports programming (kturner@legalaidatwork.org).

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CONSERVATION

Park natural areas provide people with space to take part in passive recreation, which has become increasingly important during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

COVID-19 Is Prompting Changes to Conservation

By Kelli Ondracek

T

he coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the operations of parks and recreation departments throughout the country, often resulting in canceled or scaled-back sports programming and community center closures. Since the issuing of the stay-home-work-safe order in April 2020, the city of Houston, Texas, has seen markedly more use of its nature spaces. In particular, there has been a significant increase in the use of park-trail systems in the city, as people have sought activities in which they can get out of the house while still keeping themselves safe through physical distancing.

Within the past several years, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) began devoting more resources to the preservation of natural areas. This shift in emphasis is due in part to the multiple catastrophic flooding events that have

26 Parks & Recreation

impacted the region, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which inflicted more than $1.25 billion in damage. Park natural areas provide a host of benefits for the Houston area: the trees store carbon, the vegetation captures sediment and filters pollutants, the

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roots of trees and grasses prevent erosion along waterways, the soil and plants absorb floodwaters, and the diverse mix of flora support native wildlife. Under current COVID-19 restrictions, park officials also are beginning to recognize the importance of these areas for the passive recreation opportunities they provide.

Nature Preserve Ordinance Although it doesn’t appear this way today, Houston was once full of vast open spaces covered in coastal prairie habitat with thick forests lining its numerous bayou systems.

It remains one of the most biodi-

verse regions in the country with the merging of coastal wetland marsh, coastal prairie, riparian forest and piney woods. But Houston is also a growing city and its remaining natural habitats, now only present in patches throughout the city, experience increasing threats from development. HPARD aims to permanently preserve the remaining large areas of habitat in city parks through a Nature Preserve Ordinance focused on preventing development in more than 7,500 acres of parkland.

Under the ordinance, outdoor activities in the affected park areas will be restricted to passive recreation, such as hiking and birdwatching, and amenities will be limited to trails, benches, signs and bird-friendly lighting. Existing and future sports fields, parking lots and buildings will only be erected in specific sections of the affected parks and excluded within the nature preserve boundaries of the ordinance. Of the 380 parks in the city’s portfolio, 26 have been identified for protection. Although the park number seems low, preservation acres total more than 20 percent of the total parkland for the city of Houston. Of the targeted parks, approximately 75 percent of each park will fall within the nature preserve designation, and the remaining 25 percent will be available for active recreation amenities.

However, land preservation is just the beginning of Houston’s conservation efforts. Research conducted in some of the city’s forested areas have shown that approximately 40 percent of vegetation is filled with harmful invasive species, such as Chinese tallow.

Therefore, each nature preserve will have a management plan that outlines specific habitat goals and plans for improvement. Additionally, Houston’s tree protection ordinance is currently undergoing a revision: To deter the planting of less desirable species that may become a problem to natural areas in the future, the city is developing a new all-native tree list that will help support the establishment of species native to Houston and its surrounding counties.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, HPARD’s motivation for land preservation focused on the unseen benefits that nature can provide. Now that HPARD is witnessing a surge in use of natural areas, it is apparent that the recreation aspect is vitally important to park visitors. HPARD is currently mapping all nature trails throughout its park system and creating online trail maps to guide visitors through some of its large, forested parks. In the past, HPARD has chosen not to actively assist visitors in navigating these big, wooded areas:

encouraging people to enter and explore them seemed irresponsible and potentially unsafe. But now HPARD has realized that nature trails allow park visitors to experience the outdoors in a safe but enjoyable way.

Making an Impact With a goal to present the Nature Preserve Ordinance to council before the end of the year, Houston has the opportunity to take the lead in urban conservation with the city’s parks department stepping to the forefront. Supported by an inclusion in the Mayor’s Resilient Houston Plan and Houston Climate Action Plan released earlier this year, this ordinance will have a huge impact on Houston’s residents, both people and wildlife, and offer Houstonians a safe opportunity to enjoy these beautiful nature spaces that dot the southeast Texas landscape, home to thefourth-largest city in the country.

Kelli Ondracek is Natural Resources Manager for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (kelli.ondracek@houstontx.gov).

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L AW R EV I EW

In the case of Martin v. Warren, Plaintiffs petitioned the federal district court to issue a preliminary injunction declaring an Emergency Order restricting gatherings a violation of their First Amendment rights.

COVID-19 Emergency Order Regulated Park Protest

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

I

n the case of Martin v. Warren, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 154979 (8/26/2020), the federal district court considered a constitutional challenge to an Emergency Order issued by the Mayor of Rochester, New York, Lovely Warren. The Emergency Order restricted gatherings of more than four persons outdoors and more than nine persons indoors in the City of Rochester between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Mayor Warren purportedly issued the Emergency Order to combat two evils: A failure by citizens during the overnight hours to observe practices required to prevent the spread of [the coronavirus] (COVID-19); and, a simultaneous increase in gun violence during the overnight hours at large social gatherings in the City.

In their lawsuit, Plaintiffs petitioned the federal district court to issue a preliminary injunction

28 Parks & Recreation

declaring the Emergency Order unconstitutional on its face and as applied, in violation of the First Amendment.

To obtain a preliminary injunction that would temporarily block enforcement of the Emergency Order, Plaintiffs would have to show that “they have suffered irreparable harm, that they have a likelihood of success on the merits

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in trial, that the balance of equities tips in their favor, and that an injunction is in the public interest.”

In this case, Plaintiffs claimed they would suffer irreparable harm if the court did not grant them a preliminary injunction because “the loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time, unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury.”

Plaintiffs further contended that an injunction would be in the public interest, since “the constitutional rights of protesters, legal observers and journalists” are important to the public. In addition, Plaintiffs maintained that they had “raised serious First Amendment questions,” and that the balance of

hardships, therefore, “tips sharply in their favor.”

While violations of First Amendment rights are commonly considered irreparable injuries for the purposes of a preliminary injunction, governmental policies implemented through legislation or regulations processes are entitled to a higher degree of deference and should not be enjoined lightly by the federal courts. The government, however, has the ultimate burden to prove that the regulation is constitutional.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park Night Protest In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, various governmental agencies attempted to stop, or at least slow, the spread of the virus.

To respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, the State of New York took a number of unprecedented and controversial measures. On March 7, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued Executive Order 202, which declared a disaster emergency in New York. Thereafter, as the crisis unfolded, Governor Cuomo issued an additional 55 Executive Orders related to the disaster emergency. Among other things, those Executive Orders implemented strict physical distancing and face covering requirements, which resulted in New York’s positive case rate declining dramatically.

In mid-May, the State of New York and the Rochester region began to reopen with caveats from local governmental leaders and public health officials that failure to continue to abide by physical distancing and mask-wearing require

ments could result in increased transmission of the virus.

Defendant, Mayor Warren, contended that despite these warnings, and despite additional warnings from the Monroe County Health Department, people in the City of Rochester continued to gather in large numbers, both indoors and outdoors, and without proper physical distancing, driving up positive case numbers, particularly amongst younger people. In addition, Mayor Warren maintained these large social gatherings occurred mainly late at night. Further, Mayor Warren claimed that these large, latenight social gatherings were occasions for the spread of COVID-19.

Since the end of May 2020, there had been weekly protests and actions throughout the City of Rochester, ranging in size from a few dozen people to thousands. These protests have occurred throughout Rochester and are often centered in Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park (MLK Park).

In response, Mayor Warren issued a Local Emergency Order on July 15, 2020, which stated in pertinent part: between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., it shall be unlawful to gather in groups of five or more in a public place in the City of Rochester. For purposes of this clause, a public place includes any outdoor premises or other area that is open to the public, including but not limited to streets, sidewalks, parks, parking lots, vacant lots and any unused or unimproved land. Violation of this clause shall be a class B misdemeanor....

Mayor Warren’s purported justifications for the Emergency Order was to protect public safety, specif-

ically to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and, according to the mayor, to quell a surge in violence in the City of Rochester. The initial Emergency Order indicated that it would remain in effect for five days.

Subsequently, the mayor reissued the order each time it expired.

In reaction to the mayor’s action, on the late evening of July 15, 2020, and early morning hours of July 16, 2020, individuals gathered in MLK Park, specifically to protest the Emergency Order. The protest began around 11 p.m. in MLK Park. Several organizers made speeches explaining why Mayor Warren’s Emergency Order violated the First Amendment and would be “enforced in a discriminatory manner.”

At approximately 1:30 a.m. on July 16, after the protest had been proceeding for approximately 2.5 hours, the Rochester Police Department (RPD) officers informed the protesters several times that they were violating the Emergency Order and had to disperse or else they would be arrested.

At approximately 1:40 a.m., after repeatedly issuing such warnings, the RPD officers began arresting protesters. At approximately 2:16 a.m., officers issued additional warnings to the remaining protesters that they would be arrested if they did not disperse. Ultimately, officers arrested thirty (30) protesters who had remained gathered in the Park, twenty-seven (27) of whom were Caucasian, according to RPD. Those arrested were transferred to the Public Safety Building in vans, processed and released with appearance tickets.

On July 24, 2020, Plaintiffs brought a lawsuit in federal district

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L AW R EV I EW

court, alleging that Mayor Warren’s issuance of the Emergency Order violated their federal constitutional rights, in particular Plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights of “Freedom of Speech, Peaceful Assembly, the Press and the Right to Petition the Government for Redress of Grievances.” In so doing, Plaintiffs claimed there was “no significant governmental interest behind the Emergency Order” and the Emergency Order was an unnecessary and disingenuous enactment. Further, Plaintiffs asserted there was no public health justification for the mayor’s Emergency Order.

Plaintiffs also contended Mayor Warren’s true purpose in issuing the Emergency Order could not have been to stop the spread of COVID-19 because the RPD officers who arrested protesters on July 16 failed to observe protocols to prevent the transmission of the disease, resulting in one protester contracting COVID-19. Moreover, Plaintiffs claimed the Emergency Order was unnecessary because there were “already laws on the books which the police could utilize to disperse groups of people gathered improperly in public places.”

On August 4, 2020, Plaintiffs brought a motion before the federal district court, requesting a preliminary injunction to prevent enforcement of what Plaintiffs described as the “curfew portion” of the Emergency Order. In so doing, Plaintiffs contended that they were “entitled to heightened First Amendment protection” because the challenged provisions have the effect of preventing them from protesting in public parks and on public streets and sidewalks, which 30 Parks & Recreation

are “traditional public forums that are entitled to heightened First Amendment protection.”

but maintained it was “not narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest.”

First Amendment Regulations

Narrowly Tailored

As cited by the federal district court, the Supreme Court has applied the following legal standard to “governmental regulation of the time, place, or manner of protected speech”: even in a public forum the government may impose reasonable restrictions on the time, place, or manner of protected speech, provided the restrictions are [1] justified without reference to the content of the regulated speech, that they are [2] narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest, and that they [3] leave open ample alternative channels for communication of the information.

Content Neutral In determining “content neutrality” in “time, place and manner,” the federal district court would consider “whether the government has adopted a regulation of speech because of disagreement with the message it conveys”: The government’s purpose is the controlling consideration. A regulation that serves purposes unrelated to the content of expression is deemed neutral, even if it has an incidental effect on some speakers or messages but not others. Government regulation of expressive activity is content neutral so long as it is justified without reference to the content of the regulated speech.

In this particular instance, Plaintiffs had conceded that the Emergency Order was “content neutral,”

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Regarding the constitutional requirement of “narrow tailoring,” Plaintiffs claimed the Emergency Order was “overbroad since it is more restrictive than necessary to achieve the mayor’s stated purposes and will prohibit outdoor group First Amendment expressions such as protests, and indoor group First Amendment expressions such as religious services and gatherings to discuss political events.”

In determining whether a governmental restriction on the time, place and manner of protected speech is narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest, the federal district court would not require “the least intrusive means of doing so.” On the contrary, the constitutional requirement of narrow tailoring would be satisfied, “so long as the regulation promotes a substantial government interest that would be achieved less effectively absent the regulation.”

Further, the federal district court acknowledged that a “regulation will not be invalid simply because a court concludes that the government’s interest could be adequately served by some less-speech-restrictive alternative.” As noted by the court: “The validity of time, place, or manner regulations does not turn on a judge’s agreement with the responsible [decision-maker] concerning the most appropriate method for promoting significant government interests or the degree to which those interests should be promoted.”

In meeting the constitutional requirement of narrow tailoring, the federal district court further noted: “the government must demonstrate that alternative measures that burden substantially less speech would fail to achieve the government’s interests, not simply that the chosen route is easier.”

In this case, Plaintiffs had contended that the Emergency Order was not narrowly tailored to the mayor’s interests because it was “more restrictive than necessary and regulates expression in such a manner that a substantial portion of the burden on speech does not serve to advance its goals.” In particular, Plaintiffs argued, “the order disproportionately impacts First Amendment rights and fails to include any exception for First Amendment activities.”

In response, Defendants rejected the notion that the Emergency Order was too restrictive. On the contrary, Defendants argued that “the order easily meets the narrow tailoring requirement and are not a substantial burden on speech.” Under the order, Defendants maintained: “people are free to come and go, to do and say what they wish, at all hours, so long as they do so in groups of less than five when out in a public place, and less than ten when indoors.”

Since the executive order was issued to address the serious threat posed by COVID-19, the federal district court indicated it would “view the constitutionality of the executive order through the lens of the Supreme Court’s ruling which had held a community has the right to protect itself against an epidemic of disease which threatens its members.” Moreover, in the face of such an epidemic, the federal district court acknowledged the scope of judicial review was quite limited in reviewing the constitutionality of a public health regulation: judicial scrutiny should be reserved for a regulation that has no real or substantial relation to the object of protecting the public health, the public morals, or the public safety, or is beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law...

A court would usurp the functions of another branch of government if it adjudged, as matter of law, that the mode adopted under the sanction of the state, to protect the people at large was arbitrary, and not justified by the necessities of the case.

In this particular instance, the federal district court found “no evidence to suggest that the City has misunderstood the dangers of person-to-person spread of COVID-19.” Moreover, “since COVID-19 can be

spread just as easily at a peaceful protest as it can be at other types of gatherings,” the federal district court rejected Plaintiffs’ contention that “the lack of any exception in the Emergency Order for First Amendment activities renders the order unconstitutional.”

As a result, given the limited scope of appropriate judicial review, the court would not “second guess the City’s measure that clearly seeks to mitigate this risk”; i.e., the mayor’s decision to limit gatherings in the manner contained in the Emergency Order. The federal district court, therefore, held the Emergency Order was “narrowly tailored” to promote a substantial government interest to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Alternative Channels of Communication Plaintiffs further contended the Emergency Order failed to “leave open adequate alternative channels of communication.” In so doing, Plaintiffs acknowledged the Emergency Order only applied from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., leaving them 18 hours per day in which to

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hold protests during the morning, afternoon and evening. Plaintiffs, however, argued this timeframe did not necessarily mean that they had “adequate alternative opportunities to hold protests, since some group First Amendment expressions need to take place at night to have their intended effect.” As characterized

by Plaintiffs, “certain types of protected First Amendment activities, such as outdoor protests, religious services and political gatherings, need to occur specifically at night.”

Further, in challenging the constitutionality of the Emergency Order, Plaintiffs claimed it made no sense to ban nighttime outdoor gatherings of more than four persons, while allowing up to nine persons to gather indoors generally.

According to Plaintiffs, scientific evidence indicated COVID-19 was less likely to be transmitted outdoors than indoors.

Defendants, however, did not make any claim regarding the indoor versus outdoor transmission of COVID-19. While acknowledging that “persons can catch COVID-19 at any time of the day,” Defendants maintained “the specific problem that the mayor was attempting to solve — large gatherings at which people were not observing safety protocols — was occurring primarily if not exclusively at night.”

Moreover, when the weather started to warm, people were reportedly gathering in public without engaging in proper physical distancing and face covering. Many of these gatherings were occurring primarily during the late-night and early morning hours, increasing the risk of transmission and community spread of the virus. As a result, due to the lack of lighting at night, 32 Parks & Recreation

it became increasingly difficult for RPD patrols to observe whether persons at these gatherings were wearing masks and practicing physical distancing.

Under these circumstances, the federal district court concluded Defendants had adequately shown that the Emergency Order was justified by a significant governmental interest in stopping the spread of COVID-19: With regard to the problem of the spread of COVID-19 at latenight gatherings, Defendants have shown that COVID-19 is a serious problem in the State of New York, to put it mildly; that Rochester’s own infection and fatality rates parallel those of the state as a whole that health professionals attribute a rise of cases in other states to a general failure to engage in social distancing and mask-wearing, particularly among younger people.

In addition, the court noted that the Emergency Order had “otherwise proved effective in both enforcing social distancing and reducing the victims of gun violence by avoiding large gatherings.”

While acknowledging “an alternative channel for communication must be available,” the federal district court found it “clear that the First Amendment does not guarantee protesters access to every or even the best channels or locations for their expression”: The requirement that ample alternative channels exist does not imply that alternative channels must be perfect substitutes for those channels denied to plaintiffs by the regulation at hand; indeed, were we to interpret the requirement in this way, no alternative channels could

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ever be deemed ‘ample.’ All that is required is that an alternative channel be ample — i.e., an ‘adequate’ channel for communication.

In this particular instance, the court found Plaintiffs had alternative channels for communication because “the Emergency Order is neither a categorical ban nor a curfew.”

On the contrary, the court noted the Emergency Order would still allow “individuals and smaller groups of persons free to engage in First Amendment activities during the overnight hours.” Moreover, during the hours from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., the court found the Emergency Order did not “restrict any individual’s freedom of expression or freedom of movement.” Instead, as noted by the court, the Emergency Order “only temporarily restricts [an] individual’s ability to engage in activities with groups larger than four persons outdoors or with groups larger than nine persons indoors.” The court also noted Plaintiffs still had 18 hours per day to conduct protests larger than those permitted by the Emergency Order.

Unconstitutionally Vague Plaintiffs also had challenged the constitutionality of the Emergency Order as “impermissibly vague.”

Specifically, Plaintiffs alleged it was not clear what constituted a “group” under the Emergency Order: Here, the Curfew is unconstitutionally vague because it provides no guidance on what constitutes ‘a group of five or more’ people in a public place, or a ‘group of ten or more unrelated individuals ... inside of any location or premises.’

As cited by the federal district court, “the Supreme Court has held a statute or policy is unconstitution-

ally vague if people of common intelligence must guess at its meaning and may differ as to its application”: Basic principles of due process assure that punishment should be imposed only if the defendant could reasonably be expected to have known that his conduct was proscribed. Additionally, in order to prevent arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement, a law must provide sufficient standards to guide its application.

Moreover, “where a statute’s literal scope is capable of reaching expression sheltered by the First Amendment,” the court acknowledged that “this doctrine demands a greater degree of specificity than in other contexts.”

In support of their vagueness ar-

gument, the court noted: “Plaintiffs had attempted to show that one of the protesters on July 16, 2020 was confused about the meaning of the word ‘group’ in the Emergency Order.” Moreover, Plaintiffs claimed the Emergency Order was unconstitutionally vague because it did not state how closely together the five or more individuals must be standing in order to be considered a “group of five or more” people in a public place. Six feet? Ten feet? Twenty feet?

The federal district court rejected Plaintiffs’ argument. In so doing, the court found the term “group” as used in the Emergency Order was “clear and unambiguous, and that the order provides people of common intelligence with clear notice of what is prohibited.”

Conclusion As a result, the federal district court found the Emergency Order was a constitutional time, place and manner restriction on Plaintiffs’ First Amendment activities. The federal district court, therefore, denied Plaintiffs’ application for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the order.

In so doing, the federal district effectively endorsed Defendants’ position that “these extraordinary times” warranted “additional leeway” be given to Mayor Warren to take reasonable measures to protect public safety and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., is an Attorney and Associate Professor in the School of Sport, Recreation and Tourism Management at George Mason University (jkozlows@gmu.edu).

Webpage with link to law review articles archive (1982 to present): mason.gmu.edu/~jkozlows.

THANK YOU CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS We would like to thank the generous sponsors and champions of the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience.

The early commitment and investment of the companies listed below in NRPA’s first-ever virtual conference ensures that our park and recreation professionals can continue to learn, explore and share ideas.

NPRA extends our utmost appreciation to the 2020 NRPA Virtual Champions. Your trust in our work and your partnership are essential and greatly appreciated. We couldn’t have done it without you!

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TOP

The world of parks and recreation has been upended by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and park and recreation professionals have had to adapt ever since.

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TRENDS in Parks and Recreation 2021 An analysis of the key topics and predictions that may impact the park and recreation field this year

By Richard J. Dolesh

I

t is time for the annual rundown of the top trends in park and recreation predictions. Eagerly awaited and sought after, these predictions stimulate the anticipatory senses and offer a respite from the winter blues.

However, we must acknowledge that things are much different this year. The world of parks and recreation has been upended by the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic. In March of 2020, we were looking toward a spring season that was bright with promise and rich with the possibilities of time spent enjoying our nation’s parks and recreation resources. But COVID-19 changed many things, and we have had to adapt ever since. The recent approval of multiple vaccines, however, offers the hope that we can put this dark winter behind us.

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All Those Changes Caused by the Pandemic? They Are Here to Stay COVID-19 has affected nearly everything we do in parks and recreation, and the effects will reverberate for a long time after we have defeated the virus. Changes to work programs, such as working remotely as a standard practice; participating in virtual learning, training and meetings; and contactless transactions will continue post pandemic. In addition, many societal, economic and transportation system changes likely are here to stay as well, says David Rouse, an urban planning expert and former research director for the American Planning Association. These include disruptive effects from changing economic conditions, increasing social inequality from the digital divide, diminished use of mass transit systems; changing land-use patterns and the decline of brick-and-mortar businesses.

“On the positive side, I think that the renewed interest in parks, trails and walkable environments will remain strong,” says Rouse.

Tantalizingly, urban land-use patterns that already were changing — such as the expansion of pedestrian spaces in dense urban areas, the expansion of outdoor dining on urban streets, the conversion of streets to bike lanes and trails, and the installation of “parklets” in parking spaces

PREDICTION: The 10 largest cities in the United States will reclaim even more usable public space in dense urban areas by reducing lanes for vehicular travel, expanding pedestrian plazas and converting former travel corridors to new linear urban parks.

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and former travel lanes — have opened all kinds of possibilities for wholly new types of urban parks.

Operations, Management and Budgets Unfortunately, the depressed economic conditions caused by the pandemic will hit the budgets of states and localities with a triple whammy. As local and state tax revenues from income taxes and sales taxes continue to decline sharply, the costs of responding to the pandemic will continue to rise.

Despite the crushing pressures that could lead to severe budget cuts and layoffs, meaningful financial help from the federal government may be extremely limited.

PREDICTION: Without robust federal help, one-third of all park and recreation budgets will face cuts of 25 percent or more in their fiscal year 2021–2022 budgets, and substantial cuts in fiscal year 2022– 2023 budgets. Absent adequate federal assistance, the coming budget cuts will be shocking and likely will exceed those from the Great Recession of 2007–2009.

Stronger Orientation Toward Health Equity and Social Services One of the strongest emerging trends for 2021 is the focus on health and health equity. This movement toward health and well-being has been magnified by COVID-19, but it will continue well beyond the pandemic, and will intertwine with a greater focus on meeting the social needs of communities. Recent NRPA Parks Snapshot surveys have shown that up to 60 percent of agencies are supporting food distribution, food pan-

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tries, COVID-19 testing, daycare for children of essential workers and first responders, and safe places for learning.

“Parks and recreation will play a greater role in supporting mental health and well-being, amplifying recent efforts to address trauma and substance use disorders,” says Allison Colman, NRPA’s director of health. The skyrocketing rates of social isolation and loneliness will call for a more holistic focus on well-being, and access to parks and green space. This will lead to greater cross-sector partnerships with public health departments, school systems and social service agencies.

“A part of our community was identified as a food desert and a food swamp (because of the prevalence of fast food outlets),” says Theresa Neumann, recreation supervisor for the city of Kerman, California, about why she and her park and recreation staff became involved in nutrition assistance. Rene Duarte-Cifuentes, health education specialist for the Fresno County (California) Department of Public Health, agrees that it makes perfect sense for the county health department to work with their park and recreation counterpart.

“Parks and recreation is already established in the community, and they have a high degree of trust from members of the community. This is a great partnership," says DuarteCifuentes.

Lydia Escobedo, a certified health coach, toddler program supervisor and NRPA nutrition grant coordinator for Asheville (North Carolina) Parks and Recreation Department, says the majority of kids at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center and in afterschool programs are on food assistance in the middle of a food desert. “If we do not also im-

prove nutrition for our kids, we are not seeing the whole picture. We are health and wellness advocates. I believe that is what parks and rec is all about,” says Escobedo.

Park and recreation departments will do more to address social and racial equality and disparities in providing services to the public in the coming year. Inevitably, this also will accelerate a transformation of the park and recreation workforce with the hiring of health, equity, traumainformed and community engagement specialists.

PREDICTION: At least 10 agencies will publicly acknowledge the impacts of how disparities in the provision of park and recreation services have been affected by systemic social inequities, racial injustice and environmental inequalities.

Demonstrated positive actions to correct these historic inequities will be part of the measure of reversing these trends.

Technology’s Impact and Big Questions about Data Privacy During the Consumer Electronics Show 2020, a company introduced an autonomous security system complete with ground-mounted motion and vibration sensors and autonomous drones that periodically fly the monitored property.

The drones read the landscape and provide livestream video of the area surveilled. The system “learns and reacts to its surroundings,” says the company. Could this type of security monitoring soon be coming to parks?

There is no question that technology massively affects how parks and recreation does business, interfaces with the public, maintains parks and manages data. Park and

Park and recreation administrators are starting to ask, “What data are we collecting on our patrons, what are we doing with it, and how secure is it?”

recreation systems are embracing new technologies, such as robotic cleaning systems, self-maintained toilets, line-painting vehicles, autonomous mowing equipment and semi-autonomous drones for a variety of tasks. As cities are becoming smarter, so are parks. Patrons expect quality Wi-Fi access in parks, and appreciate access to charging stations and downloadable content such as augmented-reality walks, games and exhibits.

One aspect of a greater embrace of technology that will crash into our consciousness in the coming year is data privacy. Park and recreation agencies collect a surprising amount of data from patrons, including financial data from credit cards for programs and user fees; biometric data from fingerprints, photos and facial recognition software; and personally identifiable medical data from temperature scans, personal profiles and medical histories provided for sports and outdoor adventure programs. Taken by itself, such data capture may not raise much concern, but this highly personal data now can be linked to a patron’s location through a variety of embedded apps on a cellphone, apps that may not even let you know they are collecting your location at all times, much less asking for your permission to collect such data.

In an interview with CNN Business in April 2020 (tinyurl.com/ y5ll927n), Josh Anton, founder and CEO of X-Mode, a data location company, said that his company presently tracks 25 million cellphones through software development kits (SDKs), which are embedded in about 400 apps, some as innocuous as a storm tracking app, a Craigslist app, and even a ‘leveling’ app that enables you to use your cellphone to install level shelves in your home.

The dots already are connecting to parks and recreation. A large urban park and recreation agency in the Midwest working with a university researcher was interested in where and when people were using various amenities in their parks. The researcher found that app data from cellphones could be easily obtained to show where people are and how long they stay in each park location.

Taking it only a short step further, when no movement is detected overnight, it is logical to assume that the cellphone is in the owner’s home. Overlaying this with geographic information system (GIS) information and other publicly available data can associate phones with specific addresses, where individuals have been, and even what they are doing in real time.

There will be a trend to use this

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TRENDS

data. Park and recreation administrators are starting to ask — and if they aren’t, they should be — what data are we collecting on our patrons, what are we doing with it, and how secure is it?

PREDICTION: In 2021, more than one agency will begin to track and identify the movement and location of park patrons through personal data obtained through apps on cellphones.

BONUS PREDICTION: In 2021, critical operational data and personal financial data of patrons of one or more park and recreation agencies will be compromised in a ransomware attack or other data breach incident.

Accelerating Impacts of Climate Change By mid-October 2020, the daytime temperature in the city of Phoenix, Arizona, exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit on more than half the days during that year.

Not only were there more than 20 weeks of 100-degree days, but also there were 34 days on which the temperature reached at least 110 degrees! Meteorologists predict that these types of temperatures are rapidly becoming the norm through much of the Southwest.

Hellish temperatures such as these impact all types of outdoor recreation and limit the ability of park and recreation agencies to conduct programs, day camps, afterschool programs, fitness activities and just about any type of outdoor activity.

The burden of climate change impacts falls most heavily upon low-income communities and on people of color, and there is growing recognition that climate change is a racial justice problem. Median 38 Parks & Recreation

health and economic damages of climate change are systemically greater in low-income and peopleof-color communities, which also are often the most park-deficient communities in the nation. The need for more parks and green space in these communities far outstrips the funds available to purchase new parklands and waters.

Beyond the human impacts, climate change has contributed to the degradation of our natural resources, loss of wildlife and ecosystem damages to fragile environments. A recent scientific study by the Smithsonian (tinyurl. com/y5lk3pew) reported the loss of 3 billion birds, almost a third of all birdlife in North America since 1970, and other studies point to an “insect apocalypse,” in which half of all insects on the planet have been lost due to the destruction of nature and heavy use of pesticides.

Parks and protected natural areas are becoming even more important

PREDICTION: Most new parks will be designed with resiliency in mind. Parks will be increasingly seen as multi-benefit landscapes that protect against flooding, clean and filter stormwater, produce shade and prevent heat island effects, and promote not just environmental resiliency, but also social resiliency.

BONUS PREDICTION: To address extreme heat, empty mall garages and big-box stores will be converted to park and recreation uses in 2021, such as skateparks, farmers markets, community activity spaces and recreation program areas. Parks are going underground, too — think unused tunnels and below-ground transportation infrastructure as potential new park sites.

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in preventing the worst damages of climate change and are vital to educating the public on what will be lost if these conditions continue.

Virtual Programs Thrive and Esports Surge Perhaps no public sector demonstrates as much ingenuity and adaptability as parks and recreation. When the pandemic hit and the nation shut down, parks and recreation largely kept going. People desperately needed places for distanced daily physical activity, and parks, trails and beaches became high-priority destinations.

The pandemic led to program innovations as well. If recreation programs and classes could not be held in the traditional way, new types of programs were designed to allow participants to maintain a safe distance or participate from their home or as part of a distanced team activity. Among the new program trends that have caught on and will persist are grab-and-go and take-it-with-you programs, which provide participants a kit or a grab bag of activities that they can do on their own. In terms of customer loyalty, such programs cement a bond with patrons that transcends geographic boundaries.

If people connect to your virtual programs, they can participate from anywhere in the world. Virtual special events that allow people to watch sports events or concerts via streaming or other remote access will grow in prominence.

Trending into 2021 are virtual competitions and team events.

At the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience in October, Seth Pihanich, outdoor recreation coordinator for Union County, North Carolina, noted his park and recreation agency’s

success in running a virtual fishing tournament and disc golf competition, posting the results on their Facebook page. Other agencies are conducting fitness activities, 5K runs and other team competitions as distanced activities that still bring people together.

Esports have grown in popularity as the pandemic has curtailed youth team sports activities. Chris Curtis, esports coordinator for the South Suburban Parks and Recreation district outside of Denver, Colorado, says that the pandemic has proven that esports really belong in parks and recreation. With traditional field and indoor sports suspended, teens have few recreational outlets and esports address an important need for youth.

He notes that much of his park and recreation agency’s esport competition is moving to team events.

Kendra Beaver, recreation coordinator at Excelsior Springs Parks and Recreation in Missouri, says that the inclusion aspect of esports is an important benefit for youth. “[Disability] conditions don’t matter. We have a couple of kids in wheelchairs who are amazing. We have kids from the inner city and kids from dairy farms. You will not see that in any other sport,” she says.

PREDICTION: In 2021, dozens of park and recreation agencies will begin to stream live youth sports events.

Parents and families can drop off their kids and watch from the parking lot, fully maintaining a physical distance, but being able to honk at will when a goal is scored.

Quick Takes Insta-worthy parks. Ann Beck, marketing and communications manager for the park and recreation

Esports have grown in popularity, and the inclusion aspect of esports provides an important benefit for youth.

department of Mansfield, Texas, says that park and recreation professionals need to be thinking about making their parks “insta-worthy.”

People want a great photo they can share with friends and family, and now there is even a greater desire to share those moments. Beck says you can optimize your parks to promote those spots where it is easy and accessible to get a good picture. “Tell people, ‘Here is a great place to take a picture,’” she says. “Use these spots to promote visitation and get local photographers to share their best shots and post on your social media.” She adds that a primary focus of some outings is just to get a good picture. People will share their reviews of your parks on social media, and this builds trust and gives great publicity that is free.

Try superforecasting to assess risks and predict the future. “Agencies need to be much more proactive in forecasting future needs,” says Kevin Roth, vice president of research, evaluation and technology at NRPA. Making more reliable predictions of future needs and conditions is a critical skill for park and recreation leaders. You likely will have more success if you adopt superforecasting principles, according to Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardner, the authors of Superforecasting: The Art and Science of

Prediction. According to these principles, diverse teams that can eliminate their biases make much better predictions than anyone else.

Parks as renewable energy sources? A Spanish start-up company, Bioo, is testing a revolutionary renewable energy source — the ability of the soil to act in concert with living plants as a battery that produces 100 percent renewable energy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The company is already testing an installation on the island of Ibiza in Spain and asserts that it can produce enough electricity from plants and soil to power lights for parks and public gardens.

PREDICTION: By 2022, a U.S. park and recreation system will have an operational demonstration of a soil battery powering outdoor lighting. How cool will that be?

To hear Dolesh talk more about 2021 park and recreation trend predictions, tune in to the January bonus episode of Open Space Radio at nrpa.org/January BonusEpisode.

Richard J. Dolesh, NRPA’s retired Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, continues to write for Parks & Recreation magazine as an Editor at Large (dolesh@gmail.com). Got a top trend?

Send it his way.

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A look at how the City of Wichita (Kansas) Park and Recreation brought a habitat and preserve back to life

By Gentry Thiesen

40 Parks & Recreation

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Restoring the Beauty

I

“

was reminded of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s descriptions in By the Shores of Silver Lake.

I walked through the heart of the marsh at sunset and it was absolutely beautiful — the glow of the sky, the sun setting in the west against the backdrop of a darkening sky overhead. Hundreds and hundreds of waterfowl and birds were flying in to roost for the night and just kept passing between light

In the midst of a bustling city, Pracht Wetlands Park offers a respite for patrons to come immerse themselves in its natural beauty.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF IRIS22 PRODUCTIONS LLC

of Pracht Wetlands Park

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and dark. It was a spectacular sight and such a striking experience for me,” says Kim Chapman, describing his first visit to Pracht Wetlands Park, a critically important habitat and preserve located in Northwest Wichita, Kansas.

The incomparably tranquil and stunning landscape is in stark contrast to the action popping up all around it: an intersection of busy roadways, tourists at the neighboring hotel and big-box store shoppers. In the midst of the bustling city, this sanctuary offers a respite for patrons to come immerse themselves in its natural beauty.

Brief History Colloquially known as “Cadillac Lake,” a 300-acre site of shallow ponds was once a waterfowl hotspot used by the salesmen of a local Cadillac dealership to take cli-

ents duck hunting. The Pracht family originally purchased the land in 1921 for its presence of abundant wildlife and constructed dikes to maintain water levels during dry seasons. But as the city spread from the urban core into suburbs, hunting on the property diminished due to sprawling developments.

The pond was deepened in 1952 when soil was taken to elevate the construction of a nearby road. In 2014, a developer purchased the land from the Pracht family for major commercial expansion, including retail, restaurants and a hotel.

Forty-one of those acres, which are contiguous with adjoining property acquired by the City of Wichita in 2009, were donated by the developer for the purpose of creating a public park to honor the family that owned the land for nearly 100 years. All this time, the wetlands had not been drained, removed nor developed. Years of using the site for stormwater management to protect nearby developments compromised the quality of the habitat, but also preserved the site for what would become a rare, one-of-akind urban wetland environment — Pracht Wetlands Park.

Preservation Efforts Midwestern farm belt states account for more than 36 million acres, or one-third, of wetlands lost since the country was first colonized. Sixty-thousand acres of wetlands are lost annually. This disappearance is one of the greatest environmental losses our nation faces today. According to the Environmental ProIn the early 1990s, a task force of government agencies, landowners and private busineses created a plan for the site of Pracht Wetlands Park to become a recreational and educational resource for the community.

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tection Agency, about 50 percent of threatened or endangered animal species in the United States depend on wetlands for their survival.

Habitat deterioration isn’t the only concern, however. In the already low-lying Arkansas River, water management at Pracht Wetlands is crucial for the ecological protection of the park and throughout the entire city. It prevents damage from flooding and acts as a natural filter for runoff contaminants before passing into the groundwater or Arkansas River. Water flows into the site from a watershed of more than 2,000 acres, providing habitat for more than 160 wildlife species, including 94 species of birds.

Outside efforts to transform the privately owned duck hunting venue and preserve the site for public use started with a task force of government agencies, landowners and private businesses during the early 1990s. With the near-certain fate of becoming either a housing development or stormwater detention basin, the task force created a comprehensive plan for the site as a recreational and educational resource for the community. Local environmentalists and enthusiasts rallied public support and began the search for funds to purchase the land. For years, this project lay in wait of the perfect circumstances.

Opportunity struck nearly 25 years later when Slawson Companies offered the property adjacent to their budding development. All of the groundwork established in the ’90s was set into action with no time to waste. With environmental stress already evident by the water quality, actions to reverse the adverse effects of development were necessary. In addition to the donation of the property, Slawson also hired Professional Engineering Consultants to develop

a Section 404 permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act. The permit strictly regulates the construction and ongoing maintenance of the wetlands, as well as creates a restoration plan. Larry Hoetmer, principal planner for the City of Wichita, has been working on the project from the start: “Sometimes, opportunities land in your lap. The city was very fortunate in this way. The developer understood the value of the site and understood what an asset this would be for Wichita.” The 404 permit was just the first of many complexities that accompanies a project of this scale and sensitivity.

Designing and Developing the Site The goals determined through

master planning very closely mirrored those set by the original task force: to preserve the wetland environment and develop an educational site, accommodate future development in the area by improving stormwater retention, and mitigate the loss of future wetlands through a careful, deliberate development of the site.

The implementation had only grown more complicated, however, by the activity that gradually encroached on the park. Careful organization and high levels of communication between all of the stakeholders ensured Pracht Wetlands’ successful creation.

A concerted effort by landscape architects and ecologists to make a high-quality wetland in an urban setting placed very high standards

Pracht Wetlands Park contradicts the false dichotomy that economic development and natural preservation are mutually exclusive options in urban planning.

on the design and construction of the project. Cary Thomsen, a landscape architect with RDG Planning & Design, attributes the smooth process despite challenging technical aspects of the build to the Construction Manager at Risk approach adopted by the city. By coordinating the construction and design at the same time, the collaboration between contractors, the city and the designer proved very effective.

The site was constrained in space, impacting the types of wildlife attracted to the environment. The proposed elements of walking paths around and in the

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P R A C H T W E T L A N D S PA R K

heart of the marsh had to be designed to screen the movement of people, which scares the animals.

Bird blind structures, elevated walkways over the water and carefully planned flora immerse visitors in the sounds and sight of the habitat without disturbing the wildlife. Perhaps the most unique element is the use of helical piers for the construction of the boardwalk. Instead of a typical post-setting in a footing, screwing the piers deep into the ground was much easier to construct and caused less disturbance to the wildlife. The resulting galvanized Elevated walkways over the water immerse visitors in the sounds and sight of the habitat without disturbing the wildlife.

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steel boardwalk allows plants to thrive on the filtered sunlight passing through and visitors can observe the wildlife underfoot.

This type of urban planning can and needs to be the future of all planning and developments. As director of the Wichita Park and Recreation Department, Troy Houtman was responsible for balancing the vision of preservation with the potential of high-value development. He says, “Design of natural spaces can be implemented into active areas. We can preserve spaces for education purposes that people can also enjoy spending their time in.” This is an innovative and visually striking example, contradicting the false dichotomy that economic development and natural preserva-

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tion are mutually exclusive options in urban planning.

Public Private Partnerships – Ecotourism Edged on two sides with housing, and the others by hotel and boxstore development, this unique habitat is surrounded on all sides.

Working with the developer, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and all of the stakeholders for a wetland amenity does not often result in the same vision and goals, but Pracht Wetlands became such a success by everyone coming together to embrace a shared vision.

Kim Chapman of Applied Ecological Services served as the lead environmental scientist whose job it was to understand how the ecosys-

tem functioned in order to improve the quality of the habitat and the water. From his first impressions of the site as a dramatically humanaltered hunting environment and its return to a nature-rich playa lake system, he saw Pracht Wetlands as a unique project and envisioned the draw it would have to many people. “The biggest hope that we all shared was that we would create an inviting, exciting and beautiful urban wetland, which would instill in the visitors an appreciation for the value of a wetland ecosystem.

They would come to connect the dots themselves: water management plus a good quality habitat equals lots of life. Whether people live right there or drive to come see it, they can always expect to see something interesting, something beautiful. If you can create a space like this, it counts as a real achievement and something you can be proud of,” Chapman says.

Pracht Wetlands Park now is accessible to all as one of a few remaining Midwestern wetland

environments, one of the largest urban wetland parks in the United States and, perhaps, the only one that invites an immersive experience. Wichita will benefit from the addition of this ecotourism site by supporting continued conservation efforts, while drawing visitors from all over to observe and engage with the wildlife. Educating visitors about the importance of wetlands and their preservation is essential to maintaining a healthy environment, and healthy patrons, for the long run. This amenity has become especially critical during times of coronavirus restrictions as people look for ways to exercise in the outdoors while remaining physically distant and tending to their mental and physical health.

The reach of the project has gone beyond Wichita, winning awards at the state, regional and national levels. Pracht Wetlands has received a number of awards, including the Kansas Recreation and Park Association 2019 Innovative Program Award and the 2017 Great Plains

Pracht Wetlands Park now is accessible to all as one of a few remaining Midwestern wetland environments.

American Society of Landscape Architects Award in Category II Design Unbuilt.

Preserving a Legacy The site is unique, and despite all of the development that has sprung up in the vicinity, Pracht Wetlands Park remains a natural haven and tribute to generations of the Pracht family, government agencies, conservationists and even developers that preserved this gem for others to enjoy for many years to come. As wetlands across the country continue to disappear at an astonishing rate, it is now more important than ever that agencies and their community partners continue to preserve and create environmentally sensitive spaces.

Gentry Thiesen is Senior Management Analyst for City of Wichita Park and Recreation (gthiesen@wichita.gov).

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Highlights from the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference:

A Virtual Experience Park and recreation professionals come together for an online event

By Vitisia Paynich, Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen and Lindsay Hogeboom

O

n October 27–29, 2020, 3,000 attendees logged in from their desktops, laptops and other mobile devices for the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience (NRPA Virtual). This first-ever event comprised three full days of general sessions, education programming, coffee talk discussions, special events — such as award ceremonies and a virtual 5K run, walk and roll — along with an exhibit hall featuring the latest products and service offerings from 80 exhibiting companies. Following are some of the many highlights of this year’s much-anticipated NRPA event.

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On October 27–29, NRPA hosted its first-ever virtual NRPA Annual Conference.

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Opening General Session: Advancing Racial Equity The first day of NRPA Virtual kicked off on Tuesday, October 27, with NRPA Board Chair Mike Kelly, general superintendent and CEO of Chicago (Illinois) Park District, welcoming conference attendees.

Kelly spoke about how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has made park and recreation professionals’ jobs monumentally more difficult, but also pointed out that it wasn’t surprising that the profession has been ready to step up to the challenge. “Parks have always played a pivotal role through national crises and through times of war,” he says.

“Parks are truly essential for the health and well-being of society.”

After delivering his remarks, our new chair introduced the next speaker, NRPA President and CEO Kristine Stratton, who echoed Kelly’s sentiments. “In the face of all these challenges, we appear to make a difference,” notes Stratton.

“We are parks and recreation. You give me hope; you give our communities hope.”

She then shared NRPA’s three-year strategic plan (nrpa.org/About) before introducing the keynote speaker, Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward and publisher of Colorlines.

Harris presented a thought-provoking opening general session, “Advancing Racial Equity.” With an engaging conversational-like tone, Harris told the audience he wanted to begin a discussion about “the complexity of race and racism.”

“Why are we having this conversation, and…what steps can we take to address the moment?” he asks. “We find ourselves at a deep 48 Parks & Recreation

inflection point as a country facing a trifecta of crisis: COVID-19, an economic collapse and the ongoing realities of police and vigilante violence and brutality against Black and Brown people.”

Harris also spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the racial disparities that exist in the United States, including the level of healthcare and the impact these inequities have had among Black people and other people of color in the United States. For example, 1 in 1,000 Black people have died from COVID-19. “If you are Black, Indigenous or Latinx, you are most likely to contract the virus,” he notes.

The field of parks and recreation, according to Harris, has a role to play when it comes to advancing racial equity through transformative change. He explains that parks and recreation is centered around this radical idea that people in a place together results in something transformative. Are we only comfortable maintaining the status quo, or are we committed to taking necessary action? It’s incumbent upon park and recreation professionals to take a hard, honest look at the communities and the people they serve and identify what actions can be taken to ensure equity for all. He adds that we must ask ourselves: “What is actually relevant in people’s lives that gets them to participate? Everyone loves nature. Everyone loves recreation. If you don’t see the people in your community [who] represent your community, you are failing in actually connecting to who they are and what their interests are….”

Although Harris acknowledged

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that much work must be done in advancing racial equity, he concluded his keynote presentation with great optimism about the future and about the impact that parks and recreation can have in creating transformative change for the betterment of our nation and of humanity.

Day Two General Session: Mental Health On Wednesday, October 28, the second day of NRPA Virtual opened with a general session, titled “Mental Health: From My Community to Me.” The session was moderated by Dr. Philip Wu, retired pediatrician and current NRPA Board member, and featured panelists Tyler Norris, chief executive of Well Being Trust, and Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky, founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute. Throughout the session, the panelists spoke on subjects such as the role parks and recreation plays in maintaining the health and well-being of individuals in their communities, as well as the importance of park and recreation professionals maintaining their own mental health.

During Norris’ portion of the talk, he shared key insights. “Over the last two decades, rates of deaths of despair (meaning those from alcohol and suicide) have doubled every year, and they are slated to double again in the next decade,” Norris says. When posed with the question about what is causing this increase, he responds, “it’s about hopelessness and loneliness and isolation.” Norris elaborated on how parks and recreation is an essential service in combatting the

underlying causes of these deaths, citing a quote from one of his mentors: “Healthy communities are a garden to grow people in.”

As Lipsky spoke to the audience about how we are being affected by the events of 2020, the live chat box filled with comments, indicating that the thoughts and feelings of emotional trauma and being overwhelmed she described were “hitting close to home.” Lipsky went on to provide strategies for “finding a sustainable way through,” including sharing the Trauma Stewardship Institute’s Tiny Survival Guide (tinyurl.com/ y35njb3o). One such strategy that park and recreation professionals are familiar with, Lipsky says, is going outside. “Throughout your day, if you can punctuate your day with making sure you are, if possible, outside as much as possible,” she says, “it can be immensely helpful — even for a couple minutes here and there.”

Day Three General Session: Upstream Solutions On Thursday, October 29, general session keynote speaker Dan Heath shared a vision for “moving upstream” and addressing the root of a problem, instead of only reacting to it.

“We should be moving upstream, devoting more of our time, more of our resources to preventing problems before they happen,” says Heath, co-author of the book, Made to Stick, and senior fellow at Duke University’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship. He discussed the true value of parks and recreation, revealed by the upstream solutions those in the field provide for many problems.

“Parks and rec departments, they are the ultimate producer of positive externalities,” Heath says. “Because of the work you do, you’re preventing downstream problems, and I believe that you deserve to get more investment because you’re producing positive benefits that are outside the narrow scope of your work.”

Investing in parks and recreation helps reduce crime, improve health, create community connections and boost the economy. The community benefits generated by parks and recreation means that professionals in the field are “upstream heroes,” the individuals who “keep the day from needing to be saved,” he says.

Heath’s presentation was followed by the panel discussion, “Parks and Recreation: Agents for Climate Resilience,” with some of these upstream heroes. During this discussion, moderator Kristin Baja, programs director for Climate Resilience at the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, defined resilience hubs as the “spaces to enhance and support community cohesiveness

NRPA Virtual attendees were able to visit exhibit hall “booths” to connect with exhibitors.

and then strengthen those communities’ ability to work together.”

Panel speakers then discussed the role their spaces and organizations play in providing “upstream solutions” to climate change. Speakers were Norma García, director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation and the Los Angeles County Regional Parks and Open Space District; Kelli Ondracek, natural resources manager for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department; Alyssa Cobb Konon, deputy commissioner for the Planning and Development Division of New York City Parks; and Guillermo (Gil) Penalosa, founder and chair of 8 80 Cities.

Education Sessions and Coffee Talks Maintaining Mental and Physical Health Health and wellness was a theme

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that was woven throughout the conference, from a coffee talk discussion with NRPA Director of Health Allison Colman and Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Mercedes Santoro about parks and recreation’s role in community healing in the wake of trauma, to the guided meditation and wellness breaks that were offered each day. One education session, titled “Why Parks and Recreation Are Key Factors in the Support of Mental Health Initiatives,” featured speakers April Chambers, vice president of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, and Barbara Heller, manager and practice lead at Berry Dunn.

In the session, Chambers and Heller discussed best practices for park and recreation professionals to consider when working in partnership or offering their own programs to improve the emotional health of individuals in their communities. In the live chat, Heller shared her own experience losing a brother as a result of serious mental health issues and stated that “he appreciated all the amenities his local park and recreation offered, and the exercise and being outside was so helpful to him.”

During the session, “Let’s Talk About Loneliness: Identifying and Addressing Loneliness in Our Communities,” speaker Stacey Halvorsen, director of health education and community outreach at Westminster Medical Clinic, stated that many of the preconceived notions people have about how loneliness appears are false, and that “the more we can understand and dive deep to debunk some of these myths, the better we can actually 50 Parks & Recreation

address this problem in our community.” Other sessions focused on the topic of health and wellness included “Supporting Older Adults Throughout COVID-19,” “Simple Tools to Support Children’s Mental and Physical Health,” “A Comprehensive Response to the Substance Use Crisis” and more.

Talking Resilience During NRPA Virtual, the discussion about conservation covered many topics, but they all can be tied to one resounding theme: resilience.

Parks and recreation plays a vital role in ensuring the resilience of all communities around the world.

“Parks are key to enhancing community resiliency, improving the local quality of life, providing access to recreation and supporting public health,” says Jai Cole, chief of the Park Planning and Stewardship Division of Montgomery (Maryland) Parks. Cole joined Chris Matthews, division director for Mecklenburg County (North Carolina) Parks and Recreation, as a speaker during the session, “There’s an Octopus in the Parking Garage?!: ‘Futureproof ’ Your Parks for Resiliency to Climate Change.” Together, they explained how climate change is affecting parks, shared case studies outlining steps that park and recreation professionals can take to make their spaces more resilient and showcased ways to make plans for handling extreme weather events.

During the coffee talk discussion, “Natural Disaster Preparedness,” Kenny Weigandt, community engagment manager for the Willamalane Park and Recreation District in Oregon, shared how the district jumped

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in to quickly respond to recent wildfires in the state. The district’s management gathered to determine the community needs; worked with community partners to offer members of the public with resources — such as water, restrooms and parking — and offered a park space as a staging area for firefighters to use.

John DiSpaldo also spoke during the coffee talk to give his perspective as regional preparedness liaison with the Individual and Community Preparedness Division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Equity at the Center Content exploring equity could be found in all areas of NRPA Virtual. Sessions centered on equity examined such topics as datadriven strategies for equitable urban park investment, public accessibility for transgender populations, and supporting inclusive health through parks and recreation.

Celebrating Park and Recreation Professionals On Tuesday, October 27, The National Gold Medal Award Program, produced by the American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration (AAPRA), presented the Finalist Awards and announced the Grand Plaque recipients at a virtual presentation held in conjunction with NRPA Virtual.

From a pool of 24 finalists, AAPRA announced the follow-

ing agencies received the coveted Grand Plaque Award: • Class 1 (population 400,001 and over) – Metroparks Toledo, Ohio • Class II (population 150,001 to 400,000) – Greensboro Parks and Recreation, North Carolina • Class III (population 75,001 to 150,000) – Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation, Indiana • Class IV (population 30,001 to 75,000) – Decatur Park District, Illinois • Class V (population less than 30,000) – Green River Parks and Recreation, Wyoming • Armed Forces Recreation – Fort Riley Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Community Recreation Division, Kansas The National Gold Medal Award Program is administered

by AAPRA in partnership with NRPA and is sponsored by Musco Lighting, LLC. The virtual National Gold Medal Award Program presentation can be viewed at ws.onehub.com/files/n1lqc2h8.

On Wednesday, October 28, Best of the Best took place. While this year’s ceremony looked a bit different than in years past, the park and recreation professionals we honored were as inspiring as ever. Emcees Neelay Bhatt, former NRPA board member, and John Stutzman, chair of the NRPA Awards committee, led us in recognizing the following individuals and agencies for the innovative and essential services and programs they’ve provided over the past year: Spotlight Awards • Robert M. Artz Advocacy Award – Greg Cox, chairman,

County of San Diego Board of Supervisors (San Diego, California) • Robert W. Crawford Young Profesional Award – Anthony Iracki, recreation supervisor, Whitefish Bay (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) • RWJF–NRPA Award for Health Equity – Carol Zernial, senior vice president social responsibility and foundation executive director, WellMed Medical Management Inc. (San Antonio, Texas); and Daryl Quarles, manager, Senior Programs, Dallas Park and Recreation Department (Dallas, Texas) • National Distinguished Professional Award – James Worsely, director, Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation (Chester, Virginia) Innovation Awards • Innovation in Health Award – City of Golden Valley, HomeRECed: A Navigational Guide to Everyday Recreation (City of Golden Valley, Minnesota) • Innovation in Conservation Award – The Woodlands Township: Three Pillars of Sustainability (Woodlands, Texas) • Innovation in Social Equity Award – The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Restoring Pittsburgh Parks: The Parks Plan (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) • Innovation in Park Design Award and overall Best in Innovation Award – City of Spokane Parks and Recreation, U.S. Pavilion and Howard St. Promenade, Riverfront Spokane (Spokane, Washington) Attendees of Best of the Best

also celebrated the newly accredited and reaccredited park and recreation agencies.

The Exhibit Hall and Other Virtual Activities This year’s exhibitors got creative with their virtual exhibit hall booths, crafting eyecatching videos, helpful resources and more for attendees to explore. Attendees also were able to chat with exhibitors in real time by utilizing the booth chat box feature or entering exhibitors’ live Zoom rooms.

In addition to a virtual 5K, other virtual activities that kept attendees engaged throughout the conference included a virtual photo booth and health and wellness breaks, such as guided meditation via Zoom between education sessions.

NRPA’s first-ever virtual conference was a great success thanks to the countless speakers, exhibitors and attendees who made this event possible. Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, park and recreation professionals and advocates came together to share the stories of the essential work being performed by those in the field. Thank you for all that you do for your communities and for the park and recreation community — we look forward to seeing you in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference!

Vitisia Paynich is Executive Editor, Print and Online Content at NRPA (vpaynich@nrpa.org). Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen is Web Editor at NRPA (jnguyen@nrpa.org). Lindsay Hogeboom is Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine at NRPA (lhogeboom@nrpa.org).

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OPERATIONS Back to a New Reality: How to Adapt Your Recreation Center in a Post-COVID-19 Era Craig Bouck, AIA, LEED AP, and Michael ‘Mick’ Massey, RLA

W

e all have been working toward preparing and reopening our recreation centers post shutdown. Now it is important to step back and consider long-term implications and items that will influence and change the way we think about planning and design for recreation centers from here on out. To accomplish this, we must focus on adaptions to physical spaces, building systems and operations that will increase our versatility and adaptability in our new normal.

Physical Spaces

©2018 JAMES RAY SPAHN WWW.JAMESRAYSPAHN.COM

As we return to our facilities, it is important to keep in mind that perception is reality, meaning if someone does not feel safe going into their recreation center, they won’t go. Knowing this, we need to build trust and a sense of confidence that we are serious about protecting everyone’s health, safety and welfare.

To help accomplish this, building layouts must change to focus more on adaptability. Here are a few short-term actions that can progress into long-term modifications worth considering: • Entry/Exit Strategies – If you can provide one way in and one way out, eliminating traf-

52 Parks & Recreation

fic through the same doorway, it makes people feel a lot better.

Not only is it a more efficient way to transition classes, but also it helps people feel like they’re doing a good job maintaining physical distancing.

• Larger Entries, Circulation and Storage Spaces – One of the keys to adapting interior spaces during COVID-19 has been enabling guests to physically distance. Limitations to success have been pinch points at entries, tight corridors and small spaces for guests to gather before and after programs.

Historically, architects and designers have tried to reduce or limit non-programable square footage,

Avoid potential future pinch points by planning for adequate square footage in your entryways, lobbies and circulation spaces during the design phase.

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but they now know that without adequate circulation space, they cannot move people throughout recreation buildings or facilities with adequate safety buffers.

Likewise, adaptable storage space enables rooms to become more flexible, accommodating extra furniture and equipment when greater guest separation is required.

Systems Infrastructure will be one of the major factors creating versatility for park and recreation agencies in the future.

• Air Zoning – Managing airborne pathogens has forced park and recreation professionals to rethink airflow throughout recreation centers. One promising strategy is to increase the number of air zones within the building. Rather than having large areas with a single air exchange system, engineers are breaking a space into smaller air zones that can clean the air more frequently and effectively.

• Air Filtration – We predict that we are going to see more and more high-quality air filtration options and increased affordability. However, increased filtration requires more pressure and more power from heating and cooling systems, and so making this improvement will require careful evaluation.

• Humidity Control – Humidity controls may need to be modified.

Some pathogens, like viruses, do well in a dry environment, while others, such as mold and spores, thrive in humid environments. Fif-

ty percent humidity is optimum to avoid both, and also will help your patrons feel more comfortable.

information and instructions helps people feel informed and confident about how to participate safely.

Fortunately, most guests have a smartphone readily accessible and with QR code technology, they easily can be linked to relevant and timely information throughout your facility. We are familiar with scanning QR codes in restaurants to access menus — in our facilities, we can use the same technique to allow patrons to access the latest safety policies, program offerings and schedules, as well as connect with instructors.

Operations Here are a few practices and protocols we believe may be here to stay: • Visible Cleaning – Staff cleaning in front of guests sends a strong non-verbal message of your commitment to cleanliness. Also, increasing the use of touchless technology for doors, plumbing features and card swipes, reduces surfaces to clean. Perception of a clean environment is some people’s reality and can make or break their decision to come to your recreation center.

• QR Codes – Access to the latest

Just Keep Going!

When considering implementing

new, post-COVID-19 design standards, it’s understandable that your resources may be limited, especially until you find what is most appropriate for your facility and your community. In the meantime, we all need to be MacGyvers. We must be creative and extraordinarily resourceful in how we reimagine, reallocate and repurpose our facilities. Keep track of what works and what does not. This perspective will be vital when planning for a remodel or your next facility.

Craig Bouck, AIA, LEED AP, is a Principal and Strategy Partner at Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture (crgaibouck@ brsarch.com). Mick Massey, RLA, is a Senior Associate Texas Regional Director at Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture (mickmassey@brsarch.com).

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Away With Geese.............................................................53

(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 ©2021 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

55

Park Bench

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NASHVILLE METRO PARKS/NIKOLA KRASTEV

Athena: The Goddess of Nashville?

The Nashville (Tennessee) Parthenon is the city’s iconic landmark, a beloved symbol of civic pride for Nashvillians since its original manifestation as the art building for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897. The building is the world’s only full-scale replica of the original temple in Athens, Greece. As Nashville’s oldest art museum, this landmark was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The museum’s upper level is graced by a colossal 42foot statue of the goddess Athena and features casts of the original Parthenon’s pedimental fragments, which were purchased from the Victoria and Albert Museum so that sculptors Leopold and Belle Kinney Scholz could be as accurate as possible when recreating the pediments. The Parthenon’s lower level houses four galleries, featuring the Cowan Collection, temporary exhibitions and a collection of artifacts from the 1897 exposition — many of which are on loan from Nashville collector David Ewing. The 2021 temporary exhibits include: The One and Only Harry Shepherd, showcasing the works of the African American photographer and early civil rights activist who won a Decorative Arts award at the Tennessee Centennial Exposition; The Looking Glass, a collection of large-scale self-portraits by the acclaimed music photographer Lynn Goldsmith, which are designed to “highlight the psychological relationship between what we see and what we imagine”; Kindred Links: Spirits and Forms from the Urban Landscape, exploring contemporary urban life through the eyes of two of Nashville’s most prominent African American artists Omari The Nashville (Tennessee) Parthenon serves as a cultural cen- Booker and Henry Jones, and serving as an important window into the effect ter for the arts and an educational resource for the city, and gentrification is having on historically black neighborhoods. the park in which it sits — Centennial Park — encompasses For nearly a century, this iconic museum has fulfilled its purpose to be a cul132 acres of green space. tural center for the arts and an educational resource for the city of Nashville, drawing 350,000 visitors annually. Public programming in the humanities is a critical part of the Parthenon’s mission, as the museum is a leading educational resource and often the window through which Nashvillians and visitors view our unique civic history. The Nashville Parthenon also presents ongoing educational programming that includes tours led by museum docents, a science, technology, engineering arts and math (STEAM) partnership with Metro Public Schools, gallery interactive displays, symposia, annual lectures presented in conjunction with the Archaeological Institute of America and Kidsville at the Parthenon, which provides storytelling, crafts and active play activities for families on Saturday mornings.

The Nashville Parthenon is owned and operated by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County’s Parks and Recreation Department, led by Park Director Monique Odom. The Parthenon has been managed by Museum Director Wesley Paine for more than four decades. She is supported by Assistant Director Lauren Bufferd, Curator Mark Medley and Education Director Katie Petrole. Centennial Park Conservancy, led by Executive Director John Tumminello and Parthenon Partnership Director Justin Tam, serves as the Nashville Parthenon’s nonprofit support group.

In addition to hosting Nashville’s Parthenon, Centennial Park encompasses 132 acres of green space that welcomes more than 3 million visitors annually who spend quality outdoor time in the park and attend signature annual events, such as the Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival, Musicians Corner, Nashville Earth Day, Tennessee craft fairs and big band dances. The park is currently undergoing major improvements as part of the Centennial Park Revitalization, a public-private partnership between Metro Parks and Centennial Park Conservancy to preserve and transform Nashville’s central park for current and future generations.

Learn more about the Parthenon and Centennial Park at nashvilleparthenon.com and centennialparkconservancy.com. To view drone footage of the Parthenon and Centennial Park, visit youtube.com/watch?v=zALtX4NSC-A. 56 Parks & Recreation

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