Parks & Recreation Magazine February 2021

F E B RUA RY 2021 N R PA .O RG

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contentsfebruary 2021 volume 56 | number 2 | parksandrecreation.org

PHOTO COURTESY OF BROWNING DAY

The newly renovated Sandorf Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, features updated amenities that serve both the local school’s students and the local community.

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FEATURES

32 30 Under 30 for 2021

Michael Biedenstein, CPRP, AFO

Parks & Recreation magazine and NRPA’s Young Professional Network debut a new program that highlights some of today’s best and brightest young professionals representing the field of parks and recreation.

Parks & Recreation

42 Worth the Wait — the Sandorf Park Renovation Is Complete!

Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

Park professionals in Indianapolis, Indiana, pivoted plans to ensure a newly renovated Sandorf Park became a reality for their community.

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46 Esports: From Why Do It to How Can I Get Into It? Neelay Bhatt

Learn how park and recreation professionals can bring the increasingly popular realm of esports to their communities.

Play never told me you can’t or don’t or you shouldn’t or you won’t.

Play never said be careful!

You’re not strong enough.

You’re not big enough.

You’re not brave enough.

Play has always been an invitation.

A celebration.

A joyous manifestation.

Of the cans and wills and what ifs and why nots.

Play isn’t one thing. It’s everything. Anything.

Play doesn’t care what a body can or cannot do.

Because play lives inside us. All of us.

Play begs of us: Learn together.

Grow together.

Be together.

Know together.

And as we grow older.

As the world comes at us with you can’t or don’t or you shouldn’t or you won’t.

We come back to what we know.

That imagination will never fail us.

That words will never hurt us.

That play will always shape us.

©2019 Landscape Structures Inc. All rights reserved.

To see the new We-Go-Round™, visit playlsi.com/we-go-round

contents february

columns 6

departments 10 We Are Parks and Recreation How CAPRA Learned to Love Zoom and Maintained Continuity in the Wake of COVID-19 10 Congratulations to the Newly Certified Professionals and Executives! 11 Gary Haller Leaves Major Legacy in Johnson County, Kansas 12 Member Benefit: Programming Safely on a Discount with Fun Express 13

14 Research How Strained Budgets Led to Maintenance Deferments and Capital Project Delays Kevin Roth

15 Park Pulse Parks and Recreation Provides Opportunities to Get Active

Perspectives True Park Leadership Is About Public Service Michael P. Kelly

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Editor’s Letter Passing the Torch Vitisia Paynich

16 Finance for the Field Park and Recreation Department Assets Are Valuable to Potential Partners John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

18 Advocacy Voters Overwhelmingly Supported Park Funding Ballot Initiatives in 2020 Elvis Cordova

20 Health and Wellness An Urgency to Act Alyia Gaskins and Tiffany Pertillar

22 Equity

52 Operations A Positive Turnaround in a Challenging Year Brad Tullberg, Don Berry and Matt Olsonoski

Staging a New ACT Tim Herd, CPRE

24 Conservation

53 Park Essentials 55 Advertiser Index

Reflecting on Systemic Racism in Conservation Bennett Knox

26 Law Review

56 Park Bench NASCOW Race Raises ‘Moolah’ for a Good Cause Lois Kirkpatrick

‘Sweeps’ of Homeless Encampments in Parks During COVID-19 James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

Cover image: Image compostion by Kim Mabon

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

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUISVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION

Young adults participating in Louisville (Kentucky) summer job training gained construction skills and learned about green infrastructure by constructing a bioinfiltration trench in Chickasaw Park.

Oh, the endless days!

Gathered together Reveling in the joy of play.

Where watery wonders excite us Unite us And invite us to set our imaginations free.

To learn more and inspire your outdoors, visit aquatix.playlsi.com.

©2020 Landscape Structures Inc. All rights reserved.

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

True Park Leadership Is About Public Service Leadership and management skills are critical assets anyone charged with running an organization must possess to be successful. For me personally, as a park professional with more than 25 years of experience, I have gathered that one develops and harnesses those skills in a variety of ways, over time and with the support of many.

Will Rogers once said that people “only learn by two things; one by reading and the other by association with smarter people.”

I ascribe to that maxim. My development as a leader dates back to my youth and academic career — including childhood experiences in my neighborhood parks, high school, college and law school — and stretches into my adult years as a public service professional. The application of lessons learned on ballfields and in gymnasiums and classrooms provided the mental muscle to lead, particularly in the face of new challenges, and to work collectively with well-versed and accomplished colleagues to facilitate positive change in Chicago, Illinois, communities.

These endeavors have helped expand my repertoire as a professional.

Just this past fall, when addressing attendees at the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience, I spoke about the direction and commitment of NRPA as they pertain to leadership, continuing to build a diverse board of directors and hiring a vice president of education and chief equity officer. In being defenders of culture, identity, talent, abilities, language and interests, we must help build workforces that are diverse and representative of the communities we serve. We must look at ourselves, as well as every child, family and person we serve as community leaders.

At the Chicago Park District, our workforce development department is committed to equipping our staff with the education, tools and experience required to become those leaders. We created a systemwide custom6

Parks & Recreation

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er service and leadership initiative that features three distinct modules — communication, service excellence and difficult service situations. There also are innovation sessions offered that focus on key topics, such as diversity, equity and inclusion, technology, and emotional intelligence, among others. And, we offer the nationally recognized Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) training curriculum to help all staff — regardless of their role — prepare for the NRPA exam.

In Chicago, we recognize that leadership is not fostered solely in a professional setting. We have developed guided solution sessions for staff as they work through challenges and create their own personal and professional development plans. Offerings are designed not only to give staff the tools to thrive in their careers, but also to recognize personal needs, particularly through the global pandemic. There have been workshops on topics, such as: resilience and self-care, parenting, financial awareness and mental health.

Park professionals across the country are looked upon as leaders in our respective states, cities, towns and neighborhoods. We are looked up to by our communities, not only because we care for children, teach hundreds of thousands of people how to swim, oversee countless acres of nature, or run essential health and wellness programs for millions daily, but also because we live our lives committed to giving more, to serving more, to being more for our communities. It is that selflessness that is the basis of true leadership — servant leadership. On behalf of myself and the board of directors, I want to thank NRPA members for that steadfast dedication to serving through any and all circumstances.

I close with another important precept from an American hero: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” I could not think of a greater motto for all of us than the words of one of our finest leaders, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

MICHAEL P. KELLY Chair, NRPA Board of Directors

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

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EDITOR’S LET TER

Passing the Torch “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”

— Eleanor Roosevelt This quote by the former First Lady of the United States couldn’t be more profound for our February issue, which highlights leadership and management. NRPA and Parks & Recreation magazine strive to help elevate the field by telling the important stories about park and recreation leaders who have made an indelible imprint on their respective organizations and a positive impact on the communities they serve. It also has been our goal to honor our more seasoned professionals who have been the field’s standard bearers and have dedicated their careers to mentoring the next generation of park and recreation leaders — so that when the time comes, they can feel confident about passing the torch.

In fact, the magazine and NRPA’s Young Professional Network (YPN) have partnered to launch our inaugural “30 Under 30,” a recognition program that shines a spotlight on 30 of the best and brightest young park and recreation professionals in the field. In the cover story “30 Under 30 for 2021” on page 32, Michael Biedenstein, past chair of YPN, provides insight into what went into the selection process and why this chosen group of individuals are the ones to watch.

Everyone loves a comeback, especially when it is a beloved neighborhood park. In the feature article “Worth the Wait — the Sandorf Park Renovation Is Complete!” on page 42, contributor Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett takes a closer look at the environmental challenges that Indy (Indiana) Parks and Recreation and its partners overcame in order to reopen Sandorf Park and welcome back their community members. “We think the park will impact the community in a tremendous way,” notes Richard Butterfield, a local resident who attended the park’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Lastly, contributor Neelay Bhatt offers an insider’s perspective of one of the hottest trends in parks and recreation in the feature story “Esports: From Why Do It to How Can I Get Into It?” on page 46. “You know the sport is growing when, in a five-year span…its audience is projected to grow by a number equal to 75 percent of the entire population of the United States,” he writes.

As I mentioned above, we are very excited to introduce this 2021 class of 30 outstanding young P&R professionals who already have set a high bar for those who will come after them.

We know that they will continue to do great things for their communities and for the park and recreation profession in the years to come. And, we will be watching these torch bearers with great anticipation.

VITISIA “VI” PAYNICH Executive Editor Print and Online Content

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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 Spalding Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs

YOU are a HERO - Thank You for Serving Your Communities COVID-19 Resources for Parks and Recreation Park and recreation professionals everywhere have stepped up to serve their communities in unprecedented ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. NRPA is here to support you and provide the most up-to-date resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our dedicated resource center you can find: •

Printable infographics on how to use parks safely

•

Continually updated guidance for parks and recreation

•

Public policy updates and action alerts around key legislation affecting the field

•

Examples of how park and recreation agencies are responding to the pandemic

Find all these resources at: nrpa.org/Coronavirus

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

How CAPRA Learned to Love Zoom and Maintained Continuity in the Wake of COVID-19

By Jennifer Schleining

I

t was Friday, March 6, 2020. The CAPRA Commission had just wrapped up a productive retreat at NRPA headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia, when suddenly the conversation quickly shifted to the growing concern about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it was going to impact NRPA activities, such as the upcoming CAPRA visit season. Commissioners expressed some concerns about what types of travel and physical distancing restrictions agencies were implementing, including some of our site visitors’ agencies. It quickly became clear that the CAPRA Commission, in partnership with NRPA staff, would have to conduct all 2020 CAPRA visits virtually. It was one thing to make that decision — it was another to figure out how that would happen. The CAPRA Commission and NRPA staff had to develop plans very quickly since visits were due to start on March 30.

The Plan On Thursday, March 12, the CAPRA Commission sent a communication to all 2020 agencies, reviewers and visitors that instructed them to immediately halt travel arrangements for all CAPRA visits; that visits would take place virtually; and that NRPA/CAPRA would be hosting a webinar to discuss details. Positive feedback from the 2020 agencies, reviewers and visitors signaled that the CAPRA community was willing

Maria Nardi, director of Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, participates in a virtual CAPRA visit.

10 Parks & Recreation

and able to make this transition, providing a much-needed confidence boost for the success of the commission’s plan. Right after sending this communication, NRPA closed its headquarters building, in response to the severity of the pandemic nationwide.

NRPA staff and the CAPRA Commission introduced their plan to 189 attendees during a March 20 webinar. Agencies would be given five days for their visits (Monday to Friday) and NRPA/CAPRA would host the kickoff and wrap up meetings via Zoom during the week. The Visit Teams received the agency self-assessment reports upon their approval, giving the teams the opportunity to start their review right away and compare notes in advance of the scheduled visit. At least seven to 10 days prior to the start of the visit, Visit Chairs provided the agencies with a list of outstanding issues and concerns that they expected the agency would need to address.

NRPA/CAPRA provided each

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team with a Google Drive folder to help them stay organized. Visit Teams could collaborate at the same time on the final visit report and have private conversations about the visit. The agency had access to a designated folder where they could upload additional materials as requested by the Visit Team.

The Results The Visit Teams conducted 37 virtual visits during a 19-week period from March to September. All Visit Teams included at least one first-time visitor. Park and recreation professionals are known for their creativity, and a number of agencies demonstrated that during their virtual visits. A few examples included agencies sending daily videos of specific parks and recreation centers; creating virtual backgrounds highlighting some of the parks and facilities that they described during kickoff meetings for the visit; and sharing images that described and demonstrated the unique culture of each agency.

The Feedback The CAPRA Commission received positive feedback from staff at many of the agencies that participated in virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Katie Lockhart, outdoor education and parks manager at Garner (North Carolina) Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, says, “I think we may have been the first virtual visit. We could not have asked for a better experience given

the circumstances. [Our Visit Team was] responsive to ideas (like scheduling a full-staff Zoom call, so they could meet our team). They communicated their needs effectively. I feel like we all worked well together, and that made the process pretty painless. Obviously, we all missed out on some of the benefits that come with an in-person visit, but our agency was pleased with how our virtual visit went.” Chris Smith, deputy director of Grapevine (Texas) Parks and Recreation, a newly accredited agency, says, “All things taken into consideration, Grapevine was very honored to be part of the process and is extremely grateful that NRPA and the commission [were] willing to adjust and face the challenge in a brand new way rather than delaying the process. This is an example that reinforces [that] NRPA is willing to evolve and make

adjustments as needed to produce the outcome being desired.”

Those on the Visit Team also felt positive about the transition to a virtual process. According to Jill Korsok, director of Orange Community Education and Recreation in Pepper Pike, Ohio, and firsttime visitor, the process with Reston (Virginia) Community Center “went as smoothly as it could have in mid-May. I was fortunate to have two very experienced visitors on my team to offer guidance and reflection on their experiences in previous visits….I was very glad that we were able to make contact with the agency a few days prior to the beginning of our visit to review the information they provided and begin to formulate what we needed to ask them for. They were working under incredibly unusual circumstances with limited access

to files, documents, other agency partners, etc., and the extra time was a positive thing for all of us.”

The Future It has been almost a full year since NRPA and the CAPRA Commission started down this path, and, sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Given both the public health emergency and economic realities, virtual CAPRA visits likely will remain a part of the process for some time to come. Thanks to the professionalism of the CAPRA Commission and Visit Teams, we learned along the way. The collected feedback from everyone involved will ensure the process of accrediting park and recreation agencies will continue to improve in 2021 and beyond.

Jennifer Schleining is NRPA's CAPRA Accreditation Manager (jschleining@nrpa.org).

Congratulations to the Newly Certified Professionals and Executives!

C

ertified Park and Recreation Professionals (CPRPs) and Certified Park and Recreation Executives (CPREs) represent the individuals in the park and recreation field who have gone above and beyond to provide the essential benefits of parks and recreation in the communities where they work and live.

NRPA would like to recognize those professionals who became newly certified between August 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020. Thank you for taking the next step in your career and for being extraordinary leaders in the field.

NRPA also would like to recognize the National Certification Board; the CPRP and CPRE Certification Committee; and the CPRP Examination Committee, CPRE

Examination Committee and Job Analysis Committee volunteers.

Your hard work and dedication ensure that NRPA’s certification programs are of the highest standards.

Thank you all for your continued commitment to parks and recreation and for what you do for the profession!

To see the full list of newly certified professionals, visit nrpa. org/2020CertifiedProfessionals.

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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

Gary Haller Leaves Major Legacy in Johnson County, Kansas

By David Markham

J PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY EADS

ohnson County, Kansas, recently lost a champion of green space and recreation activities who was instrumental in improving quality of life in the county. Johnson County Park and Recreation District (JCPRD) employees have lost a friend.

Johnson County Park and Recreation District Executive Director Jeff Stewart shows a 1995 document to Gary Haller during a November 5 time capsule opening.

Former JCPRD Executive Director Gary L. Haller passed away in the early hours of Thursday, December 10, 2020. He had retired from JCPRD in March 2001 after 27 years with the agency, but Haller had remained in touch with many current and former employees.

“Many of you, like me, had the privilege of working with him and seeing his true genius that left lasting impacts on JCPRD and Johnson County, as well as beyond those boundaries,” JCPRD Administration Manager Jo Ann Courtney wrote in an email to staff. “He will not be forgotten, and the Gary L. Haller Trail on the Mill Creek Streamway Park will tell a part of his story to generations to come.”

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Parks & Recreation

In June 2002, the 17 miles of the trail she mentions was renamed in honor of Haller. Interpretive signs featuring a portrait of the former director and information about his impact in the field are located near all eight access points to the trail.

“So many of us have been fortunate to have Gary as a friend and mentor,” adds current JCPRD Executive Director Jeff Stewart. “Gary was the father of the streamway park system. If you haven’t already, I hope sometime you will have an opportunity to visit the streamway and stop to read the signage about him.”

“It is so true that we are blessed to have had Gary in our lives,” says former Executive Director Jill Geller, who left JCPRD in September 2019 after more than five years as executive director and 36 years with JCPRD in various capacities. “[Gary] did not just lead an organization — he created a family. I wish we could be together to celebrate his amazing life, but we are for sure together in spirit.”

“Few men, or women for that matter, shaped a work team, a community and even a national movement in parks and recreation more than our beloved ‘gentle bear,’ Gary,” says Michael Meadors, who served as JCPRD’s executive director from 2001 to 2013, and has a total of 27 years with the agency. “I

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know I am a better person having shared many life experiences with such a wonderful man!”

“He was a grizzly bear with a sincere heart of gold,” adds former JCPRD Board Member Vickie Truitt. “I treasure my memories of working with him. We will miss him so much!”

As a Colby, Kansas, native, Haller came to JCPRD in August 1974 after 15 years with the state of Kansas, where he served as assistant director in charge of state outdoor recreation planning and administration of the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and did recreation planning for the Kansas Park and Resource Authority. Under Haller’s leadership, JCPRD grew from fewer than 50 employees to 165 employees and from fewer than 1,800 acres to approximately 6,100 acres of parkland; achieved national recognition as the 1995 recipient of the prestigious Gold Medal Award; and in 1999, became the 22nd agency in the nation to become nationally accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies. Haller also served in numerous professional leadership roles throughout the field of parks and recreation, including as a member of the NRPA board of trustees, and has received many individual professional awards and recognitions, including the NRPA Distinguished Professional Award.

David Markham is Communications Specialist for Johnson County Park and Recreation District (david.markham@ jocogov.org).

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Parks & Recreation

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RESEARCH How Strained Budgets Led to Maintenance Deferments and Capital Project Delays

By Kevin Roth

P

ark and recreation leaders have shared with us in one-on-one conversations, exchanges on NRPA Connect and their NRPA Parks Snapshot survey responses over the past year about the detrimental financial impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and subsequent recession. Local and state governments, suffering from falling tax receipts and rising expenses resulting from their pandemic response, have squeezed budgets that have led to cuts in services.

Half of the park and recreation agencies that responded to the December Parks Snapshot survey (nrpa.org/ParksSnapshot) indicated that they had reduced their previously budgeted 2021 operating spending, with a median reduction of 20 percent.

The cuts have gone beyond those made to operations budgets. Among the most common budget cut strategies cited by respondents to a midApril 2020 Parks Snapshot Survey focused on capital budgets. These included deferring or canceling capital projects and ramping down or deferring maintenance projects.

A third of park and recreation leaders indicated in the December Parks Snapshot survey that they had reduced 2021 capital budgets in response to the current financial challenges. Thirty-six percent of agencies located in large metropolitan areas were pulling back on capital spending, compared to 30 percent of agencies located in small metropolitan and rural areas. The typical agency slashed its capital budgets by 37 percent, with 1 in 6 agencies cutting capital expenditures by at least half.

At first glance, it appears that capital spending at local park and

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Parks & Recreation

recreation agencies may be holding firm so far — but the keywords are “so far.” Per the U.S. Census Bureau, public-sector construction spending on parks/camps, neighborhood centers, social centers and sports facilities totaled $10.288 billion during the first 10 months of 2020. This was up a robust inflationadjusted 8.8 percent over publicsector spending during the same months in 2019.

History, however, suggests that capital spending trends tend to lag major financial events. Consider the years surrounding the Great Recession. In 2007, public-sector construction spending on parks/camps, neighborhood centers, social centers and sports facilities amounted to $8.591 billion. Spending rose an inflation-adjusted 6.4 percent during the first year of the recession in 2008 and suffered only a relatively modest 0.9 percent slip in 2009.

But the story changed quickly after that with two consecutive years of spending declines (-11.9 percent in 2010 and another -17.6 in 2011).

Construction spending did not recover until 2017.

There is a tremendous price for canceling or deferring capital investments. Park and recreation agencies

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with aging infrastructure and amenities in disrepair will struggle to deliver the benefits of parks and recreation to all members of the community. The NRPA research team used NRPA Park Metrics data to estimate that local park and recreation agencies have more than $60 billion of deferred maintenance. This data helped support the permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) last year.

The need to chip away at deferred projects with limited financial resources also can constrain agencies from investing in new park and recreation infrastructure and amenities. Growing populations with diverse needs and desires make these investments more critical.

The pandemic has demonstrated that parks and recreation is essential for healthy and resilient communities. This includes the more than 190 million people across the nation who went to a park, trail or other open space in the first three months of the pandemic (nrpa.org/Engagement) or the many ways park and recreation professionals served in their communities’ emergency response.

But deferring maintenance and delaying critical capital investments will make it harder for park and recreation professionals and their agencies to continue serving in this vital role. Deferring maintenance and delaying capital projects only lead to a bigger bill down the road.

Kevin Roth is NRPA’s Vice President of Research, Evaluation and Technology (kroth@nrpa.org).

NRPA PARK PULSE Parks and Recreation Provides Opportunities to Get Active

4 in 5 U.S. adults report a change in their physical activity in 2020 compared to previous years. 33 percent report their activity levels increased and 46 percent report their activity levels decreased.

According to a recent NRPA Parks Snapshot survey (nrpa.org/ParksSnapshot), the vast majority of park and recreation professionals and their agencies are providing the public access to venues and amenities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including:

Parks

Trails

Playgrounds

Tennis Courts

Sports Fields

Throughout the year, younger adults were more likely to have seen an increase in their physical activity (50 percent of Gen Zers) compared to their older peers (23 percent of baby boomers).

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 Park and Recreation Department Assets Are Valuable to Potential Partners

By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

N

early all park and recreation departments have a list of desired capital projects that far exceed their available capital resources. The only way some of them will ever come to fruition is if outside capital can be attracted. Private capital can be made available relatively quickly once it is clear there is a reasonable probability there will be a return on the investment (ROI). So, the challenge for a department becomes: What can we offer to make this project a viable opportunity to attract outside investment?

Park and recreation agencies have four major assets that are potentially powerful incentives that can be used as a foundation upon which to build partnerships and attract investment from businesses: (1) a substantial land bank, (2) the ability to access low-cost capital and to raise funds from the tax base, (3) the capacity to convey tax incentives, and (4) control of zoning and permit applications.

Successful synergy from collaboration requires fusing the complementary resources of the partners in a project to the mutual advantage of all parties involved. Most of these department resources are “in-kind.” This has the important political advantage of being less controversial than directly committing tax dollars toward a facility.

Land Bank From the perspective of a business, land is a prerequisite for building projects, but it is an unproductive cost. It is not depreciable; it adds to property taxes and it yields no revenue flow. If its cost can be reduced or removed, then it may make an otherwise infeasible project viable.

It is common for a substantial portion of a community’s open space to be under the jurisdiction of a park department. The agency could offer some parkland or use of an existing facility to a business under a With the help of private capital, park and recreation departments can complete capital projects that otherwise would not come to fruition.

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nominal lease arrangement (e.g., $1 a year) to encourage development of an amenity that the department lacks the resources to develop. A lease likely will be for 15 to 20 years to allow a partner sufficient time to obtain a reasonable ROI. In my community, this was the incentive needed to persuade a private investor to build an ice rink.

Most ice rinks lose money — at best, they are marginally profitable.

Certainly, they are a high-risk business proposition. The city wanted to attract an ice rink to expand its recreation offerings to residents, but the recreation department had no expertise with ice rink facilities.

A partnership with a company with expertise in this area seemed to be the best way forward.

An experienced operator was approached. The city offered a 15-year lease with the option of a five-year extension on a prime four-acre site, agreed to waive the cost of all utility connections and contribute to the landscaping. The removal of both the capital cost of land and the annual property taxes since the land was owned by the city led to an acceptable ROI. Our community members now have an attractive ice rink, and the city does not have the challenges and costs of operating it.

Low-Cost Capital Public jurisdictions can borrow money at a lower interest rate than a commercial organization because its bonds are tax exempt.

In the past, the most common way to facilitate commercial access to public-sector capital was for the two parties to sign an agreement under which a public body built a facility with its capital to the business’ specifications

and leased it to the operator at a price that enabled the annual bond repayments to be met.

This type of arrangement is no longer legal. However, with the ice rink example, the city, as one of its contributions to make the project viable, agreed to assist the project by using its tax-exempt money to develop associated infrastructure for the project relating to roads, sewers, water and utilities, and landscaping, and to build its recovery into the lease agreement.

Tax Abatements Public jurisdictions have the authority to abate a proportion of or all property and other local and/or state tax payments for a given number of years. A reduction in this operating expense in the early years, in which a venture is building a clientele base, can be a powerful inducement for businesses to engage in partnerships.

Like most cities, my city has a standard scale for negotiating tax relief, depending on the magnitude of investment by the partner and the number of jobs the venture provides. In most states, there are limits on the maximum length of time a tax abatement can be granted. Most commonly, the limit is 10 years.

Although the use of tax abatements is widespread, they are, sometimes, controversial because they may discriminate unfairly against established businesses.

Consider the following example: A new $3 million health and fitness club is granted a tax abatement for 10 years, meaning it does not have to pay the annual property taxes of $50,000. Because similar clubs in the city do pay property taxes, the new facility is

Public jurisdictions can borrow money at a lower interest rate than a commercial organization because its bonds are tax exempt. able to offer its services at a lower price than the long-established clubs, which threatens the survival of some of them.

Control Over Permit and Zoning Processes The development of a recreation project by a private company is subject to myriad regulations and requirements that are administered by multiple departments within a city and by government agencies outside the city. Invariably, negotiating these is a challenging and time-consuming chore of the development process.

The adage “time is money” is highly relevant in development projects. In a recent venture that involved a marina on a reservoir and an associated restaurant, securing permits from state and federal agencies took a year longer than anticipated. As a result, the operator had to pay interest on his financing for an entire year with no revenue accruing, and the viability of the project was in doubt. When a business partners with a government agency, the city often is able to expedite permit applications more quickly than a private firm operating outside the structure of government.

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

Voting in the 2020 election showed that people are willing to pay more taxes to deliberately improve the value of local outdoors spaces that enhance their quality of life.

Voters Overwhelmingly Supported Park Funding Ballot Initiatives in 2020

By Elvis Cordova

T

The COVID-19 Factor

Voters in 48 jurisdictions throughout the country had the opportunity to determine the future and purpose of their local outdoor spaces. Collectively, voters across the country approved approximately $3.7 billion (tinyurl.com/ydhfexhc) in new public funding measures for projects that encompassed land conservation, outdoor recreation expansion, wildlife habitat protection, improvement of water-quality initiatives, climate-

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought the realization that parks and outdoor recreation facilities are an indispensable aspect of people’s lives. Moreover, COVID-19 exacerbated an already alarming chronic disease — substance use and the mental health crisis — while plunging many communities and individuals further into poverty, social isolation, food insecurity and general uncertainty. Parks and recreation facilities have offered a solution to many of those societal challenges.

As a result, local parks and trails have experienced a noticeable increase in

he national general election of November 2020 was a historic one, with nearly 70 percent of the eligible U.S. voting population casting their votes. This figure represents the highest voter turnout rate in 120 years. The main draw for the 2020 election was for the U.S. presidency. However, other significant factors actually motivated voters to get out and vote in record numbers — including control of the U.S. Senate, election of state governors, state constitutional amendments and local ballot initiatives for dedicated park funding measures.

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resiliency measures and park enhancements designed to expand local access. What’s really captivating about these funding measures is that they increased taxes. While most mechanisms for these tax increases were forward-looking, the results all reverberated with the same message: People are willing to pay more taxes to deliberately improve the value of local outdoor spaces that enhance their quality of life. NRPA research supports this sentiment, find-

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ing that more than 4 in 5 people agree that parks and recreation is an essential local government service.

use, about 35 percent, during the pandemic. Moreover, 3 in 5 people — or more than 190 million people — visited a local park, trail, public open space or recreation facility during the first three months of the pandemic (mid-March through midJune 2020) (nrpa.org/Engagement).

This revitalized public appreciation for increased outdoor recreational access likely contributes to the success rates for these dedicated park funding voter initiatives. The continued success in these dedicated public funding instruments is occurring at a critical time for park and recreation agencies. The economic aftershocks of COVID-19 resulted in substantially decreased funding for local park and recreation agencies.

According to NRPA research, 48

percent of park and recreation agencies are facing budget cuts of about 20 percent in the upcoming year, with 33 percent of agencies making typical reductions to their capital budgets of about 37 percent. Despite this decrease in economic resources, park and recreational facilities have been called upon to expand their services. Adopting more of these dedicated funding mechanisms is an important tool that can help to alleviate the pressure for both park and recreation agencies, as well as for municipal governments, and provide the much-needed additional resources.

The Voters Have Spoken As the economic reverberations of COVID-19 develop, it will be imperative for local government and elect-

ed officials to strategically invest in parks and recreation facilities as vital and necessary community services.

After all, 72 percent of U.S. adults are more likely to vote for a local political leader who makes park and recreation funding a priority. The continued success of dedicated public funding initiatives, even in a difficult economic climate, is yet another sign that voters continue to embrace these innovative public finance tools as worthwhile alternatives for the upkeep and expansion of public recreational spaces. Parks and recreation continues to experience strong bipartisan support and is one of the rare electoral issues that unites voters and brings communities together.

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

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

NRPA’s objective is to create a future where all people have access to the benefits of quality parks and recreation.

An Urgency to Act

By Alyia Gaskins and Tiffany Pertillar

W

“

e are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today.

We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.” — Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The year 2020 was difficult for all of us, individually and collectively. In addition to a global pandemic that not only illustrated, but also exacerbated, the grave health inequities that exist in communities across the country, we also saw firsthand that deep, pervasive and polarizing racism still exists, as we laid witness to numerous killings of Black individuals and people of color at the hands of police officers and vigilante citizens. This year marks the 58th anniversary of the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech that was delivered by Dr.

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King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. In his speech, Dr. King spoke about the complex but defining moment our country was facing at the time. He described for the nearly 250,000 people in attendance the fierce urgency that enveloped the moment and the devastation that loomed ahead if they chose to remain irresponsive to the call.

There is urgency in the moment in which we find ourselves today.

It’s a fierce urgency to act, to stand, and to speak out against injustices that have served only to divide our

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great nation instead of uniting it. As we embark on Black History Month and honor great Black leaders — both past and present — NRPA stands committed to answering that call and providing its members with tools and resources to do the same.

NRPA’s objective is to create a future where all people have access to the benefits of quality parks and recreation. Doing so requires that all of us — NRPA staff, board and members — commit to intentionally engaging in the work required to recognize and challenge the systemic inequities that have created very different realities for communities of color. It requires that we put equity at the center of all we do, from how we strengthen the organizational culture within NRPA to how we prepare the park

and recreation field for the future.

It also requires that as we build up and promote equity-centered outcomes, we work to dismantle barriers to equity.

NRPA asks that you partner with us as we strive to answer Dr. King’s call for “vigorous and positive action.” The organization has developed two important trailblazing resources.

The Park Access Resource assists park and recreation professionals in exploring personal and community history. The resource helps those in the field to better understand the root causes of inequities and guide professionals toward intentional action in addressing inequities in park access.

The Health Equity Framework guides local park and recreation professionals in applying an equity lens when designing, implementing and evaluating programs and services. It is divided into four parts: Self-Assessment, Agency Assessment, Health Equity Integration and Committing to the Call. Learn more at nrpa.org/Equity.

Now, more than ever, it is critical for park and recreation professionals to create more equitable access to high-quality spaces, programs and services where all people can experience the physical, environmental, mental and social health benefits that parks and recreation uniquely provides.

NRPA encourages you to engage with your agency staff, colleagues and community members as you work to increase access, reimagine inclusion, advance equity and promote health through your parks and recreation programs, services and facilities. Just as there was fierce urgency in that moment in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln

Memorial, there is fierce urgency in this moment in 2021. We have an opportunity to create lasting change in the United States. This moment demands something from

all of us. Will you partner with us to answer the call?

Alyia Gaskins is Founder and CEO of CitiesRx (alyia@citiesrx. com). Tiffany Pertillar is CoFounder and CEO of Epic Health Solutions (tiffany@elevatingequity.com).

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EQUITY

In times of sociopolitical polarities, resistence to what we have to say shouldn’t surprise us.

Staging a New ACT

By Tim Herd, CPRE

I

t was quite an angry voicemail message I received this past November: “I WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU THINK I NEED DIVERSITY TRAINING! Don’t send me ANY MORE! THIS IS JUST A COMMUNIST…! I CAN’T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT!” And abruptly disconnected.

This was apparently in response to our recent notices about the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) diversity webinars

by Mauricio Velásquez of the Diversity Training Group, which were sent out to all our members and a list of potential members. I can only hope he was in the latter category.

A number of immediate thoughts came to me: • You didn’t tell me who you are, so I don’t know who to stop sending this to!

• Perhaps he felt he was being singled out by our bulk email that

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customizes the greeting with a first name. (He wouldn’t be the first. Years ago at another agency, I had a board member who thought everything I wrote about improving leadership and relationships was about him, and resented me picking on him — until I explained that I always sent them to everyone. [“... Oh!”] He was then fine about it; although a bit embarrassed.)

• Since many people are sensitive about their secret flaws, perhaps we smacked a nerve on this.

• On the other hand, since he alluded to diversity training as

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being communistic, he’s likely affixed to quite a different perspective.

• People naturally feel threatened and tend to react strongly when they feel they are losing power, prestige, control, influence or elevated status to others who are different from them.

• If I had been able to talk with him, I probably would have asked him why he was so angry, and perhaps worked our way out of a misunderstanding. Who knows? But since I couldn’t, I’m left to only guess why “diversity” rattled him so badly that he had to rant on my voicemail. (A little later, our communications manager received an email with this in the subject line: “You can shove your diversity training you nowhere [sic].”)

In these times of sociopolitical polarities, resistance to what we have to say shouldn’t surprise us. While those within our profession may largely hold these truths to be self-evident, our proclamations about the value of parks, their essential nature, social equity, equal access and the need for increased funding (among many others) are not universally well-received.

All our advocacy needs to be supported by education, documentation, data and sound reasoning. But even if we can make an unassailable case for our cause, our communication cannot begin to be effective until it becomes two-way, in an open exchange of ideas, perspectives and other viewpoints, and both parties achieve better understanding — and, perhaps, transformed behaviors and policies. This is not a job for the faint of heart!

The same day I received that voicemail, the PRPS staff were engaged in a professional training centered on leadership types and communication styles. We all gained deeper insights about ourselves and how to better understand each other. Even though we already work very well together, I found it very interesting that, out of the nine of us, we display eight different communication styles. And that’s among people who agree on a lot, have a lot in common and even like each other!

Which brings us back to my angry caller, and the next time we meet active — even hostile — resistance.

How can we even begin to facilitate an effective conversation?

I certainly don’t have all the answers (after all, I am a recovering hothead myself!). But, I will leave you with this valuable tool in the Communications Guide (tinyurl.com/y8ddnfc4) from the Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE) that I recently picked up. While it’s presented within the framework of racial equity, the technique can work in all areas of conflict.

As you know, people who are fighting aren’t communicating. The acronym is ACT: Affirm – Begin by affirming core values that your listener or audience shares with this effort. Reinforce the idea that we’re all in this together.

Counter – Explain the challenge, focusing on the institutional and structural drivers that have created and maintained racial inequity. Be explicit about race, contrasting reality with the vision and values you’ve shared. Use facts and stories to persuade your listener of the reality and importance of the problem.

If we continue to ACT, we can continue to accelerate a more equitable future for all those we serve.

Transform – Start with heart, reiterate that we’re all in this together, and offer your audience or listener a concrete step they can take, or we can take together, to transform our current reality into the vision we share.

If we continue to ACT, we can continue to accelerate a more equitable future for all those we serve.

Editor’s Note: The above originally appeared as a post on NRPA’s Open Space Blog. To read the original text published on November 18, visit nrpa.org/blog/staging-a-new-act.

Tim Herd, CPRE, is the CEO of the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society and a Member of Parks & Recreation magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board (herd@prps.org).

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Reflecting on Systemic Racism in Conservation

By Bennett Knox

I

believe it remains a fair statement that Black people and other people of color are generally underrepresented in the broadly defined conservation field. Events of the past year, including the death of Breonna Taylor in my city of Louisville, Kentucky, have revealed the racial status quo to be unacceptable. In the face of environmental issues, such as pollution and climate change, that have affected and will continue to affect communities of color more disproportionately, it should be no surprise that there is a growing demand for a shift in power dynamics that gives greater voice and representation to those populations more negatively impacted.

So rather than offering a recitation of a problem we know exists, perhaps it is useful to explore some self-reflection as conservation professionals on the systemic issues at play and our role in altering the status quo.

I can only speak from my experiences as a white person who recognizes the privileges that have benefited me on my path to my chosen career in the field of conservation.

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Growing up, I had many experiences around nature and took part in a wide range of outdoor extracurricular activities. But a more honest appraisal of my youth re-

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Young adults participating in Louisville (Kentucky) is Engaging Children Outdoors (ECHO) summer job training gained construction skills and learned about ways green infrastructure can improve water quality as they constructed a bio-infiltration trench in Chickasaw Park. This project was funded as part of NRPA’s Great Urban Parks Campaign.

veals the myriad of advantages, many based in historical racism, that have facilitated my professional path. Today, I am thankful to be positioned to oversee stewardship, outdoor education and recreation, and guest services as administrator of the Natural Areas Division of Louisville Parks and Recreation.

As such, I have obtained a certain degree of authority over decisions related to staffing and resource allo-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOUISVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION

CONSERVATION

Louisville Parks and Recreation has hired individuals who previously participated in ECHO. They develop relationships in the community to increase the availability of engaging youth programming such as that offered by Louisville ECHO’s mobile nature play unit. This unit travels to urban nature-deficient parks and daycare facilities and was funded in part by an NRPA/Disney Foundation “Meet Me at the Park” grant.

cation. I recognize that I have a responsibility to carry out my duties in a way that builds a more equitable future. Care for the environment requires as much, and I suggest that we all must strive to do our part.

Work Myself Out of a Job? Normally, the phrase “work myself out of a job” is associated with building a team that can keep things running when we move on. Done correctly, this is an active process requiring a great deal of effort over time to put in place organizational structure, make strategic investments in staff training, and work to recruit and hire the best candidates. If we accept that nature is for everyone, regardless of skin color, then the lack of substantial progress in improving racial diversity within environmental fields must be the result of systemic issues we collectively have failed to address.

I’ve come to explore systemic issues in part through resources made available through NRPA, as well as through participation in the Cities Connecting Children to Nature collaborative (tinyurl.com/ yc3frarq). These issues include structural and racial bias in hiring and talent development, inequitable allocation of programming resources, and implicit thoughts staff have about race in relation to the outdoors. At whatever level we find

ourselves, we must work to identify and address these barriers as they exist within our agencies and communities. We must make equity a focus of our environmental work, so that “working ourselves out of a job” means leaving behind a workforce that is truly representative of the communities we serve not just at the agency level, but also at the departmental level.

What Are We Doing in Louisville?

Although our efforts remain a work in progress, we have taken significant steps toward addressing systemic issues within the structure of our natural areas program at Louisville Parks and Recreation.

In 2008, as a result of a focus on equity by the Obama administration, we were able to launch our Louisville is Engaging Children Outdoors (Louisville ECHO) initiative with funding support from the U.S. Forest Service. Focused on creating sustained opportunities for underserved youth to experience the outdoors, the initia-

tive has grown to now offer 2,800 youth (ages 3 to 21) with continual, free opportunities in the outdoors, including early childhood nature play, school-based educational field trips, out-of-school time outdoor recreation in partnership with local community centers, and youth summer employment. After 12 years of sustained growth and partnership development, we are seeing real improvement reflected in our staff representation, which in turn is being echoed back within the community served. Most importantly, the gains made are more likely to be sustained, as we’ve made investments in equitable programming and outdoor infrastructure within priority neighborhoods.

By doing so, we are creating viable pathways for youth to experience the outdoors where they live and to realize opportunities to express their passion for the outdoors through meaningful leadership and employment opportunities.

Bennett Knox is Parks Administrator, Natural Areas Division for Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation (bennett.knox@louisvilleky.gov).

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L AW R EV I EW

In this case, Plaintiffs alleged that Defendants unlawfully seized Plaintiffs’ property in violation of the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as violations of due process rights.

‘Sweeps’ of Homeless Encampments in Parks During COVID-19

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

I

n the case of Berry v. Hennepin County, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 201810 (U.S. Dist. Minn. 10/29/2020), a number of individuals experiencing homelessness and organizations representing individuals experiencing homeless filed suit in federal district court seeking a temporary restraining order against various public entities and officials, including the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), to prevent police “sweeps” of homeless encampments in public parks throughout Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A temporary restraining order, or “TRO,” is a court order of limited duration made in the early stages of a lawsuit, which maintains the status quo of a situation until the court can hear further evidence and decide whether to issue a preliminary injunction pending final judgment after a trial to resolve a lawsuit.

During these sweeps, Plaintiffs

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alleged police seized and destroyed the property of persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness encamped in public parks. Plaintiffs challenged Defendants’ treatment of persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness. As noted by the federal district court, this lawsuit arose from a “confluence of two significant societal problems — homelessness and the [coronavi-

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rus (COVID-19)] pandemic.”

Facts of the Case In this case, Plaintiffs alleged Defendants had conducted ‘sweeps’ during which Defendants had “seized and destroyed the property of persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness who currently are living in encampments in public parks throughout Minneapolis.” Defendants included: Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Mayor, the Minneapolis Chief of Police, the MPRB, the MPRB Superintendent, the MPRB Park Police Chief, the Hennepin County Sheriff and multiple unnamed police officers.

Plaintiffs in this action included

individual Plaintiffs and one organizational Plaintiff. The individual Plaintiffs in this action are six individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Hennepin County, Minnesota, including four individuals who currently are not living on public land and two individuals who currently are doing so, within the City of Minneapolis park system. The organizational Plaintiff, Zakah, Aid and Charity Assisting Humanity (ZACAH), is a private nonprofit organization staffed by unpaid volunteers with a mission to provide financial assistance to residents of Minnesota who are on the verge of experiencing homelessness.

COVID-19 Emergency Orders On April 8, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued Emergency Executive Order 20-33, which states: “Encampments should not be subject to sweeps or disbandment by state or local governments, as such sweeps or disbandment increase the potential risk and spread of COVID-19.”

On April 29, 2020, Governor Walz issued Emergency Executive Order 20-47, which clarified Emergency Executive Order 20-33 with respect to encampments, noting that “both new and existing encampments should not be subject to sweeps or disbandment by state or local governments.” State or local governments, however, could “restrict, limit or close encampment spaces” if “an encampment has reached a size or status that is a documented threat to the health, safety or security of residents.” To do so, however, a local government entity must have been “providing

sufficient alternate housing, shelter or encampment space that complies with the Minnesota Department of Health’s guidance and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) guidance (i.e., Responding to COVID-19 Among People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness).”

On May 13, 2020, Governor Walz issued Emergency Executive Order 20-55, which reiterated the guidance to encampments set forth in Emergency Executive Order 2047.

Park Refuge Resolutions The MPRB manages the City of Minneapolis park system. On June 17, 2020, the MPRB adopted Resolution 2020-253 declaring Minneapolis parks to be a refuge space for persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness. On July 15, 2020, the MPRB adopted Resolution 2020-267, which limited the number of Minneapolis parks that could be refuge sites to 20 and limited the number of tents located at each site to 25 through a permit process.

In August and September 2020, Minneapolis Park Police disbanded one of several Powderhorn Park encampments, along with the encampments at Peavy Park, Kenwood Park and Elliot Park. Further, the MPRB had issued public statements that “due to health and safety concerns, the MPRB will not be extending temporary encampment permits into cold weather, anticipated to be sometime in October.”

Motion for Temporary Restraining Order Plaintiffs commenced their law-

suit on October 19, 2020, alleging that Defendants unlawfully seized Plaintiffs’ property in violation of the Fourth Amendment guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as violations of due process rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

In their lawsuit, Plaintiffs also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order “to prevent Defendants from taking certain actions against individuals who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness and living in public parks in Minneapolis and throughout Hennepin County,” which included: (1) clearing encampments in public parks within Hennepin County, (2) seizing Plaintiffs’ property and the property of the putative class members [i.e., affected homeless individuals] without adequate pre-deprivation notice, and (3) destroying Plaintiffs’ property and the property of the putative class members.

In particular, Plaintiffs were seeking a temporary restraining order from the federal district court, “enjoining Defendants from sweeping encampments in violation of Executive Order 20-47 signed by Governor Walz on April 29th.”

Temporary Restraining Order Factors As cited by the court, the “Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(b) authorizes a district court to grant injunctive relief in the form of a temporary restraining order.” In determining whether this “extraordinary remedy” is warranted, the federal district court would consider the following four factors as applied to the “movant,” in this case the Plaintiffs:

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(1) the threat of irreparable harm to the movant, (2) the likelihood that the movant will succeed on the merits, (3) the balance between Plaintiffs’ alleged harm and the injury that an injunction would inflict on other parties, and (4) the public interest.

The federal district court would first determine whether Plaintiffs had established “the threat of irreparable harm” in the absence of a temporary restraining order.

As noted by the court, “the purpose of a temporary restraining order is to maintain the status quo” while claims are being resolved by the court. Further, “the burden rests with the moving party to establish that injunctive relief should be granted.”

Accordingly, the federal district court would first determine whether Plaintiffs had established “the threat of irreparable harm” in the absence of a temporary restraining order. As described by the court: “Irreparable harm occurs when a party has no adequate remedy at law, typically because its injuries cannot be fully compensated through an award of damages.”

Further, the court acknowledged Plaintiffs had the burden “to establish the need for injunctive relief to prevent irreparable harm.” In so doing, Plaintiffs had to demonstrate “the harm is certain and great and of such imminence that there is a clear and present need for equitable relief.” Moreover, the court acknowledged that a “mere 28 Parks & Recreation

possibility of harm is insufficient” to issue the extraordinary remedy of a temporary restraining order.

In this particular instance, the question before the federal district court was “whether any plaintiff would suffer irreparable harm if this Court does not grant a temporary restraining order enjoining Defendants from ‘sweeping’ encampments.”

Irreparable Harm Requirement In the complaint, the organizational Plaintiff, ZACAH, alleged that board members and volunteers have dedicated countless hours to place people in emergency hotel rooms. ZACAH further alleged that, of the $115,715 in donations it has received, the organization has spent approximately $113,000 to pay for hotel rooms for displaced people on an emergency basis.

ZACAH argued that this expenditure has prevented it from using those funds to advance ZACAH’s core mission to “support people in transitioning from a state of vulnerability, back toward a path of sustainability.” ZACAH acknowledged: “Diverted resources, however, can be compensated through money damages.”

As noted by the federal district court, “costs associated with litigation and use of scarce financial and human resources did not establish irreparable harm.” In particular, the court found an organization’s diversion of resources “amounts to no more than a loss of money and time, which is generally not irreparable harm.” In this instance, ZACAH had effectively conceded that it could be compensated for the financial harm it was allegedly suf-

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fering through an award of money damages, assuming ZACAH was able to prevail on the merits of its lawsuit in further trial proceedings.

As a result, the federal district court held that ZACAH had not established that it would suffer irreparable harm absent the court’s issuing a temporary restraining order. The federal district court, therefore, denied ZACAH’s motion for a temporary restraining order.

Irreparable Harm: Real or Speculative?

As to the individually named Plaintiffs, the federal district court noted that “the record establishes that some of the individually named Plaintiffs currently are living in encampments and some are not.” In their lawsuit, the individual Plaintiffs were seeking “injunctive relief enjoining Defendants from clearing the encampments in Hennepin County and from seizing and destroying the property of individually named Plaintiffs and the property of the putative class members [i.e., a potential group of similarly situated individuals] in the future.”

Individual Plaintiffs not currently living in encampments claimed they “might resume living in an encampment in Hennepin County at some point.” Since these Plaintiffs were not subject to possible removal from encampments, the federal district court found it would be improper to grant a temporary restraining order to address such “speculative harm”: The harm as alleged by the Non-Encampment Plaintiffs in the form of removal from encampments is speculative because they currently do not live in encampments. Because speculative

harm is not irreparable harm, the Non-Encampment Plaintiffs have not demonstrated that they will suffer irreparable harm absent a temporary restraining order from the Court.

As noted by the court, two of the other individually named Plaintiffs do “currently reside in encampments.” These “Encampment” Plaintiffs alleged that they did not know where they would live if Defendants forced them to leave their encampments in B.F. Nelson Park and Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Accordingly, these Encampment Plaintiffs argued they would “suffer irreparable harm in the form of evictions from their encampments if this Court does not issue a temporary restraining order”: The Encampment Plaintiffs contend that, if the encampments where they reside in their tents are disbanded, the Encampment Plaintiffs will lose their shelter.

And they maintain that loss of housing resulting from an eviction can constitute irreparable harm.

In addition, were they to lose essential possessions, these Encampment Plaintiffs had further argued that the loss would be both devastating and traumatizing.

While not minimizing this hardship, the federal district court noted that Plaintiffs had not argued that the harm arising from such a property loss would necessarily be irreparable. On the contrary, the court found the possible seizure or destruction of the Encampment Plaintiffs’ personal property was highly speculative and any such harm was not irreparable because lost personal property could be returned or compensated through monetary damages.

Accordingly, in the opinion of the federal district court, Plaintiffs had failed to demonstrate that the possible loss of essential personal possessions would constitute the requisite irreparable harm to warrant a temporary restraining order.

In addition, Plaintiffs had argued that they would suffer irreparable harm based upon the identified threat of contracting COVID-19 in a shelter. The federal district court rejected this argument. As noted by the court, “the record reflects that the COVID-19 infection rate among individuals in Hennepin County shelters is lower than the infection rate for the general population.” Moreover, under the circumstances of this case, the court found “no deaths due to COVID-19 have occurred among individuals in Hennepin County Shelters.”

Potential Harm Mitigation In response to Plaintiffs’ claims, Defendants had argued Plaintiffs would not be harmed irreparably if the MPRB determined that those encampments where Plaintiffs reside should be removed. If Plaintiffs’ encampments were subject to removal, MPRB stated it would do so in the same manner as it has with the other encampments. Specifically, MPRB would make a determination that the encampments have become health and safety risks to the campers and the public. Moreover, MPRB would ensure “there is adequate shelter elsewhere” for Encampment Plaintiffs.

In addition, in the event of any encampment removals, Defendants pledged to provide “both notice and outreach services.” According to Defendants: “If shelter space is available for all persons

removed from the encampments, the possible harm that the Encampment Plaintiffs might face if encampments are disbanded would be mitigated.”

Further, the City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County claimed shelter options were available.

Moreover, the Director of the Hennepin County Office to End Homelessness indicated: “Hennepin County has committed to finding shelter for all families with children, even if family shelters are at capacity.” According to Hennepin County, between July 1, 2020 and October 21, 2020, there were “unused beds for single women every night.” Beginning in September 2020, Hennepin County acknowledged that “shelters for single men in Hennepin County had begun to reach their capacity more frequently.” That being said, Hennepin County claimed that “new beds do become available each day for single adult men.” Accordingly, Hennepin County maintained that “single adult men experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County might be able to find shelter on any given night.”

While Hennepin County claimed shelter options were available if Encampment Plaintiffs were displaced, the federal district court found these prospects were not certain.

While Hennepin County claimed shelter options were available if Encampment Plaintiffs were displaced, the federal district court found these prospects were not cer-

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tain. Further, the court acknowledged: “The potential harm that the Encampment Plaintiffs face as a result of possible disbandment is not minimal.” In the opinion of the court, potential harm, however, was insufficient to satisfy the “certain and concrete” irreparable harm requirement to warrant injunctive relief in the form of a temporary restraining order.

The court concluded that “the Encampment Plaintiffs have not met their burden of demonstrating irreparable harm as required to secure a temporary restraining order.”

As noted by the federal district court, Defendants had declared that “encampments will not be removed unless three conditions are met”: (1) the MPRB determines that a health and safety risk to the encampment residents exists, (2) a health and safety risk to the public exists, and (3) adequate shelter exists elsewhere.

Consistent with this declaration, the MPRB Park Police Chief testified that the removal of encampments had been undertaken only when there has been an “actual and demonstrated threat to the public safety or health of camp residents or the neighbors and neighborhoods of the park because of the encampment.” Further, these encampment removal actions were only undertaken after the MPRB superintendent “gave explicate direction after he was satisfied that public health and safety were en30 Parks & Recreation

dangered and that adequate housing for homeless persons existed in the community.” In addition, “when an encampment is to be disbanded,” the MPRB Director of Community Outreach testified that “Community Outreach employees work with the inhabitants and permittees to assist them in finding alternative housing.”

Based on these representations and sworn declarations, Defendants claimed that “the Encampment Plaintiffs will not experience irreparable harm in the event that the MPRB disbands an encampment after the aforementioned circumstances have been established.”

No Evidence of Irreparable Harm In the opinion of the federal district court, Plaintiffs had “not presented any evidence that persuasively contradicts Defendants’ evidence and representations, so as to establish that Plaintiffs’ alleged harm is sufficiently certain and concrete.” Accordingly, the court concluded that “the Encampment Plaintiffs have not met their burden of demonstrating irreparable harm as required to secure a temporary restraining order.”

In reaching this conclusion, the federal district court recognized the robust efforts of volunteers, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities to assist those who face unsheltered homelessness in the local Twin Cities community, including ZACAH, the Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as Hennepin County, the City of Minneapolis and MPRB, along with numerous other nonprofit organizations and volunteers. Fur-

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ther, the court acknowledged the prevalence of unsheltered homelessness in the Twin Cities had increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic: Both experiencing and addressing unsheltered homelessness are grave challenges in the best of times. The COVID-19 global pandemic has both increased the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness and further complicated the means of addressing unsheltered homelessness in light of the CDC’s recommendations to practice social distancing and elevated sanitation procedures.

That being said, the legal issue before the federal district court was not “how best to address unsheltered homelessness.” On the contrary, as identified by the court, the sole issue for judicial consideration was a procedural issue; i.e., “whether Plaintiffs have met the legal standard necessary to secure a temporary restraining order.” In so doing, the federal district court acknowledged that depriving Plaintiffs of a place to live might constitute irreparable harm within the context of a motion for a temporary restraining order. However, under the circumstances of this particular case, the federal district court found Defendants had pledged to mitigate any harm to Plaintiffs by ensuring the availability of an alternative place to live when encampments in public parks had to be removed due to COVID-19 related health and safety concerns.

Conclusion Having found Plaintiffs had failed to establish the requisite irreparable harm to warrant injunctive

relief against Defendants, the federal district court denied Plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order “without prejudice.” Accordingly, if Plaintiffs could show irreparable harm based on Defendants’ failure to honor their commitment to provide shelter alternatives to encampment removals, Plaintiffs could renew their motion for a temporary restraining order.

The reasoning of the federal district court in this particular case regarding the availability of alternative shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness residing in public parks was consistent with the general view of federal courts on the homeless issue. This approach was apparent in the opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals

for the Ninth Circuit in the case of Martin v. City of Boise, 920 F.3d 584 (9th Cir. 4/1/2019). In this case, the federal appeals court held the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment bars a city from prosecuting people criminally for sleeping outside on public property, in particular public parks, when those people have no home nor other shelter to go to.

The City of Boise had a Camping Ordinance (Boise City Code § 9-10-02) that made it a misdemeanor to use “any of the streets, sidewalks, parks or public places as a camping place at any time.”

The Camping Ordinance defined “camping” as “the use of public property as a temporary or permanent place of dwelling, lodging

or residence.” While the Eighth Amendment would not require the city to provide sufficient shelter for the homeless, the Ninth Circuit held the government cannot criminalize indigent people experiencing homelessness for sleeping outdoors on public property, like public parks, as long as there is no option for sleeping indoors.

See also: “Camping Ordinance Criminalized Homeless Status,” James C. Kozlowski, Parks & Recreation, Jul. 2019, Vol. 53, Iss. 7 mason.gmu.edu/~jkozlows/lawarts/ 07JUL19.pdf 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.

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Parks & Recreation magazine and NRPA’s Young Professional Network launch a new program recognizing the 30 best and brightest young park and recreation professionals in the field

By Michael Biedenstein, CPRP, AFO

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RPA’s Young Professional Network (YPN) and Parks & Recreation magazine are proud to launch our first-ever “30 Under 30.” This new recognition program is a joint effort honoring 30 of the top young park and recreation professionals who, quite frankly, serve as everyday superheroes in their respective communities. More than 100 nominations were received, forming a diverse group of nominees from 29 different states, one Canadian province and one U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. The selection committee evaluated the nominations on one or more of the following criteria: 32 Parks & Recreation

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• Impacts on the agency’s community and service population • Contributions to the professional development of the field of parks and recreation • Innovative ideas, programs and/or research in the field of parks and recreation Following are the profiles of this inaugural class of the Parks & Recreation 30 Under 30. Their stories are full of passion, creativity, talent and perseverance. It is truly inspiring to see the profound impacts that these individuals are having in their communities and the field of parks and recreation.

Thank You to Our 30 Under 30 Selection Committee Chris Bass, CPRP Douglasville Parks and Recreation (GA) Michael Biedenstein, CPRP, AFO St. Louis County Parks and Recreation (MO) Kate Connell, CPRP, AFO Iowa City Parks and Recreation (IA)

Sam Mendelsohn Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Lisa Paradis, CPRP Berry Dunn Ronnetta Spalding Indy Parks and Recreation (IN) Anne-Marie Spencer Playcore

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Kendra Beaver, 27

Recreation Coordinator, City of Excelsior Springs Parks and Recreation (MO)

Kendra Beaver graduated from Hannibal-LaGrange University with a bachelor’s degree in recreation management. As recreation coordinator for Excelsior Springs Parks and Recreation, Beaver has formed one of the nation’s leading P&R esports programs. In addition to serving dozens of participants each week in the city, what she is doing to educate, inform and promote this new recreation pursuit nationwide will have a profound impact on the field. She has presented at several national and state conferences, including those hosted by the Missouri, Wyoming and Wisconsin park and recreation associations. She is an advocate and speaker for NRPA’s YPN.

Eduardo Campos, 28

Marketing and Communications Manager, Mountain Recreation Metropolitan District (CO)

Eduardo “Eddie” Campos understands his community and its challenges. In college, he helped to connect people to their community to prevent social, emotional and mental health issues.

This experience, paired with his community knowledge, sets Campos apart from the typical marketing manager. He reaches into local Latino neighborhoods and personally connects with individuals to learn how to better serve their needs. What’s more, Campos is leading a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) steering committee for Mountain Recreation that is intended not only to send staff members on their own personal DEI journeys, but also to share his organization’s journey with the public.

Amy Collier, 30

Grants Admininstration Specialist, City of Memphis Parks (TN)

In her three years with the City of Memphis, Amy Collier has elevated the Parks Division with every project she takes on. As grants administration specialist, Collier has leveraged more than $2 million in grant funding. She has forged new relationships with local and national funders to benefit Memphis’ park system. While grant writing is naturally competitive, she truly desires the success of all park departments. Collier also advocates for neighborhood parks as critical infrastructure to benefit the city. Her passions for community and equity through parks are infectious and exactly the values that park professionals should strive to uphold.

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Chris Curtis, 26

Esports Coordinator, South Suburban Parks and Recreation (CO)

The impact Chris Curtis has made on the community in just one year with South Suburban Parks and Recreation has been astronomical, especially through his creation of an incredible esports lounge. Curtis continues to build new programs that offer an outlet for children and adults in the community through esports and competitive video games. An expert in the field, Curtis provides esports tournaments for the local Tekken and Super Smash Bros. competitive communities for no profit. He not only has changed the landscape of P&R, but also has used the esports lounge to help promote sanctioned esports in high schools.

Matthew Denton, 27

Parks and Recreation Director, City of Smithville Parks and Recreation (MO)

Tanner Deisch, 29

Recreation Supervisor — Aquatics, Town of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation (NC)

Tanner Deisch already has established himself as a leader in P&R. He is aquatics supervisor for Town of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation and served as the chair of the NRPA Aquatics Network, where he introduced new ideas and grew group membership. Earlier in his career in Greensboro (NC), Deisch developed partnerships with the Greensboro Housing Authority, UNC–Greensboro and the Greensboro Aquatic Center to increase the number of lifeguard staff from underrepresented populations. One noteworthy program that he developed entailed providing opportunities for teenagers living in public housing to develop the swimming skills necessary to become certified as lifeguards.

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In just two-and-a-half years, Matthew Denton has worked his way up from recreation and marketing manager to P&R director for City of Smithville. Denton is attentive to his team and leads by example with his strong work ethic. As director, he has developed new trails systems, made campground enhancements in all 83 campsites, made bathroom and shower house upgrades and repairs, added livestreaming cameras at ballfields, and more. Denton is a member of professional organizations, including NRPA and his state P&R association, MPRA, where he currently serves as MPRA Sports Section secretary/treasurer and MPRA Region 1 membership chair.

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Nigel Dooling, 27

Senior Recreation Program Coordinator, City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation (FL)

In March 2020, Fort Lauderdale’s parks shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which meant no play for adult softball leagues. However, Nigel Dooling, senior recreation program coordinator, and his counterpart were confident that play could take place in a safe manner. They presented guidelines to the administration. In June, the agency’s adult softball leagues resumed. Seeing the enjoyment of a simple game of softball by participants encouraged Dooling and his counterpart to keep the leagues running in a safe environment. It was clear that participants not only wanted to play, but also needed this outlet.

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Becky Dunlap, 29

Consultant, GreenPlay, LLC (GA)

In 2017, Becky Dunlap launched “Becky Talks Parks,” a podcast focused on P&R trends and challenges, and shared knowledge that encouraged listeners to have an increased positive impact on communities. Dunlap eventually changed the podcast’s name to “Let’s Talk Parks,” to be more inclusive and impactful. Through her current work with GreenPlay, LLC, she helps agencies strive to meet the ever-changing needs of their communities. Dunlap champions gender equity in P&R and dedicates her efforts toward creating platforms and opportunities for women to support each other personally and professionally. She is a member of the Women in Parks and Recreation group.

Lauren Eck, 27

Recreation Specialist III, Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation (AK)

In 2017, Laura Eck began working for Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation as a recreation specialist. This was a new position and other than swim lessons, essentially no programming was being offered to the community. Given few staff, resources and funds, Eck worked hard to build a much-needed programming department. Her expertise lies in creating programs and events, coordinating marketing and graphic design efforts, and leading staff, interns and volunteers. She has launched a variety of programs, including Mess Makers, a parent-tot art program in partnership with the local Children’s Museum, and pop-up playground programs in low-income areas.

Joshua Edwards, 27

Director of Recreation, Blue Island Park District (IL)

As director of recreation, Joshua Edwards made a deliberate decision to hire interns from nearby colleges as well as coordinators with diverse backgrounds. He believes it’s critical for P&R to have minority representation in Blue Island. As a result, interns and coordinators gain experience in recreation programs, special events and stewardship.

Edwards leads workshops, internships and mock interviews to educate students on how they can make a difference within the profession. He contends this helps students take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the field. What’s more, Edwards mentors college graduates and young professionals entering the P&R profession.

Geordie Emmanuel, 25

Deputy Director of Recreation, Town of East Longmeadow (MA)

When George “Geordie” Emmanuel joined the Town of East Longmeadow’s P&R department as deputy director of recreation, its programming options exploded. Emmanuel added an adventure camp for teens and non-sports-related programs — including a safe@home class, STEM classes and an afterschool program that started after COVID-19 began. He also ran 13 weeks of day camp to meet the needs of parents with no childcare options. Emmanuel creates a fun working environment and motivates staff to give it their all. He maintains an excellent balance between youthfulness and strong professional standards.

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Sandip Gill, 24

Middle Years Coordinator, DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society (BC, Canada)

As middle years coordinator, Sandip Gill works with refugee children ages 6 to 12 in the First Steps Early Years Refugee Program. Many of these children and their families fled war-torn countries and witnessed traumatic incidents. Gill works with them to establish a positive, caring adult relationship with each child. She introduces them to P&R opportunities in the community that are accessible, free or low cost. She also takes the children to community events so they can become integrated into Canadian society and learn to be engaged members of their new communities.

Brett Gordon, 27

Inclusion Specialist, City of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation (VA)

Social equity is not a foreign concept to Brett Gordon. As an inclusion specialist, he lives it every day. In 2018, Gordon coordinated a new special event, “Unity Week,” which celebrates our differences and embraces the unique aspects that set us apart with positivity and acceptance. The Virginia Recreation and Parks Society recognized Unity Week as the Best New Special Event for 2018. In 2019, Gordon compelled other city departments to move the initiative forward by wearing orange, sharing special unity messages and sponsoring community activities. Almost overnight, this event went from a department initiative to a citywide, all-departments event.

Kira Haley, 29

Nicolette “Niki” Hoesman, 27

In 2014, Kira Haley’s recruitment as lake recreation manager was Helix Water District’s last effort to find someone who could lead staff in creating a self-sustaining operation that serves the public with outdoor experiences. To help rebrand the lake, Haley created a new website and marketing plan, built a social media presence and reached out to the community. Infrastructure needs at the campground and lake were addressed by creating plans for replacement and renovation and expanding offerings. A short time after her hire, the lake was recovering all operating expenses.

The campground remained in operation, allowing the lake and campground to remain open for many years to come.

Nicolette “Niki” Hoesman has been at the Urbana Park District for three years and is always thinking first about what kids would want to do. Hoesman has been a large part of the park district’s “You Belong Here” initiative and has focused on making sure everyone feels welcome. She has been in charge of the park district’s arts programming, and has always looked for ways to get the most out of her budget. During the community’s COVID-19 lockdown, she began teaching virtual American Sign Language classes for kids and running a Kids Craft Club on Zoom for which she delivered supplies to their houses and then did projects over the internet with them. Hoseman’s creativity and dedication to providing children with safe and fun activities are boundless!

Lake Recreation Manager, Helix Water District (CA)

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Community Program Coordinator, Urbana Park District (IL)

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Taylor Hooker, 26

Recreation Therapist, Veterans Healthcare Administration (MN)

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Taylor Hooker is a passionate advocate for our veterans and is dedicated to improving their quality of life. She highlights the use of recreation and leisure as key components of a healthy lifestyle for veterans and their families.

Her current work focuses on advocating for and assessing the use of Equine Assisted Services for veterans. At the Veterans Healthcare Administration, she promotes using evidence-based practices for those interested in bringing Equine Assisted Services to their Veterans Affairs locations. During COVID-19, Hooker worked with her colleagues to transform these services into virtual formats, including leisure education, stress management and health coaching.

Alex Hurdle, 29

Recreation Coordinator, City of Durham Parks and Recreation (NC)

Alex Hurdle is dedicated to the P&R field, especially as it relates to public health. Hurdle serves on community advisory boards, including the Duke Health and Durham County Health Department, to ensure P&R is taking an active role in improving community health. He has created programming to address issues relating to food insecurity, diabetes and food access, and willingly shares his knowledge with other P&R professionals. Along with his work on public health, Hurdle has served on the NRPA Certified Park and Recreation Professional Exam Committee, which helps shape the exam that dictates the profession’s standards.

Rebecca Lackey, 28

Recreation Specialist I, City of Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation (VA)

Matthew Kerns, 26

At Large — Park and Recreation Professional, Formerly with Metro Parks Tacoma (WA)

Matthew Kerns was facility supervisor for South Tacoma Activity and Recreation Center when COVID-19 hit. The facility remains closed due to pandemic restrictions, which meant he lost his job among 40 other staff. However, Kerns has found ways to volunteer with the Washington Recreation and Parks Association. He helped design and implement a survey that studied the impacts of COVID-19 on the state’s P&R agencies. Kerns also organized a community drive-in movie series this past summer, which allowed families to safely recreate. With only three staff working the event, laid-off and furloughed staff volunteered each weekend to help make the movie series successful.

Rebecca Lackey is an inspiration and an amazing team member in the City of Virginia Beach’s Parks and Recreation Department. She makes contributions to the agency’s Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies submission, teaches at local meetings and at the Virginia Parks and Recreation Society Conference, and works on departmental committees. Lackey also served on one of City of Virginia Beach P&R’s Strategic Initiative Teams. She was the youngest member and the only person selected who was not in an executive or management position. This was a great testament to her character and leadership in the community.

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Sarah Larson, 23

Deputy Superintendent, Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services (CT)

As the deputy superintendent of Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services, Sarah Larson provides access to essential services and park facilities that meet the community’s diverse needs. She is the youngest deputy superintendent in department history. Larson has prioritized centering diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the agency’s initiatives, creating a DEI committee to review departmental policies and practices, developing the city’s first Land Acknowledgement to affirm the municipality and department as stewards of the land of the Tunxis Peoples, and collaborating with the Commission for Persons with Disabilities to implement strategies of universal design in programs, facilities and parks.

Cameron Levis, 27

Special Populations Instructor, City of Bowling Green Parks and Recreation (KY)

Cameron Levis’ passion for P&R is rooted in a love for serving people with disabilities, ensuring they are afforded the same opportunities to pursue recreation and sport as their peers. He is a special populations instructor for City of Bowling Green Parks and Recreation. While hosting Bowling Green’s first-ever wheelchair basketball tournament, Levis met an athlete from Cincinnati who was playing in his first tournament. The man was a gunshot victim paralyzed from the waist down with limited mobility in his upper body. This interaction, along with so many others over the years, provides Levis with motivation at work every day.

Adam Lewandowski, 29

Athletic Manager, Wheaton Park District (IL)

Adam Lewandowski has made a significant impact in Wheaton and P&R. He has provided and expanded baseball, softball, football, cheer, rugby, adult softball, field hockey and sport camps to more than 5,000 participants annually. Lewandowski also oversees the two community manmade ice rinks, favored by the community, attracting almost 30 participants per hour of operation. He has been very innovative in the community — starting a new field hockey program, launching a new wrestling program, streamlining communication with part-time staff through a mobile app, and implementing an Ice-A-Palooza event that drew more than 1,500 people in just its second year.

AJ McCage, 29

Community Recreation Supervisor, City of Hopewell Recreation and Parks (VA)

AJ McCage is a certified therapeutic recreational specialist who serves as community recreation supervisor at Hopewell Recreation and Parks, where she oversees and facilitates programming in all areas, including early education, seniors, special needs and summer camp. Within the first few months of her employment, she developed several classroom programs and currently serves as a member of the Special Education Advisory Committee for Hopewell schools. Her involvement with Jack-O-Lantern Jamboree, a community-wide Halloween event with an emphasis on sensory stimulation and special needs adaptation, helped Hopewell garner the Best New Special Event Award at Virginia Recreation and Parks Society’s 2019 state conference.

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Angel Obert, 29

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Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation, Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City (KS)

As the assistant director at Unified Government’s Parks and Recreation Department, Angel Obert is very active in the community she serves. In her spare time, Obert volunteers as a youth sports coach. She has been indispensable in many projects that have had proven, extraordinary impacts on P&R and the community. These projects include opening the county’s first all-inclusive playground and being one of five recipients out of 200-plus applicants to be awarded a grant for the city’s first dog park. She also oversaw implementation of a new software that is transforming the department’s ability to serve the community.

Maxime Pierre, 28

Deputy Director, City of Little Rock Parks and Recreation (AR)

Prior to coming to Little Rock (AR), Maxime Pierre worked for the City of Asheville (NC) as a recreation facility manager overseeing a senior center. While there he saw opportunities to integrate youth into the facility to create an intergenerational center and to develop equitable programming for low-income youth of color. Pierre also started Asheville’s esports league, reaching more than 80 participants the first weekend after the program launched. As the newly appointed deputy director of parks and recreation with the City of Little Rock, Pierre has overseen the reopening of recreation centers by implementing innovative safety measures.

Bianca Posada, 28

Julia Robson, 30

As program director for Oakland, Parks, Recreation and Youth Development (OPRYD), Bianca Posada has made numerous contributions, such as serving as the department’s citywide public contact for inclusion-related inquiries, resources and services; leading a robust Teen Inclusion Program; providing technical assistance to all internal program sites related to inclusion services; and proactively reaching out to sites offering assistance and resources. Posada also has assisted with the planning and facilitation of an early childhood program; and has created training/ resources for OPRYD that addresses such topics as accommodations and modifications for work, events and programs, and positive behavior strategies that can be used with all youth.

As a conservation biologist, Julia Robson has the distinct duty of maintaining the natural areas and wildlife in Waukesha County. However, she is not just committed to her daily work, but also dedicated to the field of conservation. Her work has been recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, her alma mater University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and other organizations. What is most impressive about Robson is her commitment to ideals greater than herself.

In 2017, she and a fellow explorer walked 343 miles from Milwaukee to the shores of Lake Superior, in an effort to raise awareness about conservation of the great lakes.

Program Director, Oakland, Parks, Recreation and Youth Dev. (CA)

Conservation Biologist, Waukesha County Parks and Land Use (WI)

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30 UNDER 30

Marisa Sedlak, 28

3030 UNDER

Recreation Activities Coordinator, Town of Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation (NC)

Marisa Sedlak is recreation activities coordinator for Town of Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation Department (BMPRD). She also serves as camp director for BMPRD’s Camp Buckeye summer camp. Sedlak is always thinking of ways to establish programs and events that will be self-sustaining, long lasting and a good use of resources. She established the Beech Mountain Water Conservation Education Program to help educate community members on the importance of the river systems and their relationship to Beech Mountain. Sedlak also established BMPRD’s Volunteer Trail Guide Program to increase access to the trail system on Beech Mountain and meaningfully engage volunteers.

Felicia Trainor, 30

Facility Coordinator, City of Cooper City Recreation (FL)

Felicia Trainor’s recreation career began four years ago. Her vast accomplishments have exceeded expectations and will have a lasting impact on her department and community. Under Trainor’s command as the recreation program specialist, the City of Cooper City’s special event attendance increased by 60 percent. She not only enhanced the city’s programs, but also expanded community involvement with larger capacity venues. Furthermore, she created an “At the Park Campaign” initiative to encourage residents to meet, “At the Park.” Making her career development a priority, Trainor was promoted to facility coordinator and became an NRPA Certified Park and Recreation Professional in 2019.

Paula Willis, 30

Parks and Recreation Director, South Fayette Township Parks and Recreation (PA)

As South Fayette Township’s first female P&R director, Paula Willis has innovatively created and expanded recreational opportunities, as well as advanced and established park amenities. As a one-person department with limited resources, she developed creative approaches to position recreation programs and parks as essential public services. South Fayette had limited programming with 20 programs offered annually; however, she expanded this to 42 in 2016 and 88 in 2017, diversifying recreational opportunities. Program revenue increased from $22,412 in 2015 to $55,828 in 2016 and $71,342 in 2019. Having no community center, Willis worked with fire departments, schools and other organizations to utilize their facilities.

To hear Michael Biedenstein and Hayley Herzing, NRPA’s senior manager of membership, talk more about these “30 Under 30” young park and recreation professionals, tune in to the February bonus episode of Open Space Radio at nrpa.org/February2021BonusEpisode.

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Michael Biedenstein, CPRP, AFO, is Park Program Services Division Manager for St. Louis County (Missouri) Parks and Past Chair of NRPA's Young Professional Network (mbiedenstein@stlouisco.com).

Available on iTunes and Google Play | openspaceradio.org

The Official Podcast of NRPA

The Latest Park and Recreation News and Trends On the Go

Worth the Wait — the Sandorf Park

URTESY PHOTOS CO

LARGE IMAGE COURTESY OF BROWNING DAY

OF INDY PA

CR RKS AND RE

EATION

Renovation Is Complete!

The newly renovated Sandorf Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, features updated amenities that serve both the local school’s students and the local community.

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City of Indianapolis overcomes environmental challenges to restore a community’s beloved public park

By Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

L

ocated on the southeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana, Sandorf Park has been part of the greater Indianapolis community since 1959. Originally just an open field, over the years, facilities have been added to the park, such as a playground, basketball and tennis courts, and parking. In 1968, a school was added adjacent to the park.

Since then, the park served both the school’s students and the local community, but over time, these facilities degraded, and an update to the site was greatly needed.

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S A N D O R F PA R K

Three years ago, a Sandorf Park renovation was planned and designed with the needed permissions, donations and funding secured for the project. “Sandorf Park has been an Indy Parks [and Recreation] property for almost 70 years; however, we discovered during the design process that the site was, in the 1930s, an unregulated dump and that there were some significant environmental challenges that would need to be addressed in order for Sandorf to remain a public park,” says Ryan Cambridge, Browning Day’s planning practice leader and senior associate.

Before any work could be done, these site issues needed to be addressed and funding secured to correct them. “The city contacted the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and asked for help on how to properly address the regulated waste and still provide adequate environmental controls to safely reconstruct the park. IDEM provided guidance and expertise on cleanup, remediation and closure of the site that successfully combined environmental protection objectives with the park needs,” says an IDEM spokesperson. The unanticipated remediation added not only additional costs to the project, but also additional time, delaying the overall park renovation by two years.

A Revised Plan “Browning Day worked with the city of Indianapolis and IDEM to revise the plan for the park, so that the design of the park met the standards set forth by IDEM for remediating a former landfill site while still serving as a great neighborhood park. Certain turf and landscape areas of the park were redesigned, so that the waste material could be removed and replaced with clean soil. In addition, the de44 Parks & Recreation

sign of the foundation and drainage systems for the various sports and play areas were redesigned to safely ‘cap’ any waste material beneath them,” says Cambridge.

In April 2020, the site remediation began, and by August, the site work was completed. From September to October, the playground and play court were installed. On November 10, 2020, Sandorf Park officially opened to the public with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“A lot of great people stepped up to invest in Sandorf Park, and we are so grateful. Our team never stopped believing in this park and what it could be. Partnerships really do make a difference, and Sandorf Park is a great example of those efforts,” says Andre T. Denman, City of Indianapolis principal park planner and greenways manager.

“With 212 parks, 153 miles of trails, and the honor of serving more than 8 million people annually, we are thrilled to show off our newest playground, our newest place for children to explore and, hopefully, a new place for this community to be proud of,” says Linda Broadfoot, director of Indy Parks and Recreation. “This project is a great example of state and local government working together for the betterment of a community. Sandorf Park is an example of a solid waste site that was successfully cleaned up and returned to productive use.”

A New Recreational Experience “Sandorf Park embraces the principles of universal design, with the goal of providing unique recreational experiences for people of all ages and all abilities. The park includes a combination of active recreation elements, such as a basketball court, walking paths, an outdoor adven-

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ture course and a large open play field. Sandorf Park is home to several firsts for Indianapolis, which include the city’s first bicycle pump track and first enclosed ‘multisport’ court, where visitors can play basketball, futsal, pickleball or volleyball,” says Cambridge.

The newly opened Sandorf Park features a state-of-the-art play area with amenities for everyone. “This colorful play space now features: a musical sensory spinner; 20-foot fully accessible play structure; a color-coated Junior NBA basketball court with new goals; a triple threat pump track for skateboarding and riding bikes; a youth fitness challenge course with exercise equipment; the state’s first multiuse game area (MUGA) court, an innovative feature allowing for basketball, futsal, volleyball, pickleball; and a playground zone with eight walkways, a synthetic turf and a rubberized safety surface,” says Cambridge.

Cambridge adds, “Sandorf Park is also home to one of the largest play structures in the city. Tucked in between the large existing trees, the Americans with Disabilities Act accessible playground features both active and sensory-based play elements, including one structure designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum. A new picnic shelter, complete with picnic tables and charcoal [barbeque] grills, was also added adjacent to the playground and the turf play mounds. To the east, a multipurpose field large enough for a fullsize soccer field was created.”

Beyond play features, “significant improvements were made to both parking lots,” including replacing the lighting with high-efficiency fixtures in the southern lot, which is shared with the school, says Cambridge.

“The park provides a variety of site furnishings, including benches/seating areas, picnic tables, a large picnic shelter, waste receptacles, bike racks and a water fountain.” The complete project costs were a little more than $5 million and includes the site remediation, tree removal, design and engineering costs.

For local residents Paula and Richard Butterfield, Sandorf Park is an asset to the community. “We think the park will impact the community in a tremendous way,” says Richard Butterfield. “The children in the community will be able to use their imagination to explore the variety of amenities the park has to offer.”

And for the Butterfields’ 9-yearold son, Ricky, the park is “amazing!” He believes the park “will be good...because kids of all ages can find something fun to do. It’s great for exercising, and there is plenty of room to run around.”

The site also serves students from the school directly adjacent to the park. The school is a pre-K to eighth grade Indy Public School (IPS) SUPER School, an acronym that stands for students understanding through powerful and energetic routines. An action-based school, students are engaged in kinesthetic learning and are encouraged to keep moving throughout the school day.

The school provides daily physical education, fitness and brain breaks, gardening, fitness zones, sports and an action-based learning lab. It also is part of the Build Our Kids’ Success program supported by Reebok.

Founder and Executive Director Kathleen Tullie created the beforeand after-school exercise program based on studies showing that stu

PHOTO COURTESY OF INDY PARKS AND RECREATION

On November 10, 2020, newly renovated Sandorf Park officially opened to the public with a community ribboncutting ceremony.

dents achieve higher academic performance if they were physically active before their school day.

For Debbie Garcia, principal of SUPER School, the park provides a much-needed benefit to both their students and the surrounding community. “SUPER School is the only Action Based Learning school in Indianapolis. The renovation of Sandorf Park is a great partnership with the community. SUPER School believes in health and wellness for our students, and the brain science that supports movement increases memory in your brain,” she says. “We are so appreciative to Indy Parks for making the commitment to build the park for the children, in spite of all the obstacles we faced together. Since the park has been built, I have seen many families enjoying the outdoor space, especially during these trying times with [COVID-19].”

A Tangible Impact on the Community Never before have parks been as crucial as they are now. The pandemic has altered all of our lives, and time outdoors has been good for us, both physically and mentally. “During the pandemic, parks have been a refuge for our community as parents and children have been working and studying remotely and inside for so

long. Parks like this allow us all to get out and enjoy outdoors safely,” says Andre Denman.

“In parks, our goal is always to provide the safest, most relevant, healthiest and most fun experience possible.

But with limited funds, it’s hard to refresh our parks as regularly as we would like. So, to be able to give the users of this park all new playground equipment and other amenities is an absolute joy. We can already see that the park is a hit. So, if we’re able to offer some fun, active play, and a sense of community to folks who maybe haven’t felt all those things in 2020, we’re grateful,” says Linda Broadfoot. “It’s been a tough year for everyone. But I think this little corner of the world looks a bit brighter.”

For Cambridge, all the difficulties with this project were well worth it in the end. “This project was as rewarding as it was challenging. Sandorf Park is a great example of how local governments, community groups and the private sector can work collaboratively for the success of parks. In a community still enduring the lingering effects of historical disinvestment and redlining, Sandorf Park will make a tangible impact in the lives of local residents and the city of Indianapolis for years to come.”

Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett is a Freelance Writer located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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ESPORTS:

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From Why Do It to How Can I Get Into It? The future of esports is now

By Neelay Bhatt

W

hen I first wrote about esports for the September 2019 issue of Parks & Recreation magazine (nrpa. org/EsportsTheNextBigThing), the most common questions I heard were: What is esports?

Why should we get into it?

The global esports audience growth is projected to be 646 million by 2023.

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ESPORTS

It is a testament to the continued growth of esports (despite the pandemic-related pause of inperson tournaments) that, in less than two years since, the question I hear more often now is: How can we get into esports?

For those still uninitiated into this whole new world of esports, my first article explains that “egaming is a generic term to describe amusement or recreation using a standalone video game, desktop computer or the internet with one or more players, while esports are organized, multiplayer gaming events played in a competitive environment, often by professional gamers. What’s more, spectators watch them in person or via online channels, such as YouTube and Twitch.”

The first esports event happened October 19, 1972 at Stanford University, where students competed on the video game Spacewar. The grand prize for the winner was a 12-month subscription to Rolling

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Stone magazine, which was won by Bruce Baumgart. Fast forward to 2019, where the top prize for The International 2019: Dota 2 Championships held in Shanghai was $15.6 million.

The Growing Esports Universe While the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have limited the audience for in-person esports tournaments, it only resulted in shifting that growth to a streaming audience. Overall, global esports audience growth is projected to be 646 million by 2023. To put that in perspective, that is almost twice the population of the United States.

Twitch, the premier esports streaming platform, experienced a 99 percent viewership increase from October 2019 (839 million hours) to October 2020 (1.6 billion livestreamed hours). Facebook Gaming had 346 million hours watched in August 2020 (tinyurl.com/

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y3w32keq). Most major sports, such as basketball and tennis, have deepened their involvement in esports, ranging from NBA 2K20 to Virtual Madrid Open Tennis, respectively.

NASCAR has been one of the most successful with its eNASCAR series, attracting a peak of 1.3 million viewers for one race.

Brands and entities like CocaCola, Mercedes-Benz, Adidas and T-Mobile also are growing their investments in esports. Large cities from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Las Vegas, Nevada, to Arlington, Texas, have plans for long-term facility development and growth.

Populous, a global design firm, spans four continents and is deeply involved in purpose-designed esports spaces. According to Senior Architect and Principal Guðmundur Jónsson, “Populous understands the importance of esports as an outlet for a healthy lifestyle and community experience, helping youth develop social skills, strengthen their peer support networks and develop strong social bonds and friendships within recreation centers.”

Senior Architect and Associate Principal Julie Rinaldi shared how the company’s work has included not just developing new facilities (e.g., Fusion Arena for the Philadelphia Fusion), but also retrofitting current facilities (Arlington Convention Center to Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas) to serve growing esports needs.

Victoria Farrar-Myers, deputy mayor pro tempore for Arlington, shared her vision for esports in her city, which is home to the largest dedicated esports stadium in North America. “Esports is an opportunity to raise the global stature of our city that is already known for entertainment and sports. As professional sports innovate, we must

Moment of Zen: You know the sport is growing when, in a five-year span from 2018 to 2023, its audience is projected to grow by a number equal to 75 percent of the entire population of the United States.

Esports During the Pandemic…and Beyond For a sport that was poised to grow and hold even larger gatherings and tournaments, COVID-19 ensured things didn’t quite go as planned.

However, park and recreation professionals did what they do best: as the year gave them lemons, they made lemonade by pivoting to provide virtual esports offerings or scheduling their esports program plans for 2021.

While Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and Hurricane, Utah, have been some of the early providers of esports programs, many others nationwide now have joined them.

NRPA’s Young Professional Network (YPN) provided an extremely informative five-part esports e-learning series and a YPN Conference Cup for Mario Kart Deluxe 8, culminating during the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience.

The Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) team has been particularly active. Based on information provided by John Prue, former installation program director at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, and current MWR program analyst for Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, the Navy Community Recreation (N92) and Fleet and Family Readiness Marketing (N94P) partnered

The Navy MWR Esports Program provides sailors with entertainment and recreational opportunities.

to create the Navy MWR Esports Program to provide sailors with entertainment and recreational opportunities. Big among them was the esports tournament, which consisted of 12 tournaments over 10 weeks and drew 1.55 million live views with nearly 8 million minutes of action watched by a maximum of 43,456 concurrent viewers.

Carlsbad (California) Parks and Recreation Department, a nationally accredited agency, offered a virtual esports tournament in October 2020 that had almost 100 participants. This was the first of many such offerings that they are evaluating for the coming year.

The Florida Recreation and Park Association established the Florida Recreation eSports Council with the aim to form an esports league that can serve agencies statewide.

Looking ahead, park and recreation staff at agencies ranging from Smyrna and South Fulton, Geor-

IMAGE COURTESY OF JOHN PRUE, NAVY MWR

innovate with them to continue serving our community and drive long-term economic development through esports.”

gia, to Windsor, Colorado, and Boca Raton, Florida, are all set to grow their virtual (and eventually in-person) esports offerings in the new year. Smyrna is looking to build a physical gaming lounge to host live events and tournaments.

Richard Garland, Smyrna’s parks and recreation director, states, “We saw esports as an opportunity to provide community and social interaction for all of our citizenry that would still accommodate all the physical distancing require-

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ments we were working under and bring in a potentially untapped new revenue stream for the city.”

Moment of Zen: There is one sport that is yet to be canceled anywhere due to COVID-19 protocols, and that is esports.

What Can Park and Recreation Professionals Do Next?

1

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYCE KING, HURRICANE RECREATION AND LEISURE SERVICES

Explore esports partnerships for program offerings. Based on the National Association of Collegiate Esports, there are more than 170 member schools that are offering more than $16 million in esports scholarships aid. This is an exponential jump from its inception in July 2016 when only seven colleges and universities had varsity esports programs. The Virginia High School League officially approved a one-year pilot program for esports in 2019; it is on its way to becoming fully sanctioned with

50 Parks & Recreation

tournament championship events.

Jim Barnes, deputy village manager for Wellington, Florida, an agency highly focused on equity and inclusion, shares how teens have been the hardest group for them to develop programming for.

“Esports is an opportunity to get teens back in the fold and to create an inclusive environment where age and physical ability don’t impact participation,” says Barnes.

For park and recreation professionals who are not sure how to begin or lack the expertise, exploring existing esports clubs through schools and colleges in and around your communities can help. There’s existing knowledge and a built-in affinity group that could help get your offerings started and reach the primary target audience.

Additionally, global sponsorship revenue in 2020 alone was almost $637 million. In addition to existing fitness, wellness and outdoor adventure brands, the technology and gaming sector could be a whole new category of sponsors

Hurricane (Utah) Recreation and Leisure Services undertook a creative and costeffective method to retrofit existing unused storage space into a newly painted and reconfigured dedicated esports space.

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and earned income for parks and recreation in the years to come.

2

Develop dedicated facility space (new or retrofitted) for esports. Not everyone can have an Arlington-style 100,000-squarefoot facility (after all, don’t they say, “Everything’s bigger in Texas”?), but that should not stop you from looking at creating dedicated spaces for esports. National Gold Medal agencies, such as Westerville, Ohio, and Park District of Oak Park, Illinois, are designing facilities with dedicated spaces for esports.

Westerville’s dedicated esports facility is set to open in early 2021 (based on COVID-19 safety protocols) as a part of its $20 million community center expansion project. Randy Auler, director of Westerville Parks and Recreation (WPRD), states, “WPRD esports is where individuals can gather both virtually and in person to enhance and develop the skills necessary to not only compete against

other esport athletes, but [also] provide them tools to pursue a career in esport game design, computer software development and coding. This is truly a one-of-a-kind STEM program offering.”

Hurricane Recreation and Leisure Services, led by its director, Bryce King, undertook a creative and cost-effective method to retrofit existing unused storage space into a newly painted and reconfigured dedicated esports space with support from staff, local partners and donors. This space continues to grow, hosting a variety of events from birthday parties to Madden NFL 20 virtual leagues.

3

Target local Influencers to promote parks and recreation.

Viya (the stage name of Huáng Wˉei), a streamer from the Chinese platform Taobao, generated almost $50 million in one day by promoting products during a livestream.

In May 2020, she hit a record-high audience of more than 37 million — more than the Game of Thrones finale, the Oscars or Sunday Night Football.

With more than 10 million followers, Viya may be a one-ofa-kind influencer in the world of “ecommerce livestreaming,” but the rise of streamers-turnedinfluencers is helping to expand the reach of esports while reducing the stigma of being a gamer. Consumer brands now want to associate with esports players, and that trend is likely to continue as brands try to reach the younger audience invested in esports.

Park and recreation professionals should look for those streaming

IMAGE COURTESY OF MIKE PACHECO, CARLSBAD PARKS AND RECREATION

Carlsbad (California) Parks and Recreation Department offered a virtual esports tournament in October 2020 that had almost 100 participants.

influencers in your communities or who may have a connection to your community. These individuals have the potential to become your advocates to the next generation, not just for esports but for parks and recreation as a whole.

Moment of Zen: Stories abound about the Seat Pleasant Activity Center’s (Prince George’s County [Maryland] Parks and Recreation) impact on Kevin Durant’s life and basketball story growing up. Imagine the same story narrated in 10 years of an Esports World Champion or Olympic Gold Medalist who grew up playing Fortnite, Mario Kart or League of Legends in your recreation center.

What Does the Future Hold?

What was once a niche is now mainstream. Esports will continue to be one of the biggest growth stories of the coming decade.

From livestream shopping to global leagues and from virtual realitybased gaming to using artificial intelligence to improve sport performance, the sky is the limit.

I strongly believe that parks and recreation is the greatest connector for our communities. In a world that seems more divided than ever before, maybe esports can become the great uniter.

Neelay Bhatt is Principal at PROS Consulting Inc. and a Member of Parks & Recreation magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board (neelay. bhatt@prosconsulting.com).

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OPERATIONS A Positive Turnaround in a Challenging Year How city of Brooklyn Park (Minnesota) golf courses kept up maintenance in 2020

By Brad Tullberg, Don Berry and Matt Olsonoski

T PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF BROOKLYN PARK

he city of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, located on the northern edge of the Twin Cities, is a fast-growing, innovative community with 60 parks, 53 miles of trails, two ice arenas, multiple sports complexes and more. Two centerpieces for the city are its popular municipal golf courses, Brookland Golf Park and Edinburgh USA, which are considered Brooklyn Park’s crown jewels.

When the city of Brooklyn Park (Minnesota) was able to reopen its golf courses during the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever took to the courses.

When the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, Brooklyn Park suffered budget constraints like many other communities, especially in maintenance. Fortunately, the city was able to rise to the occasion and turn what could have been a rough year for the park system into a major success.

Serving the People When COVID-19 forced golf courses and parks to pause activities in the spring 2020, it also put staff members into a holding pattern and kept residents from accessing many outdoor amenities. As more information became available about the virus and how to safely engage in outdoor activities, the decision was made by 52 Parks & Recreation

Brooklyn Park to reopen the trails and golf courses in mid-April.

The community responded favorably. More people than ever took to the trails, and the city’s golf courses saw a surge of activity with nearly 30 percent more rounds of golf played in 2020 than in 2019.

The increase in public play helped offset the loss of corporate outings and reduced golf shop sales.

piping system had to be shut down completely.

City leaders determined that an upgraded system would be a wise choice for the community. A new irrigation system would not only reduce the cost of constant repairs, but also would help improve the turf health and overall beauty of the popular course. In addition, modern irrigation systems deliver water much more efficiently, helping reduce costs, conserve resources and meet sustainability goals.

Final budget approval for the new irrigation system is expected soon, with the renovation to take place in the summer of 2021.

Essential Maintenance

Lessons Learned

With more golf being played and the desire to keep the courses open for as many hours as possible each day to meet the need, staff worked hard to keep the courses wellmaintained and safe. Equipment was sanitized before and after each use, and landscaping was maintained by laying additional fertilizer.

The biggest challenge was irrigation. There already had been discussions and budget meetings about the need to upgrade the aging irrigation systems, and the increased activity on the courses brought the issue to the forefront. The current system at the Edinburgh USA course was installed in 1986. Several renovations have kept it operating, but the iron deposits in Brooklyn Park’s hard water had taken a toll. There were constant breakdowns, and one

When it comes to dealing with challenges, it helps to have a plan and keep an optimistic attitude.

That can’t always be the case — it was hard on seasonal staff to unexpectedly be told to stay home in the spring — but for the most part, planning made a big difference in turning a potentially challenging year into a successful one. It was extremely helpful to have already recognized and discussed the need for a new irrigation system. The more municipalities look ahead and prepare for future needs, the easier the solutions will be to implement.

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Brad Tullberg is Parks and Facilities Manager at the city of Brooklyn Park.

Don Berry is Director of golf at Edinburgh USA golf course. Matt Olsonoski is Golf Course Superintendent at Edinburgh USA golf course.

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DOGIPOT................................................................................................54

Pilot Rock/RJ Thomas Mfg. Co.........................................................13

Doty & Sons Concrete Products, Inc...............................................55

Shade Systems..................................................................................C2, 1

advertiser index

Aquatix by Landscape Structures Inc............................................... 5

(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.

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

Parks & Recreation

55

Park Bench

PHOTO COURTESY OF FAIRFAX COUNTY PARK AUTHORITY/DON SWEENEY

NASCOW Race Raises ‘Moolah’ for a Good Cause On October 16, 2020, eleven cows made a beeline for leftovers from brewing beer in the country’s first “NASCOW” race. The event, held in suburban Fairfax County, Virginia, was a unique collaboration between Frying Pan Farm Park and its friends group. The goal was to raise $10,000 to replace money lost from having to cancel the friends’ annual fall fundraising event due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. NASCOW ended up attracting more than $26,500 from fans around the region, across the United States, and even from one person stationed overseas.

Frying Pan Farm Park (fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/frying-pan-park), owned and operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority, is a 135-acre site just four miles from Washington-Dulles International Airport, which serves the nation’s capital. One of Frying Pan’s attractions is a working farm with about 100 animals, including cows, chickens, horses, sheep, pigs and goats. The farm animals are owned by the friends group, which raises funds for the animals’ food, shelter, medical care and other expenses.

The idea for NASCOW was that Frying Pan fans and local companies would sponsor one of 11 cows (friendsoffryingpan.org/ nascow) for a race, the same way large corporations sponsor professional race cars and drivers. Though participants did not win points or a trophy, there were winners: the friends group, the park and hundreds of fans who had a blast guessing which cow they thought would cross the finish line first.

After Frying Pan farmer Paul Nicholson held four practice runs with the cows over three days, the official NASCOW race was held on a cold and cloudy Friday morning. It was filmed by employees and shared with the world via social media. A dairy cow, named Marybelle, won literally by a nose, with an upstart male calf, named Smokey, coming in a close second. All the cows were motivated to hoof it across the field lured by a bovine treat: spent brewers’ grain from two local beer brewers. (The spent grain is very nutritious and doesn’t result in drunk cows.)

Because the NASCOW race was so successful, Frying Pan Farm Park and its friends group plan to host the event again next year.

You can watch the NASCOW race at tinyurl.com/yb7swjtq.

– Lois Kirkpatrick, Marketing and Development Coordinator, Frying Pan Farm Park

56 Parks & Recreation

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

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PARKS & RECREATION FEBRUARY 2021 ◆ 30 UNDER 30: THE YOUNG P&R PROFESSIONALS TO WATCH IN 2021 ◆ SANDORF PARK BOUNCES BACK! ◆ EASING INTO ESPORTS