Parks & Recreation Magazine March 2021

M A RC H 2021 N R PA .O RG

A PARK DESIGN FOR ALL DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION LEAD THE WAY

Portland Goes Nature Patch Happy Introducing a TEDxCollegePark Event

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contentsmarch 2021

Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was designed to be a public space of unity, where Tulsans would feel welcome to visit and gather.

FEATURES

34 Gathering Place: A Park for Everyone Mark Trieglaff

Gathering Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s riverfront park, is a community park with an intentional goal to balance social accountability with social entertainment.

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40 Patch Happy

Mike Abbaté, FASLA

Large park projects spawn large outcomes, but the cumulative effects of smaller interventions, such as the creation of “nature patches,” also can produce surprisingly beneficial results.

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46 Ensuring ‘An Equal Future’ for All Neelay Bhatt

TEDxCollegePark has been created to open minds of park professionals to new ideas that they can feel empowered by and compelled to implement.

PHOTO BY SHANE BEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

volume 56 | number 3 | parksandrecreation.org

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columns

contents march

6

Perspectives Park Design and Planning Should Fully Engage Our Communities Kristine Stratton

departments

8

Editor’s Letter Inspired Park Design Vitisia Paynich

10 We Are Parks and Recreation Closing Park Roads to Cars — An Idea Goes Viral 10 Remembering Park and Recreation Advocate Eric O’Brien 12 James ‘Jim’ Peterson Passes Away December 2020 13 Park District General Manager Robert Doyle Retires After 47Year Career 14 Member Benefit: Leading in Recovery 15

18 Finance for the Field Assets the Private Sector Can Bring to Park Departments John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

20 Advocacy Parks, Funding and the Communities That Make Them Possible Eric Pfuehler and Lisa Baldinger

16 Research Parks and Recreation Is an Engine of Economic Activity Kevin Roth

22 Health and Wellness Inclusive Health in Parks and Recreation Deon Villasencio

17 Park Pulse Parks and Recreation Provides Important Employment Opportunities

24 Equity The Path Forward: Equity at the Center of City Park Investment Julie Waterman

52 Park Essentials 55 Advertiser Index

26 Conservation Gauging the Value of the SITES Rating System Paul Wessel

56 Park Bench Creating Inclusive Skate Parks Joe Eberling

28 Law Review Day Camp Suspension for Disabled Participant’s Threats James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

Cover image: Photo by Shane Bevel Photography

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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PHOTO COURTESY OF MITCHELL J. SILVER, FAICP

Parks will play an essential role in the economic recovery of our nation and in addressing inequities in our cities.

Page 24

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

Park Design and Planning Should Fully Engage Our Communities The development of the Parks & Recreation design issue always inspires me.

Design-thinking, after all, is about using solution-oriented approaches to solve what park and recreation professionals are faced with every day — complex problems. The complexity ranges from how to design cost-effective programs that benefit the wide range of ages and interests represented in a community to how to design parks that deliver on a multitude of benefits, from passive to active recreation spaces to environmental services and climate resiliency. Most in our field look to system master plans and strategic plans to guide overall thinking and look to community engagement design processes to tackle individual park and program challenges. And even these efforts have evolved to reflect the complex society that we are living in.

In the face of all this complexity, I want to remind our entire park and recreation community that we have had a couple of touchpoints available to us since the 1990s, and I invite you to revisit these in your planning and design efforts. The first is the Ethical Principles in Planning (tinyurl.com/yy386o9h), adopted by the American Planning Association in 1992. This set of principles is directed at “all who participate in the process of planning as advisors, advocates and decision makers,” which unquestionably includes park and recreation professionals. The beauty of these principles is that they stand the test of time and remind us of the “rights of citizens to participate in planning decisions,” that choice and opportunities should be oriented to all, particularly to meet the needs of the disadvantaged, that the “integrity of the natural environment” should be protected, and that we should “pay special attention” to “long range consequences.” Inherent to these ethical principles are a look toward unintended consequences of our decisions and the need for active 6

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community engagement, open communication and information flow.

Another touchpoint is the 7 Principles of Universal Design (tinyurl.com/y5j5f47q), developed in 1997, which guide design processes of products and environments — again, highly relevant to park and recreation professionals. In these principles, the focus is on human-centered design that allows for things such as equitable use for people with diverse abilities; flexibility for a wide range of preferences and abilities; and design that is easy to understand, regardless of experience, knowledge or language skills.

As we look to make the most of our limited resources in the coming years, let us make sure that we are staying true to universal design and ethical planning principles, so that the programs and parks we manage, improve and create are designed to benefit all members of our communities. Thinking back, in 2014, the RAND Corporation’s report of park usage found that seniors, who represent 20 percent of the population, only reflected 4 percent of park users. A more robust application of these principles might very well increase that number.

And, as we look toward putting into use the fully funded Land and Water Conservation Fund and continue to advocate for full access to resources for state and urban assistance programs, let’s make sure that our planning for these funded projects reflects the best and most holistic planning practices possible. Let’s make sure that our planning fully engages with our communities and co-creates parks that will live up to their full potential — providing multiple health, social and environmental benefits to all they serve.

KRISTINE STR AT TON President and CEO

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

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

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

Park Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Gurnee Park District Gurnee, Illinois

Past Chair Jack Kardys J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

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

Secretary Nonet T. Sykes

Susie Kuruvilla

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

Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

parksandrecreation.org

Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

@parksrecmag

Joshua Medeiros, Ed.D., CPRP, AFO

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

City of Bristol Parks & Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

At Large Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

Ian Proud

Eagle Methods Management Consulting Dallas, Texas

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

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

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

Kathy Abbott Boston Harbor Now Boston, Massachusetts

Jesús Aguirre, CPRE Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Jose Felix Diaz Ballard Partners Miami, Florida

Victor Dover

Bucknell University SBDC Lewisburg, Pennsylvania

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

(or your favorite podcast app)

Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

@openspaceradio

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

Greg A. Weitzel, M.S., CPRP

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

Anne S. Close James H. Evans

Greening Youth Foundation Atlanta, Georgia

Earl T. Groves Gastonia, North Carolina

Richard Gulley

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

Rosemary Hall Evans

Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell, Jr.

nrpaconnect.org nrpa.org/connect-app

NRPA SOCIAL MEDIA @NationalRecreationandParkAssociation

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

@nrpa_news

Kathryn A. Porter

@nrpa

Mendham, New Jersey

J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Perry J. Segura

Michael P. Kelly

R. Dean Tice

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Round Hill, Virginia

Karen Bates Kress

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CONNECT

Fort Mill, South Carolina

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Jack Kardys

NRPA

Lexington, South Carolina

Angelou Ezeilo

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ashburn, Virginia

nrpa.org/blog

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman

New York, New York

Monica Hobbs Vinluan

Blog

City of Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Las Vegas, Nevada

Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning South Miami, Florida

San Diego Parks and Recreation San Diego, California

openspaceradio.org

Xavier D. Urrutia

National Recreation and Park Association

New Iberia, Louisiana

Eugene A. Young, CPRP

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EDITOR’S LET TER

Inspired Park Design This month, the magazine team focuses on park design with an emphasis on equity. As park and recreation professionals, you recognize the importance of designing open spaces that are accessible, inclusive and inviting to all. In the cover story, “Gathering Place: A Park for Everyone,” on page 34, contributor Mark Trieglaff drives this point home when discussing the planning and design work that went into Tulsa, Oklahoma’s riverfront park. “To develop this park, the park staff and designers were guided by an acronym developed more than 10 years ago: DEI, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion,” Trieglaff writes. He adds that the Gathering Place designers “were highly committed to creating accessible park features” that not only adhere to “Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, but also incorporates many principles of universal design.”

In the feature article “Patch Happy” on page 40, author Mike Abbaté offers a closer look at how Portland Parks and Recreation took park design to another level by transforming underperforming landscapes into ecologically healthy and visually stunning natural spaces. The park agency accomplished this by implementing a new policy, called the Ecologically Sustainable Landscapes Initiative (ESLI). Among ESLI’s three primary objectives is to “create diverse park landscapes by converting poorly performing areas to ‘nature patches.’” The Nature Patch program has not only helped to revitalize the city’s parks, but also has brought community members together for a common purpose. “As the program continues, Portland Parks and Recreation hears increasingly from neighbors requesting a nature patch project in their local parks,” Abbaté writes.

Lastly, contributor Neelay Bhatt discusses a new TEDxCollegePark virtual event for park and recreation professionals in the feature article “Ensuring ‘An Equal Future’ for All” on page 46. On March 19, leaders in parks and recreation, academia and business — along with other innovative thinkers — will present during TEDxCollegePark 2021: An Equal Future. Why should anyone attend this virtual gathering? According to Bhatt, this free event aims to: “prepare the park and recreation professional of the future; identify what true accessibility and inclusion looks like; learn a different history than you thought you knew; have tough conversations around equity and access; and inspire the next generation of leaders.” What’s more, NRPA is excited to partner with TEDxCollegePark and looks forward to participating in this important conversation.

We hope that as you peruse through the pages of the March issue, you find inspiration in some of the stories that will help you in your own equitable park design practices. After all, we know that everyone in our community deserves a great park.

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

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WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION Closing Park Roads to Cars — An Idea Goes Viral

By Peter Harnik

I

f you sat for one hour by the side of the road in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, you would have been passed by a total of 904 bicyclists, runners, walkers and skaters, and 11 dogs.

This was a regular, unprogrammed evening during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The park visitors were enjoying nature, getting exercise, maintaining a physical distance, and escaping the confinement of their houses and apartments. They were being counted as part of a rare, formal study of park usership. They were counted on a roadway that had been cleared of cars for the duration of the virus emergency.

On a normal Tuesday evening prior to the pandemic, the number of human users along that roadway would have been approximately zero.

Before COVID-19, Upper Beach Drive was a commuter thoroughfare on weekdays, and even strong cyclists were reluctant to risk the traffic on the narrow, winding road, and others didn’t even consider it.

At nearly 2,000 acres, Rock Creek Park is the nation capital’s largest park. It is used nearly 12 million times every year. Unfortunately, according to a 1997 National Park Service (NPS) analysis, those visits consist of 2 million for recreation and more than 9 million for nonrecreation, defined as “visits primarily [involving] the use of park roads to travel between destinations outside the park.” Because of this, for more than a half-century, the park has been the scene of a struggle over the appropriate level of auto traffic 10 Parks & Recreation

among the trees, fields and streams.

The COVID-19 shutdown was the impetus for NPS’ experimental weekday traffic limits on Upper Beach Drive.

“We pointed out that this was an unprecedented opportunity to measure what happens there without cars,” says Jim McCarthy, one of the leaders of the People’s Alliance for Rock Creek (PARC), a recreation and conservation advocacy group. “[NPS] said they liked the idea but didn’t have enough staff to do it themselves. We said, ‘How about if we do the count?’ They said, ‘Sure!’”

After getting advice from transportation modelers, PARC designed a counting protocol to take place at three locations during five time slots, three days of the week and four weeks of the year, and put out a call for volunteers.

“I was the pessimist,” Rick Morgan, another PARC leader, reminisces. “I figured that three of us would have to do the whole job.” But within a couple of days, 72 people had signed up. “Washingtonians really love our park!” laughs a relieved Morgan.

Most of the volunteers signed up for one or two hours. Some took a once-a-week slot. The most enthusiastic, a retiree from bike-friendly Netherlands, sat with his pen and pad (and mask) for a remarkable 20 hours during the four-week test.

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The results were astounding, with more than 28,000 persons counted over 163 hours. Almost two-thirds of them were bicyclists, the rest split between walkers, runners, a generous smattering of dogs, and even one cat and one bird (riding on a shoulder).

“To say there is pent-up demand is an understatement,” says McCarthy. “We even counted the mayor going by on her bike.”

Other cities also have tried removing vehicle traffic from parks to create safe spaces for people to recreate during the pandemic. Philadelphia banned cars on four miles of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in West Fairmount Park. New York, famous for car-free Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, expanded the program to Queens with Forest Park and Astoria Park.

Parks in Berkeley, California, and Denver, also have closed to traffic.

“For us, it’s more than just banning cars to get extra roadway space,” explains Scott Gilmore, deputy executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation Department.

“Since our city message right now is ‘It’s Safer at Home,’ we’ve also closed many parking lots in our destination parks. We want to discourage people from driving across town to the big parks and mingling too closely. Nearly everyone in Denver lives close to a neighborhood park, so our road and parking lot closures are aimed at promoting local use.”

In New York, Forest Park Administrator Portia Dyrenforth

says, “Here, we don’t use the word ‘closed.’ We call them ‘Open Streets.’ Forest Park Drive is so popular that weekdays are now like weekends, and weekends are now like holidays.” Whether anecdotally or through hard counts, all the cities report roadway usership increase.

During normal years in autoindulgent Memphis, Tennessee, a four-lane parkway alongside Tom Lee Park overlooking the Mississippi River is car-dominated from June through April. In 2020, when COVID-19 shut down the region’s commerce and thousands of Memphians rallied to the riverfront for camaraderie, Mayor Jim Strickland feared a spike in infections from too much crowding. In response, the city closed all the parking lots in Tom Lee Park, as well as all lanes of Riverside Drive. The result was unexpected.

“We found that when the roadway was closed to cars, people flocked to it, but now there was twice as much space,” says Nick Oyler, bikeway and pedestrian program manager for the city. “In fact, there were as many people choosing to bike and walk on the street as in the park itself. Not only was the wide roadway easier for social distancing, but the surface was also better for bikes, scooters and skaters.”

The big question is: What will happen in all these parks postCOVID-19? Some assume the closures will end and things will revert to the old ways. A few cities, including New York, have indicated that some of the car-free experiments will likely become permanent, partly because of public support and partly because of cost savings. For most, the decision still hangs in the balance.

In Washington, PARC’s McCarthy says, “We definitely think we’ve made the case for keeping

People’s Alliance for Rock Creek (PARC), September 2020 Usership of Car-Free Upper Beach Drive — The Overview Number of Days Studied (Tue., Wed., Fri.)

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Number of Locations Studied

3

Total Number of Hours Studied

163

Total Number of Users Counted

28,741

Average Number of Users per Hour per Location

176

Average Number of Users per hour (total)

528

Average Number of Users per Day (5 hours)*

880–2,640

By Location Number of Counts That Location

Total Usership That Location

Average per Hour That Location

Boundary Bridge

56

8,035

144

Broad Branch Road

54

10,966

203

Joyce Road

53

9,740

178

Number of Counts on That Day

Total Usership That Day

Average per Hour That Day

Tuesdays

49

9,698

176

Wednesdays

50

9,181

174

Fridays

50

9,862

175

Number of Hourly Counts That Time Slot

Total Usership That Time Slot

Average per Hour That Time Slot

7–9 a.m.

64

10,693

170

12–1 p.m.

32

4,135

130

4–6 p.m.

68

13,913

207

By Day of Week

By Time of Day

By Time of Year Average/Hour Before Labor Day

185

After Labor Day

165

By User Mode Number

Percent

Bicyclists

17,777

62%

Runners

5,140

18%

Walkers

4,917

17%

Other (skates, wheelchairs, strollers, etc.)

907

3%

Note: In addition, 629 dogs were tallied * The minimum is if every single user was triple counted; the maximum is if no user passed more than a single counting location.

Upper Beach Drive closed to cars on weekdays.”

Peter Harnik is Founder of the Center for Park Excellence at The Trust for Public Land (peterharnik1@gmail.com).

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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

Remembering Park and Recreation Advocate Eric O’Brien

By Richard J. Dolesh

O PHOTO COURTESY OF THE O'BRIEN FAMILY

n January 7, NRPA lost one of its most energetic and dedicated former advocate board members and board chairs, Eric O’Brien.

“Eric believed that parks and recreation could change people’s lives for the better,” says Dean Tice, former executive director of NRPA from 1986 to 1991, “and he deeply believed that everyone was entitled to the benefits of parks and recreation.” Fran Mainella, former director of the National Park Service, says, “Eric was an integral part of NRPA’s leadership for many years. He exemplified the citizen working with the professional.

When I think of citizens working for parks and recreation, I think of him.”

Eric O'Brien, former NRPA board member and board chair, was a staunch advocate of parks and recreation.

O’Brien began his career as a sales representative for M.E. O’Brien and Sons, a family business in Medway, Massachusetts, that under his ownership became the largest supplier of outdoor recreation equipment in New England. The business today continues under the leadership of his daughters.

Pat Faust, president of Landscape Structures Inc. (LSI), says that O’Brien and Sons was always one of their top sales companies, but he notes that O’Brien contributed to the field of parks and 12

Parks & Recreation

recreation in many other ways as well. “He was always interested in helping people, not only in his business, but [also] through his volunteering and leadership in NRPA and other organizations.

He brought many new people to NRPA from the commercial sector, contributed financially himself and helped raise funds for the association. Barb King, founder of LSI, along with her husband Steve, became active in NRPA because of Eric,” says Faust.

As an advocate in the early 1970s, O’Brien began to serve on local park and recreation boards and committees in Massachusetts, including for the Town of Medford and later, the Olmsted Parks State Advisory Board. He was elected to NRPA’s board of trustees in 1985, which he served on until 1994 and was then elected chairman of the board for two terms from 1995 to 1999. O’Brien also served on the board of the City Park Alliance, the board of advisors of the National Association of Olmsted Parks, and was a world judge for the Nations in Bloom international horticultural competition.

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Joe Crookham, CEO of Musco Lighting, offered some personal reflections on O’Brien. “He was a visionary in the field of parks and recreation. When Eric was in the room, it was hard not to notice him.

He had that quality of leadership that made you pay attention. He was always committed to making life better for people and was dedicated to improving life for young people,” Crookham says. “When it came to raising funds, he was pretty good at figuring out who had the money and how to persuade them that they would be contributing to a great cause. His leadership was influential at all levels. People like Eric gave me faith to invest time and money. He was a member of the team you just did not want to let down.” He says wryly, “I sat around the table for a couple of hours one time with Fran and Eric, and I recall I even got to express an opinion or two.”

O’Brien’s daughter Meghan, now a principal in the family company, says, “Parks and recreation helped my dad make a living, and he felt it was super important to give back. And he did, tenfold.”

O’Brien’s warm personality and unswerving dedication to making life better for all people through parks and recreation will be truly missed.

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

James ‘Jim’ Peterson Passes Away December 2020 PHOTO COURTESY OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

J

ames “Jim” Peterson, who passed away Wednesday, December 30, 2020, was instrumental in shaping the park and recreation profession through his joint appointment at Indiana University (IU) and Purdue University; his initiation and leadership of IU’s Executive Development Program; and his presidency and trustee work at NRPA. He remained active for most years post retirement as a commissioner with World Urban Parks (formerly International Federation of Park and Recreation Administration), an advisory board member for the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands, a coauthor of a risk management text and a participant in many other activities.

Peterson was born in Elkhart, Indiana in 1925. After graduation from high school in 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served a three-year term during World War II. In 1947, Peterson enrolled at Hanover College, where he earned “Little All-American Honors” in football during the 1948 and 1949 seasons before graduating in 1950. He immediately enrolled in the Department of Park and Recreation Administration at IU, earning a Master of Science degree in 1951, which kickstarted an outstanding career in the park, recreation and conservation field.

After spending two years as a recreation center director and senior recreation supervisor in the

His journey was completed with purpose and an overflowing legacy of service, fortitude and light that will forever shine in treasured memories.

Kansas City, Missouri Department of Recreation, Peterson spent the next eight years as the first superintendent of recreation in Emporia, Kansas. In 1960, he was employed as superintendent of recreation in Evansville, Indiana, a joint position between the City of Evansville and the Vanderburgh County School Corporation.

After five years in Evansville, Peterson was asked to fill a newly created position between the Cooperative Extension Service at Purdue University as park and recreation specialist and a professor of parks and recreation at IU. Peterson said, “It was the opportunity of a lifetime to work with the Extension Agents in the 92 counties of Indiana in addition to teaching at Indiana University.”

Peterson had distinguished himself by authoring Recreation Use of Airport Lands, coauthoring Recreation and Leisure in the Changing Scene, and Risk Management for Park, Recreation, and Leisure Services, now in its seventh edition. Peterson was once asked, “How is it possible to work for two great universities at the same time?” He replied, “If you love what you are doing, no

James "Jim" Peterson was instrumental in shaping the park and recreation profession.

task is impossible.”

Other highlights of Peterson’s career include implementing and serving as director of the executive development program for park and recreation professionals at IU; serving as president of the Kansas and Indiana park and recreation associations; induction into the Kansas Recreation and Park Association’s Hall of Fame; serving two terms as board member for the American Recreation Society; serving as program chair for the first NRPA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.; receiving the NRPA National Distinguished Professional Award; and many more.

Peterson was one of the giants in the park, recreation and conservation movement locally, nationally and internationally. His journey was completed with purpose and an overflowing legacy of service, fortitude and light that will forever shine in treasured memories. He had a large-than-life-presence and will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

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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

Park District General Manager Robert Doyle Retires After 47-Year Career

A

fter dedicating 47 years to East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) in Oakland, California — including 10 years as general manager — Robert Doyle has retired, leaving many legacies that will benefit the lives of East Bay residents.

“Parks do their best when they have a great leader, and the East Bay has had incredible leadership with Bob Doyle,” says Former Director of National Park Service Jonathan Jarvis, who served under President Barack Obama. “Bob is not only a visionary, but someone who can deliver on that vision at the same time, a rare quality.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT

During his tenure with EBRPD, Doyle more than doubled the size of the park district in acreage, parks and trails. Several of his other significant accomplishments include garnering approval for three former military bases closed during the Clinton administration to be redeveloped into the future with publicly accessible regional parklands; fighting a 20-year battle for environmental justice along the Richmond, California, shoreline, including the Dotson Family Marsh that offers access along the bay adjacent to a predominantly Black community near Point Pinole; closing gaps incrementally

14

along the San Francisco Bay Trail and creating the park district’s mostly contiguous Bay Trail along the 55 miles of East Bay urban shoreline; and increasing the park district’s connection with multicultural communities through innovative health initiatives, educational programming and a record 10-year sustainable revenue growth of the Regional Parks Foundation, the private fundraising nonprofit that improves regional park access for underserved communities and communities of color.

“The landscape of the East Bay would be significantly different if it were not for Bob Doyle,” says former

Robert Doyle, former general manager of East Bay Regional Park District, leaves many legacies that will benefit the lives of East Bay residents.

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Park District General Manager Pat O’Brien. “Not only did he help create parks and preserve properties and areas for wildlife, but he inspired other people, who took up the mantle to advocate for open space, for legislative priorities within the district, and to procure public access.”

Doyle was a co-leader in California’s first successful statewide park bond effort in 15 years for Proposition 68, generating $4 billion in per capita funding for every park agency in California. Under Doyle’s leadership, the park district saw more support from the public than ever before with 85 percent voter approval for 2018’s Measure FF to provide additional revenues for parks. He has successfully advocated and helped the park district receive more than $1 billion in new revenue to pay for sorely needed capital development at parks and acquisition of parklands across Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

Doyle concluded his career at the Park District leading the agency through one of the most challenging times in its history: the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“COVID-19 has shown just how essential parks are to the community’s physical and mental health,” says Doyle. “The district overcame tremendous challenges to keep parks open and safe for the public when they needed them most. Our existing partnerships with the county health departments have been very effective in showing that parks are essential for health, not just recreation. I am extremely proud of how district staff answered the call and came to the public’s aid during this time.”

Member Benefit: Leading in Recovery

R

ecovery is top of mind in 2021. How will we deliver programs safely while ensuring financial sustainability?

Safety First Coronavirus (COVID-19) screening and physical distancing likely will continue to be required throughout 2021, and COVID-19 vaccines will need to be tracked. In addition, natural disasters will need to remain part of our preparedness plans.

With program sizes likely to return closer to normal during the summer of 2021, it’s essential that health and emergency processes for participants are managed efficiently.

Instilling Confidence Health and emergency processes that are well organized, clearly communicated and provide participants with transparency on your approach will go a long way in giving your community the confidence to return to activities they love.

Managing the Bottom Line In many organizations, emergency processes are handled through systems that are not purpose-built, adding invisible costs that have increased during the pandemic.

Automating these processes can reduce costs, mitigate risk, and move some aspects of health and emer-

gency management from fixed to variable costs.

Let Us Do the Work ePACT is a contactless, best-in-class platform that helps organizations collect and manage information in a quick and easy way. ePACT makes it seamless to plan for special needs, allows for rapid response in emergencies, and makes COVID-19 screening and check-in/out a breeze.

As the exclusive health and emergency network partner of NRPA, ePACT offers NRPA members a discount of up to 50 percent. For more information, visit epact network.com/NRPA.

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RESEARCH Parks and Recreation Is an Engine of Economic Activity

By Kevin Roth

P

ark and recreation professionals have a positive, lasting impact on millions of people every day through their tireless efforts to deliver programming and amenities that advance mental and physical health, create climate-ready parks, and support equity and inclusion. Local park and recreation agencies and their dedicated staff also are engines of economic activity in their communities. This past spring, NRPA’s The Economic Impact of Parks report (nrpa.org/ParkEconReport), conducted by the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University, finds that operations and capital spending at local park and recreation agencies generated more than $166 billion in U.S. economic activity and supported 1.1 million jobs in 2017.

Another report from an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce highlights the economic impact of parks and recreation. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) annually releases the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account report (tinyurl.com/ y4npypk2) that assesses the size and contribution of the outdoor recreation economy to the overall economy. The most recent report, published in November, finds that outdoor recreation gross domestic product (GDP) was $459.8 billion in 2019, the equivalent to 2.1 percent of the total value of output produced by the United States. Adjusting for inflation, the outdoor recreation economy grew 1.3 percent in 2019. (By comparison, the entire U.S. economy expanded 2.1 percent during the same time.)

The relative size of the outdoor recreation economy varies significantly by state. The top six states in terms of the percentage contribution outdoor recreation makes to GDP: • Hawaii – 5.8 percent • Vermont – 5.2 percent • Montana – 4.7 percent

16

Parks & Recreation

• Florida – 4.4 percent • Maine and Wyoming – both at 4.2 percent BEA divides outdoor recreation into three major categories: conventional, supporting and core activities. Conventional activities include bicycling, boating, hiking and hunting, and is responsible for 30 percent of the outdoor recreation economy.

Supporting activities, including construction, travel and tourism, local trips, and government expenditures, are responsible for 51 percent of the outdoor recreation economy. Other core activities (such as gardening and outdoor concerts) fill out the remaining 19 percent of the outdoor recreation economy.

BEA and NRPA analyses measure different things — BEA only considers outdoor recreation activities, whereas NRPA looks at the full spectrum of indoor and outdoor offerings. Further, the NRPA study narrows its focus to solely local public park and recreation agencies. In contrast, the BEA report studies a full spectrum of public and private outdoor recreation organizations and

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companies, including manufacturing and retail sales associated with outdoor activities, private-sector concerts and tourism.

But even though the analyses may differ, their respective messages do not: parks and recreation and outdoor recreation bring many benefits, including a vital economic contribution to local communities throughout our nation.

This message may never be more critical given the budgetary challenges facing many local and state governments. Nearly half of park and recreation leaders responding to the December 2020 NRPA Parks Snapshot Survey (nrpa.org/ParksSnap shotDecember4) noted that their agencies were facing cuts to operations spending this year, with a median reduction at 20 percent. A third of park and recreation agencies were slicing their capital budget, with a typical reduction of 37 percent.

Now more than ever, park and recreation professionals and their advocates need to educate policymakers, key stakeholders and the general public on their work’s broad impact. When combined with the ability to deliver healthier and happier communities, your agency’s offerings are not merely a “nice to have” luxury government service. Instead, parks and recreation transforms our cities, towns and counties into vibrant and prosperous communities for all.

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

NRPA PARK PULSE

Parks and Recreation Provides Important Employment Opportunities

(92%)

Nearly all U.S. adults say it is important for youth and young adults to have access to employment opportunities.

Park and recreation departments are leading providers of first-time employment opportunities for youth and young adults.

At park and recreation departments, youth and young adults can build confidence, gain valuable work experience and explore career possibilities.

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.

Baby boomers (85%), Gen Xers (86%) and millennials (79%) say access to employment opportunities for youth and young adults is extremely or very important.

FINANCE FOR THE FIELD Assets the Private Sector Can Bring to Park Departments

By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

T

he most obvious contribution the private sector can bring to park departments is an ability to invest funds for operation, maintenance and/or capital development. However, there are four additional aspects of private-sector involvement that may be attractive to park and recreation agencies: specialized management and technical expertise, reduced labor costs, adaptability to scale of services, and reduced liability risks.

Access to Private Capital The private sector can act quickly once a pro forma shows a venture is likely to receive a desired return on investment. In contrast, for a park department to secure capital it usually has to engage in an extended process of soliciting broad public participation and input; lengthy legislative approval procedures; extended budget hearings, and residents’ affirmation in a referendum.

This lengthy process makes it difficult to respond to unanticipated opportunities that arise in the marketplace. However, this is the milieu in which a business operates, so it is well-

equipped to act expeditiously. In these situations, a department may make a potential private partner aware of an opportunity and of the complementary assets the agency can provide to assist in bringing it to fruition.

Specialized Management and Technical Expertise Sometimes recreation departments do not have personnel with the training, experience and/or equipment to effectively manage specialized facilities (e.g., skate parks, concessions).

Businesses that specialize in these areas are able to draw upon an array of marketing skills and resources, cost

Public Agency vs. Private Business

Reduced Labor Costs

The mowing of athletic fields is now commonly contracted out to private-sector businesses.

Consider the compartive costs of the two entitites.

The labor-intensive nature of many park services makes personnel the major cost center in service delivery. Departments typically pay an additional 30 to 35 percent of an employee’s salary for fringe benefits, such as health insurance, retirement, sick leave and maternity leave. Many businesses do not, which enables them to provide the same level of service at a lower cost.

Public Agency Pays salary averaging $12 an hour for a 40-hour work week to mowing crew staff

$25,000 a year

Pays a benefit package

$10,000 a year

Total Cost:

$35,000

Private Business

18

controls and other systems that have proven effective in similar facilities, and a focused workforce with experience and strong technical expertise.

Thus, partnering with them is likely to be an effective and efficient option.

Recreation departments typically provide programs designed to offer opportunities for self-development, self-expression, self-improvement, character development and social interaction. However, the recreation preferences of many individuals lean toward escapism, fantasy or role playing. These preferences are reflected in the popularity of esports, computer games, virtual reality simulation, television, social media, spectator sports, urban entertainment centers, spas and resorts. Again, management of these types of services is not within the skill set of many recreation professionals, whereas the private sector has expertise in developing and operating facilities that offer these kinds of benefits.

Pays an hourly rate of $8 (but offers no paid vacation and does not pay when weather conditions prohibit mowing) for the equivalent of only 40 weeks

$12,800 a year

Pays a benefit package

$2,200 a year

Total Cost:

$15,000

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Who Are You Going to Hire to Mow Athletic Fields?

Most departments now outsource

routine low-skilled activities, such as mowing. The advantages are illustrated in the chart on page 18. This decision poses a moral dilemma for those of us who are elected officials.

Is it morally appropriate for me to vote in favor of outsourcing because it is much cheaper, when I know that the business that wins the contract will be paying much less than a living wage? Elected officials will reach different conclusions.

Adaptability to Seasonality and Scale of Service In some situations, a department’s labor force is not well-matched with the seasonality of many programs. For example, an audit of my city’s aquatic program noted, “Even though 83 percent of the aquatic revenue is collected in June, July and August, and another 12 percent in April and May, almost 50 percent of aquatic personnel cost is incurred during months when the city pools are closed. Discontinuing the staffing of the pools during the off-season would generate around $250,000 in cost savings.”

Private partners are better equipped to deliver services that require a large number of part-time employees for short time periods.

Bureaucratic procedures for hiring and paying part-time staff are frequently lengthy, cumbersome and onerous, whereas it is generally easy for businesses to do this.

Expenditures on specialized equipment is difficult for an agency to justify if use of the equipment is seasonal, so it sits idle for much of the year. A business serving multiple organizations is likely to have economies of scale that enable it to purchase stateof-the-art and specialized equipment at a lower price than a department with only a single facility.

For example, each year, American Golf Corporation purchases more than 3,000 golf carts for the 250 courses it operates. The volume enables the company to negotiate a substantially lower purchase price per cart than any single department could.

In addition, private partners can often take advantage of federal business tax laws that permit rapid depreciation of new equipment and offer investment tax credits for its purchase.

Reduced Liability Risks Governments have deep pockets.

This makes them an attractive target for contingency liability suits arising from allegations of reckless acts (negligence) that result in unintentional harm to a third party. Because liabil-

ity insurance premiums are largely based on the estimated level of risk, departments seek to transfer their liability exposure to private partners.

Typically, agreements include clauses stating the agency will be “held harmless” in the event of a negligence claim. Since this does not always provide ironclad protection, an indemnity clause usually is added stipulating that if the hold harmless clause is not completely adequate, the partner (or its insurer) would pay for any damages the agency owed.

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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Creating accessible parks and trails across biologically diverse lands and shorelines takes creativity and investment.

ADVOCACY

Parks, Funding and the Communities That Make Them Possible

By Erich Pfuehler and Lisa Baldinger

T

he East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland, California, has a long history of community engagement. Over the years, thanks to legislative action and voter support, the park district has grown from 115,000 acres to more than 125,000 acres, preserving significant acreage of natural habitat and serving more communities through park and trail access. The park district currently manages nearly 200 miles of regional trails, serves 2.8 million residents and welcomes more than 25 million visitors a year.

Creating accessible parks and trails across biologically diverse lands and shorelines takes creativity and investment. The founding land survey, Proposed Park Reservations for East Bay Cities (tinyurl.com/1eavnsjt), highlighted that preserving land would be minimal cost, but maintaining, operating and developing access to the land would require annual revenue. Revenue also would be needed to expand services, such as utilities, restrooms, picnic areas and

20 Parks & Recreation

other amenities. This insight, unique at the time, remains relevant today as the park district continues its expansion of new park areas while maintaining existing assets: all new and upgraded infrastructure need continued revenue and investment.

Over the past 30 years, the park district has led four significant voterapproved tax measures. These measures seed acquisition, environmental education and infrastructure investments. This funding is used with

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local, state and federal grants, such as those established by California State Park Bonds and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. A review of recently completed projects found nearly 88 percent of the park district’s large infrastructure has been funded by sources other than the general fund.

Examining the Economic and Social Impact Wetland enhancements, trail connections and other infrastructure projects now require multiple sources to fund in full. These projects no longer cost thousands of dollars, but often millions. Acknowledging the increasingly significant level of public investment, the park district wanted to better understand the full

community benefits of these large infrastructure projects. A recent economic study commissioned by the park district found that they not only support the community, but also directly support the local economy and jobs beyond park staff.

The East Bay Regional Park District Improvement Projects Economic and Social Impact Analysis (tinyurl.com/ bh8zj5f7) by Beacon Economics identified large infrastructure projects to have direct, indirect and induced benefits. Direct benefits are derived from immediate spending by the park district’s construction and future day-to-day operations of project sites. Indirect benefits stem from the spending contractors and supplemental services expend in support of completing a park district

project. Induced benefits come from the spending by those households associated with externally contracted work on a park district project. It is how they spend their income in the community. The report also quantifies the number of jobs created by job years. A job year equals one year of employment for one individual.

The analysis provided estimates for 93 upcoming green infrastructure projects. The one-time impact for these projects would be $214.4 million in economic output, 1,199 job years of employment, $107.1 million in labor income, and $25.4 million in tax revenue. Annually, the completed projects support $23.7 million in economic output, 131 job years, $13.4 million in labor income and $3.6 million in tax revenue.

Investing in Our Future Community and elected official support help make bonds, grants and taxes possible to establish funding that supports the completion of projects. The funding approved by East Bay voters goes directly back into the local economy in the form of jobs, economic output and taxes. That, in turn, bolsters community support for the park district. It is a cycle of support, funding, project delivery and positive user experience that will bind the East Bay community with its regional park district for years to come.

Erich Pfuehler is Chief of Government and Legislative Affairs for East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) (epfuehler@ ebparks.org). Lisa Baldinger is Legislative and Policy Management Analyst for EBRPD (baldinger@ebparks.org).

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

The movement toward inclusive health can start small and grow from simple conversations with people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in your community.

Inclusive Health in Parks and Recreation

By Deon Villasencio

P

eople with intellectual disabilities (ID) are one of the most medically underserved groups in the world. Barriers prevent people with ID from fully accessing healthcare programs and services. In 2016, Special Olympics introduced a new strategy, called inclusive health, designed to improve overall healthcare for all people, including Special Olympics athletes with ID. Special Olympics’ vision for inclusive health is the inclusion of all people in mainstream health policies and laws, programming, services, training programs, and research and funding. Our hope is that by pushing for inclusive health, opportunities will be available for people with ID to access health services and programs to achieve their full potential of living a healthy life.

Why Inclusive Health?

Inclusive health guides existing programs and services to become comprehensive and accessible, rather than creating separate programs for people with ID. Historically, because of the lack of medical service support for those with ID, these community members typically face significant health disparities, including obesity, diabetes, chronic pain and heart disease. Including people 22 Parks & Recreation

with ID in existing health programs, like those offered through parks and recreation, not only can improve their health opportunities, but also has the potential to reduce healthcare costs for the public.

Inclusive health is built on two foundational principles: equitable access and full participation.

These two foundational principles were developed to address barriers people with ID face when

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trying to acquire healthcare and access to public health systems.

These barriers include: • Attitudinal – Misconceptions that people with ID cannot live long, healthy lives • Communication – Use of complicated and inaccessible language • Programmatic – Failure to make reasonable accommodations for people with ID • Social – Lifestyle conditions that limit accessibility • Physical – Structural challenges that block mobility

How Can Park and Recreation Professionals Support Inclusive Health?

Park and recreation professionals are uniquely suited to deliver programming and services that advance the

health and well-being of their comthe use of jargon, acronyms and can even hire people with ID to munity members. They often serve abstract statements. join your organization. as stewards of community wellness • Awareness and training – UnBy focusing on inclusive health, hubs — trusted gathering places that derstand your community, and park and recreation professionals connect everyone to essential protrain your staff on the challenges can become a community wellness grams, services and spaces that adand barriers faced by people with hub for all. The Inclusive Health vance health equity, improve health ID, and identify ways to remove Promotion toolkit (nrpa.org/ outcomes and enhance quality of life. these barriers.

ParksForInclusion), created by Park and recreational professionals • Establish sustainable and intenNRPA with support from Special can take action to remove barriers tional inclusion – Build this by Olympics, provides a framework and improve access for people with changing organizational culture to for park and recreation professionID by implementing these strategies: value and understand inclusion. als to be more inclusive in pro• Create welcoming spaces – En• Develop a formal inclusion policy grams and services, ensuring that sure your programming and – The movement toward inclusive agencies are prepared to make a physical spaces are accessible and health can start small and grow. push for intentional inclusion. welcoming.

People with ID will be your best reEveryone should have the same • Use accessible communication source when striving to make your access to health opportunities. Re– Ensure your communications organization inclusive. Ask them member, if it is not for everyone, it are in plain language (no more about the challenges they face evis for no one. than a sixth-grade reading level ery day or ask for their suggestions Deon Villasencio is an Inclusive Health Specialist for 21_0345_Parks_Rec_MAR January 27, 2021You 9:05 AM Special Print: 02/04/21 page 1 v2.5 Olympics (dvillasencio@specialolympics.org). and straight to the point).

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EQUITY

PHOTO COURTESY OF MITCHELL J. SILVER, FAICP

Parks will play an essential role in the economic recovery of our nation and in addressing inequities in our cities.

The Path Forward: Equity at the Center of City Park Investment

By Julie Waterman

T

he pandemic has given us a renewed understanding of the critical importance of parks and green spaces for our physical and mental health.

However, stark inequities in the availability of quality facilities continue to plague underserved communities and communities of color. Our past failure to invest equitably has left millions without access to quality parks and recreation opportunities. Looking ahead, parks will play an essential role in the economic recovery of our nation and in addressing inequities in our cities.

Before the pandemic, cities across the country had started to address the park equity issue head on. To address the backlog in park investments, a number of cities established data-driven equity criteria to direct funds to neighborhoods most in need of new parks and/or physical improvement and revitalized programming in existing parks.

This past October, I moderated a City Parks Alliance session during the 2020 NRPA Annual Confer-

24 Parks & Recreation

ence: A Virtual Experience called “Data-Driven Strategies for Equitable Urban Park Investment.” I was joined by panelists Jayne Miller, who has led equitable funding initiatives in her leadership roles at Pittsburgh Park Conservancy and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board; Mitchell Silver, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; and Meagan Elliott, chief parks planner at Detroit Parks and Recreation.

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All three leaders were instrumental in implementing equitable funding strategies in their communities.

Under Miller’s leadership, Minneapolis created the Community Outreach Department and began work on 17 initiatives in underserved neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The city then enacted a 20-Year Neighborhood Park Plan to close the funding gap through data-driven racial and economic equity criteria. In New York, Silver played a key role in writing the “Framework for an Equitable Future” that invests in underresourced public parks in dense neighborhoods with higher-thanaverage rates of poverty. In Detroit, Elliott served on the Detroit Park Planning Team that set the vision for how the city would push for parks as

one facet of its social justice efforts.

By using data-driven metrics and methodology, these cities are hoping to undo past inequities. In Minneapolis, through the Neighborhood Park Plan, 19 new parks and 135 rehabilitation projects will be completed. New York City is now on track to reconstruct 67 neighborhood parks. And, Detroit has thus far revitalized 40 small neighborhood parks. In each of these cities, most neighborhoods had not seen investment for several decades.

City Parks Alliance has studied how these and other initiatives have employed data-driven criteria to prioritize investments in parks. Findings are summarized in our report, Investing in Equitable Urban Park Systems: Case Studies & Recommendations

(tinyurl.com/y4mo2ev3), and cataloged on the Equitable Park Funding Hub (tinyurl.com/y2vydrus). The hub, developed collaboratively with the Urban Institute and Groundwork USA, with support provided by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, includes a series of tools for park professionals to explore federal, state and local funding strategies for city parks and public spaces.

City Parks Alliance documented equity criteria and data sources that were used to make investment decisions, community engagement efforts, methods to track and evaluate programs, and policies needed to sustain the initiatives.

Key findings that emerged: • Strong leadership is instrumental in making the case for and imple-

menting the equitable approaches.

• Data collection and analysis must be transparent, reliable and consistent.

• Education at all levels on the data results is important for building buy-in.

• New laws, voter-approved initiatives, strategic planning and, sometimes, internal reorganizations are critical to ensuring that those models are sustained.

• Comprehensive tracking must occur to ensure accountability and sustained implementation.

We seek to inspire more cities to replicate this trailblazing work, so that the essential benefits of parks and recreation are enjoyed by all.

Julie Waterman is Advocacy Director at City Parks Alliance (jwaterman@cityparksalliance.org).

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CONSERVATION

Gauging the Value of the SITES Rating System

By Paul Wessel

A

t the 2009 launch of the SITES rating system — a tool for the creation, maintenance and improvement of sustainable landscapes (tinyurl.com/y2zz4kqc) — NRPA’s then-chief public policy officer and Sustainable SITES Initiative Steering Committee member Richard J. Dolesh announced: “The new system has potential to make a large impact on local and regional parks throughout the country. Many park planners, landscape architects and park administrators have told us that they’ve always felt there is a lack of an equivalent system for landscapes to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, the international standard for green building, and thus, there was no way to receive credit for exemplary practices.”

George “Doc” Cavalliere Park in Scottsdale, Arizona, was designed to preserve open space and demonstrate sustainability.

26 Parks & Recreation

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PHOTO COURTESY OF STUART ISETT

Center, the U.S. General Services Administration and the U.S. Green Building Council, among others, and updated in 2014 to SITES v2 (tinyurl.com/y4apb7vc), is bearing fruit. Scores of local parks have drawn inspiration and guidance from the SITES certification process.

“SITES was invaluable in helping us transform Boedekker Park into a safe, inviting and green oasis in San Francisco’s Tenderloin — the city’s densest and poorest neighborhood that is also home to a large population of children and se-

PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL TIMMERMAN, TIMMERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

Barbara Tulipane, NRPA’s then-president and CEO, also weighed in: “This initiative directly supports our forward-looking ideas regarding stewardship in efforts to connect children with nature, to increased development of community gardens in parks, and our efforts to gain funding and federal resources for parks to serve as catalysts in promoting livable communities.” (tinyurl.com/y52e5xes) In the decade since, the program pioneered by NRPA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower

niors,” explains San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg.

“Nature is woven throughout the project, allowing urban residents to reap the mental and physical health benefits of time in nature.”

In Nashville, Tennessee, home of the SITES v2 Gold-certified Centennial Park, “the principles of sustainability guide decision making on all of our capital projects,” says Tim Netsch, assistant director for planning and facilities development at Nashville Metro Parks and Recreation. “For landscape projects, SITES has proven to be a useful tool to help organize our sustainability strategy, ensure that we cover the full breadth of considerations and quantify the outcomes.”

“In this day and age, we focus too often on the here and now,” reflects Kevin Burke, director of design at the Atlanta BeltLine. “That is why we adopted SITES for the Atlanta BeltLine. SITES ensures we optimize the parks for the community, providing both short- and long-term benefits.”

The growing list of municipal park projects certifying or requiring certification ranges from small neighborhood parks to regional

Kirke Park in Seattle, Washington, once an obsolete site, is now a dynamic neighborhood park.

rail-to-trail projects and spans the country, including those shown in the table to the right.

In its second decade, SITES promises to use its growing influence as a municipal governance tool with the goal of codifying NRPA’s Three Pillars — Health and Wellness, Equity, and Conservation — into local policy. A recent journal article by Frederick Steiner, “Landscape governance: the prospects for the SITES rating system” (tinyurl.com/yxufjsog), highlights how New York City, Chicago and Atlanta, as well as the state of Rhode Island and the U.S. General Services Administration, look to SITES as a policy tool for guiding sustainable landscape development to protect and restore ecosystem services.

The local government value of SITES was underscored in a Duke University case study (tinyurl. com/yylw6a7n), in which Sarasota, Florida’s park planner found that “having a structured framework, such as SITES, to present at public meetings when considering projects, can be a valuable tool.

Certification programs can provide greater credibility to the ideas being put forth, allowing discussion to move from attempting to reach high-level consensus on big-picture ideas to allowing for greater focus on more immediate details pertaining to the project at hand. Further, having a set of guidelines can help to add metrics to the county’s sustainability goals.”

As parks are called on to do more under increasingly tight fiscal constraints, municipal policymakers, parks officials and advocates may find SITES to be a useful offthe-shelf tool to advance parks,

Public Parks Enrolled in SITES Certification Park

Location

Agency

SITES Certification Status

Blue Hole Regional Park

Wimberly, Texas

City of Wimberly

Certified – v1

Boeddeker Park

San Francisco, California

City of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department

Certified – v1

Centennial Park

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville Metro Parks and Recreation

Certified Gold – v2

Evans Parkway Silver Spring, Neighborhood Park Maryland

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Certified – v1

George “Doc” Cavalliere Park

Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale Parks and Recreation

Certified – v1

Grant Park Gateway Project

Atlanta, Georgia

City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation Department

Certified Gold – v2

Kirke Park

Seattle, Washington Seattle Parks and Recreation

Certified – v1

Woodland Discovery Playground

Memphis, Tennessee

Shelby Farms Park Conservancy/Shelby County

Certified – v1

Cully Park

Portland, Oregon

Portland Parks and Recreation

Registered v2 – In process

Creek Delta at Austin, Texas Waterloo Greenway

City of Austin and Waterloo Greenway

Registered v2 – In process

Earvin Magic Johnson Park

Los Angeles, California

County of Los Angeles Community Development Commission

Registered v2 – In process

Enota Park

Atlanta, Georgia

City of Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.

Registered v2 – In process

Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park

Austin, Texas

City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department and Pease Park Conservancy

Registered v2 – In process

Mary Elizabeth Branch Park

Austin, Texas

City of Austin and Catellus Development

Registered v2 – In process

Pharr Tennis Center Austin, Texas

City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department

Registered v2 – In process

Towne Center Park @ Mueller

Austin, Texas

City of Austin and Catellus Development

Registered v2 – In process

Walnut Park

Walnut Park, California

County of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation

Registered v2 – In process

Atlanta BeltLine

Atlanta, Georgia

City of Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.

Required – SITES Silver or Gold v2

recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people.

For information on these SITES projects and more, visit sustainable sites.org/projects. If you are in-

terested in promoting discussions about SITES in your community, contact the SITES team at SITES@ gbci.org.

Paul Wessel is Director of Market Development at U.S. Green Building Council (pwessel@usgbc.org).

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The federal district court discussed threats that prompted exclusion of an individual with intellectual disabilities from continued participation from a public recreation program in New Hampshire.

Day Camp Suspension for Disabled Participant’s Threats

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

I

n the following highlighted case, the threats that prompted exclusion of an individual with intellectual disabilities (ID) from continued participation in a public recreation program were not necessarily real nor imminent when considered in context. Moreover, in the opinion of the federal district court: “This dispute ought to have been resolved short of litigation.” Further, the court found: “Plaintiffs’ basic social complaint is not an unreasonable one.” As characterized by the court, Plaintiffs’ lawsuit described “what could well be governmental action based not on legitimate safety concerns, but rather on discriminatory stereotypes rooted in unfounded assumptions about cognitive disabilities.”

An Unhappy ID Camper In the case of Angelika P. v. Town of Meredith, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 181738 (Dist. N.H., 10/1/2020), Plaintiff N.P. lives with his mother and guardian, Plaintiff Angelika P., in Meredith, New Hampshire. N.P. has intellectual 28 Parks & Recreation

disabilities. On recent cognitive functioning tests, N.P. scored below the first percentile, which placed him in the extremely low range for verbal comprehension, and, with respect to nonverbal intelligence, he scored in the “very poor” range compared to other

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students his age. N.P. tested in the “very low to severe range” of language functioning. At the time of the events giving rise to this action, N.P. was 20 years old.

N.P. had attended day camps offered by the defendant Town of Meredith (the Town) during summers and school vacations since 2015.

The Meredith Parks and Recreation Department runs the day camps, and activities are conducted at the Town’s Recreation Center. In 2019, the summer camp ran from June 25, 2019 through August 16, 2019.

On August 6, 2019, a day camper reported that N.P. had made comments threatening camp staff. The Town asserted that the camper reported that N.P. threat-

ened to kill three individuals: the camp director, a summer camp counselor and that camp counselor’s child. In response to the reported threats, the camp director and the program director for the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department notified the Meredith Police Department, which dispatched an officer.

The responding police officer, Keith True, who also served as the resource officer at the Town’s high school (where N.P. had been a student), knew N.P., and knew that N.P. had serious intellectual disabilities. Presumably, camp staff, directors and Town officials had the same information about N.P.’s profound disabilities, as he had been a regular camper for years.

Upon arriving at the Town’s Recreation Center, Officer True spoke with N.P. and asked him if he had “heard anyone say anything that may have scared someone.” N.P. responded that he had not made the comments, because he had not been at camp, he had been at an appointment. N.P. was, in fact, present at camp, and N.P. may or may not have had the ability to accurately recall and respond.

Officer True asked N.P. if he had heard “anyone making statements about hurting or killing someone, even as a joke.”

N.P. said he had not and that he “wouldn’t say anything like that.”

According to Officer True, N.P. did not know why Officer True was at camp, or why the officer wanted to speak with him.

After he spoke with N.P., Officer True met with the camp director and the director of the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Officer True told the camp director

and the director of the parks and recreation department that he did not believe N.P. posed a threat, and that Officer True had not known N.P. to be violent. The officer then left the camp. No charges were filed against N.P. N.P. remained at camp for the rest of the day without incident.

When Angelika arrived to pick him up, the parks and recreation director handed her a “Meredith Parks and Recreation Behavior Report.” The director told Angelika that N.P. was suspended from participating in any Parks and Recreation Department program, and from being at any parks and recreation facility “for an indefinite period of time.”

That evening, Angelika emailed Meredith’s town manager. She explained N.P.’s intellectual disabilities, and that N.P. “has no real concept of what is being said or discussed beyond the surface,” or any idea that he had made any threats.

Angelika told the town manager that N.P. “enjoys camp so much, and knowing camp is coming to an end makes him sad, so, he has had behavior incidents towards the end of camp in past years, knowing that it was going to end.”

Angelika asked to meet with the town manager in person to discuss N.P.’s suspension, arguing that the suspension “is extreme for someone who does not even know what he did or said, and has the mental ability of a young child.” Angelika asked the Town to modify the duration of N.P.’s indefinite suspension, to instead make the suspension “temporary, maybe for one or two days.” If N.P. misbehaved after he returned to camp, the Town could call her “immediately, and she

would remove him from camp for the rest of the day.”

The town manager responded the next morning, August 7, 2019.

He told Angelika that he needed to review the police and internal reports, and that “the suspension would remain in place until the investigation and research into this matter is completed.” Once completed, he said that Angelika would be notified of the outcome.

Angelika expressed her disappointment that the Town had not involved her in the decision-making process, “in order to get a better understanding of an intellectually-challenged individual.”

Angelika addressed the Town’s Behavior Report that same day and asked that her response be appended to the Report. She wrote that N.P. had a “significant intellectual disability that limits his understanding of questions being asked,” and “usually responded to questions based on what he thinks the person asking wants to hear.” She further wrote, “N.P. does not understand, or even recall the event, but the staff at the community center, especially those who have known N.P for the past four years, should understand that just because he is older, his intellectual ability remains that of a six-yearold.” Finally, Angelika expressed her disappointment that the Town had not involved her in the decisionmaking process, “in order to get a better understanding of an

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intellectually-challenged individual.”

The town manager emailed Angelika again on August 12, 2019.

He informed her that N.P. would remain suspended for an initial period of 60 days (through October 7, 2019), after which Angelika could speak to the parks and recreation director about readmitting N.P. to the Parks and Recreation Department’s programs and facilities. N.P. was emotionally upset and very sad when told he could not return to camp for the rest of the summer.

The federal district court acknowledged: “Courts have nearly uniformly rejected the idea that the ADA requires entities to countenance misconduct.”

On September 2, 2019, Angelika requested a copy of the investigatory findings that the town manager had referenced in his August 7 email. He responded that “the investigation was a review of police and internal reports,” and that no report had been drafted. Two days later, Angelika met with two members of the Town’s Select Board. During the meeting, one of the board members told Angelika that by allowing N.P. to remain at camp through the end of the day on August 6, 2019, the Town had been “compassionate,” as “they could have called to have him handcuffed and dragged away.”

The board member further stated that he would present the matter to other members of the Select Board privately.

On September 17, 2019, the board member emailed Angelika, 30 Parks & Recreation

informing her that the Town’s Select Board supported the action taken by the Parks and Recreation Department. N.P.’s suspension ended on October 7, 2019.

According to the Town, no summer or school vacation camps were offered between August 16, 2019 and October 7, 2019. As a result, the Town contended that “N.P.’s suspension from Town programs and parks was, in effect, eight days long.”

Non-Discriminatory “Safety Measure” In response to Plaintiffs’ lawsuit, the Town did not contest that N.P. is a “qualified individual with a disability,” as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As cited by the federal district court, the ADA defines a “qualified individual with a disability” as follows: [A]n individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities provided by a public entity. 42 U.S.C. § 12131.

The Defendant Town, however, argued that Plaintiffs’ claims under the ADA should fail because the Town did not discriminate against N.P. based on his disability, but rather acted in response to “threats” that N.P. made. Specifically, Defendant contended that “the complaint, at best, essentially pleads that because N.P. has an

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intellectual disability, he uttered words that, literally, amount to threats to which the Town lawfully responded by suspending him.”

According to the Town, even though N.P.’s “threats” may have resulted from his disability, that does not make his suspension based on those threats a discriminatory act. On the contrary, the Town maintained N.P.’s suspension was not discrimination, but a “safety measure,” which was taken only after N.P. had made the “threats” concerning other participants and staff within the camp program.

Moreover, the Town pointed out that “N.P. has participated in the summer day-camp program for several years,” and N.P. “had behavior incidents toward the end of camp in past years.”

Consider Threat Context As noted by the federal district court, the Town’s argument would prevail if N.P. “did, in fact, make credible or even sincere death threats against three individuals at summer camp, even if those threats were a consequence of Plaintiff N.P.’s disability.” In so doing, the federal district court acknowledged: “Courts have nearly uniformly rejected the idea that the ADA requires entities to countenance misconduct.” Accordingly, the court found “misconduct — even misconduct related to a disability — is not itself a disability and may be a basis for dismissal.” Similarly, the court acknowledged the ADA does not require that an individual “whose unacceptable behavior threatens the safety of others be retained, even if the behavior stems from a mental disability.”

In this particular instance, however, given the severity of N.P.’s intellectual and language disability, Plaintiffs claimed that “N.P. did not pose a threat” based upon the responding officer, Officer True’s assessment, which had found any claim of a threat to be unfounded following his conversation with N.P. Similarly, Plaintiffs noted that N.P. had been allowed to remain at the camp for the rest of the day. As a result, Plaintiffs claimed that the Town’s suspension of N.P., “not only from the rest of camp, but from any facility or activity for 60 days was arbitrary and unreasonable and based on fears or stereotypes of mentally disabled individuals.”

In the opinion of the federal district court, such “threats” must be assessed in context. At the outset of this particular situation, the court found the Town had apparently overlooked the context of N.P.’s threats. Moreover, the court noted that common sense should have guided an assessment of these threats within context: For example, a six-year-old child proclaiming, “I’ll kill you if you tell Mom I ate the cookie” has, in context, hardly made a death threat, though one might try to make it so by reciting merely, “I’ll kill you” out of context. Common sense, it is often correctly noted, is not so common, but in its pursuit, context is of course everything.

Further, in the opinion of the court, it was “not clear from Plaintiffs’ complaint or Defendant’s answer whether N.P. did or did not make the referenced threats.” On one hand, the court noted that the complaint indicated “another camper heard N.P. make comments, which that camper interpreted as threats.” On the other hand, the court found the complaint acknowledged that N.P. had denied making any threats while speaking to Officer True.

would have been understood by reasonable people.”

Moreover, in considering the context of the Town’s suspension decision, the court would adopt the perspective of reasonable people, “acting in good faith,” who would be “unburdened by misguided fears or stereotypes related to mental disabilities.”

In the opinion of the federal district court, the pretrial record did not clearly indicate whether “[N.P.’s] words, even if uttered as Defendant claims, could have been reasonably understood by reasonable people actually informed of [N.P.’s] disability as actionable ‘threats,’ or as posing any safety concern under the actual circumstances.”

Accordingly, the court would deny Defendant’s motion for summary judgment and require further proceedings and a potential jury trial to resolve the questions surrounding the credibility N.P.’s threats and whether Defendant’s safety concerns were real or misguided under the circumstances of this case.

Real Threat or Misguided Fear?

Given these “factual ambiguities” within Plaintiffs’ complaint and Defendant’s answer, the federal district court found it was “obvious that a more fully developed record is necessary before the court could properly rule” on Defendant’s motion to resolve to Plaintiffs’ claims without any further trial proceedings. As described by the federal district court, a more fully developed record was needed to consider “the full relevant context in which the words triggering Defendant’s actions were spoken, and how they

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Failure to Train and Supervise Further, Defendant Town contended that Plaintiffs’ “failure to train and supervise claim must be dismissed because Plaintiffs fail to allege facts [were] sufficient to state such a claim.” In so doing, Defendant argued Plaintiffs’ complaint lacked “any factual allegations suggesting the Town inadequately trained its employees, or any facts that show a pattern of similar violations by untrained employees.” As characterized by Defendant, “Plaintiffs rely on wholly conclusory allegations” in support of their claim.

In this particular instance, the federal district court found that “Plaintiffs’ failure to train and supervise claim falls far short of meeting those requirements.”

As cited by the federal district court, municipal liability based on a failure to train claim under federal civil rights law (Section 1983) would require Plaintiffs to show the following: [M]unicipal decisionmakers either knew or should have known that training was inadequate but nonetheless exhibited deliberate indifference to the unconstitutional effects of those inadequacies.

Further, when evaluating a municipal liability claim, the federal district court would require “proof of deliberate indifference.”

Such proof would require Plaintiffs to “plead more than a mere insufficiency of the municipality’s actions.” Moreover, to meet this “deliberate indifference” standard 32 Parks & Recreation

for municipal liability, the court would require a training program to be “quite deficient”: Generally, a failure to supervise only gives rise to Section 1983 liability in those situations where there is a history of widespread abuse, only then may knowledge be imputed to the supervisory personnel.

In addition, the court noted: “the fact that training is imperfect or not in the precise form a plaintiff would prefer is insufficient to make such a showing” of the required deliberate indifference to establish municipal liability under Section 1983.

In this particular instance, the federal district court found that “Plaintiffs’ failure to train and supervise claim falls far short of meeting those requirements.” In the opinion of the court, “[n]otably lacking are any underlying factual allegations that support Plaintiffs’ legal conclusions”: Plaintiffs fail to provide any details regarding Defendant’s training program, or how that program might be even arguably deficient.

Nor does the complaint allege any facts from which the court might infer that Defendant disregarded a known risk.

Accordingly, the federal district court concluded, “Plaintiffs have not stated a Section 1983 municipal liability claim against the Town for failure to train and supervise.” The court, however, would allow Plaintiffs to “file a motion to amend their complaint” to “capably assert factual allegations that would support a cognizable Section 1983 municipal liability claim against the Town” for discriminating against disabled individuals in violation of the ADA.

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ADA Suspension Claim Is Moot The Defendant Town also had argued that Plaintiffs’ ADA claims were moot. As described by the federal district court: “A case is moot when the issues presented are no longer live or the parties lack a legally cognizable interest in the outcome.” In other words, a case is moot “when a court cannot give any effectual relief to the potentially prevailing party.”

In this particular instance, Plaintiffs’ “effectual relief ” would have the federal district court issue an order “enjoining Defendant from excluding N.P. from its programs, services and activities on the basis of his disability.” Moreover, Plaintiffs would have the court require “Defendant to engage in an interactive process when a reasonable accommodation would enable his participation.”

In support of its argument that Plaintiffs’ ADA claims were moot, the Town pointed out the fact that “N.P.’s 60-day suspension was complete on October 7, 2019,” and, therefore, N.P. was “no longer suspended from any Town parks or programs.” Moreover, as noted by the court, “N.P. has since turned 21, and has, therefore, ‘aged out’ of eligibility for the Town’s camp programs.”

As a result, Defendant argued Plaintiffs’ ADA claims were moot because there was “no pending controversy.”

The federal district court agreed that there was “no ongoing conduct to enjoin” because “N.P.’s 60day suspension is over” and N.P. “is not currently being excluded from Defendant’s programs, services and activities.” On the

contrary, the court found “N.P. is currently permitted to enjoy the parks and participate in the Town’s programs and activities to the extent he is otherwise eligible.” As a result, the federal district court found that any controversy concerning Defendant’s actions were no longer “immediate nor real.”

In reaching this determination, the federal district court noted: “issuance of a declaratory judgment deeming past conduct illegal is not permissible, as it would be merely advisory.” In so doing, the court acknowledged the admonition by the Supreme Court that “federal courts are not in the business of pronouncing that past actions which have no demonstrable continuing effect were right or wrong.”

Conclusion Because the alleged discrimination had ceased and N.P. had “aged out” of the day-camp program, the federal district court agreed with Defendant Town that Plaintiffs’ ADA claims were moot because there was no indication that N.P. was to be excluded from future participation in the Town’s recreational programs on the basis of his disability.

On the other hand, as noted above, the court would allow Plaintiffs to amend their complaint to allege facts to support their claim that the Town’s failure to adequately train and supervise their employees violated the ADA. To do so, in an amended complaint, Plaintiffs would have to sufficiently allege a history of indifference and discrimination against individuals with disabilities in violation of the ADA. In an amended complaint, the federal district court acknowledged Plaintiffs’ ADA case might still “fall short under applicable law, but not before a full evidentiary development of the context in which N.P.’s ‘six-year-old’ words, or ‘threats,’ were expressed.”

In so doing, the court noted the Town’s “mere recitation of maxims like ‘safety,’ unsupported by informed judgment or fact may well not suffice.” As a result, the federal district court denied the Town’s motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ ADA complaint without further proceedings. According to the court, further consideration of Plaintiffs’ ADA claims “may require a trial or, at a minimum, well-supported pretrial summary judgment briefing.”

However, in lieu of further proceedings, the federal district court encouraged “the parties, with the assistance of counsel, to resolve this matter on ratio

The federal district court noted: “issuance of a declaratory judgment deeming past conduct illegal is not permissible as it would be merely advisory.” nal and reasonable terms acceptable to both sides.”

As noted by the court: “The principles at stake are important ones, and the legal outcome is far from clear; litigation may prove burdensome, and, in the end, unsatisfying to all.”

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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Gathering Place: A Park for Everyone

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By Mark Trieglaff

G

athering Place, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s riverfront park, is a community park with an intentional goal to balance social accountability with social entertainment. In the first two years of its operation, the park averaged 2.5 million visitors per year and was named the number one new attraction in the United States by USA Today, voted one of TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places and one of National Geographic’s Top 12 Mind Bending Parks.

The Gathering Place playground area provides opportunities for children and adults of various abilities to interact and play together.

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PHOTO BY SHANE BEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

One hundred years after the Greenwood District Massacre, Tulsa, Oklahoma, is employing diversity equity, inclusion and accessibility as key park design principles

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But to properly understand the context in which Gathering Place originated and exists, one must go back to exactly 100 years ago when Tulsa was the oil capital of the world and one of the country’s fastest growing and innovative cities. During this time, also thriving in Tulsa was a small African American community, called the Greenwood District. Greenwood was dubbed “Black Wall Street” by Booker T. Washington.

Then one day in 1921, a 19-yearold African American shoe shiner, named Dick Rowland, was accused of assaulting Sara Page, a white 17-year-old elevator operator. Rowland was arrested, and Black leaders tried to protect Rowland from being lynched. One single gunshot started what would later transpire to be the worst race massacre in the history of the United States. In just

two days, from May 31 to June 1, the Greenwood District was completely burned down, 10,000 African Americans were left homeless, 100 people were killed, and millions of dollars were lost.

Now fast forward 100 years. Today, Tulsa is a progressive city on the path toward healing, but with a very long and steep climb ahead.

The Tulsa community continually grapples with this terrible sin of the past, but there is agreement that the current efforts are not enough.

Unifying a Community Gathering Place was the brainchild of Tulsa’s philanthropic “differencemaker,” George Kaiser, who, with more than 80 different community donors — including the city of Tulsa — gifted $465 million to create a community park like no other.

This donation to Gathering Place

PHOTO BY SHANE BEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Gathering Place was designed to be a public space of unity, where Tulsans would feel welcome to visit and gather.

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is the largest one-time donation to a community park in the history of the United States. From the park’s origination, Kaiser wanted it to be a place that would have a tremendous impact on his beloved community. The hope was that it would be a public space of unity, where Tulsans would feel welcome to visit and gather.

Before the park opened, Gathering Place Executive Director Tony Moore, even being African American himself, had to learn and work to understand the emotional needs of this Black community 100 years after the Greenwood Massacre.

He quickly discovered that current day descendants of the massacre still have very real and active emotional scars.

As park operator, Moore had to build relations with the community by getting to know both residents

and community leaders. During this process, he was fortunate to have fostered a relationship with one of the few remaining survivors of the massacre, affectionately referred to as Mother Randle, now 106 years old. Moore learned that his interactions in the community had to be sustained and seasoned with time for them to mature into a relationship of trust; and even then, it only takes one inconsiderate action to erode years of genuine work.

To develop this park, the park staff and designers were guided by an acronym developed more than 10 years ago: DEI, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. The meaning and impact of DEI continues to expand to be more encompassing. Some organizations even expanded the acronym to DEIA with the “A” referring to accessibility. To refer to DEI as a “movement” implies that this may be a temporary objective. However, it’s more than just a social movement; simply stated, it’s a belated understanding and acknowledgment of the needs of people who may have otherwise been overlooked, with an accountable and sincere effort to address these issues with value-producing results. A community outreach initiative referred to as 3E — engage, educate and excite — was implemented. Engage the Tulsans in their community where they live and play. Educate them about the park and its mission with hopes of getting buy-in. Excite them to visit the park. More than 1,000 community tours of the construction site were given to different cultural and community groups.

PHOTO BY SHANE BEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

To understand the context in which Gathering Place originated and exists, one must understand the city’s history.

To be even more inclusive, the designers of Gathering Place were highly committed to creating accessible park features.

Thanks to them, the park not only meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, but also incorporates many principles of universal design. Since its opening in September of 2018, the park provides a very inclusive environment for people of all abilities.

Designing Accessibility Into the Park Gathering Place provides a high level of physical access from the time you enter the park. The walkways are a hard surface with running slopes no steeper than 5 percent.

The U.S. Access Board that develops ADA standards provided a study on the usability of walkways with running slopes between 5 percent and 8.3 percent. The study concludes that approximately 11 to 12 percent

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feet and a turning circle, or “T” turn, to be a minimum of five feet as well. Studies by Dr. Ed Steinfeld of the University of Buffalo (“Anthropometry of Wheeled Mobility Project” can be found at the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access) confirm that these wider spaces provide more realistic turning spaces for people using mobility devices. These walkway widths also allow for travel in both directions, while allowing people

PHOTO BY JOE RUSHMORE

of individuals with mobility devices are unable to physically push or walk up these slopes. The lower running slopes below 5 percent allow for more individuals to independently use the walkways and make it easier for people pushing strollers and pulling wagons.

In addition to the gentle slopes, the walkways are wide at more than 12 feet in some locations. The ADA requires walkways with passing spaces to be a minimum of five

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to walk side by side with plenty of space for guests coming from the other direction to pass. This design is more inclusive for both people using mobility devices and larger groups of guests.

The large playground area, known as the Chapman Adventure Playground, provides experiences, such as swinging, sand playing, sliding and climbing. In addition, its large vertical play structure provides an interactive group feature.

To move water up the structure, a group of up to 10 individuals need to work together at different levels.

The mechanism to move the water can be operated several different ways, by a hand crank, a seat that a guest sits on and rocks back and forth, or a large loop bar that a group of guests can grab and move back and forth to operate. This type of play provides opportunities for children and adults of various abilities to interact and play together.

Also within the Chapman Adventure Playground area is a bank of single-user restrooms. These restrooms have been designed for both child and adult accessibility.

Each single-user restroom provides the spacing for larger mobility devices, as well as a private space for individuals who need assistance.

In addition to the physical accessibility features of the park, there are features designed for children who are on the autism spectrum.

It provides desensitizing spaces for those who need a quiet area to relax and avoid becoming overstimulated, including the single-user restrooms and Williams Lodge, a large indoor area for the public.

There also are sensory bags that in-

Designers of Gathering Place were highly committed to creating accessible park features.

Social Conscience The intentional objective of understanding and implementing DEIA principles in the park is a discussion many people are currently having.

Moore believes it’s important not to get sucked into this movement out of guilt, corporate pressure or from a compliance, box-checking perspec

tive. If the commitment is not sincere, it ultimately will be exposed as such.

If the community relationships are not solid and genuine, they will fracture and fall apart. The events of 2020, such as the death of George Floyd and the subsequent conversations of injustices, and even more recently the events of January 6 at the U.S. Capitol, are truly challenging incidents affecting our social conscience. How we respond to these events will have a profound impact on how our employees and community view us and, perhaps, even how they relate to our facilities and brands.

We are realizing that in order for these efforts to be effective, there must be a strong sense of accountability. Efforts must be validated by the end user, whether directly or indirectly. We also must be honest in admitting that we don’t have it all

For DEIA efforts to be effective, there must be a strong sense of accountability.

figured out — no one does. So, take your time, be sincere and accountable in your efforts. This is fast moving, uncharted waters for all of us to navigate — mistakes are costly, so pilot on with consideration and care.

We are not alone in this journey. As park operators, we must seek counsel and reference from our fellow operators and industry colleagues. Together, we will manage intelligently, pivot with understanding and exercise genuine care.

At the end of the day, this will make us better, more responsible operators.

PHOTO BY SHANE BEVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

clude such items as noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, glasses with colored lenses and an umbrella. These items and spaces help children interact and experience the park without sensory overload.

The efforts made in the design and development of this park have been well received by the community. The park also has been visited by many park professionals and operators to incorporate these ideas and designs into their park projects.

Mark Trieglaff is President of Accessibility Consultation and Training Services, Inc. (ACTServices, Inc.) (mark@actservices consulting.com).

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PATCH Portland Parks and Recreation launches an initiative to transform underperforming landscapes into ecologically healthy and beautiful natural spaces

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PORTLAND PARKS AND RECREATION

By Mike Abbaté, FASLA

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P

arks are places for transformation, both personally and ecologically. They are our society’s greatest tool in responding to the parallel crises of global climate change, ecological decline and human health. Sometimes, new parks can be grand green infrastructure projects that transform old brownfields and abandoned urban wastelands. Outstanding examples exist: Hunter’s Point South in Queens, New York; Corktown Common Park in Toronto, Ontario; or even the 100-mile-long Chattahoochee RiverLands project, which seeks to reimagine Metro Atlanta’s relationship with the Chattahoochee River.

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HAPPY

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N AT U R E P AT C H E S

Large park projects can spawn large outcomes. But the cumulative effects of smaller interventions also can produce surprisingly beneficial results.

The Need for Nature Patches All park systems have what we might call “underperforming landscapes” — places where the plants are failing, invasive weeds have taken over or turfgrass has died, and muddy areas where shrubs have never thrived or shady sites where the turf is threadbare. Often driven by complaints by constituents, park agencies respond by upping the ante: applying additional maintenance resources, such as mowing, weeding and applying chemicals for fertilizing, and controlling pests and removing unwanted plants.

Yet, things often do not improve.

This is because the existing plants do not align with the site’s environmental characteristics of soil, solar exposure and moisture. Often the failing plants are not native species and are not adapted to the climate and soils of the region. And when plants do not thrive, neither do the birds, insects and other creatures that create the park’s ecology.

In Portland, Oregon, these sit-

uations led Portland Parks and Recreation to try a new idea on a smaller scale: to transform often ugly, underperforming landscapes into ecologically healthy, publicly accessible and aesthetically beautiful contributors to the city’s park system.

The result was a new policy initiative: The Ecologically Sustainable Landscapes Initiative (tinyurl.com/yynucjc3), or ESLI. Developed in 2015, the ESLI was developed to help the bureau identify these underperforming landscapes and develop prescriptions to make each landscape more ecologically functional. This policy initiative not only helps Portland Parks and Recreation build on its past sustainability practices, but also continues to innovate, experiment and engage the public in new ways to accomplish three primary objectives: • Refine best management practices to increase soil and plant health while minimizing inputs, such as water, fertilizers, herbicides, machinery and labor.

• Create diverse park landscapes by converting poorly performing areas to “nature patches.”

• Plan, design and manage park landscapes through collabora-

An image of Alberta Park before the nature patch work began.

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tion among staff and community members.

The new ESLI policy reinforced broader public policy imperatives, such as Portland’s Climate Action Plan, Portland Watershed Management Plan and Oregon Climate and Health Resilience Plan. According to Portland Parks and Recreation Director Adena Long, “We created the Ecologically Sustainable Landscapes Initiative program as an efficient way to quickly bring more nature to more neighborhoods.”

Though easily dismissed as bureaucratic policy, what no one knew at the time was exactly how popular ESLI efforts would be with the public once they went from policy to project.

An Interactive Design Process Educated in landscape architecture, Program Coordinator Eric Rosewall has built a career on transforming sterile urban landscapes into verdant habitats.

The former executive director of the nonprofit organization Depave (tinyurl.com/y6dkf22a), Rosewall oversaw more than 60 urban greening projects that replaced unnecessary pavement with beautiful landscapes. Today,

A look at Alberta Park after a crew completed the work.

Rosewall oversees the creation of “nature patches” for Portland Parks and Recreation. “Nature patches improve underutilized, challenging or worn-down park landscapes by converting them to inviting public spaces, which require less maintenance,” says Rosewall. “They transform spaces that had been ignored into ones that are appealing and beneficial to people, wildlife and nature.”

The process is straightforward, but highly interactive. First, a site in an existing park is identified as a good candidate for transformation. Then, bureau staff, such as park technicians, horticulturists, recreation planners and landscape architects, gather to discuss the physical site characteristics, the current use patterns of park visitors, the problems with existing vegetation and the likely successful mix of species that could be applied at the site.

This interdisciplinary approach

has been one of the unforeseen benefits of the program. “The process of designing and building nature patches has been kept inhouse, with our staff leading the way. That’s proven to be a great tool for building teamwork with a shared vision and great camaraderie,” says Rosewall.

Next, a plan is developed. “When we are in the design phase,” says Rosewall, “our team is often comparing the project to the previous ones — pulling the best elements and features from each patch to create the next one.” Often the design includes not just native plants, but also other features that will enhance the park-user experience, such as trails, seating opportunities and interpretive signs explaining the project. Undesirable trees are identified for removal, and others are marked for pruning to allow adequate light for the new plantings. Low-key, split-rail fencing often is used to help people (and

The Alberta Park community planting crew is comprised of park staff and volunteers.

dogs) stay out of areas that are being revegetated.

Community Construction Next, plants are ordered, and the construction effort is choreographed. Again, Portland Parks and Recreation staff lead the way, receiving assistance from neighborhood volunteers. “Many parkies from different divisions across Portland Parks and Recreation get to play a part in creating something really cool from scratch,” says Rosewall. “Turning a degraded area into a lovely space for community is something we all take a lot of pride in.” This results in a huge morale boost and sense of teamwork for staff and volunteers alike.

The work is carefully staged over a two- to three-month construction

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N AT U R E P AT C H E S

Portland Parks and Recreation staff work with community volunteers to plant new shrubs and native plants.

period. Heavy equipment operators, arborists, horticulturists, park technicians, irrigation technicians and many other park staff team up with volunteering neighbors to implement the plan. Before each work effort, safety precautions are reviewed, and appropriate personal protective equipment is distributed to the volunteers who don’t bring their own. Then, the work begins.

Arborists are assembled to do the pruning and tree removals necessary.

Grading is next: compacted soils are ripped and boulders stockpiled for reuse. The soil is worked to incorporate organic compost to help the plants grow. The ground is leveled and graded to meet the plan. Compacted crushed rock or bark dust pathways are then laid out and constructed.

Fencing is installed and boulders and “nurse logs” are placed.

Then comes the activity many love the most — planting the new plants. Rosewall schedules a “Parkie Planting Day” that brings out field and office staff to place new large shrubs and trees in their places. Utilizing native species, plants are first laid out on the site and adjusted, and then holes are dug and 44 Parks & Recreation

vegetation is planted.

Once that task is completed, the neighborhood and other community members can then take part.

These individuals get so excited to plant the many small native plants that make this patch a real garden.

Following this eight- to 12-week construction process, the transformation is complete. The crew of staff and volunteers apply bark mulch in the planting areas and stand back and appreciate their work. Unfortunately, landscape projects often look their weakest at installation — they need time to grow and fill in. According to Portland Parks and Recreation Horticulturist Johnny Fain, “Nature patches are an exercise in patience. In the landscape industry, great importance is placed on an installation or a project being ‘finished’ or looking ‘done.’ With nature patches, the process has a longer timeline. Once the plants are in the ground, we have to let time and natural processes take over.”

Public Support Many people and critters love the transformed landscapes immedi-

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ately. Wildlife arrives to investigate, forage and pollinate. Many park neighbors inquire about what is happening in “their park.” When the project is explained, staff consistently get comments, such as “Thanks so much for your work on this area. It has added so much to the park!” Park-goers often ask how they can volunteer on the next project. As the program continues (15 projects have been completed as of fall 2020), Portland Parks and Recreation hears increasingly from neighbors requesting a nature patch project in their local parks.

The ESLI and Nature Patch programs have now moved from a “pilot project” of Portland Parks and Recreation to an ongoing program. Projects are funded through annual capital funding from System Development Charge revenue. The program budget is currently about $350,000 each year, which is sufficient to implement two large and several smaller nature patch projects a year.

The Portland effort is one that easily can be replicated in park systems around the country. When we look around at our own parks, we see that the need for transformations is great, the advantages of increasing nature are many, the costs can be relatively low, and the process of transformation can unite staff and the communities we serve, as well as improve the ecological function of the park. Try installing a patch of nature today!

Mike Abbaté, FASLA, is a Landscape Architect, Park Designer, former Director of Portland Parks and Recreation, NRPA Board Member and a member of the Parks & Recreation Editorial Advisory Board. (mike@abbatedesigns.com).

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Ensuring ‘An Equal Future’ for All

46 Parks & Recreation

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By Neelay Bhatt

One Smile Breaks the Ice… One Spark Ignites a Fire, One Kind Word Heals a Heart…

One Unkind Action Scars for Life, One Word Begins an Epic…

One Voice Against Injustice Starts a Movement, and…

One Idea Can Make a Dent in the Universe!

PHOTO COURTESY OF TEDxCollegePark TEAM

Introducing a new TEDxCollegePark virtual event for park and recreation professionals

TEDx (independently organized TED events) is a grassroots initiative, created in the spirit of TED’s overall mission, by passionate individuals who seek to uncover new ideas that spark conversations in their communities.

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AN EQUAL FUTURE

These phrases are how I would describe an innate yearning to make a dent in the universe. It’s that desire that has brought together a group of park and recreation professionals to harness the power of ideas and start TEDxCollegePark.

By now, most people have seen TED Talks, which started off as a conference where people with knowledge on technology, entertainment and design converged to give short, powerful talks. These presentations, in more than 100 languages, have become the gold standard for storytelling and established TED as a community of people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world.

TEDx (independently organized TED events) is a grassroots initiative, created in the spirit of TED’s overall mission, by passionate individuals who seek to uncover new ideas that spark conversations in their communities.

TEDxCollegePark was first organized in 2018 with the theme of “Get OUTside” at the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and was a resounding success.

Roslyn Johnson, director of Baltimore County Recreation and Parks and the co-organizer of TEDxCollegePark, shared her reasons for being involved with TEDx: “It is innovative and futuristic, not to mention it has the ability to address trends, issues and next practices affecting our profession and industry in real time. It resonates across generations in a way unlike any other educational medium. I learned so much that I still use today, from the inherent inequities present in artificial intelligence to the future of autonomous vehicles and how teenage girls built a [solar-powered] tent to help the homeless. The energy was electric and the talks [were] mind blowing!”

While the talks from 48 Parks & Recreation

TEDxCollegePark have been viewed thousands of times and continue to impact communities globally, hosting this again was not planned for the immediate future.

TEDxCollegePark 2021: An Equal Future The occurrences of 2020 changed the plans: the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its disparate impact on underinvested, Black and brown communities, and the social justice movements laid bare the inequities that exist all around us. Inspired by our fellow park and recreation professionals who stepped up around the country to help their communities, our TEDxCollegePark team determined it was time for another event — and this time it’s virtual!

The theme for our event is “An Equal Future.” We want a future where one’s zip code does not determine their lifespan; where one’s gender or gender identity does not limit professional growth; where the color of one’s skin does not determine how they are treated; and where access to opportunities is open to ALL. The presenting partner from the inaugural TEDxCollegePark is a national sports tourism leader — Maryland’s Sports Commission. According to its executive director, Terry Hasseltine, “Our goal is to be at the forefront of thought-provoking subjects and conversations that provide experiences, education and leadership opportunities for our Team Maryland partners and our other constituents across Maryland. TEDxCollegePark provides us such a platform, and we look forward to engaging in the conversation on An Equal Future.”

Why It Matters for Parks and Recreation Peter Harnik, founder of the Center for City Park Excellence at The Trust

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for Public Land, says in his book, Urban Green: “Now I’m not so sure that rocket science is that simple, but I am sure that parks are far more complicated than people imagine. It is this intersectionality of ideas that makes TED and TEDx events relevant to every imaginable interest, especially something as multifaced as parks and recreation.”

Kristine Stratton, president and CEO of NRPA, has been a big fan of TED and TEDx for years. She loves the short format and its focus on new ideas and narrative storytelling.

In speaking to NRPA’s decision to partner with TEDxCollegePark, she says, “At NRPA, we have focused on the core pillar of equity for several years — which, for us, means doing all we can to create a future where everyone has access to the health, social and environmental benefits of quality parks and recreation. Not only that, [but also] NRPA is an organization that is rooted in learning and professional growth to fuel ideas and excellence in the field, so this virtual TEDxCollegePark convening is a perfect way for us to honor our commitment to our members and the park and recreation field overall.”

Why Should You (and Your Agency) Attend?

To prepare the park and recreation professional of the future.

As the pandemic and its subsequent events have shown, park and recreation professionals are expected to be everything from virtual program providers to grief counselors, planners and engineers to arts instructors and athletic coaches, and even COVID-19 test-site operators!

With this diversity of backgrounds and needs, how can any one type of learning opportunity suffice to train the park and recreation professionals of the future?

“...PARKS seem relatively simple and straightforward. People frequently say, “It’s not rocket science, it’s just a park.”

NO! For rockets...you [just] need to be

IMAGE COURTESY OF DAVID BARTH

Want to learn how the technology used to 3D print houses on Mars can help build affordable housing (and even playgrounds) on Earth?

Come listen to Professor José Pinto Duarte, the Stuckeman chair in design innovation and director of the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing at the Pennsylvania State University, share his team’s NASA award-winning work.

Ever wonder how virtual reality (VR) can help bring people together?

Hear Ahn Hyo-jin, CEO of Tekton Space — a leading VR company in Seoul, South Korea — discuss the experience of working with the American Red Cross to help war refugees re-experience their homeland.

To identify what true accessibility and inclusion looks like. In our daily lives, we go about so many mundane tasks — such as getting up from a chair to get some water, ordering food via a mobile app or taking a walk — often without consciously thinking about them. We end up looking at public spaces or experiences and falsely assuming that they are accessible because they check the box of the minimum required, or they are accessible and inclusive to us.

Just ask Madeline Delp, Ms. Wheelchair USA 2017 and the first paraplegic to BASE jump in the United States and rock climb the cliffs of Mount Rushmore, about her accessibility challenges and experiences around the world, as she attempts to become the first woman to compete in a Miss USA pageant in a wheelchair.

Ryan Maliszewski is CEO of Mozzeria, Washington, D.C.’s first Deaf-owned and operated restaurant, which opened its doors during the worst pandemic in 100 years. As a Deaf person, Ryan doesn’t suffer from “hearing loss,” he was gifted with “Deaf Gain.”

good at math. Parks require math plus horticulture, hydrology, psychology, sociology and communication. They are immensely complicated.”

From working on Capitol Hill to being a change agent at the FBI, to becoming the director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute at Gallaudet University, and now, in the Neapolitan wood-fired pizza business as a CEO, his life story will share lessons to create a culture that prioritizes equitable opportunities and truly inclusive experiences.

To learn a different history than you thought you knew. February was Black History Month and March is Women’s History Month, and yet, so much of the history we learn is one-sided and filled with incomplete narratives wrapped in stereotypical representations. Have you ever wondered about the history of the land that every one of our parks is built on? Is Thanksgiving truly a “happy” occasion for everyone?

Professor Sara Sinclair is an oral historian of the Cree-Ojibwa tribe, German-Jewish and British descent, who teaches the oral history master’s program at Columbia University in New York City. She conducted interviews to explore narratives of university-educated, reservationraised Native North Americans on returning to their nations after school. Her book, How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America, shares why we need to amplify

current narratives and how we can think of land acknowledgement and beyond. What’s more, she will be talking more about the Cree-Ojibwa during her presentation.

To have tough conversations around equity and access. A key event partner is the National Recreation and Park Ethnic Minority Society (NRPEMS). Chris Bass, assistant director of Douglasville (Georgia) Parks and Recreation, states, “In 2020, NRPEMS developed its strategic plan where our focus was to stimulate and perpetuate cultural competence for all recreation professionals by way of diversity, equity and inclusion. As a board member for NRPEMS and a team member of TEDxCollegePark, I am confident that this virtual event will not only help our members hear new ideas, but also ignite a spark that is needed to create an ‘equal future’ for all.”

If you care about building future generations of kids who can be leaders on and off the field, Reggie Williams has an idea worth spreading. A college football Hall of Famer and former NFL player who played 14 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, Williams oversaw the creation of Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex (now

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AN EQUAL FUTURE This event will be held March 19, 2021 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

EDT. To register or donate, visit TEDxCollegePark.com. Follow them on social media at:

IMAGE COURTESY OF TEDxCollegePark TEAM

@TEDxCollegePark

The theme of the 2021 TEDxCollegePark event is about ensuring an equal future for all.

ESPN Wide World of Sports). He envisions a world where access to play is a universal right for all.

What do you do when you are repeatedly the first or the only?

You break through those ceilings and pave the way for the others to follow. Kim Davis is senior executive vice president of social impact, growth initiatives and legislative affairs for the National Hockey League (NHL), which has a particular focus on improving diversity in the league. The NHL brought Davis onboard specifically to lead these efforts. Hear her story from the South Side of Chicago to board rooms in New York City as she shares how you too can take the small moments in your life and become a “movement maker.”

To inspire the next generation of leaders. Every single park and recreation professional I know feels a strong sense of pride in the impact they make on people’s lives, and often, in the lives of kids. As the father 50 Parks & Recreation

@TEDxCollegePark

@TEDxCollegePark

of an 8-year-old boy, Kiaan, and a 3-year-old girl, Anika, I am particularly mindful of this impact and the importance of great role models who can inspire and empower them.

One such role model is Matt Beranek. At the ripe age of 16, he is an artist and a TikTok influencer with close to 2 million followers who will join us to share his message of protecting and preserving what we have and celebrating the true superheroes in our lives.

Bringing in a flair for the dramatic is Desire Cardoza, one of the most recognizable drag queens in Puerto Rico. Better known as “The Queen of the Night,” Cardoza will inject a foot tapping Latin feel into the event’s proceedings.

Zane Robinson, a poet and spoken word artist from Richmond, Virginia, will look to end the day on a similarly resounding note.

Ultimately, what we want to do is open minds to new ideas that people can feel empowered by and compelled to implement. In the words of Simon Sinek, thought leader and superstar in the TED world, “What good is an idea if it remains an idea?

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@TEDxCollegePark Try. Experiment. Iterate. Fail. Try again. Change the world.”

One More Thing…

To make the event as inclusive as possible, all registration fees have been waived. Thanks to The Unites Community Foundation, led by Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), we also will have live captioning and American Sign Language Interpreters throughout the event to include members of the deaf and hard of hearing community in the conversation. We want to ensure everyone who cares about inclusion and innovation is at this virtual table so that, together, we can all build “An Equal Future.”

Tune in to the March bonus episode of Open Space Radio to hear Bhatt talk more about TEDxCollegePark at nrpa. org/March2021BonusEpisode.

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

Available on iTunes and Google Play | openspaceradio.org

The Official Podcast of NRPA

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Errata In the February 2021 issue of Parks & Recreation, the cover image and feature article “30 Under 30 for 2021” show the incorrect photo for 30 Under 30 recipient Brett Gordon. These images have been updated on the website and in the ezine to show the correct image. We regret the oversight.—Ed.

(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions.

Copyright ©2021 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $46 a year in the U.S.; $56 elsewhere. Single copy price: $7. Library rate: $58 a year in the U.S.; $68 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Park Bench

PHOTO COURTESY OF PRISM MCCABE

Municipal skate park operators can find qualified skateboarding instructors the same way they do for swimming, baseball and other sports.

Creating Inclusive Skate Parks After years of campaigning by local skateboard enthusiasts, funds are raised, land is found and a brand new million-dollar skate park is finally built. On opening day, the park is packed with families, kids of all ages and a huge number of city residents gathered to see the mayor cut a ribbon and make a speech that thanks all the people who made their dream of a new skate park a reality.

A year later, the crowds and families are gone and the park is used mainly by teenage boys. Parents don’t feel comfortable taking their kids to use the park.

Thousands of municipal skate park operators across the country are faced with this problem. Despite a high level of interest in skateboarding from a broad range of residents, their skateboard facilities end up being used mainly by young males. Girls who would want to skateboard and families with young children often can’t find a zone at the skate park where they feel comfortable.

The question we hear from municipal skate park operators again and again is, “How can we make our skateboard facilities safer, welcoming and attractive to a broad range of residents, especially families with children?”

The solution to this problem is simple — skate parks need programming, just like swimming pools, baseball fields and basketball courts. Many times, advocates and municipal leaders focus entirely on getting the skate park built, but all too often little or no thought is given to organizing activities and managing activities, events, competitions and classes once the park is finally constructed. What’s more, equitable programming may not even garner consideration.

Municipal skate park operators also can find qualified skateboarding instructors the same way they do for swimming, baseball and other sports. One resource that exists for skate park operators is the U.S. Skateboard Education Association (USSEA), which was founded by passionate and experienced skate park operators and provides educational curriculum and development professionals to administer skateboard coach certification, as well as consultation, analysis and training for municipal skate park operators.

To learn how to make your skate park thrive, contact Joe Eberling of USSEA at Joe.Eberling@ussea.us.

– Joe Eberling, Founder, United States Skateboard Education Association

56 Parks & Recreation

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PARKS & RECREATION MARCH 2021 ◆ A PARK DESIGN FOR ALL ◆ NATURE PATCH HAPPY ◆ INTRODUCING TEDxCollegePark