Parks & Recreation Magazine June 2018

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

HEALTH AND WELLNESS ISSUE

THE OPIOID CRISIS

Creating Safe Routes to Parks | Get PHIT! | Parks as Champions for Youth Health

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contents june 2018

MONKEYBUSINESSIMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

volume 53 | number 6 | www.parksandrecreation.org arkksandrecreation org

FEATURES

42 The Opioid Crisis Park agencies strive to provide community members with the best possible resources and services to enhance their overall health and wellbeing. So, it’s no surprise that many park and recreation agencies are working with public health organizations, school districts and law enforcement to meet the opioid crisis head-on.

Through these partnerships, they can focus not only on those who are drug-afflicted, but also on the families impacted by this devastating epidemic.

Vitisia Paynich

48 Safe Routes to Parks Over the past year, NRPA and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have worked with eight communities to pilot the Safe Routes to Parks Action Framework, and some themes have emerged.

Rachel Banner 4

Parks & Recreation

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54 Parks and Recreation: A Champion for Youth Health Since 2014, one of NRPA’s strongest, most impactful initiatives, Commit to Health, has demonstrated the lifesaving potential of parks and how critical the role they play is in the communities they serve.

Even more powerful than the number of youth served are the long-lasting individual and communitywide life-changing impacts local agencies and park and recreation professionals are creating through this work.

Allison Colman

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contents june

columns 8

departments 12

We See You Leon T. Andrews, Jr.

10

Editor’s Letter Healthy Choices for Life Gina Mullins-Cohen

Research Recognizing Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

16

Perspectives

Park Pulse

26 Advocacy Tell Congress to Get PHIT! Bill Sells

Parks Used to Relieve Stress

28 Law Review 18

Community Center f Recreation Therapy and the Role of Parks 18 Anthony Martino f Increasing Activity and Engagement at Hemme Station Park 20 William J. Burt

Park Purpose Challenge to Wireless Communications Facility James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

34 Future Leaders Honesty and Transparency in Parks and Recreation Dylan Bogard, M.S., and Michael J. Bradley, Ph.D.

22 Member to Member Let’s Get ‘Ag-vocating’ Stephanie Frisbee

60 NRPA Update f Introducing the Health and Wellness Advisory Panel’s Newest Members 60 f Meet Me at the Park Earth Month Winners Announced 63 f What’s the Buzz? Celebrating Pollinators This June 64 f NRPA’s Public Policy Team on Capitol Hill 65 f Navigating Indianapolis’ ‘Circle City’ 66 f Parks & Recreation Crossword 68 f Connect Hot Topics 70 f Member Benefit: We’ve Got You Covered! 70 f The 2018 Gold Medal Awards Finalists 71 f Member Spotlight: Patrick Wesley 72 f Professional Development Calendar 73

74

36 Conservation Lively Parks, Healthy People Kirsten Werner, Oliver Bass, Vanessa Briggs and Jill Whitcomb

40 Social Equity Pride in Parks Allison Colman

Operations f Soak Up the Shade 74 Cassie Pais f A Shade Structure for Every Occasion 78 Jennifer Graves

80 Products 82 Park Essentials 87 Advertiser Index 88 Park Bench Learn to Ride Adaptive Maureen Acquino

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

We See You It’s officially summer, a truly busy time for park and recreation agencies, with numerous summer camps and other out-of-school-time activities. It’s also the time when many agencies see an influx of high school and college students, who staff many of these programs.

The 2017–2018 school year has been very stressful, to say the least, for most of these students. In addition to the academic rigors, and for many high school seniors the added stress of applying to colleges, they’ve been anxious about their safety at school. Imagine what it must feel like to wake up each day wondering if your school will be the next one to experience a mass shooting? According to Everytown for Gun Safety, within the first 45 days of 2018, there were 17 school shootings — more than double the number that occurred last year in the same span of time. And, since 2013, there have been 300 school shootings — an average of about one a week.

The African Zulu word “Sawubona” is often translated as simply “hello,” but it means more than that. It means “I see you,” or, as Bridget Edwards, a South African author and speaker, so beautifully translates it: “I see myself, in your eyes.” Quite often, the staffers working our summer programs go “unseen.” As long as they show up and do what’s asked of them or, on the flip side, if they do an outstanding job, they may never draw attention to themselves. Given the events of the past year, I believe we need to let them know and feel that we really see them. Consider celebrating cultural diversity or once a day/week create a Sawubona moment or acknowledgement for staff to share with one another.

Many organizations, including park agencies, invest in the health and well-being of their workers, going so far as to provide access to mental health resources. During the school year, regular counselors and grief counseling are available to students, but what about during the summer? Since health and wellness is a major component of what we do, and one of our Pillars, are we giving enough attention to this segment of our seasonal workforce? Are we providing them not only with a job, but also with a bit of respite from the stress brought on by the previous school year?

As the summer winds down, these staffers may experience some trepidation around returning to the classroom or setting off from home for the first time to begin their college life. At least for the moment in time they’re with us, let’s work to assure them they have been seen and understood — or Ngikhona, the Zulu response to the Sawubona greeting, which simply translated means “I am here,” but really means so much more.

LEON T. ANDREWS, JR. Chair of the Board of Directors

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22377 Belmont Ridge Rd. | Ashburn, VA 20148 703.858.0784 | www.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 Leon T. Andrews, Jr. National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Chair-Elect Jack Kardys

J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Jack Kardys

J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Michael Kelly

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Karen Bates Kress Park Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Past Chair Stephen Eckelberry

Carolyn McKnight, CPRP

Bartlett Park District Carol Stream, Illinois

Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge East Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Treasurer Michael Kelly

Herman Parker

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

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

Secretary Jesús Aguirre

Ian Proud

Tower Steel Services, Inc. Seattle, Washington

President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE

National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Abbaté, FASLA

Formerly of Portland Parks & Recreation Portland, Oregon

Jesús Aguirre

Tower Steel Services, Inc. Seattle, Washington

Leon T. Andrews, Jr.

National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Neelay Bhatt

Playworld Systems Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Molly Stevens

Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center Austin, Texas

Nonet T. Sykes

Atlanta Beltline, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia

Xavier D. Urrutia

City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation San Antonio, Texas

Dr. Howell Wechsler

Alliance for a Healthier Generation New York, New York

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman

Lexington, South Carolina

PROS Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana

Anne S. Close

Hayden Brooks

James H. Evans

Fort Mill, South Carolina

American Realty Corporation Austin, Texas

New York, New York

Kong Chang

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Rosemary Hall Evans

City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Saint Paul, Minnesota

Earl T. Groves

Kevin Coyle

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

National Wildlife Federation Washington, D.C.

Stephen Eckelberry Bartlett Park District Carol Stream, Illinois

Richard Gulley

Balboa Park Conservancy San Diego, California

Roslyn Johnson

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Greenbelt, Maryland

Gastonia, North Carolina Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell, Jr.

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Kathryn A. Porter

Mendham, New Jersey

Perry J. Segura

New Iberia, Louisiana

R. Dean Tice

Round Hill, Virginia

Eugene A. Young, CPRP Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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EDITOR’S LETTER

Healthy Choices for Life As park and recreational professionals, your mission is to promote healthy and active living at every age. You do this by offering potential participants a wide variety of athletic and leisurely programming year-round, with the hope that community members will make the right choices that will lead to a healthy and happy life.

Yet, while the road is paved with good intentions, we realize others need more from us — compassion and understanding.

Such is the case detailed in this month’s cover story, “The Opioid Crisis,” on page 42, by writer Vitisia Paynich. This narrative examines the critical nature of the widespread opioid epidemic, as well as the effects substance abuse is having on today’s youth. Paynich goes one-on-one with park and recreation experts to find out how their agencies are promoting drug-abuse awareness and prevention through community partnerships, and how they are helping children to cope with the trauma caused by their loved one’s addiction.

Rachel Banner, NRPA’s health program manager, offers insight to the lessons gleaned from the eight communities piloting the Safe Routes to Park Action Framework in the article, “Safe Routes to Park,” on page 48. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NRPA and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership teamed up to offer local governments best practices to ensure parks remain safe, accessible and welcoming to community members. What’s more, Banner shares some of the themes that materialized across these selected community test sites.

Also, in this issue, on page 54, NRPA Program Manager Allison Colman shines a light on one of the association’s most significant and life-changing initiatives, Commit to Health, in the article, “Parks and Recreation: A Champion for Youth Health.” As an example, kids who attend programming at Commit to Health sites experience a 20 percent increase in healthy-living knowledge, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and reducing the amount of processed foods and sugary beverages consumed. Additional data shows that 85 million healthy meals have been served to 4.5 million youth in more than 300 communities across the country.

As you and your park and recreation staff prepare for another active and, no doubt, eventful summer season, it’s important to remind yourselves that you too need a breather — even if it’s just for a few precious minutes to refresh and reboot. After all, you can’t preach what you fail to practice.

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

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sonia Myrick smyrick@nrpa.org EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR Suzanne Nathan snathan@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Creative By Design CreativeByDesign.net SENIOR SALES MANAGER EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Kip Ongstad 703.858.2174 kongstad@nrpa.org SALES MANAGER WESTERN REGION AND ASIA Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org SALES COORDINATOR Meghan Fredriksen 703.858.2190 mfredriksen@nrpa.org PHOTOGRAPHY Dreamstime.com (unless otherwise noted) MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Keith Anderson Gerald Brown Ernest Burkeen Brendan Daley Anthony-Paul Diaz Ryan Eaker Robert García Kathleen Gibi Sandra Gonzales Tim Herd Brian Johnson Todd Lehman Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Lisa Paradis Gil Peñalosa Vic Richard Dr. Kevin Riley Karla Rivera Paula Sliefert Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs Randy Wiger

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RESEARCH Recognizing Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development

By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

W

e learned from the Local Government Officials’ Perceptions of Parks and Recreation study, which was published last fall, that elected and appointed local leaders agree their local communities benefit from the amenities provided by their local park and recreation agency. However, these same officials readily admitted that when their city, town or county must cut its spending, the local government service they target for the largest budget cut frequently is their park and recreation agency.

PROMOTING PARKS AND RECREATION’S ROLE IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MAY 2018 PREPARED FOR: NATIONAL RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION PREPARED BY: THE GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Promoting Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development defines the role of parks and recreation in economic development and lays out a strategy to further grow this relationship.

12

Parks & Recreation

Another of the report’s key findings suggests a major cause for this disconnect: Local government officials see parks and recreation as a part of the solution for many of the issues facing their community, including improving quality of life, preventing youth crime and enhancing residents’ health. They do not, however, perceive these amenities contributing to what they view as the most pressing issue: attracting and retaining businesses. Bridging this perceptions gap is critical in helping to stabilize, and even grow, park and recreation agency funding.

A new study, commissioned

by NRPA and conducted by the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, identifies how local park officials can better engage with those in the economic development community. The stakes of the report’s findings are critical. Through the development of lasting relationships, economic development leaders could become important park and recreation allies by helping defend budgets, promote new initiatives and create more engaged constituencies.

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Some Key Findings As a part of the Promoting Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development study, Drs. Terry Clower and Mark White talked with more than 70 park and recreation leaders and economic development practitioners across the United States. These conversations focused on how park and recreation leaders currently promote their agencies’ economic contributions, the nature and extent of the relationship between park leaders and economic developers, how both groups see these relationships evolving and details regarding relevant department initiatives. The researchers also spoke to site-selection consultants to better understand the role that quality of life (and parks and recreation) plays in site-location decisions.

The researchers found that economic development leaders place a high level of value on park and recreation amenities for their efforts. For example, 72 percent of communities use images of urban parks and public spaces, outdoor amenities, and recreational and cultural facilities in their economic development marketing materials.

Similarly, 70 percent of these communities make specific reference to quality-of-life considerations and/or present parks-related data and information in their economic development marketing materials.

Rarely, however, do these marketing materials specifically call

2017

89.6%

80.8%

91.0%

87.9%

91.6%

94.2%

92.1%

96.6%

80.0% 100.0% 20.0%

2017

20.0%

78.5%

2015

75.3%

82.1%

82.8%

77.7%

89.6%

40.0%

88.1%

0.0% 80.0% 100.0%

1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

2017

1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

2015

2017

HIGHWAY ACCESSIBILITY

76.4%

87.6% 62.1%

54.7%

58.8%

70.4%

70.6%

AVAILABILITY OF SKILLED LABOR

60.4%

60.0% 40.0%

78.1%

2015

0.0%

1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

LABOR COSTS STATE AND LOCAL INCENTIVES CORPORATE TAX RATE ENERGY AVAILABILITY AND COSTS

20.0% 2015

0.0%

1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

60.0%

2017

82.3%

78.8%

86.3%

85.0%

84.7%

60.0%

2015

20.0% 0.0%

2017

80.0% 100.0%

2015

76.3%

66.4%

83.2%

76.8%

74.5%

74.9%

84.8%

1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

60.0% 40.0%

89.8%

92.9%

85.9%

87.2%

87.7%

87.9%

87.1%

84.8%

80.0% 100.0% 20.0% 0.0% 80.0% 100.0%

1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

40.0%

89.6%

75.8%

89.3%

86.0%

83.6%

87.8%

88.7%

79.6%

2017

20.0% 0.0% 80.0% 100.0% 60.0% 40.0%

60.0% 40.0%

94.4%

88.0%

97.3%

91.4%

95.9%

93.6%

92.3%

91.3%

80.0% 100.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 80.0% 100.0%

2015

40.0%

60.0%

1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

20.0% 0.0%

Percent of corporate executives identify factor as ‘Very Important’ or ‘Important’

FIGURE 1: IMPORTANCE OF SELECT SITE LOCATION FACTORS (1986–2017)

PROXIMITY TO MAJOR MARKETS 1986 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

2015

2017

QUALITY OF LIFE Source: Area Development Magazine

out the local park and recreation agency. Only a third of economic development marketing collateral reviewed specifically credited or cited the local park and recreation agency. Even rarer is for park and recreation agency leaders to have an actual seat at the table for their communities’ economic development efforts.

Promoting Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development de-

fines the role of parks and recreation in economic development and lays out a strategy to further grow this relationship. Among the report’s key findings are the following: • Quality-of-life considerations (including high-quality parks and recreation) play a supporting role in site-location decisions.

A Quality-of-life factors are most important to firms that

prioritize talent attraction and retention.

– Firms looking to locate office operations (e.g., headquarters, regional shared-service centers or professional and business services) and that recruit employees regionally, nationally or even internationally, are more likely to prioritize quality-of-life factors in site-location decisions

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RESEARCH

FIGURE 2: QUALITY-OF-LIFE CONSIDERATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SITE LOCATION PROCESS

IDENTIFY CANDIDATE CITIES

REPUTATION AND MARKETING

SITE VISITS AND FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

Basic quality of life measures

Ŷ Outdoor and recreational assets

Ŷ First impressions and ‘Rurb Pppeal’

Ŷ Cost of living

Ŷ Experience of other similar companies

Ŷ Cultural fit with company needs

Ŷ Availability of specific sites and facilities

Ŷ Validating marketing messages

Ŷ School quality Ŷ Housing costs Ŷ Crime rates

SITE LOCATION DECISIONS

• Park and recreation agencies contribute to the economic development process through: A Business attraction: Park and recreation agencies strengthen product development (e.g., building trail infrastructure) and enhance community “curb appeal” A Business retention and expansion: Active engagement with companies and workers can influence business expansion decisions and attract new residents to a community A Talent attraction: Many business owners first learn about 14

Parks & Recreation

places as visitors or tourists; positive recreational experiences can influence both business and talent recruitment • Park and recreation leaders — the agency director and senior leadership team — can become more involved in their region’s economic development planning and activities by building new alliances to promote the value of parks and recreation. Key players that offer opportunities for new partnerships include: A Economic development organizations (EDOs) A Civic booster organizations,

| J U N E 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

•7

like chambers of commerce and convention and visitors’ bureaus (CVBs) A Other municipal departments that shape the quality of life (e.g., public schools, public libraries and transit agencies) A Shapers of the built environment (e.g., private-sector developers, downtown development organizations, business improvement districts and metropolitan planning organizations) A Neighboring park and recreation agencies and private non-

profit competitors (e.g., YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs) This last point is critical. Cultivating strong partnerships within and outside the community is key to park and recreation departments being able to grow and thrive in the future. Strong partners can promote and advocate for parks and recreation. Partnerships also create new opportunities for park and recreation agencies to demonstrate their value to a community.

Ensuring Sustainable Future Funding To be successful, park and recreation leaders must commit to the “long game.” These relationships will not develop overnight, as external partners’ perceptions of parks and recreation likely will need to evolve. As a result, engagement efforts should include not only a park and recreation agency’s director, but also the agency’s entire leadership team. By including the agency’s senior staff in networking opportunities, these relationships will be more sustainable and will foster organizational relationships in addition to personal relationships with partnering agencies and organizations.

To be successful, park and recreation leaders must commit to the “long game.” These relationships will not develop overnight, as external partners’ perceptions of parks and recreation likely will need to evolve.

I invite you to review the Promoting Parks and Recreation’s Role in Economic Development and then appraise the role your agency plays in local economic development efforts. The report includes examples and mini-case studies, where parks and recreation have been able to bridge the aforementioned perceptions gap and make a real positive mark in recruiting and retaining businesses (and their workers) in the community. Some of these efforts are rather elaborate, while others represent small steps that ensure that parks and recreation will play a more prominent role in future economic development efforts. Whatever the case, raising park and recreation’s visibility in driving economic development is a necessary step we all must embrace to ensure greater and more steady funding in the future.

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

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

NRPA Park Pulse What out-of-home activities do you do to help manage daily stress?

Americans Use Local Parks to Relieve Daily Stress More than half (58%) of Americans manage their daily stress by going for a walk or run around their neighborhood.

36% of Americans use a trail for hiking, running or walking

35%

Others rely on their local parks to relieve stress.

35% gather with family, friends or pets at a local park Millennials (89%) and parents (90%) are more likely to do any of these activities to manage their daily stress compared to Americans overall (84%).

www.nrpa.org/Park-Pulse The National Recreation and Park Association Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,005 adult Americans, ages 18+, between April 19th and April 25th, 2018, using an email invitation and an online survey.

Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18 and older.

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A heartfelt thank you to the nearly 200 mayors who have signed on to the 10-Minute Walk campaign to support the vision that everyone deserves a quality park within a 10-minute walk of home.

THANK YOU MAYORS! ALABAMA

COLORADO

Sherman Guyton

Herb Atchison Debbie Brinkman Thomas Feldkamp John Gates Michael Hancock Steve Hogan Adam Paul Marjorie Sloan John Suthers Wade Troxell Heidi Williams

ALASKA Ethan Berkowitz

ARIZONA Gail Barney

ARKANSAS Mark Stodola

CALIFORNIA Peter Amundson Rusty Bailey Catherine Blakespear Tom Butt Eric Garcetti Lisa Gillmor David Haubert Lowell Hurst Natasha Johnson Steve Jones Jim Ledford John Marchand Peggy McQuaid Stan Nader Darcy Paul Mark Ridley Thomas Kristen Schreder Lenny Siegel Trish Herrera Spencer Thomas Tait Michael Tubbs Bill Wells

CONNECTICUT

Andrew Gillum Randall Henderson Charles Lake Frank Ortis Judy Paul Lauren Poe

Shane Smith Lloyd Winnecke

Christopher Taylor Karen Weaver

IOWA

MINNESOTA

Frank Cownie Terry Donahue

GEORGIA

David Alvey Jeff Longwell

Melvin Carter Mark Dehen Benjamin Schierer Julie Trude

Patti Garrett John Howard Robert Reichert Ted Terry

HAWAII Kirk Caldwell

KANSAS KENTUCKY Jim Gray Brandi Harless Carter Hendricks

MISSISSIPPI Errick Simmons Lynn Spruill

MISSOURI Sly James

LOUISIANA

MONTANA

Sharon Weston Broome

Cynthia Andrus John Engen

ILLINOIS

MAINE

NEBRASKA

Ethan Strimling

Stanley Clouse

MARYLAND

NEVADA

Jacob Day Catherine Pugh Patrick Wojahn

Carolyn Goodman Debra March Hillary Schieve

MASSACHUSETTS

NEW HAMPSHIRE

FLORIDA

INDIANA

Bill Carpenter Jon Mitchell Martin Walsh

Jim Bouley

Muriel Bowser

Rahm Emanual Deborah Frank Feinen Dave Kaptain Kristina Kovarik Joseph Mancino Diane Wolfe Marlin Tom McNamara Riley Rogers

Juan Carlos Bermudez Manny Cid George Cretekos Buddy Dyer Dan Gelber Oliver Gilbert

Jim Brainard Pete Buttigieg Karen Freeman-Wilson John Hamilton Joe Hogsett Mark Krentz

Luke Bronin Sherri Cantor Joseph Ganim Toni Harp Marcia Leclerc David Martin Ellen Zoppo-Sassu

DELEWARE Ted Becker

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

IDAHO Dave Bieter Steve Widmyer

MICHIGAN Bryan Barnett Rosalynn Bliss Nancy DeBoer Derek Dobies Andy Schor

NEW JERSEY Ras Baraka Ravi Bhalla J. Christian Bollwage James Cahill Steven Fulop Frank Moran Michael Venezia

Brian Wahler

OREGON

NEW MEXICO Tim Keller Ken Miyagishima

Paul Blackburn Lucy Vinis Ted Wheeler

NEW YORK

PENNSLYVANIA

Noam Bramson Bill de Blasio Paul Dyster Bill Hermann Dayton King Chad Lupinacci Steven Noble Richard Thoman Michael Villa Lovely Warren

Don Hahn Jim Kenney Matt Pacifico Salvatore Panto, Jr. Bill Peduto

NORTH CAROLINA Allen Joines Nancy McFarlane Karl Pernell Steve Schewel Nancy Vaughan

NORTH DAKOTA Tim Mahoney

RHODE ISLAND Scott Avedisian James Diossa Jorge Elorza

SOUTH CAROLINA Stephen Benjamin Joe McElveen Junie White

TENNESSEE Andy Berke Shane McFarland Kim McMillan Jim Strickland

OHIO

TEXAS

Kevin Hardman William S. Jerew Lydia Mihalik John Stanforth Steve Yagelski

Steve Alder Rudy Durham Ron Jensen Harry LaRosiliere Karl Mooney Betsy Price Mike Rawlings

OKLAHOMA Charles Lamb

Jose Segarra Sylvester Turner Paul Voelker

UTAH Emily Niehaus

VIRGINIA Sharon Bulova John Gilstrap Sherman P. Lea Allison Silberberg Levar Stoney

VERMONT Seth Leonard Jonathan Shaw Miro Weinberger

WASHINGTON Alan Ekberg Frank Kuntz Anne McEnerny-Ogle Mary Lou Pauly Matt Pina Andy Ryder Nicola Smith Victoria Woodards

WISCONSIN Zachary Vruwink Mike Wiza

WEST VIRGINIA Scott Rogers

WYOMING Matt Hall

List current as of May 18, 2018.

Is your mayor on the list? If not, email 10minutewalk@nrpa.org for more information. www.10MinuteWalk.org

COMMUNITY CENTER Recreation Therapy and the Role of Parks

By Anthony Martino

R

ecreation therapy, therapeutic recreation — synonymous terms; yet, to many people, they mean vastly different things. So, can we clarify why there is such a difference of opinion in the name and what future trends are pertaining to recreation professionals?

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics’ “Occupational Outlook Handbook,” employment for recreation therapists is set to grow 7 percent by 2026. Given this rate of growth, the field may experience an influx of therapists. But, what they call themselves directly impacts their future.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics’ “Occupational Outlook Handbook,” employment for recreation therapists is set to grow 7 percent by 2026.

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In 1966, the pioneers in the field worked to better define the roles of individuals who entered it. Still, what they called themselves varied depending on who you spoke with.

Nonetheless, recreation therapists were gaining support, as professional organizations, like NRPA, began representing them, but they still struggled as the years went on.

Their responsibilities grew, yet they were having a difficult time defining who they were and what they did.

They began to make advocacy their No. 1 goal, and as the field continued to grow, the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) formed in 1981.

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The idea was to show that recreation therapists had a body of knowledge and were deemed qualified to provide services to the public. NCTRC began to compile data regarding those among their group who achieved certification.

This data was used over the years to assist with better defining their roles. NCTRC currently defines recreational therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, as a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological and physical health, recovery and well-being.

Eventually, regulatory agencies, whose language did not require a certified, credentialed individual to provide services in nursing homes and hospitals, began changing to the use of verbiage, such as “must be a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) or another licensed qualified individual.”

Though not completely independent and recognized, it was a step in the right direction.

However, because the language still allowed for others to provide services that recreation therapists also provide, confusion still existed as to what to call themselves and why it is important. Licensure has been something that many individuals have pursued over the years following the certification inception.

Lately, recreation therapists have been expanding their scope of practice into park and recreation

departments. This is due to several factors, including increased efforts to create an inclusive environment for all community members. Park and recreation patrons of all abilities and backgrounds are taking advantage of park and recreation facilities and programs, which creates a parallel between healthcare facilities and parks and community centers.

As those with physical and cognitive disability travel the path of actively needing physical and occupational therapy to lead a more independent lifestyle, they are using park grounds and facilities.

This has created an avenue for recreation therapists to assist in the transition and continued use of these facilities.

Licensure will help protect what recreation therapists do and ensure that their expertise carries on into the future. What they call themselves is recreation therapists, and their expertise in the provision of

recreation services is important to those receiving their knowledge and skilled services.

Anthony Martino is a Recreational Therapist for North Shore-LIJ Health System Southside (amartino@northwell.edu).

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COMMUNITY CENTER

Increasing Activity and Engagement at Hemme Station Park

By William J. Burt

I

n the East Bay Region of California, parks are valuable additions to cities and neighborhoods, and each park will take on a special identity that relates to its unique cultural and historical characteristics. Through the suburb of Alamo, the Iron Horse Regional Trail bifurcates the community by way of a decommissioned railroad line. All told, this trail spans more than 27 miles, stretching south to north from Pleasanton to Concord, respectively. be as a point for rest, hydration and getting out of the elements by way of a new pavilion. For Contra Costa County, it was important for the new park to include a pavilion that met its unique criteria for design to resemble a 19th-century train station. Adding a pavilion, shelter or shade structure, while also emphasizing the aesthetics of the structure, has many benefits for a new park. Pavilions and shelters create more recreation opportunities for visitors at the park, and a cohesive theme gives the new park a distinctive identity that is characteristic of parks in Contra Costa County and the East Bay Region.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROMTEC

Parks located along the trail serve as resting places, and Contra Costa County park officials wanted to add a new park in Alamo. At this park, the identity is linked to the Iron Horse Trail, specifically a Union Pacific Railroad station located near this site in the 19th century. The original train station was named after Hemme Avenue and the family owned ranch that bore the same name. The County chose to preserve this heritage in the new park by naming it Hemme Station Park and by including aesthetic and design features that would pay tribute to the old rail line.

The primary use for this park will

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Hemme Station Park had a great background for establishing a theme for the park design, and the county hired Stantec Architecture to provide landscape architect services to bring its vision to life. The park design was to create both an emblematic and literal station that would only be accessible by foot or by bike, directly from the Iron Horse Trail.

Without any parking provided, the park was fenced off in the design so the only point of access was from the trial system. This design also included bordered landscaping to mitigate stormwater and called for replacing unhealthy trees that were removed prior to construction.

The approved plans also met the county specification for a restroom and a shade structure on-site. In this case, both structures included design features that would match the other, and the shade structure was designed as a structural pavilion.

The Hemme Station Park design also included a playground with a train-engine-shaped play structure.

The central feature of the design, both in terms of location and thematic importance, was the pavilion.

On this project, the pavilion was designed and supplied by Romtec, Inc. This was the largest structure in the design, and it needed to represent the visage of a train station.

To create the right aesthetic, the design included scalloped siding, small windows and accenting trim pieces along the gable ends. The pavilion columns were tapered with the corners, including dou-

ble columns. A trussed roof was finished with a tongue-and-groove decking to create a finished ceiling.

These features on the pavilion and the restroom recollect Victorian elements with modern simplicity to create the train-station aesthetic.

A great design was important to make this a successful park project and including the right features was also an important requirement. Suarez & Munoz Construction won the bid for Contra Costa County to complete the Hemme Station Park.

Parks can include many types of features, but, typically, it is not possible to include every feature into a single park. It is hard to do better than adding a pavilion to improve a new park. Pavilions, shelters and shade structures are common features found

across the county, and their impact on park use is overwhelmingly positive.

A previous study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, lists pavilions as one of 15 park features where it was common for physical activity to take place. A separate study, published in Health & Place, has aesthetics among five park attributes that quantitative research shows encourage park use.

Taken together, attractive pavilion structures are great features that appeal to active park visitors. For the Hemme Station Park, the new pavilion provides an added benefit.

Bikers, joggers, walkers and other users of the nearby trail are afforded a comfortable and scenic place to cool down, relax and hydrate.

Creating a valuable community

park takes high levels of planning, choosing the right partners and executing a consistent vision. If each step is handled appropriately, completed projects, like the Hemme Station Park, are a benefit to any area. Pavilions can be utilitarian in their implementation, but incorporating themes and desired aesthetics can elevate the identity of a park to increase the activity and engagement of its visitors. In this region of California, parks are very valuable in terms of the investment and of their significance. Successful projects, like Hemme Station Park, are special, even in a region where they are commonplace.

William J. Burt is the Marketing Manager for Romtec (romtec45@romtec.com).

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MEMBER TO MEMBER Let’s Get ‘Ag-vocating’ Mecklenburg County proves recreation has a role to play in agriculture

By Stephanie Frisbee

F

rom gardening programs to a program that has a red barn as a logo, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation is “ag-vocating” for the field of agriculture and the role it plays in the community. Traditional gardening programs, long offered at recreation centers to teach people how to garden, are placing a new emphasis on teaching them how to grow their own food and the benefits of doing so. learning where their food comes from, while teenagers are being given the chance to participate in an

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

Gardening programs are addressing topics from childhood obesity to food deserts. Preschoolers are

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urban agriculture entrepreneurship program. In Mecklenburg County, agriculture is now in the field of recreation.

How It All Began Prior to receiving a Meet Me at the Park grant in 2017, only a few of the county’s recreation centers had gardens. Receiving the grant

allowed for new gardens to be created at 10 recreation centers and some new garden amenities to be added to existing sites. This garden initiative has since grown and is now beginning to incorporate garden amenities of different sizes at all the recreation centers. Many recreation centers are also offering gardening programs that include gardening clubs.

In addition, the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department works with the Mecklenburg County Cooperative Extension Department, which is ideal for staff to be able to use 4-H curricula in programming as well as to draw on the extension department’s staff ’s expertise. Staff members have also been using Master Gardener curricula in their programs and, starting soon, will be working with the Mecklenburg “Extension Master Gardeners” in the county, as they can share their knowledge and help with gardening fundamentals.

Gardening is a component of the department’s new initiative, Connecting Communities 2 Nature (CC2N). In addition, to further stress the importance of gardening, a new program, Plant 4 Change, was just launched. This program encourages people to plant for the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department staff distribute green bean seeds in peat cups, along with information on how to grow them, as part of its recently launched Plant 4 Change gardening program.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department draws on the expertise of the county’s Cooperative Extension Department and uses 4-H and Master Gardener curricula to help teach gardening fundamentals.

change they want to see in themselves, their family, their community and their county, and a bean is leading the charge. Green bean seeds are being distributed in peat cups at various events staffed by the park department, along with all the information needed to grow the bushing bean variety in a pot.

The number of bean seeds distributed throughout the county is being tracked, and participants are encouraged to share their bean plant growth and harvests! Other aspects of this program include sharing information about gardening to create habitats for wildlife, such as pollinators. The inaugural group to participate in this program was one of the Little Tykes gardening classes for preschoolers. The children, along with their guardians, learned about food deserts and how they could help in the Plant 4 Change initiative by sharing what they learned and by helping people grow their own food.

The Little Tykes Farm Adventures Program “Got to Be NC” is the slogan that is stressed each month in the Little Tykes Farm Adventures program at the Mallard Creek Recreation Center. Since last fall, Little Tykes (preschoolers) in this program have been learning how products grown or produced in North Carolina get from the farm to their table. By studying the product, the children also learn about the role it plays in North Carolina agriculture. The program includes a trip to a pretend farmers market, set up by staff in the recreation center’s lobby, to teach the children about purchasing from farmers: a sampling of the products is often part of the experience.

Preschoolers also participate monthly in Little Tykes gardening classes at Mallard Creek. While this program has been going on for many years, last year’s fall growing season debuted four preschool-sized garden tables, perfect

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for the preschoolers to dig in! Each class features seasonal planting and harvesting of vegetable varieties that can be grown in containers or small spaces and don’t require a traditional in-ground garden. Children always receive seeds or plants to take home from the class to plant in their own gardens and also get to eat the vegetables they have helped to grow.

All the produce grown at Mallard Creek Recreation Center is either used in the programs or given away to preschoolers or senior citizens,

Since 2015, 144 pounds of vegetables and 210 quart-size bags of assorted greens have been grown, either in raised table beds, containers or a hydroponics unit, at the Mallard Creek Recreation Center.

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who also participate in facility programs. Within programs such as Little Tykes Gardening, summer camp, or even the center’s Senior Nutrition Program, the produce is used to expose participants to new vegetables and healthy ways to eat them. This is the third year Mallard Creek has quantified what it grows, measuring either the weight of what is produced or, in the case of greens, such as lettuce or spinach, the amount of quart-size bags produced and given to the community.

To date, 144 pounds of vegetables and 210 quart-size bags of assorted greens have been produced, all grown in either raised table beds, containers or a hydroponics unit.

The B.A.A.R.N Program Bringing Accessible Agriculture Recreationally Now (B.A.A.R.N), the program with the red barn for a logo, was created in 2017 to expose youth to market vegetable production in an urban setting.

Participants are required to complete a business plan that includes a mission statement, logo, marketing plan and a budget. They also must research agriculture topics and careers in the field. The youth tour both urban and rural farms, as well as farmers markets, can volunteer at the county’s farmers market, as well as make presentations to other youth, including 75 of their peers at their high school. At the county’s Farm City Week Celebration in November, the program was represented as a poster presentation. This year, the opportunity to participate in program was offered to four teens.

The seeds of agriculture are just being planted within the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation

Department, but with the addition of these programs and initiatives, the future is looking green! Youth are learning where their food comes from, while county residents of all

ages are learning how they can supplement their food needs by growing their own food.

Stephanie Frisbee is the Facility Manager for the Mallard Creek Recreation Center (stephanie.frisbee@mecklenburgcountync.gov).

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ADVOCACY

Tell Congress to Get PHIT! A tax incentive strategy to get America moving

By Bill Sells

O

ne in four Americans currently has a chronic disease, many of which are preventable. Reducing the incidence of chronic conditions is the key to sustainable healthcare in America, and, as facilitators of activity, park and recreation departments play a critical role in reversing the inactivity trend.

Park and recreation departments provide wonderful opportunities for children and adults to get out and get active, but with many

The PHIT Act gives consumers a discount on the cost of active lifestyles, while the activity provider receives full price.

A win-win scenario for both consumers and providers, such as park and recreation agencies.

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departments facing funding cuts, alternative revenue sources are needed. Park access fees, nominal charges for programs and registration fees for recreational sports have helped bridge the funding gap to keep activity options available in local communities. However, in the same way many public schools are transitioning to pay-toplay policies to meet the shortfall in school resources, creating a financial barrier that prevents some students from participating in school sports, the access fees and

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program charges can be a barrier to achieving an active lifestyle.

Families and younger generations are the most frequent users of parks, recreational facilities and resources. Unfortunately, they are also the ones facing the greatest financial burdens. It’s not surprising that an NRPA poll conducted in March 2017 found that millennials, Gen Xers and families are all overwhelmingly in support of the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act (S. 482/H.R. 1267) to help make these wonderful opportunities for physical activity more accessible and affordable.

The United States currently spends 18 percent of its gross domestic product on medical expenditures and the government

estimates this figure will rise to 20 percent by 2022. Spending $1 out of every $5 our economy generates on healthcare is not a sustainable model. Americans cannot medicate themselves to health. It requires a lifestyle change. Proper diet and exercise are the keys to a healthy life; yet, we have let physical activity slip so far down on our society’s priority list that activity funding has been cut at a time when we need it most. The bottom line is that Americans need help with the cost of active lifestyles.

A Win-Win Scenario The PHIT Act gives consumers a discount on the cost of active lifestyles, while the activity provider receives full price. A win-win scenario for both consumers and providers, such as park and recreation agencies.

There are currently more than 30 million households with pre-tax medical accounts (such as Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), etc.), and conservatively, each account serves three family members.* When PHIT becomes law, 90 million Americans will have access to pre-tax funds for physical activity expenses and will be able to receive a 25–40 percent discount on active lifestyle costs. In short, PHIT will move people off the couch and into recreation centers and parks, and onto courts, ball fields, trails, rivers and lakes.

The PHIT Act is extremely popular in Congress, with more than 125 bipartisan cosponsors in the House (70D–60R) and 16 (9R–6D–1I) in the Senate. PHIT is a tax bill, as it would modify the tax code, and half of the members on the top congressional tax committee, the House Ways and

Means Committee, support the PHIT Act (11 R–9 D). It has more ore cosponsors than any other healthlthcare-related tax bill and support ort continues to grow.

Improving Healthcare in America So why hasn’t PHIT passed already? Short answer is “politics.”

It was a new concept when it was first introduced, and it was not part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The implementation of the ACA led to the contentious battle to repeal “Obamacare,” which provided no opportunity for a bipartisan effort to improve the system. The “repeal & replace” effort ultimately failed, but there are still some who continue to fight the battle (even though Republicans only have a 51:49 majority in the Senate). This slimmest of majorities makes it virtually impossible to pass a repeal bill: Senate rules require 60 votes to end debate and vote on legislation.

With the repeal & replace effort all but dead, Congress has begun to explore ways to improve the current healthcare model, without gutting it completely. Any revisions to healthcare will require the support of Democrats in the Senate to reach the 60-vote mark needed to bring bills up for an official vote. A powerful group of national organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Business Roundtable, America’s Health Insurance Plans and the American Benefits Council are promoting a package of bipartisan changes to HSAs, including PHIT, to improve healthcare in America. The effort paid off as Congressmen Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) introduced the Bipartisan

*Because of implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), enrollment in HSAs has significantly increased over the past few years, and the median household income for a family enrolled in an HSA is $57,000 per year. While this legislation will not benefit families with incomes below that threshold or families that do not have access to an HSA, NRPA is committed to ensuring that the financial barriers to physical activity are eliminated for low-income children and families. NRPA will continue to advocate for PHIT and PHIT-like opportunities for all. Questions? Email NRPA’s senior government affairs manager, Kate Clabaugh (kclabaugh@npra.org).

HSA Improvement Act of 2018 on March 1, to make these pre-tax accounts more consumer friendly.

Congress has come around on understanding that physical activity is a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle and the central role it plays in preventing chronic conditions.

Most importantly, wellness and prevention are a primary focus of Congress as it seeks to improve our current healthcare model. Diet and exercise are the foundations of a more sustainable healthcare system, and we must do all we can to promote activity to create a healthier culture in America.

To reach out to your members of Congress and ask them to #passPHIT, visit https://www.nrpa. org/our-work/advocacy/advoca cy-engage/.

Bill Sells is Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs for the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (bsells@sfia.org).

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LAW REVIEW

A tall mobile phone transmission aerial or tower, disguised as a large fir tree.

Park Purpose Challenge to Wireless Communications Facility

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

I

n general, state and local laws limit the power of governmental entities to divert public parkland to other public or private purposes.

For example, a private gift of land for public park purposes may expressly preclude use that is inconsistent with the donor’s intent to preserve, in perpetuity, the natural or recreational character of a donated site. Similarly, acquisition and/or development of a park site through a federal grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund will prohibit any conversion from public recreational use of that site, which is inconsistent with the terms of the federal grant. Moreover, applicable state and local law may limit the authority of public entities to divert public parkland to other public or private purposes.

As illustrated by the case described herein, the city’s ability to issue a permit to a private company to construct a wireless telecommunications facility (WCF) was subject to provisions in the city charter governing use of dedicated public parkland. In this instance, the state court had to determine whether the

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city’s actions were consistent with the terms of the city charter. In so doing, however, courts tend to defer to and not second-guess the judgment of governmental officials on factual issues better left to those with expertise in a given area, like management of parks and recreation facilities.

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Can You Hear Me Now? In the case of Don’t Cell Our Parks v.

City of San Diego, 21 Cal. App. 5th 338, 2018 Cal. App. LEXIS 209 (Cal. App. 4th Dist. 3/15/2018), the state appeals court had to determine whether construction of a wireless telecommunications facility in a public park could be considered a proper park purpose.

In 2000, a city ordinance dedicated the Ridgewood Neighborhood Park (“the Park”) in perpetuity for park and recreational purposes. The park is in a residential zone in the community of Rancho Peñasquitos and is adjacent to the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve to the south. The 8.53-acre park consists of a large grass area bounded by a cement

path, with two basketball courts surrounded by a 12-foot-high fence, circuit-training equipment stations, a play structure and picnic tables outside the cement path.

In June 2014, Verizon filed an application with the city to build a wireless communications facility (WCF) on the outskirts of the park. At the time, the city had 37 active leases for telecommunications facilities in dedicated parks within the city.

The project entailed placing an unmanned cell tower, disguised as a 35-foot-tall faux eucalyptus tree, and a 250-square-foot landscaped equipment enclosure with a trellis roof and a chain-link lid on the outskirts of the 8.53-acre park. The faux tree would be installed in an existing stand of tall trees, two of which are about 55 feet tall.

An 11-foot-by-20-foot concrete masonry unit (the unit) would contain equipment required for the project. The unit would be located northeast of the faux tree and set back about 15 feet from the edge of the park’s sidewalk path. The unit would have a stucco finish, would be painted a tan/sandstone color and surrounded by native shrubs.

The project would require relocating one piece of exercise equipment about 100 feet north of its current location. The total footprint of the project would be 534 square feet or 0.14 percent of the total ground area of the park.

According to Verizon, the project would fill a substantial gap in Verizon’s cell service so that area customers would have improved cell service capabilities and 911 service, including within the park and the nearby preserve. At a Rancho Peñasquitos Community

Planning Board meeting, the president of the basketball association noted that not having cellular telephone service was an issue for coaches who practice at the park if an emergency arises.

Verizon found that the park was the only property within the intended coverage area that was not an open-space preserve or developed with single-family residences. Due to “terrain challenges” in the area, Verizon had further concluded that alternative locations outside the proposed park-project site were not feasible.

In February 2015, the Rancho Peñasquitos Community Planning Board voted 11 to 7 to approve the project. In August, after a public hearing, a city hearing officer ap-

The project entailed placing an unmanned cell tower, disguised as a 35-foot-tall faux eucalyptus tree, and a 250-square-foot landscaped equipment enclosure with a trellis roof and a chainlink lid on the outskirts of the 8.53-acre park. proved development and use permits for the project. In October, the City Planning Commission (Commission), after a public hearing, unanimously approved the permits.

Permissible Park Use? In November, Don’t Cell Our Parks (DCOP), a not-for-profit entity,

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filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s decision to issue permits approving the project. In so doing, DCOP argued that “placing a WCF in the Park was not a permissible park or recreational use under the plain language of Charter 55,” which required “the consent of two-thirds of the voters” before “allowing the installation of WCFs in dedicated City parkland.”

As cited by the court, Charter 55, titled “Park and Recreation,” provided in relevant part: All real property owned in fee

by the City heretofore or hereafter formally dedicated in perpetuity by ordinance of the Council or by statute of the State Legislature for park, recreation or cemetery purposes shall not be used for any but park, recreation or cemetery purposes without such changed use or purpose having been first authorized or later ratified by a vote of two-thirds of the qualified electors of the City voting at an election for such purpose. (Emphasis of court) In the opinion of the trial court, “Charter 55 allowed the City to

adopt regulations to manage City parks and enact ordinances not in conflict with Charter 55, such as the instant Project.” In reaching this conclusion, the trial court found the project was consistent with Charter 55 because it would “not interfere with or detract from park uses in the Park.”

Moreover, the trial court found a “significant history of legal opinions and policies” had applied “the City’s interpretation of Charter 55 in allowing WCFs in dedicated parks as long as the WCF did not detract from park uses or interfere with park purposes.” Further, in giving “great weight and respect to the City’s interpretation of Charter 55,” the trial court noted, “the City’s interpretation had not been challenged for many years and many transactions occurred in reliance on the City’s interpretation.”

DCOP appealed this decision.

On appeal, DCOP contended, “the trial court erred because Charter 55 unambiguously restricts the use of dedicated parks to only park, recreation, and cemetery uses.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SAVE RIDGEWOOD PARK

City Charter Power

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As noted by the appeals court, the city charter was “the supreme law of the City, subject only to conflicting provisions in the federal and state Constitutions and to preemptive state law.”

Moreover, the city “has all powers over municipal affairs, otherwise lawfully exercised, subject only to the clear and explicit limitations and restrictions contained in

A Verizon antenna-tree in Mira Mesa’s Camino Ruiz Neighborhood park.

the charter.” Also, the court would construe charter provisions “in favor of the exercise of the power over municipal affairs and against the existence of any limitation or restriction thereon, which is not expressly stated in the charter.” Further, the appeals court noted, “administrative interpretations of City Charter provisions of longstanding are entitled to great weight unless they are plainly wrong.”

While “giving deference to the determination of the agency appropriate to the circumstances of the agency action,” the appeals court, however, acknowledged that a city “may not act in conflict with its charter” and “any act that is violative of or not in compliance with the charter is void.”

Charter Interpretation Consistent with Charter 55, the trial court concluded that the city had the discretion to determine whether an addition or alteration “would change the use or purpose of a park.”

Whether an addition to a dedicated park constitutes a ‘changed use’ necessarily falls within the City’s control and management authority...Dedicated parks may often start as bare pieces of land.

The City is then charged with exercising its management and control authority to determine whether a proposed addition to a dedicated park would change its use or purpose and thus requires voter approval.

In the opinion of the appeals

In the opinion of the appeals court, the evidence supported “the City’s determination that the Project will not change the use or purpose of the Park.” court, the evidence supported “the City’s determination that the Project will not change the use or purpose of the Park.” Moreover, the court found the project was “consistent with park or recreation purposes, as it will clearly benefit park visitors by providing enhanced wireless communication coverage.” Further, the appeals court found improved wireless coverage would constitute “more than an incidental benefit to Park users.”

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LAW REVIEW

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SAVE RIDGEWOOD PARK

To access San Diego's Ridgewood Neighborhood Park, park users will have to walk between a park building and a Verizon cellular tower "tree."

As characterized by the appeals court, improved wireless coverage “undoubtedly enhances the enjoyment of the Park for those Park visitors who use their wireless communication devices to read books, watch movies, listen to music or play games.”

Park Purpose Disruption?

On appeal, DCOP argued Charter 55 prohibited “nonpark or nonrecreation uses.” The appeals court

As characterized by the appeals court, improved wireless coverage “undoubtedly enhances the enjoyment of the Park for those Park visitors who use their wireless communication devices to read books, watch movies, listen to music or play games.”

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rejected this argument. According to the court, “nonpark uses in dedicated parks will be upheld, despite restrictive charter language, provided that the nonpark uses do not interfere with, change, or impair park purposes.”

Accordingly, in determining whether a proposed use is permissible, the appeals court would first examine “the specific city charter or any language dedicating the park” to determine whether a proposed use is permissible. If a proposed use was permissible, the court would then determine “whether the proposed use would disrupt or interfere with park purposes.”

In this instance, the appeals court found the proposed use was permissible because “the Project does not change the Park’s use or purpose.” Having found the proposed use was permissible, the appeals

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court would then have to determine “whether the Project would disrupt or interfere with park or recreation uses or purposes.”

As noted by the appeals court, the city had the following policy for evaluating applications for WCFs in city parks: The City may grant authorization for WCFs on dedicated or designated parkland and open space if it is first determined by the Park and Recreation Department that the requested action would not only meet the criteria of this Policy, but would also be consistent with City Charter Section 55.

In addition, the appeals court noted this policy required proposed WCFs in city parks to be “disguised such that they do not detract from the recreational or natural character of the parkland or open space.” Further, the court found that the policy required proposed WCFs to be “integrated with existing park facilities and must not disturb the environmental integrity of the parkland or open space.”

In the opinion of the appeals court, the city’s park director had complied with these policies by determining “the design and location of the facilities proposed for the Park by Verizon” to ensure “those facilities will not detract from or interfere with the park or its uses”: The features of the proposed mono-eucalyptus tree allow it to integrate with the other trees in the immediate vicinity. Also, the minimal footprint, height, location, and design features of the equipment housing allow the facility

to integrate aesthetically. Because both facilities will be set back from the field, they will not interfere with park uses.

Deference to Agency Expertise In reaching this determination, the appeals court recognized that “the City’s determination is entitled to some deference.” According to the appeals court: “An agency interpretation of the meaning and legal effect of a statute is entitled to consideration and respect by the courts.”

In this case, the court noted: “Charter 55 gives the City ‘control and management of parks’ with the caveat that any changed use or purpose of a dedicated park must be authorized or ratified by the voters.” Further, the appeals court acknowledged that the courts are “ultimately responsible for interpreting Charter 55,” but the courts would give “great weight and respect” to the City’s construction: Here, the Park Director has a comparative interpretative advantage over the courts in evaluating how the Project will impact the Park because this issue is entwined with issues of fact, policy, and discretion...

It is undeniable that the placement of items within dedicated parks is entwined with issues of fact, policy and discretion. The City’s conclusion that the Project does not interfere with the use or purpose of the Park touches upon policy issues within the purview of the Park Director and is not clearly erroneous.

Further, the appeals court determined the city had “complied with its policies regarding encroachments on dedicated parkland and

the processing of applications for WCFs in City parks.”

FCC Standards Based on public comments, the appeals court noted “local residents opposed the Project based on primarily aesthetic reasons, with health issues being a secondary concern.” Regarding “health concerns,” the appeals court cited federal law, which “prevents local governments from impeding the siting and construction of cell towers that conform to the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) radio frequency emissions standards”: No State or local government or instrumentality thereof may regulate the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service² facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such facilities comply with the Commission’s regulations concerning such emissions 47 U.S.C. § 332(c)(7)(B)(iv).

In this instance, the appeals court found that “a registered professional electrical engineer concluded in a radio frequency site compliance report that the Project would comply with FCC rules and regulations.”

Moreover, “while many local residents oppose the Project as an unwelcome addition to the Park’s landscape, based on aesthetic reasons,” the appeals court found that “the Project satisfies the objective prerequisites established in advance by the City for the placement of a WCF within a dedicated park.”

Conclusion As a result, the appeals court concluded “the Project does not constitute a changed use or purpose

While many local residents oppose the Project as an unwelcome addition to the Park’s landscape based on aesthetic reasons, the Project satisfies the objective prerequisites established in advance by the City for the placement of a WCF within a dedicated park. that required voter approval under Charter 55 and that DCOP has not presented evidence showing that the City failed to follow the law in permitting the Project”: While many local residents oppose the Project as an unwelcome addition to the Park’s landscape based on aesthetic reasons, the Project satisfies the objective prerequisites established in advance by the City for the placement of a WCF within a dedicated park. On this record, the subjective preferences of local residents do not constitute substantial evidence upon which the City can properly deny Verizon’s application.

The appeals court, therefore, affirmed the judgment of the trial court in favor of the city.

In contrast, see “Pine Tree Cell Tower in Park” where the court found a cell tower violated a deed restriction, which had created a public park: http:// cehdclass.gmu.edu/jkozlows/lawarts/ 06JUN06.pdf.

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

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FUTURE LEADERS

Honesty and Transparency in Parks and Recreation

By Dylan Bogard, M.S., and Michael J. Bradley, Ph.D.

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n open and honest workplace is important to making employees feel they are part of a team and are important to the team’s success. This builds trust and has the potential to increase productivity, since employees feel more connected and invested in their workplace.

Managers who are not honest with their employees are likely to face issues with disgruntled workers, gossiping in the workplace, low productivity and may lose the respect of their staff. To avoid these types of situations, managers should promote an honest environment by being more open about changes and challenges in the workplace, promoting admittance of mistakes, being tactful when critiquing employees, working to stop unethical behavior and rewarding honesty.

It’s particularly important to be transparent or open with employees about what is happening within an organization, especially during budget shifts or in a poor economic climate.

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It’s particularly important to be transparent or open with employees about what is happening within an organization, especially during budget shifts or in a poor economic climate. When there is a lack of transparency, employees will speculate or develop the-

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ories of their own, and this can reduce productivity. If employees are worried about change, including in their own jobs, they are not able to adequately perform.

When employers are more open, employees will not have to worry about sudden changes and will be able to concentrate on their work.

When managers make a mistake, they should be willing to admit it and encourage their employees to do the same. Too often, managers and employees try to cover up mistakes or try to argue when told they are wrong (Huhman, 2013).

By openly admitting a mistake, managers allow employees to be more open with them and to give feedback. This could also contribute to improvements in employee

satisfaction and productivity. Employees can quickly be corrected if they feel comfortable admitting their mistakes or even contribute effective solutions. This also allows everyone to quickly get back to work, saving the organization time and money.

Managers should be tactful when being honest with their employees. They should treat workers with respect, speaking calmly and using proper phrasing during conversations, and try to put themselves in their employees’ shoes. Statements like, “you were totally wrong,” or, “you missed the purpose entirely,” should be avoided, as such statements make people tense or become combative. Instead, use statements that begin with, “in my experience…” or, “for me…” which foster better interaction and create an atmosphere where an honest conversation with the employee is possible.

Employees who exhibit dishonest and/or unethical behavior must be disciplined or removed from the workplace. Negative behavior can encourage office gossip and be distracting to other employees. Managers can promote a positive culture of honesty in the workplace by putting systems in place to discourage negative behavior and reward honest and ethical behavior.

Overall, honesty is important in the workplace as in anything you do. As a manager or future leader, cultivate a culture of honesty within the workplace. This kind of work environment leads to reduced employee stress, higher levels of productivity, less gossiping or distribution of inaccurate information and

Managers should treat workers with respect, speaking calmly and using proper phrasing during conversations, and try to put themselves in their employees’ shoes. higher levels of trust and respect for managers. To build this sense of honesty in the workplace, managers should be open with their employees about the organization, promote the admission of mistakes, be tactful when criticizing others, actively stop dishonest and unethical behavior, and reward employee honesty.

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation.org/2018/June/hon esty-and-transparency-in-parks-and-recreation.

Dylan Bogard, M.S., is the Coordinator of Community Service Programs in the Department of Student Life & First Year Experiences at Eastern Kentucky University (dylan.bogard@eku.edu). Michael J. Bradley, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Park Administration at Eastern Kentucky University (michael.bradley@eku.edu).

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CONSERVATION

Lively Parks, Healthy People

By Kirsten Werner, Oliver Bass, Vanessa Briggs and Jill Whitcomb

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ess than an hour’s drive from Philadelphia is the city of Coatesville, the only city in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Once considered the “Pittsburgh of the East” because of its then-thriving steel industry, Coatesville has faced the same economic and social challenges that other steel towns have experienced following the industry’s decline.

Dramatic growth in Chester County has made it the wealthiest and healthiest county in Pennsylvania, but Coatesville has not shared in this success. With a population of approximately 13,000, 13.3 percent of Coatesville’s residents live in poverty compared to only 4 percent in the county. In Coatesville, 27 percent of adults are obese and more than 20 percent of Latino and African-American children are overweight. Like other cities, Coatesville’s social and economic conditions have a direct impact on the overall health of the city.

At Palmer Park, a 1-acre neigh-

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borhood park on the east end of Coatesville, the city’s challenges are evident. A chain-link fence and barbed wire surround the swimming pool that’s been closed for more than a decade. The basketball court’s blacktop is decaying, and community members voice concerns about safety.

It wasn’t always this way. Lifelong Coatesville resident James Bookman remembers when Palmer Park first opened. “Everyone went there,” he says. “It wasn’t just a park; it was like the hub of the community.” Bookman’s childhood memories include basketball tournaments, night swim-

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With generous support from a $150,000 Building Better Communities grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation and NRPA, Palmer Park will soon provide a variety of ways for residents to splash, climb or just relax in a natural setting. Coatesville was one of only three communities nationwide to receive such a grant in 2017.

ming at the pool and summer block parties, where the sound of laughter and music would echo into the twilight. He watched Coatesville’s parks decline over the decades, and with them, opportunities for kids to have safe outdoor places to play and for older adults to gather with friends.

Thanks to a partnership between the city of Coatesville; Natural Lands, a regional land conservation organization based in the Philadelphia area; the Brandywine Health Foundation; and countless residents — like Bookman and his wife, Deborah — and community groups, Coatesville’s parks are to be revitalized. And, when the Bookmans learned there were openings on the

city’s Parks & Recreation Commission, they jumped at the chance to get involved. They were among the more than 140 people who attended a 2016 public forum, co-hosted by the city of Coatesville, Brandywine Health Foundation, Natural Lands, and Parks and Recreation Planner Ann Toole. The forum, along with an online survey completed by nearly 700 residents, was a critical first step in developing an action plan for the city’s parks.

“From the outset, we knew public input was essential to the planning process,” says Oliver Bass, vice president of communications and engagement at Natural Lands. “Typically, a public forum about parks might attract a dozen people. But, the response from Coatesville residents was greater than we could have dreamed.

Their priorities came through loud, clear and with remarkable consistency. They want safe, clean, beautiful parks for people of all ages to use, engaging park programs and a commitment to ongoing maintenance…and they are eager to help.”

The resulting plan, called Coatesville Parks 2021: An Action Plan for Lively Parks and Healthy People, marked the beginning of a now two-year-old initiative — Greening Coatesville — that’s aimed at improving access to the outdoors in the city. Greening Coatesville brings together city leadership, residents and community organizations — with help from the Brandywine Health Foundation, which works to achieve health equity for all who live and work in the Greater Coatesville area, and Natural Lands — to implement the plan.

Following the creation of a neighborhood-informed master plan for Palmer Park in 2017,

partners moved quickly to begin its implementation. Thanks to a major grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation and NRPA, by the end of this summer the park’s long-closed swimming pool will be replaced by a unique nature and water play area. A splashpad area with seven water features will feed a man-made stream that leads to a shallow, rock-lined wading area.

The top of the stream originates in a circular plaza surrounded by benches, with an old-fashioned hand-pump that can also be used by children (or childlike adults!) to interact with the water.

From the plaza, a series of concrete paths will wind through the park past inviting grassy areas, newly planted shade trees, scattered boulders and seven “nature play” features, including an embankment slide, a post hop, web climber, tension line, log balance, stump jump and branch climber.

Parks Are an Investment Toole, who worked on Coatesville Parks 2021: An Action Plan for Lively Parks and Healthy People, asserts that parks are more than just places for children to play. “Better access to parks has been shown to result in a 25 percent increase in people exercising three or more days per week. In southeastern Pennsylvania, a study found more than $1.3 billion in avoided annual health costs due to access to parks and open space,” she points out. Parks have also been demonstrated to improve safety. In Macon, Georgia, for example, a revitalized park is reported to have helped reduce incidents of crime and violence by 50 percent.

“Investing in our parks has longterm benefits for the community in building social cohesion, creating healthy environments and increasing opportunities for Coatesville residents to be active,” says Vanessa Briggs, president and CEO of the Brandywine Health Foundation. “The Greening Coatesville initiative, along with the American Water Charitable Foundation grant, is a prime example of the transformative work that leads to healthier communities and has already spurred interest among the surrounding municipalities to examine the use of their parks and green spaces as a population health intervention,” she adds.

Investing in our parks has longterm benefits for the community in building social cohesion, creating healthy environments and increasing opportunities for Coatesville residents to be active. — Vanessa Briggs, president/CEO of the Brandywine Health Foundation.

What’s more, positive changes in urban parks and green spaces play a role in economic revitalization.

Cities where parks, recreation and trails play a vital role in the lives of their residents are vibrant places to live and are, therefore, attractive to businesses and residents.

“While the factors that contribute to a community’s well-being are complex, many cities have found that execution of a green vision can redefine its image, spur economic development and create a much-improved quality of place for residents,” notes Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands.

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The Greening Coatesville initiative is part of a larger citywide effort to stimulate investment in the city. In 2017, the Chester County Economic Development Foundation (CCEDF) and the Coatesville

Area Partners for Progress (CAPP) completed a neighborhood revitalization strategy. The resulting plan — called Coatesville Growing Greater — lays out five-year action strategies to address issues

Patton Park When the residents of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, gathered in 2016 to discuss their parks and their hopes for the future, they made it clear that planning, while necessary, must be followed by action.

“Developing a five-year action plan for the city’s parks was an essential first step and is serving as our road map,” says Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands, a regional land conservation organization. “But we knew we needed to show the community tangible improvements to keep up the momentum and enthusiasm.”

So, as the city’s action plan was completed, Natural Lands joined forces with PECO, the city of Coatesville, the nonprofit KaBOOM! and more than 200 community volunteers to build a new playground in Patton Park — in just one day! The playground design was inspired by drawings made by local children, who were asked to envision the playground of their dreams.

The playground project in Patton Park was the fifth that PECO has made possible since 2007 across the company’s service territory.

The new playground served as a catalyst for engaging the neighborhood and enlivening the park. Soon, the Friends of Patton Park formed to help maintain the park and find ways to attract more activity. Last fall, the group held a fall festival, featuring games, a cookout and movie night, with groups of children running and playing from morning to night. Through its efforts, the Coatesville Little League renovated a little-used baseball field, and, this spring, the joyful sounds of T-ball and softball games have returned.

Support for Greening Coatesville has come from American Water Charitable Foundation, Applestone Foundation, Areclor Mittal, Chester County, Chester County Community Foundation, City of Coatesville, Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation, PECO, the Philadelphia Foundation, Stewart Huston Charitable Trust, and the William Penn Foundation.

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of resident engagement, jobs and economic opportunity, youth empowerment and community safety.

That Greening Coatesville and Coatesville Growing Greater are happening simultaneously is not an accident. Community leaders recognize that improving the economy and enhancing quality of life through parks are complementary and essential. These two initiatives set the stage in creating a culture of health in Coatesville, where health equity is becoming the norm as a shared value across sectors and systems.

“The reawakening and renewal of our city parks translate into regeneration of the lives of our families,” says Linda Lavender-Norris, Coatesville City Council president.

“We will be forever grateful for the relationship that we’ve established with Natural Lands, which will last throughout time. We extend these same sentiments to the Brandywine Health Foundation and our county government for investing in our health and well-being.”

Every success will advance the city’s vision for the future. While Palmer Park is just a small space, its revitalization will make a world of difference to the community and will represent the winds of change that are stirring for Coatesville.

Bookman agrees. “You might think, does it matter to change one little park? But, change one and who knows where it leads! The good energy in Coatesville is snowballing.”

Kirsten Werner is the Director of Communications, and Oliver Bass is the Vice President of Communications and Engagement for Natural Lands. Vanessa Briggs is the President and CEO, and Jill Whitcomb is the Vice President for Development and Communication for Brandywine Health Foundation.

N R PA I N I T I AT I V E

Parks for Pollinators #Parks4Pollinators Photo Contest

photo contest

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Share your pollinator photos EVERY WEEK IN JUNE using #Parks4Pollinators for a chance to win a garden prize pack!

For official rules and details visit

www.nrpa.org/Parks4Pollinators

SOCIAL EQUITY

Pride in Parks Celebrating and Engaging the LGBTQ Community

By Allison Colman

O

n June 28, 1969, police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay night club in New York City. This event, which became known as the Stonewall Riots, was a tipping point for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer or Questioning) rights in the United States. It was regarded by many as the first major protest on behalf of LGBTQ equality in America, and the riots sparked the annual acknowledgement and celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month in communities across the county every June.

While the month is often celebrated with pride parades, picnics, parties, film festivals and memorials for lives lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS, the purpose of the commemorative month is much greater. Pride Month is a valuable time for all Americans to recognize the impact LGBTQ individuals have had on history, both nationally and across the world, and to acknowledge the adversity and

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challenges that continue to impact members of the LGBTQ community and their family and friends.

Although it’s been nearly 50 years since the Stonewall Riots, research shows that those who identify as LGBTQ often face health disparities, linked to societal stigma, discrimination, lack of physical and social activity opportunities, and continued denial of their civil and human rights. Social discrim-

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ination against LGBTQ persons has been associated with high rates of psychiatric disorders, substance abuse and suicide. LGBTQ youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide and 34 percent of LGBTQ youth report being bullied on school property.

A recent study also shows more teenagers are identifying themselves with nontraditional gender labels, such as transgender or gender-fluid, but those same teens reported having significantly poorer health, including mental health, than their peers. With these continued challenges facing members of the LGBTQ community, parks and recreation is well-suited to lead efforts that acknowledge these disparities, engage the community

and enact policies and programs that provide safe and welcoming spaces and improve health and well-being.

The Gender Justice Project Park and recreation agencies, like Seattle Parks and Recreation, are meeting the health, environmental and social needs of the local LGBTQ community by adopting policy, engaging those who identify as LGBTQ in planning efforts. The department also offers inclusive and targeted programs that provide increased opportunities for physical activity, outdoor experiences, social connections and healthy living. Seattle Parks and Recreation has long made LGBTQ inclusion and outreach a priority, investing in long-term, sustainable solutions to create a fairer, more socially conscious and just city.

At the policy level, the city of Seattle launched the Gender Justice Project in 2016. The Gender Justice Project is Seattle’s effort to create an inclusive workplace and city, seeking to end gender and race-based inequities in its workforce and in citywide policies, programs and service delivery, including parks and recreation.

As part of the Gender Justice Project, a citywide ordinance was passed to help achieve greater restroom access to transgender and gender-diverse individuals. In addition to the ordinance requiring the availability of single-occupant restrooms, the city is also investing internally in its workforce by providing the training and skills employees need to successfully work with community members who identify as LGBTQ. Seattle Parks and Recreation invests in programming that is inclusive to all and explicitly states

that those who identify as LGBTQ are welcome and encouraged to attend. Part of the department’s efforts include programs for those 50 years and older as part of its “Rainbow Recreation” initiative, hosting all-gender public swims, and providing safe, welcoming spaces and work opportunities for all teens, including those who identify as LGBTQ. Creating More Accessible and Welcoming Spaces In March 2018, Seattle Parks and Recreation held a summer job fair for LGBTQ youth, young adults and allies, connecting them to local employers who are LGBTQ-friendly. In addition to providing targeted and inclusive programming for LGBTQ individuals, there are some small steps that can be taken to create more accessible and welcoming spaces for all, including internally among staff. Consider enhancing your existing efforts by implementing some of the strategies featured in the new LGBTQ Inclusion in Parks and Recreation one-pager: Messaging: It’s important to recognize that although spaces and programs may be open to all, members of the LGBTQ community may feel more comfortable when that message is explicitly stated and supported by staff. Consider adding messaging to promotional materials or displaying the messaging in the facilities to assure all community members that they are welcome.

Promoting Gender-Neutral Interactions: Train staff to use gender-neutral pronouns during interactions with all constituents to support an open environment. It is not possible to always correctly guess someone’s gender based upon the person’s name or their physical appearance.

The project envisions a city where a person’s gender, gender identity and race will no longer determine the ability to earn a living wage, access to housing or the ability to achieve healthy life outcomes.

– Gender Justice Project, Seattle, WA

One way to prevent this mistake is by addressing people without using any terms that indicate a gender. For example, instead of asking, “How may I help you, sir?” simply ask: “How may I help you?”

Facility Improvements: Park and recreation agencies can add features to their facilities that aid in the comfort and increased safety for the LGBTQ community. These features include gender-neutral and/or unisex restrooms, private/ family-style locker and changing rooms and identifying safe spaces for LGBTQ youth.

While many park and recreation agencies are already leading the way to more inclusive communities and providing health and wellness opportunities for all, there is more that can be done to ensure everyone feels welcome and accepted.

If your park and recreation agency is leading the way to a more inclusive community this June and beyond, share your story with us!

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation.org/2018/June/pride-inparks.

Allison Colman is a Program Manager at NRPA and identifies as she/her/hers (acolman@nrpa.org).

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The How park and recreation agencies are helping children and families cope with this epidemic

By Vitisia Paynich

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PIO

OID Crisis O

n March 4, 2017, law enforcement was dispatched to a scene in Sharon, Pennsylvania. When police officers arrived outside an apartment located on Connelly Boulevard, they encountered a 5-year-old boy, who led them into the residence where his parents lay unresponsive from a suspected drug overdose. Emergency medical technicians administered Narcan to the father, who regained consciousness, while the mother awoke without the need for the medicine. Although these types of emergencies have become widespread, most startling, in this case, was the fact that the son was the one who called 911.

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overall health and well-being, it’s not surprising that many park and recreation agencies are working in concert with law enforcement, public health organizations and school districts to meet this pervasive epidemic head-on. Through these partnerships, they can focus not only on those drug-afflicted, but also on the families forced to cope with the traumatic effects caused by this devastating disease.

Should the parent(s) succumb to this disease, for any children left behind, it could mean either being sent to live with other relatives, such as a grandparent, or being placed in foster care. And, even if parents have not succumbed, they risk a different type of loss: their parental rights. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that among the total 274,000 children who entered the foster care system in 2016, 92,000 (or one-third) of those cases involved parents addicted to drugs — the highest in more than three decades.

Standing on the Front Lines Park and recreation agencies are not immune to this growing crisis,

PHOTO COURTESY OF COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION

“I think this one is going to stick with me a little more,” Sharon Police officer Andrew O’Shall told a WKBN-NBC4 reporter. “Just the fact that it was a 5-year-old that watched his parents overdose in front of him and could have potentially died had he not called.”

Unfortunately, this type of traumatic event is becoming all too common for children living in cities and towns across the United States. Drug endangered children, as defined by the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, are those “who are at risk of suffering physical or emotional harm as a result of illegal drug use, possession, manufacturing, cultivation or distribution. They may also be children whose caretaker’s substance misuse interferes with the caretaker’s ability to parent and provide a safe and nurturing environment.” In some instances, these children — in the absence of their parent — take on the role of primary caregiver to their younger siblings.

Because park professionals strive to provide community members with the best possible resources and services to enhance their

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especially when addicts use drugs in parks and other public spaces.

In fact, the Cleveland Metroparks Ranger Department, headquartered in Fairview Park, Ohio, has witnessed it firsthand and began noticing an increase in drug offenses back in 2013. Jacqueline Gerling, director of communications at Cleveland Metroparks, says the Ranger Department, which serves as the law enforcement arm of Cleveland Metroparks, prosecuted 278 drug offenses in 2017 and 274 in 2016.

“No persons or communities (including park districts) are exempt from the effects of the opioid epidemic. Rural communities, suburbs and inner cities all have experienced the crisis,” she says.

Shelly Strasser, director of the West Allis-West Milwaukee (WAWM) Recreation & Community Services Department in Wisconsin, says her agency has been made aware of the rise in the number of substance-abuse cases. She explains it’s “due to the fact that our fire department has started tracking various drug-overdose calls [using] an interactive map. They’re doing this in an effort to help the community understand the growing problem that we have.” In the community of West Allis, there were 32 fatal drug overdoses in 2016 and 28 in 2015.

“Beginning in mid-2016,” says Gerling, ranger personnel have been equipped with Narcan (Naloxone).

As a result, “14 overdosed persons have been successfully revived by rangers and around 30 revivals by area EMS/fire departments have occurred within Cleveland Met-

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roparks in the past two years, while two fatal overdoses occurred in this time — both passing prior to arrival by first responders,” she explains.

The West Allis Fire Department administered Narcan to 106 patients (60.4 percent male, 39.6 percent female), in 2015. Strasser says her park and rec staff recently underwent training that included instruction on how to administer Narcan. “Our biggest challenge is just educating and training the staff to be equipped to address the need should it arise,” she notes. Strasser adds that other challenges involve having access to Narcan and then maintaining proper storage of it.

“We have probably close to 25 different locations where we run programs,” she explains.

Discarded drug syringes in community parks pose a serious threat to the public and park agencies, as children on playgrounds and park maintenance staff working on-site may encounter sharp, contaminated needles.

“Park districts should be aware of the hazards associated with discarded drug abuse instruments or packaging.

Incidental exposure to Fentanyl — which we have found in the majority of packaged heroin — may be life threatening,” Gerling warns.

To deter substance abusers from randomly throwing used syringes on park grounds or near play areas, some agencies have elected to install sharps containers in designated areas of the park, like restrooms.

However, Nick Pirelli, former deputy director at Canton Parks and Recreation in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, vehemently opposes the idea. He believes openly displaying sharps containers in parks sends the wrong message to drug users, who might interpret it as parks condoning the use of illicit substances in these public spaces.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST ALLIS-WEST MILWAUKEE RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

“Teen Replica Room” designed to teach families and educators about red flags of potential teen drug and alcohol abuse.

Instead, Canton Parks and Recreation staff members take a more proactive approach, with personalized intervention kits that are made available to anyone who requests them. These kits include literature about treatment options and instructions on how to acquire Naloxone from the pharmacy. “When I give out those kits, the sharps container is in that bag with all the resource pamphlets,” explains Pirelli.

He adds that if they’re not promoting it and the individual is willing to use the receptacle, then staff can feel confident they are helping.

Prevention, treatment and recovery are top priorities for park agencies, however, many admit those suffering from this disease find it difficult to get past the social stigma, which can discourage them from asking for help or seeking treatment. “As park and rec people, I don’t think we should be treating anyone any differently — it’s a public health issue,” contends Pirelli.

Education and Programming Are Key to Prevention While parks and rec often serves as a conduit between drug users and public health agencies, park professionals also concentrate on

providing an inclusive, healing environment for children who might be traumatized by the impact of addiction. This also includes children suffering from trauma because of poverty, food insecurity, divorce, mental abuse, physical abuse and gang violence. What’s more, CDC research suggests that opioid addiction may be linked to socioeconomic disparities.

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation has been working to create safer spaces for children living in lower-income communities through its Parks After Dark (PAD) program. Launched in 2010, the PAD program was part of the Gang Violence Reduction Initiative to address the gang violence epidemic taking place in Los Angeles County.

Tina Magakyan, PAD coordinator, says, “Parks After Dark was designed to address some of the service gaps that we’ve seen in underserved communities. Our target populations are areas with high rates of poverty, violence and obesity — and we know that for a lot of these communities, they have fewer resources to encourage physical activity and social gathering.

These parks are typically [community members’] sole resource for

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and defense workshops.

“We also offer recreational programming and team sports, like basketball, tennis, volleyball and softball,” says Magakyan. PAD collaborated with the Department of Public Health to offer walking clubs, as well as access to the county’s pools and gym facilities free of charge.

She adds, “Many of our participants have said this is the first time that they were able to have all of their kids participate in a team sport. So, it really maximizes opportunities for physical activity and healthy living. We also offer entertainment programming, like movies, concerts, talent shows and various cultural shows. These are really effective in increasing attendance and creating family and community cohesion, which we know are protective factors against a lot of the trauma that the children in the communities are facing.”

West Allis-West Milwaukee is also working to alleviate childhood trauma. Strasser says West Allis-West Milwaukee Recreation & Community Services Department is very unique because it runs under the auspices of the West Allis-West Milwau-

PHOTO COURTESY OF COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION

recreation and social engagement.

But because of the high rates of violence, oftentimes, they are afraid to go back to the parks, and this inhibits active living efforts.” This causes social isolation, which can lead to a wide range of mental and physical health problems.

“Our park staff have not seen any significant issues with drug use/ drug problems at the parks; however, we do partner with various organizations, such as the County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, San Fernando Valley Partnership, Inc., and California Hispanic Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse — which offer information regarding drug-abuse resources and services during our Parks After Dark resource fairs — because we understand that these are issues that often impact underserved communities,” says Magakyan.

What makes this program so successful is the fact that LA Parks and Rec partners with the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department to provide patrol services during PAD programming. Sheriff ’s deputies also partake in activities alongside participants — even offering safety

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kee School District and the Board of Education. “There are about 25 recreation agencies in the state of Wisconsin that local school districts operate, similar to the WAWM RCS Department,” she says.

“Our school district actually has a trauma team, and it’s our school district personnel who go into our schools and work with administrators, teachers, parents and students,” Strasser explains. What’s more, the school district has a partnership with mental health service providers. She adds that her agency oversees more than 1,000 youths who participate in daily afterschool programs.

Drug abuse education and awareness are also a primary focus. According to the WAWM School District’s 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 18.2 percent of 10th grade students took painkillers without a prescription, while 32.7 percent of 10th graders tried marijuana at least once. As part of its Knowledge Is Power (KIP) program, the WAWM Heroin/Opiate Task Force, along with its community partners, introduced a “Teen Replica Room” designed to train and teach parents, families, educators and the community at large about the red flags of potential drug and alcohol abuse by middle school and high school teens.

When it comes to substance abuse prevention, Pirelli says, “It’s a no-brainer.” He contends the problem is that many park and recreation departments offer programs for elementary school children and then “it kind of dies off from there.

We should be doing programs from cradle to grave,” he adds.

Pirelli explains that during his time as park and rec deputy direcChildren participate in a Parks After Dark event hosted by LA Parks and Rec. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies partake in activities alongside participants.

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tor, “We started doing programs in Canton for middle and high school students, running summer-long camps and keeping kids busy at the most vulnerable time of the year.”

From a prevention standpoint, it’s about making certain kids and teens aren’t doing drugs in the first place.

Banning Together to Find Solutions Although Pirelli now serves as assistant dean developing recreation leadership graduate programs at Mount Ida College and as a faculty member teaching recreation management classes at Bridgewater State University, he remains on the executive board of the Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association. In 2015, when he was at Canton Parks and Rec, he joined the Canton Alliance Against Substance Abuse Coalition (CAASA), which includes the police chief, fire chief and a couple of community members. Its mission is “to reduce the demand and the abuse of drugs and alcohol in the Canton community, with a special focus on middle and high school-age students, while creating a culture of good decision making.” Pirelli served as chair of the coalition, as it moved from a private group to become an operating arm of the community. What’s more, CAASA maintains an operation budget of $10,000 a year, in addition to community donations.

Strasser says West Allis-West Milwaukee has several coalitions and her department plays a key role in each of them. With the Community Alliance Against Drugs (CAAD), for instance, she says some of her staff are seated board members, “and their mission is to provide education that is tied through events in the community that are drug and alcohol free, and geared toward a family atmosphere.”

Starting a Coalition For park and recreation agencies cies looking to spearhead a drug awareareness and prevention program in their community, Pirelli recomommends doing due diligence beforeorehand. “The first person to ask is either the police chief or fire chief,” ef,” he suggests. “Every rec professiononal needs to start there.” Police or fire officials might already serve on an official town committee or coalition that could lead to a partnership opportunity for a park agency.

Another option would be to find a nonprofit and dovetail with it.

Strasser also touts the importance of partnerships. She says, “The coalitions have acknowledged verbally the value that we bring to the table by partnering with them. It’s been very positive for us.” Strasser cautions other park and rec agencies against working in a silo. “Don’t be afraid to at least look into teaming with other organizations or coalitions,” she says.

Pursue it and ask many questions.

“The potential opportunities and value that you can bring to them and that they could provide to your agency are immeasurable and extremely important to our work in our communities.”

What if a coalition does not exist in your community? The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) (www.cadca. org) offers myriad resources that champion the efforts of coalition networks. For example, CADCA’s Membership Department can help park agencies network with existing coalitions, matching the two by geographic location and other interests. CADCA also offers a starter kit for those interested in launching their own coalition. Once park agencies have established their community coalition, they should research available grants for additional funding. Federal grants and

Opioid Crisis by the Numbers Citing data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the highest drug overdose death rates in 2016, occurred in West Virginia, Ohio, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), prescription opioids, like OxyContin and Percocet, attributed to approximately 14,400 overdose deaths in 2016, while heroin was linked to more than 15,400 fatalities.

NCHS’ statistics also reveal that more than 20,100 lethal overdoses were traced to non-methadone synthetic opioids, like Fentanyl.

resources are available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) (www.samhsa.gov).

A Community United Pirelli strongly believes that park and recreation professionals have a duty to their community to take the lead when it comes to these coalitions. They should invite community stakeholders, police and fire officials, school administrators, nonprofits and for-profit entities to the table for an open dialogue about substance abuse and to develop sound strategies for offering programs for treatment, recovery and prevention.

After all, the more community members come together to find real solutions and create awareness, the more successful they will be in ensuring that their children stay on the right path toward a healthy and happy future.

Vitisia Paynich is a California-based Freelance Writer for Parks and Recreation magazine.

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Safe

By Rachel Banner

to Parks

T

he Safe Routes to Park Action Framework (www.nrpa.org/saferoutes-to-parks) was released in the fall of 2016 to support the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Walking and Walkability. This coordinated effort between NRPA and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership (National Partnership), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was designed to provide local governments with critical evidence- and practice-based W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | J U N E 2 0 1 8 |

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Lessons learned from the first year of implementation

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Community engagement is critical at all stages of the Safe Routes to Parks Action Framework process.

terested in using the Safe Routes to Park Action Framework.

Partners as Technical Experts and Community Advocates

recommendations to ensure parks are safe, accessible and welcoming places in communities. We know that people with easy access to a park, within a 10-minute walk of home, have higher rates of walking, lower rates of obesity and improved mental health and enjoy many other benefits. This framework helps communities achieve those benefits by providing steps to engage leaders and community members in an ongoing assessment, planning and implementation process.

Over the past year, NRPA and the National Partnership have worked with the following eight communities to pilot this framework: • Ashley Park, New Bedford Parks, Recreation and Beaches, New Bedford, Massachusetts • August Wilson Park, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Dewey Point, Vigo County Parks and Recreation Department, West Terre Haute, Indiana • East Athens Community Center and Trail Creek Park, Athens Clarke County, Athens, Georgia • Hugh Force County Park, Morris County Park Commission, Wharton, New Jersey 50

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• Monte Sano Park, Recreation Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC), Baton Rouge, Louisiana • Wesleyan MetroPark and the Wolf Creek Trail, Five Rivers Metro Parks, Dayton, Ohio • West Willow Park, Ypsilanti Township Recreation, Ypsilanti, Michigan These communities have built partner coalitions, engaged communities, conducted walk audits, collected surveys, selected action goals and priorities, secured funding and, ultimately, made improvements to community parks.

Following are some of the themes that emerged across the sites and recommendations from others in-

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Engagement is the central component of Safe Routes to Parks and was the starting point for all the pilot sites. Each site had various levels of relationships with community partners, but all noted that the Safe Routes to Parks process provided a tangible project on which to collaborate and build relationships. As Five Rivers Metro Parks notes, this process “has solidified working relationships between the main involved organizations to better work together for the benefit of the region as a whole.”

Each partner brought a unique perspective to the project, but the pilot sites all agreed with Five Rivers, which states that “the key to this plan working well was to include a wide range of partners and having the technical expertise available on the team. Trying to take on a project like this without professional design help and those involved with youth and transit would have made this project a lot more difficult.”

Other technical experts who contributed to the projects included organizations with a history of working on Safe Routes to Schools: police departments, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations and departments of transportation.

The community-engagement partners included housing and community development, public libraries, senior centers, public schools, social service agencies and afterschool groups.

sion, understand the purpose and see the problem at hand, they are more likely to propel your efforts forward and you will benefit more from their technical expertise and connection to the community.

Assessment as an Engagement Tool Once community partners were established, the eight sites moved forward with data collection and understanding community needs.

Most of the sites found that although they may have been required to hold traditional community meetings regarding the project site, interactive assessment activities, not held during formal meetings, were the most effective engagement tools. These included walk audits, art in the park, community festivals and pop-up demonstration events. During these events, partners collected qualitative feedback and encouraged community members to complete surveys. Many of the tools used can be found on

We learned that community members were concerned about the levels of dangerous activities occurring in areas of the park and along neighborhood streets.

NRPA’s interactive Safe Routes to Parks webpage (www.nrpa.org/ safe-routes-to-parks ).

Several key themes about safety and access to parks emerged across the sites through the various methods of assessment. A New Bedford official says, “We learned that community members were concerned about the levels of dangerous activities occurring in areas of the park and along neighborhood streets. While the police reports do not show violent crime occurring within the study area, perceptions of crime and gang-related activities are real. We knew that one of our main goals would be to create a safer space for the community.”

NEW BEDFORD PARKS, RECREATION AND BEACHES

Partners lifting up the voices of the community to ensure representation in the process was another type of partnership. Ypsilanti Township Recreation adds: “We built a stronger relationship with our neighborhood association.

And with this connection, we were better able to bring awareness to the park and build relationships to identify needs at the park.”

Regardless of the role of the partners, a key aspect of their engagement was ensuring that everyone understood why safe routes to parks was important for communities.

Specifically, hands-on education not only provided a role for partners, but also helped them better understand the community. Kevin Hurley, trip leader at Specialist Venture Outdoors in Pittsburgh, writes the following about his experience helping third through eighth graders conduct walk audits using GoPro and geocaching: Some people, some youth, must face rather precarious conditions to access green space, to be able to breathe fresh air for an hour a day, to sit with companions or in solitude and write down their thoughts, or do nothing at all but listen to the birds and have a moment of calmness. I’m extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to lead these two outings with these two groups. Hearing feedback from students and working with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to try to ameliorate the conditions that some neighborhoods must face to get to places I consider sacred and free to the public was an eye-opener.

When partners buy into the mis-

When installed, a bump-out, or curb extension, like the one shown here, helps to slow traffic and provide a shorter, safer crossing distance for pedestrians.

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By working with state leaders, the town was able to secure $8 million toward a walkway along a bridge that connects to the park site and to many other destinations.

Implementation and Sustainability After assessment, planning is the next step in the action framework. Although each site devised a park-site-specific plan, many found the most valuable aspect of this process to be coordinated planning. Through coordinated planning with partner coalition members, such as Safe Routes to School, trail groups, transportation departments, and local and regional planning organizations, the pilot sites were able to integrate solutions into ongoing projects.

For example, at BREC, the project managers initially had difficulty gaining buy-in from partners and community members, in part because of significant flooding that occurred in 2016. Howev-

NEW BEDFORD PARKS, RECREATION AND BEACHES

New Bedford’s experience was consistent across many of the sites. In Ypsilanti, partners were surprised to hear from some residents that they don’t visit the park because they remember when there was high crime there many years ago. One person indicated that he believed “unsavory” types hang out at the basketball courts. So, whether crime was historic, real or perceived, it remains a huge barrier to access and must be addressed in the planning and implementation phase of the process.

In addition, most of the sites identified numerous physical improvements that were needed.

Walk audits were the best method of identifying the specific improvements needed to create accessible

routes and an increased feeling of personal safety. These included improved visibility of street crossings with appropriate signage and pavement markings, adding traffic islands to mid-block crossings and improved lighting.

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er, once they began coordinating with their own Planning and Engineering Department, as well as with the Louisiana Department of Travel and Development, they not only were able to reroute the trail to connect to the park, but they also gained support of their department leadership, received additional funds for the park and have been hosting park cleanup days in the surrounding area.

In Vigo County, Indiana, the Safe Routes to Parks efforts included a walk audit with the state’s department of transportation and a state senator that gained the attention of local media and additional decision makers. By working with state leaders, the town was able to secure $8 million toward a walkway along a bridge that connects to the park site and to many other destinations.

This bridge project had been in the works for more than 10 years, but the pilot site team was able to get the funding and expedite the process by involving leadership and coordinating planning.

Finally, in Dayton, Ohio, improvements were included in the overall park master plan, but they also identified the need for a rapid-flashing beacon to help pedestrians get across a major boulevard.

This route happened to be along a Safe Routes to School route, and they were able to jointly apply for funding. This success, as Dayton says, “has become an agencywide initiative to ensure that barriers are removed to all parks in the system.

This program has allowed the need to create safe routes to all MetroParks to become a priority and A walk audit team surveys the routes to a park from the surrounding neighborhood to identify assets and barriers to park access and safety.

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become part of the everyday discussion for the planning of our parks.”

Although most of our sites did coordinate with larger planning efforts, some were able to make small changes that responded to the immediate needs of the community. For example, the New Bedford parks department was able to fix broken light bulbs, remove a softball fence that was unnecessary and a barrier to park access and add requested police patrol. In Athens Clarke County, Georgia, the department secured a small Community Development Block Grant to build a sidewalk in place of a worn down “social trail” that is traveled by more than 100 people a day. Both large plans and smaller, quick improvements, such as these, are needed to gain buy-in from community members and partners and to ensure these efforts are continually sustained.

Using the Action Framework The Safe Routes to Parks Action Framework is a simple, easy-to-use guide that can help start or continue the process of improving park safety and access in your community. As evidenced by the work of the pilot sites over the past year, the framework is applicable to a wide variety of park and recreation agencies and can be used as a reminder checklist or project guide.

“It is very easy to tailor the framework to fit your project and your community. It is structured to be very accommodating to all needs and is super easy to follow,” says the New Bedford contact.

The pilot sites offer the following advice when using the framework: • Be flexible. If your initial idea doesn’t work, be willing to shift

KEVIN HURLEY, VENTURE OUTDOORS

A student conducts a walk audit using a GoPro and geocaching.

gears and try something different.

— Ypsilanti • Expect delays, have patience and understand that the process is fluid. If an unforeseen opportunity arises during the process, take advantage of it; rework the task list to accommodate the opportunity.

— Morris Park Alliance • Be open to hearing what your community says. You may do site assessments and think you know what communities need/want, but when you gather folks together, you may hear a totally different message than what you were expecting. So, don’t go into it telling them what you’re going to do; ask what their thoughts are on what they’d like to see happen.

— Athens Clarke County

What’s Next for Safe Routes to Parks?

The Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership will continue to support NRPA and communities across the country to implement Safe Routes to Parks best practices through the Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program.

This program provides in-depth technical assistance and grant funding to communities to develop Safe Routes to Parks Action Plans and implement early actions from these plans. In addition, they will be creating tools and resources addressing some of the barriers and common areas of success that pilot sites identified, including personal safety, defining equity, setting the stage for community engagement and developing a standard audit tool.

NRPA will also continue to build on the success of Safe Routes to Parks, as it provides technical assistance and resources for the 10-Minute Walk campaign. This will include a Park & Rec Community Engagement guide and accompanying training.

We also want to hear more stories from you! Email Rachel Banner at rbanner@nrpa.org and let us know how you have used the framework, barriers, success or anything else you’d like to share about this initiative.

Rachel Banner is NRPA’s Health Program Manager (rbanner@nrpa.org).

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Parks and Recreation:

A Champion for

U H T YO Health

By Allison Colman

A

few years ago, at the NRPA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, the keynote speaker, Gil Penalosa, founder of the nonprofit 8 80 Cities, acknowledged that local park and recrePen ation agencies play a significant role in the health and wellness outcomes of their comati munities. Penalosa shared that, from his perspective, parks and recreation is more than mu playgrounds, ballfields and trails. It’s more than park maintenance and event planning, more than youth sports and fitness classes, and more than dog parks and swimming pools. While these are all things that parks and recreation includes and valuable services it provides for communities, Penalosa acknowledged that parks and recreation has an even bigger role and responsibility.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF COSTA MESA PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

YO U T H H E A LT H

Since 2014, one of NRPA’s strongest and most impactful initiatives, Commit to Health, has demonstrated the lifesaving potential of parks and how critical the role they play is in the communities they serve.

Lifesaving Parks While some may have chuckled at the thought of being a lifesaver, it’s true. Park and recreation professionals not only are leaders, but they are also healthcare workers, childcare providers, nutrition educators, coaches, mentors and role models. Each day, they are on the frontlines of major soci56

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etal issues, addressing the social determinants of health and working to improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable community members. They are change agents, paving a path for the future and investing directly in the physical and mental health and well-being of their constituents every day. Parks and recreation is an invaluable component of a healthy, connected, engaged and happy community.

Since 2014, one of NRPA’s strongest and most impactful initiatives, Commit to Health, has demonstrated the lifesaving potential of parks and how critical the role they play is in the communities they serve. Let’s start with some of the impact numbers:

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Kids attending summer camp programs in Costa Mesa, California, get hands-on experiences with the June Foods of the Month, Berries!

% More than 1,650 summer camp and before- and afterschool sites in 47 states have implemented the evidence-based Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards (www.nrpa. org/committohealth). % Annually, more than 300,000 youth have increased access to healthy and fresh foods and improved opportunities to engage in physical activity. % Eighty-five percent of Commit to Health sites serve a fruit or vegetable at each meal, 95 percent of those sites provide drinking wa-

Commit to Health agencies are leaders and healthcare workers.

Through Commit to Health, park and recreation staff members at every level have become leaders and champions for community health and wellness. Empowered with the tools, resources, a unique skill set and an extraordinary amount of passion, park and recreation staff members have embraced change and led the charge to build healthier youth, families and communities.

They have worked tirelessly to lead programming, build partnerships, and develop policy and planning efforts framed around the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity standards. This is all done to improve access to healthy and nutritious foods, increase

Each day, more than 10.2 million youth attend an out-of-schooltime (OST) program, with many of those attending a program at their local park and recreation agency.

physical activity opportunities and address rising rates of chronic disease and health disparities, including childhood obesity and type II diabetes, which disproportionately impact low-income communities. Their efforts ensure that all community members have access to environments that promote safe and affordable physical activity and sustainable access to healthy foods, ensuring that kids and families have access to the nutrients they need and, ultimately, improving health outcomes and quality of life for these vulnerable neighborhoods.

ing opportunities for social connections and continued learning and academic support. Parents and caregivers who rely on these OST programs believe these programs are a critical component in the developmental process for youth, engaging kids in multiple dimensions of academic, physical, emotional and cultural growth, leading to positive physical and mental health outcomes.

Commit to Health agencies are childcare providers.

Each day, more than 10.2 million youth attend an out-of-schooltime (OST) program, with many of those attending a program at their local park and recreation agency. The profession of childcare provider, afterschool educator or summer camp counselor are some of the most important roles in society. Childcare providers are on the frontlines of the day-to-day issues, struggles and successes that youth experience in their lives.

As childcare providers, park and recreation staff have a wide range of responsibilities. They are responsible for ensuring that kids are safe, protected and in a supportive environment when school is out of session. They are also responsible for fostering opportunities that keep kids engaged in enrichment activities, stimulating the mind and body while provid-

Kids in San Jose, California, enjoy eating healthy and trying new vegetables as part of their Commit to Health programming.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN JOSE PARKS, RECREATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES

ter and limit sugary beverages, 97 percent meet the daily physical activity recommendations for quantity and quality, and 90 percent are ensuring that kids are outside and off screens. % Kids who attend programming at Commit to Health sites experience a 20 percent increase in healthy-living knowledge, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and reducing the amount of processed foods and sugary beverages consumed. % Eighty-five million healthy meals have been served to 4.5 million youth in more than 300 communities across the county.

Pretty powerful, right? Beyond the numbers though, what’s even more powerful are the long-lasting individual and communitywide life-changing impacts local agencies and park and recreation professionals are creating through this work.

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Youth in Asheville, North Carolina, OST programs engage in 60 minutes of physical activity during summer camp programs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHEVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

Commit to Health agencies are nutrition educators and lifestyle leaders.

The impact of nutrition education efforts, coupled with a program environment that supports access to healthy foods and physical activity, is essential to establishing healthy habits in youth and families.

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While the adoption of site-wide and agency-wide wellness policies is central to the Commit to Health campaign, the provision of nutrition and healthy-living education is equally as important. Nutrition education, cooking classes, taste-testing activities and hands-on experiential activities that incorporate healthy foods are an effective mechanism for driving knowledge gain and associated behavior changes in youth, staff and caregivers.

With support from the Walmart Foundation, NRPA has worked closely with Healthy Networks Design and Research since 2014 to evaluate the impact of Commit to Health (HEPA) standards, the provision of summer and afterschool meals through the USDA Child Nutrition programs, and nutrition education on youth, caregivers and park and recreation staff. Research (www.nrpa.org/committo health) has documented the positive impact of these three interventions on each target group, including: % A 20 percent increase in fruit and vegetable knowledge in children who attend summer camp programming at Commit to Health sites. % Statistically significant increases in knowledge of nutrition topics, including reading nutrition labels, understanding MyPlate and the effects of sugar on the body and organs and that drinking water each day is important. % Improvements in children’s eating behaviors, including eating new fruits, vegetables and whole

grains, drinking more water and milk and drinking fewer sugary beverages. % Reports of parents/caregivers eating new fruits and vegetables, trying new foods, cooking according to MyPlate and cooking more as a family. % Improvements in staff (many of whom are older teens and young adults) knowledge of healthy living and in staff making associated behavior changes, such as increased fruit and vegetable consumption and reduction in sugary beverage consumption.

The impact of nutrition education efforts, coupled with a program environment that supports access to healthy foods and physical activity, is essential to establishing healthy habits in youth and families. These changes reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for all populations.

Commit to Health agencies are social workers, mentors and role models.

It’s no secret that eating healthy, moving more, spending time outdoors and having positive social experiences with friends and family contribute to significant improvements in mental health. Kids, parents and staff report that kids who attend park and recreation programs at Commit to Health sites are healthier, happier, less stressed and increasingly socially engaged with their peers. The need for fostering these positive social and emotional outcomes and for understanding the links to physical and mental health is perhaps greater than it’s ever been. Communities across the country are struggling to deal with traumatic experiences and other matters frequently impacting youth and families, from rising rates of substance use and the crippling opioid epidemic, to violence and school safety concerns and significant educational, economic and health disparities that continue to plague low-income communities.

Since they are well-connected to all aspects of community, park and recreation professionals are often the first to identify, acknowledge and address the needs of kids in crisis. Staff members see it all: kids who are struggling with a crisis at home, kids who are at risk of becoming a victim to violence or gang involvement and kids whose families are struggling to put food on the table and keep the electricity turned on. Out-of-schooltime programs that provide protective factors, including enrichment activities, youth sports and physical activity, access to healthy foods, youth development opportunities, tutoring and mentorship, and social experiences, can transform lives. These critical offerings support improved mental and social-emotional health

It’s no secret that eating healthy, moving more, spending time outdoors and having positive social experiences with friends and family contribute to significant improvements in mental health. through the positive effects of physical activity and a connection to nature, but also by providing opportunities to link relationship-building skills, teamwork and respect to existing activities.

Out-of-school-time programs in park and recreation settings are well-positioned to continue to infuse more of these social-emotional learning aspects into daily programming and activities, supporting positive physical growth and development and improved mental health.

Is your agency leading communitywide health and wellness efforts? Reach out and tell your story! Contact Allison Colman at acolman@nrpa.org to share your work.

Allison Colman is an NRPA Program Manager (acolman@nrpa.org).

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NRPA UPDATE Introducing the Health and Wellness Advisory Panel’s Newest Members

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e are excited to welcome the newest members of NRPA’s Health and Wellness Advisory Panel. The panel serves as a sounding board for new ideas and practices and provides oversight, feedback and subject-matter expertise for NRPA’s health and wellness programs and initiatives.

Anne K. LaRock Strategic Planning and Fundraising Counsel Anne LaRock just wrapped up a 6½-year tenure as the New Orleans Recreation Development Foundation’s first executive director, having raised $9 million for the Orleans Parish recreation system, including its Fit NOLA Live Well program. For more than 25 years in New York City, she was the chief fundraiser for organizations, such as the International Center of Photography and Martha Graham Dance Company and consulted for the NAACP Legal Education and Defense Fund, Hazelden and Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the Smithsonian Institution. LaRock moved to New Orleans post-Katrina and secured major grants for the local United Way for rebuilding and social services.

She returns to consulting from her New Orleans base in June 2018.

Art Hendricks Equity and Inclusion Manager, Portland Parks and Recreation Art Hendricks is the equity and inclusion manager for Portland Parks and Recreation. His department develops culturally responsive programs and expands outreach and engagement for under-represented communities. Hendricks has more than 30 years of experience working in the field of program management with an emphasis in diversity development, equity and inclusion that spans both private and public sectors. His portfolio includes developing marketing and public participation processes to increase the involvement of communities of color in city of Portland programs and working with policymakers to develop policy and culturally specific programs that increase access and improve outcomes for families of color.

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Ava DeBovis National Network Manager, Alliance for a Healthier Generation As the national network manager for the healthy out-of-school-time initiative at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Ava Young DeBovis is responsible for leading Healthier Generation’s partnerships with the national youth-serving organizations, like NRPA, the National AfterSchool Association, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She also provides training, technical assistance and resources for out-of-schooltime programs across the country as they work to achieve nutrition and physical activity standards and best practices. DeBovis has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Charleston and a master’s in public administration, with a concentration in nonprofit management from Arkansas State University. She began her career in health and wellness after completing terms of national service with AmeriCorps VISTA and Feeding America’s Child Hunger Corps.

Clement Lau Departmental Facilities Planner, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Dr. Clement Lau, AICP, has more than 17 years of professional experience in urban and regional planning. Currently, Dr. Lau is a departmental facilities planner with the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, where he works on a variety of park and recreation planning projects. He enjoys writing about a wide range of planning issues and is on the author panel for UrbDeZine. He holds a doctorate and master’s in urban planning from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

Erika Devore Executive Director, Kansas Recreation and Park Association Erika Devore is the executive director of the Kansas Recreation and Park Association. She is a registered dietitian and has spent her career addressing childhood obesity through treatment and prevention. Her career has given her the opportunity to serve on several health and food policy coalitions. Devore has a degree in biology from Temple University and a master’s in dietetics and nutrition from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

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Justin Cutler, MPA CPRE, Recreation Services Manager, City of Westminster, Colorado Justin Cutler is the recreation services manager for the city of Westminster, a three-time gold medal-winning agency. He and his team oversee 288,000 square feet of recreation facilities and more than 1,000 recreation programs. Cutler has a passion for continuous improvement, leadership, public health integration and local government, and has presented on these topics at state, regional and national conference. He has served in roles, such as executive director, analyst and recreation coordinator, in both rural and urban settings. What Cutler enjoys most about his work is building partnerships with nontraditional partners, and empowering the members of his team to move beyond their perceived abilities to achieve more than they could imagine.

Kate Robb, Senior Program Manager – Environmental Health, American Public Health Association Kate Robb is the senior program manager for environmental health in the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Center for Public Health Policy. In this role, she oversees the environmental health program, which includes healthy community design and natural environment initiatives, with a focus on improving environmental health systems and building partnerships. Robb has experience in partnering across sectors to advance health equity by demonstrating the land-use and built environment impacts on our health. Prior to joining APHA, she worked on a local level to progress walkability and chronic disease prevention initiatives. Robb received her master’s in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Shelly Strasser, Director, West Allis-West Milwaukee Recreation and Community Services Shelly Strasser is in her ninth year as the director of recreation and community services for the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. Its department serves the city of West Allis and the Village of West Milwaukee, which are urban suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (combined population of 65,000). Strasser has a bachelor’s degree in recreation and a master’s in education professional development from the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse. She is a member of the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, serving on the Professional Development School Committee, and a member of local organizations focused on health and wellness in the community. Strasser has been working in the field of parks and recreation for 30 years.

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Meet Me at the Park Earth Month Winners Announced

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hroughout April, the public cast their votes and nominations to direct grant funding for park improvement projects as part of the Meet Me at the Park Earth Month campaign. Meet Me at the Park has brought the fun of parks and recreation to children and families across the United States since 2014.

This program is part of NRPA and Disney’s commitment to provide 1 mil-

lion kids and families with greater access to play.

Fifteen park projects were selected by popular vote and each received a $20,000 grant to help make improvements or expand programs. Projects that will receive funding include nature pathways, a learn-to-bike program and environmental education workshops. The voting public also nominated a 16th city to receive an additional grant — Weslaco, Texas.

The 15 projects, as determined by public vote, are: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Austin, Texas: Austin Goes Ga-ga!

Brevard County, Florida: Sam’s House at Pine Island Charlotte, North Carolina: Traveling Learn-to-Ride Trailer Chicago, Illinois: Big Marsh Durham, North Carolina: Rock Quarry Park Fresno, California: F.R.O.G. (Fresno Recreation Outdoor Group) Hartford, Connecticut: Keney Park Houston, Texas: Wagner Neighborhood Park Los Angeles, California: Class (Clean and Safe Spaces) Program Miami, Florida: ECO Summer Adventures at Sgt. Joseph Delancy Park New York, New York: Study the Stars at Flushing Meadows Corona Park Orlando, Florida: Engelwood Neighborhood Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Adaptive Hiking San Francisco, California: Greenagers Program at Bayview Hill Park Seattle, Washington: Camp Long Camp Out

Thank YOU Thank you for nominating and voting for your favorite park projects and cities during the Meet Me at the Park Earth Month campaign.

Thanks to you, 16 communities will be able to enjoy new programs and park amenities.

Check out the selected projects at: NRPA.org/disney

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What’s the Buzz? Celebrating Pollinators This June

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s flowers continue to bloom this month, we see more of our favorite bees and butterflies visiting pollinator-friendly plants and habitats. To celebrate our favorite buzz-worthy friends, as well as to promote the important work that parks and recreation plays in protecting these vital species, NRPA is partnering with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation on the #Parks4Pollinators Photo Contest.

Launching on June 4, the #Parks4Pollinators Photo Contest encourages everyone to post a pollinator photo on social media, using the hashtag #Parks4Polllinators. Each Friday, NRPA will choose the best photo and award a Miracle-Gro Nature’s Care prize pack that includes Nature’s Care products, garden gloves and a garden trowel (prize valued at approximately $100). Photos can be submitted each week of the contest — that means there are four chances to win. Examples of pollinators include species of ants, bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, flies, moths, wasps, as well as other unusual animals.

You can learn more about and enter the contest at www.nrpa.org/ parks4pollinators.

In addition, June kicks off NRPA’s partnership with The Scotts Miracle-Gro

Foundation to provide funding to five park and recreation agencies. The funding will allow onthe-ground survey research that will aid in understanding the public’s perception of the pollinator crisis. Five park and recreation agencies have been selected to help conduct the research and include: • Chicago Park District, Chicago, Illinois • Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Houston, Texas • Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department, Miami, Florida • City of Providence, Department of Public Parks,

Nearly all Americans agree that promoting pollinator health should be a conservation priority across the United States.

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Providence, Rhode Island • Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle, Washington NRPA will be sharing results from this research in the coming months.

In a recent poll, conducted by NRPA, nearly all Americans agree that promoting pollinator health should be a conservation priority across the United States. We know that the fruits, vegetables and many nuts we eat, and the flowering plants we see are the result of pollination. Pollinators play a key role in agriculture, estimated to be a $577 billion industry that employs millions of people worldwide.

Promoting pollinator health is an important step to take to protect against the decline and death of pollinators, such as honey bees and other insects, and increasing their habitat.

NRPA is partnering with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation because of their combined mission to protect pollinators for the well-being of our health, food supply, natural environment and economy.

NRPA and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation recognize that parks play a key role in protecting and preserving pollinators and their habitats.

Stay tuned to NRPA’s social accounts this month to celebrate all things pollinators — especially during Pollinator Week, June 18–24.

NRPA’s Public Policy Team on Capitol Hill

By Kate Clabaugh, MSW, and Kyle Simpson

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RPA’s public policy team has been hard at work on Capitol Hill, making the case that park and recreation agencies have a role to play in some of the hottest debates happening right now in Congress.

NRPA spearheaded an effort with our partners at the US Water Alliance and the National League of Cities to host a congressional briefing on green infrastructure as part of Infrastructure Week. The event, “Water, Parks, and Cities: Partners in Green Infrastructure,” brought Kathryn Ott Lovell, Philadelphia’s commissioner of parks and recreation; Kishia Powell, commissioner of the city of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management; and Cynthia Pratt, deputy mayor of Lacey, Washington, to Washington, D.C., to discuss green infrastructure. The panel, aimed at congressional staff, was NRPA’s first event as an affiliate of Infrastructure Week. All three panelists talked extensively about opportunities for park agencies and water utilities to work together to implement green infrastructure at scale.

Atlanta and Philadelphia exemplify how overcoming political, institutional and financial challenges to build strong relationships between water utility and park departments can transform neighborhoods and cities. From the Historic Fourth Ward Park in Atlanta to the dozens of water/parks partnerships throughout the city of Philadelphia, examples abound of multifunctional green infrastructure projects that provide huge benefits to the respective cities.

On the health and wellness front, NRPA has been advocating alongside key out-of-school-time partners, including the Afterschool Alliance, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National 4-H Council, to raise the profile of quality summer and afterschool programs as a critical strategy in combatting the nation’s opioid epidemic. Montgomery County (Maryland) Recreation was invited by the Senate Afterschool Caucus to present on its Excel Beyond the Bell (EBB) program as part of a Capitol

Hill briefing, titled “Afterschool & Summer Learning Programs: Key Partners in Prevention & Response to the Substance Abuse Crisis,” (check out this Afterschool Alliance blog about our briefing at https://tinyurl.com/ybqhs9zm).

EBB aims to keep young people healthy, productive and connected during out-of-school time. It is the ideal example of how park and recreation agencies are redefining substance use prevention among youth. With a proven track record for increasing resilience, supporting positive youth development and preventing substance use, EBB has shown how investing in afterschool and summer learning programs is a cost-effective way for Congress to help build and enhance an integrated trauma-informed system that supports children, youth and families impacted by the substance misuse crisis in this country.

A few other key events on Capitol Hill are already in the works for this summer as the public policy team continues the fight for the

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Kathryn Ott Lovell (left) and City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management’s Kishia Powell participated in the recently held green infrastructure briefing on Capitol Hill.

federal dollars used by park and recreation agencies nationwide — stay tuned!

— Kate Clabaugh, MSW, and Kyle Simpson, NRPA’s Senior Government Affairs Managers

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Navigating Indianapolis’ ‘Circle City’

By Tom Crosley

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ost of us have been guilty of this in the past: We visit a conference city for three or four days, returning home and then realizing we only saw the inside of an airport, taxi cab, hotel room and conference center. So how do we get a meaningful connection with the conference host city?

A great way to build a connection with the “Circle City” of Indianapolis and the surrounding area is to take advantage of one of the Off-Site Institutes (OSI) or Mobile Workshops that we’ve expanded for the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference. Here is just a small sampling of some of the highlights:

OSI #6 Garfield Park: Transforming the City’s Oldest Park Dating back to 1889, before there was an official park system in Indianapolis, Garfield Park has been preserved as a jewel of the George E. Kessler Park and Boulevard System. There was a time when the park and the surrounding neighborhood had fallen on hard times and was avoided by many visitors.

Thanks to passionate neighbors, the Friends of Garfield Park, the staff, and local foundations and partners, the legacy and classic character of the park have been embraced and updated to provide amenities and programs that fit with the artsy Garfield and neighboring Fountain Square cultural districts. Attendees will get to explore the Cultural Trail, Pleasant Run Trail and Garfield Park’s sunken gardens, Conservatory, Art and Family Centers, and programs offered.

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OSI #7 Friends Groups and Foundations: A Key to Leveraging Resources for Your Park A park can’t live on tax dollars alone — enter the friends group or foundation. These entities are not bound by the normal restrictions of the local government and, as such, can get a tremendous amount done IF everyone is on the same page! We will visit three Indianapolis parks with different approaches to community engagement: Holliday Park, Garfield Park and Eagle Creek Park.

OSI #13 Indy’s Pro Sports Facilities: In a League of Their Own How far are you from a professional grade facility? Maybe not as far as you think! We’ll look at some local facilities, give folks time to ask some questions, and dive in to how each sports franchise gives back to the community.

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Mobile Workshop: Connecting People to the White River Through the Riverside Park Master Plan Regional Park, a 862-acre park along the White River, is the second-largest public space in Indianapolis. However, development pressures, changing trends, budget challenges, as well as a community that’s disconnected from the White River because of pollution and flood-control structures resulted in the need for a master plan. This session will review the park’s master planning process with an emphasis on how this plan is part of a larger effort to restore the White River, including promoting stewardship and appreciation for the river through recreational opportunities for residents. Join our adventure to envision the future Riverside Park through a bike ride and a float down the river.

Preregistration is required for each OSI and Mobile Workshop and these opportunities to explore the host city fill up fast. So, I encourage you to check out the full list of workshops at www.nrpa. org/conference-training, today.

— Tom Crosley, NRPA’s Senior Manager of Education

N R PA C E RT I F I C AT I O N

Protect Your Playgrounds.

protect your agency.

Get Certified.

Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSIs) help ensure children have safe places to play.

Not only that, becoming a CPSI opens the door for career advancement and increased job mobility.

www.nrpa.org/CPSI

©Myles Mellor

Parks & Recreation Crossword

Across 1 It might be transactional or transformational 6 Night gear, for short 8 Prior to now 9 Agave plant 10 Question and answer sessions, abbr.

11 Children’s game 12 Best bud 14 Green-building certification letters 15 Spur on to bigger and better things 16 Rushed 17 Eventually 19 Courageous 22 Six-point scores, for short 24 Succeed 25 Lao-tzu principle 26 Committed, like parks and recreation staff 30 Functions 33 Feeling of fellowship with others: what parks create 35 Yes, captain 36 Moist 37 Quiet!

38 Where reeds grow

Down 1 Staunchness, what good leaders inspire 2 Very old 3 Physical, for one 4 National Park in the Sierra Nevada 5 Encourage 6 Big golfing event 7 Casual runners 8 City planning to create 20 new parks in 2018 and beyond 13 One of the top baby girl’s names of 2018 18 Time just before an event 19 Make of pen 20 Chromosome stuff 21 Compete with a rival 23 Looking innocent, like a deer (2 words) 24 Madison’s state 26 Teals and mallards, for example 27 Half ___, in Yosemite 28 Day outings 29 Desert-like 31 Manicured area 32 Tennis units 34 Land of the brave and free

Check the answers to the crossword at www.nrpa.org/crossword. As an added bonus for completing the crossword, you can enter a drawing to receive a Park and Recreation Month T-shirt and NRPA tumbler. The winner will be randomly selected and notified June 29, 2018.

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N R PA I N I T I AT I V E

#DISCOVERJULY | WWW.NRPA.ORG/JULY

N R PA U P DAT E

We’ve Got You Covered!

Hot Topics Summer is here and, while the weather is heating up, so are the conversations on NRPA Connect. Check out a preview of the hottest conversations below: Going Trash-less – Members discuss going trash-less in their local parks and share their experiences when requesting visitors carry out their own trash instead of offering trash receptacles. What are the pros and cons to this approach? Learn about alternative ways to keep your park litter-free, including volunteer groups and clean-up days.

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Tents in Parking Lots for Special Events – It’s the season of outdoor events and, with the growing popularity of events, such as farmers markets, professionals are inquiring about the use in parking lots of tents that need to be secured into the pavement. Do you have a policy for tents that are being used in parking lots?

Health Choices in Snack Bar – Looking to add healthier items to your concession stand this summer? Members have suggestions to help their communities make healthier choices.

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RPA insurance programs, sponsored by K&K, are the one-stop shop for park and recreation organizations and individuals in need of insurance. These insurance programs are specifically tailored to fit your needs at competitive prices.

NRPA-sponsored insurance programs include the following:

Team Sports Combined Liability & Accident Insurance

Football Combined Liability & Accident Insurance

General Liability and Excess Accident Medical coverage for youth and adult baseball, softball, basketball, hockey, swimming and other team sports.

General Liability and Excess Accident Medical coverage for youth tackle, flag and touch football teams.

Instructors & Interns Liability Insurance

Blanket Accidents Insurance

General Liability coverage for instructors and interns, while acting within the scope of their duties granted to them by the sponsoring organization.

Excess Accident Medical coverage for participants, coaches, trainers and managers who engage in supervised recreation activities sponsored by your organization.

Equipment Property Program

Directors’ & Officers’ Liability Insurance Programs

Property coverage for inventory of sports equipment.

Scavenger Hunts – Need some ideas for hosting a scavenger hunt in your community? Members share their creative examples of events they’ve hosted through their agencies. Browse their examples to help you plan your next event.

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Have an answer or suggestion you would like to share? Visit www.nrpaconnect.org to join the conversation.

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Liability insurance for directors and officers, provided to nonprofit entities involved in the recreation field.

Visit www.nrpainsurance.com for applications and brochures. Email NRPA Membership Programs Manager Hayley Herzing at hherzing@nrpa.org if you have any questions.

The 2018 Gold Medal Awards Finalists

By Tom Crosley

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he American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with NRPA, is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2018 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Musco Lighting LLC has been a proud sponsor of the Gold Medal Awards program for more than 10 years.

Since 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program has served as a testament to the hard work and dedication of agencies that strive to meet the needs of diverse communities.

The Gold Medal is a comprehensive award that looks at the many challenges agencies face and at how they are leveraging resources to meet those challenges. The Gold Medal Awards program includes seven classes: five classes based on popula-

tion, one class for armed forces recreation and one class for state park systems in odd-numbered years.

A panel of five park and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials.

Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both the local and national levels.

Excitement is building as the 24 Gold Medal Finalists prepare for the

Grand Award announcement during the September 25 Opening General Session at the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Please join us in congratulating the 2018 Gold Medal Finalists listed below.

— Tom Crosley, NRPA’s Senior Manager of Education

CLASS I

Class II

Class III

(population 400,001 and over)

(population 150,001 – 400,000)

(population 75,001 – 150,000)

• East Baton Rouge Recreation & Park Commission (BREC) – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

• Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation – Arlington, Virginia

• Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department – Bloomington, Indiana

• City of Arlington Parks and Recreation – Arlington, Texas

• City of Evanston, Parks, Recreation and Community Services – Evanston, Illinois

• City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department – Tampa, Florida

• Greeley Culture, Parks and Recreation – Greeley, Colorado

• Tualatin Hills (OR) Park & Recreation District – Beaverton, Oregon

• Lawrence Parks and Recreation – Lawrence, Kansas

CLASS IV

CLASS V

(population 30,001 – 75,000)

(population less than 30,000)

Armed Forces Recreation

• Centerville-Washington Park District – Centreville, Ohio

• Glencoe Park District – Glencoe, Illinois

• Louisville Parks and Recreation – Louisville, Kentucky • Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board – Minneapolis, Minnesota • Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation – Lake Worth, Florida

• City of Waukesha Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department – Waukesha, Wisconsin • Lombard Park District – Lombard, Illinois • Town of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation – Castle Rock, Colorado

• Homewood-Flossmoor Park District – Flossmoor, Illinois • Williston Parks and Recreation District – Williston, North Dakota • Windsor Parks, Recreation & Culture – Windsor, Colorado

• Marine Corps Air Station – Iwakuni, Japan • Naval Air Station Pensacola – Pensacola, Florida • Portsmouth Naval Shipyard – Kittery, Maine • United States Naval Station – Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

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Member Spotlight: Patrick Wesley

By Vitisia Paynich

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or nearly two decades, Patrick Wesley has devoted his career to parks and recreation, and currently serves as assistant director at Shreveport Public Assembly & Recreation in Louisiana. Over the years, Wesley has also volunteered his time and expertise to NRPA, working with the staff across multiple program areas, including OST/Commit to Health and Healthy Aging in Parks/CDC Arthritis work.

Parks & Recreation magazine recently spoke with Wesley to learn more about his most meaningful health and wellness programs, why youths see his agency as a safe space and who has served as his role models throughout his career.

Parks & Recreation magazine: How did you get your start in parks and recreation?

Patrick Wesley: I initially started in higher education, working in student affairs at a local community college in Shreveport and transitioned to parks and recreation administration. I’ve been working for the city of Shreveport for a little over 19 years. The higher education experience, dealing with student development, helped me transition into parks administration.

P&R: Of all the health and wellness programs you have worked on over the years, which is the nearest/ dearest to you? Why? Wesley: My youth programs and therapeutic recreation programs are most dear to me, because I see kids start from the development stage, learning the fundamental skills of athletic programs or recreational 72

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programs. With my therapeutic recreation programs, we’re dealing with special needs populations, and just seeing the smiles on their faces and [watching them] enjoying their programs and activities are invaluable.

P&R: Do you believe the kids who participate in your programs see your agency as a safe space?

Wesley: We have 16 community centers located throughout Shreveport, and we are the true safe havens that kids can come to and just participate in leisure and recreation activities, athletic events and programs. We’re seeing a difference.

A lot of times, the media does not highlight much of the good our youth are doing on a day-to-day basis, but we see thousands and thousands of kids who are participating in our afterschool programs, athletic and recreation events, and special events; volunteering in our parks by picking up trash; exploring our conservation movement — and it’s making our communities a lot better here in Shreveport.

P&R: Do you think offering health and wellness programs, especially during the summer, helps kids make better choices about their own health and well-being?

Wesley: Yes, most definitely. Probably one of our most popular

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programs that we facilitate in the summer is called our Safe Summer Basketball League for kids ages 10 to 24. They play on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. to almost midnight. One of the caveats of the program is that we use the sport of basketball to bring kids into our safe haven. Prior to playing in their league game, they are required to attend a mandatory 30-minute life-skills workshop before they can get onto the basketball court. For this workshop, we bring in the police department, fire department and several social service agencies to talk to them about life skills, making good decisions and the consequences of making bad decisions. We say, ‘No workshop, no jump shot!’ We have thousands of kids participate, and we average about 70 teams per summer that participate. And before they know it, the summer is over and they’ve gained this invaluable experience and knowledge that they possibly wouldn’t have had in a regular basketball league. The feedback on this program is that it has been well-received by participants and parents.

P&R: Is there someone who served as a mentor or role model throughout your career? If so, tell us about that individual.

Wesley: My mentors are my parents, who built that foundation for me to be successful as a recreation professional.

— Vitisia Paynich, Freelance Writer for Parks & Recreation magazine

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

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

SCHOOLS AND CONFERENCES NRPA DIRECTORS SCHOOL: UPDATED CURRICULUM

SEP

Note: No courses in July.

10-11 12-13 27-28

Gainesville, Florida Orefield, Pennsylvania Ceres, California

www.nrpa.org/AFO

www.nrpa.org/education

CPSI PROGRAM JUN

Troy, Michigan

November 5-8, 2018

13-15 18-29

Hillsboro, Oregon Arlington, Texas

JUL

24-25

September 25-27, 2018, Indiana Convention Center

17-19 17-19

Raleigh, North Carolina San Mateo, California

AUG

JUNE

AFO PROGRAM

August 26-31, 2018

7-9 21-23 27-30

Irvine, California Livermore, California Wheat Ridge, Colorado

SEP

The new Directors School, which debuts this August, will feature an updated curriculum and in a new location — the beautiful Hyatt Lodge in Oak Brook, Illinois. These changes ensure that students continue to receive the best possible education and experience.

The NRPA Directors School is an exclusive two-year professional development opportunity that prepares new and potential park and recreation directors to be effective leaders. Students who complete the program will leave with the knowledge and confidence to face emerging challenges, improve operations and maximize positive impact on their communities. Registration is open, and first-year students must go through an application process. Visit www.nrpa.org/Directors for more information.

12-14 17-19 19-21

Roanoke, Virginia Griffin, Georgia Dublin, Ohio

www.nrpa.org/CPSI

Now accepting applications for five $1,000 year-one student and five $1,000 year-two student D-School scholarships until June 15, 2018.

Visit www.nrpa.org/Directors to apply. This scholarship program was made possible through the generosity of The Toro Company and The Toro Foundation.

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OPERATIONS Soak Up the Shade

By Cassie Pais

O

n sunny days, millions of people across the country flock to their local park to play, picnic, exercise and simply soak up the sun. However, research suggests that because of the increasing potency of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation (UVR), sun exposure can have detrimental health impacts.

When it comes to sun safety, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, sun safety proponents recommend layering multiple sun safety solutions, such as both lathering on sunscreen AND covering up with sun-safe clothing and hats, to help protect from the dangers of excessive sun exposure. However,

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these protective measures are not the only solutions to protect park users from the harmful rays of the sun — there are also community and systems-level solutions to sun safety that parks can champion.

One solution that is receiving increased attention is the use of urban forests. Phoenix, Los Angeles,

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Houston, New York and Chicago are among the major U.S. cities that have implemented urban forest initiatives to increase their tree canopies. As communities across the country follow their example and consider urban forest strategies to “green” their public areas, sun safety should also be recognized as an additional benefit of increased shade these urban forests offer park users.

Why Trees?

Tree canopies are a natural, afford-

Phoenix Parks and Recreation has committed to plant 1,500 trees per year in city parks until 2030.

Phoenix Parks and Recreation: Setting the Example Sun safety has long been a serious challenge for the city of Phoenix.

Between the growing population of more than 1.5 million citizens and approximately 100 days of temperatures above 100 degrees annually, the desert city faces serious challenges around public health, increased energy costs and increased water consumption. As Phoenix considered the various multifaceted and long-term solutions to address this problem, one solution stood above the rest: trees!

The city of Phoenix implemented the Tree and Shade Master Plan (www.phoenix.gov/parks/parks/ urban-forest) in 2010, to improve

PHOENIX PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

efits, ranging from approximately $30 to $90 per tree. The return on investment for urban forests is so reliable that businesses and investors across the world are catching on (https://tinyurl.com/y9vxry5q) and investing in trees. Moreover, trees and other natural shade options have been found to decrease physical and emotional stress, and even reduce violence during periods of surging temperatures.

Support for urban forests is on the rise throughout the United States. By leveraging the momentum around urban forests, communities can simultaneously enjoy their economic and environmental benefits and increase shade cover to ensure all residents have protection from the sun while enjoying the countless benefits of parks and recreation.

PHOENIX PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

able and sustainable shade solution for parks and other public spaces.

On sunny days, trees offer a natural screen to shield individuals from the dangers of UVR exposure. This is especially true in park and recreation facilities. As park and recreation professionals, we know that children rarely demonstrate “shade-seeking behavior.” In out-of-school time, children often spend hours playing in direct sunlight — usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the rate of UVR exposure is highest (https://tinyurl. com/y96r5s2m). By increasing tree cover around playgrounds, sports fields and throughout parks, communities can significantly reduce the risk of excessive sun exposure for children and ensure that healthy play opportunities are available all summer long.

Trees are a prime example of a solution multiplier and a low-cost, high-yield investment. While there are other shade canopy solutions, such as engineered shade structures, trees offer countless additional environmental, economic and social benefits. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), strategically planted trees and vegetation reduce surface and air temperatures through evapotranspiration and shading. Shade from trees has been found to reduce energy use, particularly when used to shade buildings, as well as delay the deterioration of street pavement and required street/sidewalk maintenance.

Studies by the EPA, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other sources have demonstrated a strong return on investment for tree planting and urban forests, with net annual ben-

the city’s overall health, prosperity and feasibility. This road map lays out an ambitious goal to achieve an average 25 percent tree canopy coverage by 2030. Phoenix has made extensive progress, including completing a citywide tree inventory, urban forest resource assessment and designing a citywide canopy map.

As of 2018, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has upheld its commitment to plant 1,500 trees per year in city parks until 2030. In heavy urbanized areas with minimal space or poor soil resources, the city uses complementary engineered shade structures to provide equitable protection from the sun.

This critical initiative was devel-

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PHOENIX PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT

OPERATIONS

Strategically planted trees and vegetation reduce surface and air temperatures through evapotranspiration and shading.

oped and driven by the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department.

Using existing staff and resources, the department developed and implemented the Tree and Shade Master Plan in-house. The department also created the Tree and Shade Task Force and mobilized community members, businesses and

As communities across the country grapple with rising temperatures and worsening UVR exposure, trees are a relatively simple, high-impact solution to promote community health and offer protection from the sun.

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volunteers to support implementation and tree planting. Through a combination of educational programming in the community, videos, informational brochures, presentations and workshops, the city found it easy to garner community support for this long-term and large-scope investment. The city also developed an online treeinventory application for residents to increase community engagement.

While notable progress has been made, there is growing awareness in Phoenix that a substantial increase is needed in the number of trees planted annually to reach the citywide goal. And, not just by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department; participation is needed from all city departments, and the broader community, to cool the city. This is particularly true in the city’s most transit-dependent neighborhoods, where the current tree canopy is limited. Neighborhoods with vulnerable populations are in need of additional trees to mitigate the effects of the urban heat island (www.epa.gov/ heat-islands/using-trees-and-vege tation-reduce-heat-islands).

Replication While much work remains to be done, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department and the city of Phoenix have enjoyed success with this internationally recognized initiative — and the great news is that your department can enjoy this too. With an understanding of environmental awareness and design and a commitment to sustainable development, Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department believes this framework is replicable and sustainable.

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As with any new initiative, the department encountered challenges to implementation, including limited staff resources, burdensome procurement procedures and collaboration with the various stakeholders. While urban forests and shade canopies have a strong return on investment, these initiatives do come with added expenses. To finance the initiative, it added a new budget line item for the purchase of trees and notes that replication of this model requires a commitment to both best maintenance practices and allocation of budgetary resources. The EPA’s studies of urban forestry programs suggest that pruning is often the greatest expenditure, followed by administration and inspection expenses. Tree planting is one of the lowest costs, accounting for only 2–15 percent of total annual urban forestry expenditures.

As communities across the country grapple with rising temperatures and worsening UVR exposure, trees are a relatively simple, high-impact solution to promote community health and offer protection from the sun. As Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department points out, “a little care and maintenance can last a lifetime.”

To learn more about the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department’s Tree and Shade Master Plan, go to www.phoenix.gov/ parks/parks/urban-forest.

Do you have other examples of natural and/or creative shade structures to share? Please contact Cassie Pais at cpais@nrpa.org.

Cassie Pais is NRPA’s Development Officer (cpais@nrpa.org).

N R PA I N ST I T U T E

NRPA

Directors School

Preparing Park and Recreation Leaders

For the Challenges of Tomorrow

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OPERATIONS

A Shade Structure for Every Occasion

By Jennifer Graves

O

pen-air structures bring a community together. They provide protective areas for gatherings, entertainment and relaxing, define a space and welcome visitors with a visual cue that announces, “something happens here.”

So, how do I attract people to my park and get them to stay and enjoy our facilities longer? As parks look for more unique and creative ways to make their site the go-to place for community recreation and events, these questions are top of mind. Whether you have a small park or an entire complex, there is one common factor — shade.

Some Things to Consider When Choosing a Shade Structure:

1

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Don’t overlook the details that give shelters their clean lines and longlasting protection.

2

Keep maintenance minimal with precision-cut steel components that eliminate exposed bolts and remove the typical nesting locations for birds, preventing unsightly messes.

3

Look for a manufacturer that offers a variety of finish options to best fit your area and climate with superior durability.

4

Ask about options to incorporate wiring for lighting and security that can be concealed within the structure columns instead of in exposed, unsightly conduits. Also, ask about capabilities, such as steel gutters and downspouts that can be color matched to integrate with the frame color and design, inclusion of solar panels, factory-stained tongue & groove, and polycarbonate panels that can replace metal roofing to allow natural light to shine through.

Parks & Recreation

Shade allows visitors to stay outside longer, protected from harsh weather and overexposure to the sun, which increases the chances of various skin cancers. It keeps them cool and protects any equipment underneath from ultraviolet and weather damage. Shade is essential in parks, and can be created through many different types of structures and materials.

Today’s pavilions go beyond the basic and traditional and can be designed and engineered for each specific site, starting with the ideas and needs of the park. Whether it’s a large picnic pavilion or a small

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seating area along a walkway, agencies can customize shade structures that are as unique as their facility and community.

Amphitheaters can be an eye-catching first impression and central hub within a park for hosting public events, concerts and performances. Through ticket admission and fundraisers, the amphitheater can be a great resource to bring money back to a community and local charities. It can become a focal point within a park and make the park even more of a destination spot. With the ability to personalize a structure and increase site recognition with laser-cut medallions and signage, or by adding attachment points for temporary banners to identify sponsors and local events, the amphitheater can also serve a dual purpose as an advertisement for the park and its event. With the ever-increasing interest of online reviews, and social sharing, a unique

PHOTO COURTESY POLIGON

Amphitheaters, like this eye-catching one, can become a focal point within a park, making it even more of a destination spot.

structure can become a landmark to beckon others to the park.

Days at the athletic field can be long and hot in the summer. There, shade is important not only for the athletes, but also for the spectators.

Open-air structures can be designed to coordinate throughout the entire complex, creating a uniformed look from the dugouts and bleacher covers to the concession areas, and providing comfort that entices people to stay, as well as to come back.

Outdoor facilities are gaining in popularity as people look for opportunities to forge a greater connection with nature. Farmer’s markets can be developed for a permanent venue so merchants no longer have to transport tents. Parks are adding outdoor fitness areas with equipment and interactive games that need protection from the elements.

Playgrounds and splash pads are incorporating shade to allow children to play longer without being overexposure to direct sunlight,

while helping to keep the playground equipment from getting too hot. Even dog parks need a place for pets and owners alike to stop and take a break.

Outdoor facilities are gaining in popularity as people look for opportunities to forge a greater connection with nature.

Open-air structures are more than just shade. They are wayfinding trellises and walkway covers that will guide visitors through your park. They are artistic expressions from landscape architects and designers. They are canopies and pavilions that bring family and friends together. Grab a paper and pencil to sketch out your next idea and start the process for a new destination in your community.

Shade Structure Grant Program The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Shade Structure Grant Program awards grants of up to $8,000 to public schools and nonprofit organizations for installing permanent shade structures for outdoor locations that are not protected from the sun, such as playgrounds, pools or recreation spaces. In addition to the grant, the AAD also provides a permanent sign for display near the shade structure.

The application window for this grant program will reopen in October 2018. Visit www.aad.org/members/ volunteer/shade-structure-program for FAQs about and application guidelines for the program and to access the online application.

Jennifer Graves is the Marketing Coordinator for Poligon (jengra@portercorp.com).

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PRODUCTS Drinking Fountain The new Willoughby WODF-2WM Series stainless steel wall-mounted outdoor dual-user drinking fountain is a vandal-resistant fixture for use in parks and recreational environments.

This column-type drinking fountain features all-welded construction and is fabricated from heavy-duty, Type 304, 10-inch, Schedule-10 pipe and 7-gauge-plate stainless steel. The finished outdoor fountain is factory powder coated in one of 11 striking colors. Willoughby Industries, 800.428.4065, WWW.WILLOUGHBY-IND.COM

Stationary Backstroke Start Wedge

Spa Water Treatment System

Spectrum Aquatics has launched the Stationary Backstroke Start Wedge, which allows swimmers to perfect their backstroke takeoffs at their local pool for a fraction of the cost of other practice wedge systems. It utilizes the same non-slip wedge and straps, as our top-of-the-line Backstroke Assist Device and can easily attach to nearly any existing starting block frame. All included hardware is stainless steel material that prevents corrosion and extends the life of the product. Spectrum Aquatics, 406.532.6352, WWW. SPECTRUMAQUATICS.COM

Clear Comfort introduces the innovative CCW50, the company’s newest, non-chlorine sanitation system, specifically for spas. Spa owners can now enjoy a healthier, easier and more enjoyable spa experience. For more than 30 years, spas have relied on combinations of harsh chemicals and caustic ozone systems. Clear Comfort’s direct hydroxyl injection system simplifies spa maintenance, while providing outstanding silky, clean water without the annoying odors associated with older technologies. Clear Comfort, 303.872.4477, HTTPS://CLEARCOMFORT.COM

Modular Outdoor Fitness Equipment Paris Site Furnishings and Outdoor Fitness presents modular outdoor fitness equipment that can transform outdoor space into a fitness center with durable, high-performance outdoor fitness machines. A variety of rugged, durable products offers “mix-and-match” convenience, allowing designers to choose from 35 machines, designed to provide a total-body workout. Proven technology uses a percentage of body weight as resistance so there are no hydraulics or resistance bands, yielding virtually maintenance-free operation. Paris Site Furnishings, 800.387.6318, WWW.PEML.COM 80

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Wheelchair Accessible Fitness Equipment Greenfields Outdoor Fitness is proud to announce three new additions to its Signature Accessible line of equipment for those with mobility impairments. The new units – a Vertical Press, Shoulder Press and Tricep Press – include an adjustable resistance feature identical to that used in Greenfields’ Professional Series line. In addition to the 16 resistance settings, the resistance mechanisms are bidirectional – effort is expended in both pushing and pulling actions. This feature not only enhances functionality, but also provides extra safety by preventing sudden recoil should a user let go of the handles. The three new, adjustable resistance units integrate seamlessly with Greenfields’ Professional Series units to provide a highly inclusive exercise experience. Greenfields Outdoor Fitness, 888.315.9037, HTTP://GFOUTDOORFITNESS.COM

Golf Course Irrigation Climbers Gone are the days when playgrounds consisted of just swings, slides and monkey bars. Today, playgrounds are being revolutionized and Kid Architect Spencer Luckey is at the forefront with a unique and imaginative climbing structure that is part-jungle gym, part-work of art. These whimsical, gravity-defying play structures are not only fun to crawl through, play on and look at, but they are also helping to reinvent the state of play, inspiring a child’s imagination and the complexities of conceptual art. Luckey Climbers serve a dual purpose of beautifying the space and serving as an attraction for kids to play in.

Luckey LLC, 475.441.7468, WWW.LUCKEYCLIMBERS.COM

Rain Bird Golf has introduced two new IC CONNECT™ products, designed to make its industry-leading IC System even more functional and advantageous for superintendents and their courses. The Rain Bird® IC-IN Integrated Control Sensor Input Device makes it possible to monitor and respond to on-site sensor information in real time. The Rain Bird IC-OUT Integrated Control Output Device enables activation of external electromechanical equipment from the Central Control. Rain Bird Corporation, 520.741.6100, WWW.RAINBIRD.COM

Shuttle Personnel Carriers Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., a Textron Inc. company, announces its new line of Cushman® Shuttle personnel carriers powered by the company’s exclusive 72-volt AC electric drivetrain.

The leader in AC electric drivetrains in the golf-car industry under its E-Z-GO brand, Textron Specialized Vehicles has incorporated this innovative technology, with its improved energy efficiency and increased range, into its Cushman Shuttle 4, Shuttle 6 and Shuttle 8 models. Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., 706.798.4311, WWW.CUSHMAN.COM

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Kompan ....................................................................................................... 35

Aquatix ......................................................................................................... 19

Landscape Structures ............................................................................... 7

BCI Burke .................................................................................................... 82

Most Dependable Fountains ............................................................. C2

Bright Idea Shops .................................................................................... 83

Pilot Rock ................................................................................................... 25

Brigadoon Fitness ................................................................................... 82

Playcraft Systems.................................................................................... C4

Classic Recreation ................................................................................... 29 Dock Blocks ............................................................................................... 83 DOGIPOT........................................................................................................ 15 Dri-Dek......................................................................................................... 83 Easi-Set ....................................................................................................... 84 Gared .......................................................................................................... 83 Go Ape ......................................................................................................... 84

Poligon ........................................................................................................ 31 Polly Products .......................................................................................... 85 Romtec ......................................................................................................... 21 Salsbury Industries ....................................................................................9

advertiser index

Amish Country Gazebos ......................................................................... 82

Scoremaster .............................................................................................. 85 Shade Systems .............................................................................................1

Gothic Arch Greenhouses ...................................................................... 84

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Greenfields Outdoor Fitness............................................................... 2, 3

Vortex .......................................................................................................... C3

Gyms For Dogs .......................................................................................... 85

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IMC Outdoor Living .................................................................................. 59

Willoughby Industries ............................................................................ 86

Kay Park Recreation Company............................................................. 85

The Wood Carver, Inc./Goldenteak ...................................................... 86

(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 ©2018 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.

Dive Into New Opportunities Become a Certified AFO Aquatic Facility Operator Certification

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Park Bench

PHOTO COURTESY OF MCBETH RECREATION THERAPIST EVAN KESSLER

Learn to Ride Adaptive

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Community members in Austin, Texas, who have cognitive and physical disabilities, have a new way to stay healthy and active, with the addition of a Learn to Ride Adaptive program.

In 2017, thanks to a $1,000 microgrant from NRPA and the Lakeshore Foundation, the city’s McBeth Recreation Center purchased an adaptive, recumbent tricycle to create this inclusive program.

The idea for the Learn to Ride Adaptive program originated from the goal to keep individuals with disabilities healthy and active. The program addresses two major barriers for learning how to ride adaptive cycles — a lack of local adaptive cycling resources and the cost of this equipment.

Now, Austin residents, regardless of socio-economic status, previous cycling experience and/or knowledge of adaptive equipment, have low-cost access to this adaptive equipment, not only at McBeth Recreation Center, but also at Zilker Park, The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail and other local Austin trails.

Using the recumbent trike, participants can build their confidence, strength and endurance in a safe and accessible environment. For most of them, it is their first successful experience on a cycle. The recumbent trike will be available to participants in the McBeth Adult Day Program, community members through drop-in reservation times and for outreach events, learn-to-ride clinics and social ride opportunities.

McBeth Recreation Center is one of four local agencies that received a $1,000 microgrant to create an innovative, inclusive feature or program, which is in line with the mission of NRPA’s Parks for Inclusion initiative.

For more information on Parks for Inclusion and the other micrograntees, visit www.nrpa.org/ParksForInclusion.

— Maureen Acquino, NRPA’s Program Specialist

Parks & Recreation

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