Parks & Recreation August 2020 by Creative By Design

AU G U ST 2020 N R PA .O RG

NATURE AT PLAY

Park projects inspire future environmental stewards

COVID-19: Park and Recreation’s New Normal Can Partnerships Offset P&R Budget Shortfalls?

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contentsaugust 2020

The town of Bel Air, Maryland, created a playground modeled after the Chesapeake Bay to connect families to a vital natural resource through interactive play.

FEATURES

34 Restoring Nature’s Playground Patti G. Sterling and Akosua Cook, AICP

Through the Building Better Communities grant program, two grantees were able to transform parks to create unique educational play experiences for their communities to connect with the natural world while learning how to be better stewards of our natural resources.

38 How Parks and Recreation Will Change Forever Richard J. Dolesh

The pandemic is showing how the mission of parks and recreation is evolving to include serving as a provider of social and health services in the effort to rebuild and reconnect communities. So, what has changed, and why and what will inevitably change in the future? 2

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44 Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships Gordon Feller

The COVID-19 crisis will likely by defined by our response to it. How can we adapt, come together and innovate to create a new and brighter future? Learn how public agencies and private companies can collaborate with one another to ensure that our parks succeed.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTI G. STERLING

volume 55 | number 8 | parksandrecreation.org

Play never told me you can’t or don’t or you shouldn’t or you won’t. Play never said be careful! You’re not strong enough. You’re not big enough. You’re not brave enough. Play has always been an invitation. A celebration. A joyous manifestation. Of the cans and wills and what ifs and why nots. Play isn’t one thing. It’s everything. Anything. Play doesn’t care what a body can or cannot do. Because play lives inside us. All of us. Play begs of us: Learn together. Grow together. Be together. Know together. And as we grow older. As the world comes at us with you can’t or don’t or you shouldn’t or you won’t. We come back to what we know. That imagination will never fail us. That words will never hurt us. That play will always shape us.

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

columns

contents august

Perspectives What Do We Stand For? Jack Kardys

departments

Editor’s Letter A Renewed Sense of Nature Vitisia Paynich

10 We Are Parks & Recreation Parks and Freedom of Speech 10 Cullman Achieves CAPRA Accreditation 12 Civil Rights Icon Robert García Passes Away 13 Fighting Vandalism at Recreational Facilities 14 Member Benefit: Background Screening Best Practices 15

18 Finance for the Field The Impact of Proximate Proportion of Park-Like Space and Views on Housing Prices John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

16 Research

20 Advocacy

Data Shows U.S. Public Believes Strongly in Parks and Recreation Kevin Roth

Protecting Funding for Public Health and Equity Robert Doyle

17 Park Pulse

22 Health and Wellness

Vacation Close to Home with Parks and Recreation

Confronting Substance Use Disorder Lauren Kiefert

50 Operations Evaporative Cooling Solutions 50 Chris Tetrault Make the Most of Your Underutilized Space 51 Eduardo Tamez Zamarripa

24 Equity Creating Equitable Access to Physical Activity for Youth Ka’ohe Wong, Bookie Gates and Sarah Margeson

26 Conservation

52 Park Essentials

Reversing the Impacts of Nature-Blindness Michele White

55 Advertiser Index

28 Law Review

56 Park Bench

Informal ‘Comp Time’ Process Prompts Sex Discrimination Claim James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

Using Technology to Help Keep People Safe Jason Aldridge

Cover image: Photo courtesy of Dawn White

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PHOTO COURTESY OF EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT

East Bay Regional Park District staff created signage and educated park users on maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks to keep parks open and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

What Do We Stand For? What do we stand for? NRPA’s Pillars of Health and Wellness and Conservation often are interpreted as “what we do,” while Equity is the heart of “what we stand for.” Equity drove the park and recreation profession’s efforts to improve individual and societal health in urban areas during the Industrial Revolution with the idea that all people — no matter the color of their skin, age, income level or ability — should have access to parks and programs that make their lives and communities great places to live, work and play. In addition to building and preserving great parks and public spaces, we demonstrate our commitment to equity as conveners, catalysts, stewards, educators and role models who encourage understanding, acceptance and cooperation among citizens, government agencies and nonprofits. And by “we,” I mean every level of our organizations — especially our frontline staff who shoulder the vast majority of public contact. Today, the pandemic and sweeping social justice activism dominate our lives and have become politicized in a way that shakes the park “public servant” to their core. As arbiters of the public’s emotionally charged behavior in parks, frontline staff are often forced to discern fundamental rights from entitlement, local majority sentiment from liberty and a culture that favors rugged individualism over collective conscience. Is it a peaceful protest filled with passionate rhetoric or a potential riot defying the rule of law? Does a monument promote national heritage or treasonous racism? Do face mask requirements prevent the spread of COVID-19 or threaten our liberty and constitutional rights? And, with training limited by the pandemic, is it any wonder why often ill-equipped part-time staff distance themselves from

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park visitors or drive the other way to avoid an ugly confrontation? Throughout our history, parks have served as the traditional space for public protest — where acts of resistance are celebrated as a struggle for a more perfect union — and as places where our elected representatives restore balance and heal the community’s bumps and bruises. In a 1903 speech at Yellowstone National Park, Teddy Roosevelt reminded us that “we have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show the nation is worthy of its good fortune.” As the great equalizer, parks are often referred to as the last bastion of democracy. As the stewards of public spaces, we have an obligation to protect the liberty, the unalienable right to freedom, for all people who use our facilities and programs. We are our communities’ role models, willing to have courageous conversations and confront injustice when it happens on our watch. This is not just an intention, but rather a model for action that requires empathy, understanding, and above all, leadership — especially from park staff whose daily public contact we are judged by. As we attempt to manage our communities’ expectations, struggling to infuse intelligence and human compassion into the steaming cauldron that serves as today’s political battlefield, we must actively manage our parks, transcending party politics to speak up and determine what belongs and defend what will endure as tributes to healing and social justice, not hatred and division. If not, we risk being relegated to custodians and apologists for near-term political agendas that find permanence in our parks.

JACK K ARDYS Chair, NRPA Board of Directors

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

NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board of Directors Jack Kardys J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

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

Chair-Elect Michael P. Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois Treasurer Jesús Aguirre, CPRE

Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Herman Parker

Previously with BREC Dallas, Texas

Joshua Medeiros, Ed.D., CPRP, AFO City of Bristol Parks & Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

Secretary Carolyn McKnight-Fredd, CPRP

Formerly of City of San Diego, California, Parks and Recreation Department San Diego, California

Previously with BREC Dallas, Texas

Ian Proud

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

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

Jesús Aguirre, CPRE Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Hayden Brooks American Realty Corporation Austin, Texas

Kong Chang City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Saint Paul, Minnesota

Kevin Coyle, J.D.

Playworld Systems Williamsport, Pennsylvania

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

Xavier D. Urrutia Alamo Colleges District San Antonio, Texas

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

Philip Wu, M.D. Formerly of Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region Portland, Oregon

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman Lexington, South Carolina

National Wildlife Federation Reston, Virginia

Anne S. Close

Jose Felix Diaz

James H. Evans

Ballard Partners Miami, Florida

New York, New York

Victor Dover

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning Miami, Florida

Earl T. Groves

Richard Gulley

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

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

Jack Kardys J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

Fort Mill, South Carolina

Rosemary Hall Evans

Gastonia, North Carolina Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell, Jr. Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Kathryn A. Porter Mendham, New Jersey

Michael P. Kelly

Perry J. Segura

Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

New Iberia, Louisiana

R. Dean Tice

Karen Bates Kress

Round Hill, Virginia

Park Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Eugene A. Young, CPRP

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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EDITOR’S LET TER

Renewing Our Sense of Nature For the past several months, the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been challenging in every sense of the word — from closing parks and recreational facilities during early shelter-in-place orders to limit widespread contagion, to making dramatic budget cuts to remain financially solvent during this economic recession. Yet, despite these obstacles, park and recreation professionals across the country have stayed the course in their commitment to providing essential services, like meal-assistance programs and temporary shelters, that our most vulnerable community members depend on. This pandemic upended our entire park and recreation operations, placed programs like team sports and aquatic activities on pause and forced us to adopt a more ‘virtual’ recreational mindset. On a personal level, this health crisis has compelled us to re-evaluate our priorities and take stock of what matters the most to us. It’s also renewed our sense of nature and open spaces, and taught us to truly appreciate our outdoor environment and how it contributes to our mental and physical health. This month’s cover story highlights the importance of integrating nature, play and education, especially for our youngest park patrons. In the feature, “Restoring Nature’s Playground,” on page 34, contributors Patti G. Sterling and Akosua Cook, AICP, offer insight into two recent park projects in Bel Air, Maryland, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. American Water Charitable Foundation funded both renovation projects through its Building Better Communities grant program administered by NRPA. According to Sterling and Cook, park and recreation professionals are stewards of open spaces and “know parks are essential for families and youth to make a connection to nature, enjoy the natural world and learn to be future stewards of our environment. With that, we are responsible for providing spaces that are welcoming and accessible to all and offer educational value to our community members.” While nobody can say with absolute certainty when the United States will flatten the infection curve, one thing is evident: no matter where you reside — a rural, urban or suburban community — COVID-19 has altered our lives. What does that mean for the field of parks and recreation? In the feature article, “How Parks and Recreation Will Change Forever,” on page 38, NRPA’s editor at large, Richard J. Dolesh, takes a closer look at this new reality that looms ahead for our profession. “The pandemic is showing how the mission of parks and recreation is evolving to include serving as a provider of social and health services in the effort to rebuild and reconnect communities,” Dolesh writes. However, he also points out that park and recreation agencies’ “budget reductions spawned by the COVID-19 recession are likely to last for years….” One potential remedy for these budget shortfalls could be park partnerships. In the feature story, “Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships,” on page 44, contributor Gordon Feller shares insights and learned lessons from leading industry professionals who have experienced this process firsthand. According to Feller, “This crisis will likely be defined by our response to it. Do we adapt, come together and innovate to create a new and brighter future?” While the future remains uncertain, you can take comfort in the fact that what you do every day as park and recreation professionals matters greatly to your community members. Through your programming, you offer them much-needed relief from the stress and anxiety of this pandemic and through parks and trails, you help them reconnect with our natural environment.

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

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Kristine Stratton VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR, PRINT AND ONLINE CONTENT Vitisia Paynich vpaynich@nrpa.org ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lindsay Hogeboom lhogeboom@nrpa.org WEB EDITOR Jennifer Fulcher-Nguyen jnguyen@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Kim Mabon/Creative By Design CreativeByDesign.net SENIOR CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, WESTERN REGION, MEXICO AND ASIA-PACIFIC Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org SENIOR CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Lindsay Shannon 703.858.2178 lshannon@nrpa.org DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Meghan Fredriksen 703.858.2190 mfredriksen@nrpa.org PHOTOGRAPHY Dreamstime.com or NRPA (unless otherwise noted) MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Anthony-Paul Diaz, Chair Michael Abbaté, FASLA Neelay Bhatt Ryan Eaker Beau Fieldsend Kathleen Gibi Paul Gilbert, CPRP Tim Herd, CPRE Brian Johnson, CPSI Denise Johnson-Caldwell Roslyn Johnson, CPRP Michele Lemons Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Lisa Paradis, CPRP Paula Sliefert Shonnda Smith, CPRP, AFO Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs

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WE ARE PARKS & RECREATION Parks and Freedom of Speech By Paul Gilbert

reedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly — these simple but powerful rights were the first to be added to the Constitution in 1789. These most critical rights were created so our democracy could change and grow over time. America was an early experiment in freedom and democracy, and our Founding Fathers had lofty ideas, like “all men are created equal.” But with the killing of George Floyd in May at the hands of police, the world was painfully reminded how the reality of justice in the United States contrasts greatly from what we aspire to achieve. highly motivated to take action. One of the countless examples of this occurred on June 6 at Algonkian Regional Park in Northern Virginia, 25 miles from Washington, D.C. Ocean Akinotcho, a Potomac Falls High School student, used social media to rally 2,000 people for a Black Lives Matter march. The event began at Potomac Lakes Sportsplex, a Loudoun County Park, and proceeded through Algonkian Regional Park, which is owned by NOVA Parks. Spanning a few miles, the march

PHOTO COURTESY OF NOVA PARKS

The protests that started in Minneapolis, Minnesota, rapidly spread across the country — first in the major cities, then everywhere. Large and small, the protests and marches compelled people to stop sheltering at home, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and assemble in public to voice their desire for justice. Unlike other moments of public protest that have lasted for just days, this moment tapped deep into our sense of right and wrong. Young people, in particular, became

10 Parks & Recreation

featured several stops where speeches were given. While some localelected officials spoke, many other speeches came from high school students expressing their anger over racial injustice and inequality. During the earliest phase of the pandemic reopening, with permitted group gatherings still limited by the governor to just 10 people, it was not possible to allow a large assembly in a park. However, First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly supersede the governor’s orders or park rules. Though ordinarily, due to COVID-19, NOVA Parks would not have been able to permit the event, the agency changed course after seeing posts on social media that the march would take place as planned. Park staff reached out to the young organizer and offered help with logistical considerations — including parking, traffic control, restrooms and other issues related to public safety. During one of the first speeches, Akinotcho gave a shout out to the park staff, thanking them for being so helpful to her. Reflecting on the event, she says, “Honestly, [park staff] were a great help. They gave us a safe alternative to my original route. And during the march, they also had their employees help out with traffic and directing the crowd.” One of the marchers, Stacey HardyChandler, says, “This beautiful park setting really does reflect the message we want to send to the world — a message of justice and of peace. I was struck by the NOVA Parks sign letting everyone coming to the park know there would be a ‘First Ocean Akinotcho, a Potomac Falls High School student, used social media to rally 2,000 people for a Black Lives Matter march.

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Amendment Event Today.’ This seems like a small thing, but it set the tone [by] simply letting everyone know that people — neighbors, families, students — were coming together to exercise their right to assemble peaceably. After the killing of George Floyd, the latest in a long list of those whose lives were lost so violently and senselessly, what an amazing environment to stand united so that they all truly rest in peace. So, for NOVA Parks to help make this march happen in such a safe and welcoming manner is not only a benefit to the community, but I now see the park system in a whole new way — as a backdrop for justice!” The 2,000 marchers were comprised of mostly young people, who peacefully expressed their outrage at

injustice and racism in our society and current political leadership in the United States. Due to events ranging from the Parkland, Florida, shootings to issues of racism and injustice, the generation currently in their teens and early 20s are more politically engaged than we have seen in decades. They have been at the forefront of the current energy behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Just as freedom of speech is one of our earliest political rights, public lands are one of our earliest democratic institutions. Cities like Boston established “commons,” or areas of public land, in the middle of town long before America declared its independence. While originally used by people who did not own land to graze animals (an early social

service), the commons became the place for people to gather and express their political views. Before the age of public address (PA) systems, people would often stand on a wooden soapbox to be seen and heard by the crowd. That tradition of free speech in public places continues. While park agencies are inherently nonpartisan, the role of public lands in facilitating free speech and peaceful assembly is fundamental to our democratic system. We are in the business of offering public spaces and facilities, and at times, these public areas will serve as places for all people to exercise their constitutional rights to free speech. Paul Gilbert is Executive Director of NOVA Parks (pgilbert@nvpa.org).

Oh, the endless days! Gathered together Reveling in the joy of play. Where watery wonders excite us Unite us And invite us to set our imaginations free. To learn more and inspire your outdoors, visit aquatix.playlsi.com.

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

Cullman Achieves CAPRA Accreditation By Ashley Locke

park is never just a park — it’s a place to relax, to get active, and to celebrate birthdays and family reunions. Memories are made at parks. Communities come together at parks. The team at Cullman Parks, Recreation, and Sports Tourism (CPRST) recognized the important role their parks served in their Alabama community, so three years ago they set forth on the journey to become CAPRA accredited. This year they succeeded, becoming the first park and recreation agency in the state of Alabama to reach accreditation. member, who helped guide the Cullman team through the process. “Because there was not another accredited agency in the state, our recreational development director, Christy Turner, worked with Nathan to reach out to agencies throughout the nation for advice and examples.” She adds that they were fortunate that there were a few experienced agencies with other types of accreditation that could help guide the process. The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) provided valuable guidance to the team. “We attended multiple training sessions at the NRPA Annual Conference and received great support from NRPA’s CAPRA Team,” says Anderson.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CPRST MARKETING TEAM

“CPRST has always aspired to be a leader and a trendsetter, not only for the state but for the industry as a whole,” says Nathan Anderson, prior director of the department, who led the Cullman team through the entire process of accreditation. “Even though we already felt that we excelled in so many ways as an organization, we knew there were many ways to improve.” There were many challenges on the journey to accreditation, and organization and teamwork were key. “Dr. Johnny McMoy, college dean at Wallace State Community College, started us off by helping develop our strategic plan and goals,” says Beth Bownes-Johnson, CPRST board

This year, CPRST became the first Alabama agency to be CAPRA accredited. 12

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Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs lent his full support as well. “We recognized this undertaking would not happen overnight and supported the team financially in the budgeting process to allow them to have the resources to achieve accreditation,” he says. The process took a little more than two years of hard work to complete. During that time, the team addressed 144 standards in a two-part process, off-site and with a visiting team. “I would gladly do it again; it was my privilege to participate with such a fantastic group who cares deeply for our programs, employees, community members and the city of Cullman,” says Bownes-Johnson. “Being the first to achieve accreditation in the state of Alabama is a significant and historical achievement for Cullman,” says Anderson. “Others will look to CPRST and the city of Cullman as a model for their agencies. After completing the process, the organization has a roadmap, both strategically and systematically, to advance the quality of life for all within the community for decades to come.” Achieving accreditation proves just how dedicated the CPRST team is to their community. With CAPRA accreditation, the diligent team put Cullman on the map. “Cullman is blessed to be a community that is forward thinking and willing to try new things to encourage people to live, work and visit here,” says Mayor Jacobs. Ashley Locke is a Freelance Writer for Cullman Parks, Recreation, and Sports Tourism.

Civil Rights Icon Robert García Passes Away A fierce champion of social justice and defender of parks and recreation By Richard J. Dolesh

“

am a civil rights attorney. I have represented people on Death Row, helped free Geronimo Pratt, the former Black Panther leader, from prison after 27 years for a crime he did not commit, prosecuted public corruption and international drug trafficking conspiracies and litigated international banking cases against Iran,” said Robert García in a 2014 bio for KCET TV in Los Angeles. Despite all his civil rights accomplishments, however, García believed that one of his most hard-fought and enduring legacies was to bring access to parks and recreation for people who had none. “Fighting for the simple joys of playing in the park and school field for children of color and low-income children is the hardest work I have ever done,” he said. Robert García, who died on April 6, 2020, after a long struggle with cancer, was the founding director of and counsel for The City Project, a nonprofit environmental justice and civil rights organization based in Los Angeles, and a champion for access to parks and recreation opportunities for low-income and communities of color. García was an ardent and outspoken defender of public parks and recreation. He had an unflinching and uncompromising belief in equality for all, a lack of tolerance for government bureaucrats who he thought were less than committed to principles, and a genuine belief that parks and recreation were a civil right as important as any other. These beliefs coupled with his unparalelled legal knowledge enabled him to win victories protecting parks and creating recreation opportunities for low-income and communities of color that few ever thought were achievable. García delivered the keynote address at the 2014 NRPA Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, and became an NRPA board member from 2016 to 2017. He was a frequent contributor of insightful articles and

thoughtful essays to Parks & Recreation magazine for many years. “Robert was a pioneer in the Green Justice movement,” says Mark Magaña, founding president and CEO of GreenLatinos. “He constantly fought for the rights of communities that had no access to parks and recreation. At a time when there were few victories, Robert would win.” Magaña says that García’s experience as an attorney enabled him to apply successful strategies he had learned in his civil rights work. “He would devise the strategy, research the data, build the campaign and mobilize communities. He was a relentless fighter. He saved and protected places for people who did not have access to local parks and recreation areas.” In 2001, García was instrumental in representing the communities along the Los Angeles River in their fight to prevent large warehouses being built along the river, taking away most of the green open space in the community and further separating people from the river. García’s bold appeal to Andrew Cuomo, then Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing

Robert García, champion for access to parks and recreation.

and Urban Development (HUD), caused HUD to withhold funding for the project until a full environmental review was completed. Upon completion of the review, which considered the impact a warehouse development would have on low-income and communities of color, the no-build alternative of using the land as a park was selected in favor of the warehouse development. Secretary Cuomo cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act in his decision, affirming that access to local parks and recreation opportunities was a civil right. State Senator Kevin de León on March 15, 2014, at the dedication of the Los Angeles State Historic Park on the Los Angeles River, said, “The community stopped the industrial warehouses to create the park in the most park poor city in the nation.... Deservedly, their action is renowned as one of the most significant environmental justice victories in Los Angeles, and is the catalyst for the revitalization of the Los Angeles River.” García’s genuine warmth and fierce advocacy for parks and recreation will be deeply missed. Richard J. Dolesh is an Editor at Large for Parks & Recreation magazine (dolesh@gmail.com).

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Parks & Recreation

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

Fighting Vandalism at Recreational Facilities By Joann Robertson, CPSI, CPCU, ARM, CSP

or the past six months, park and recreation agencies throughout the United States have been grappling with the ripple effects caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While some states have lifted shelter-in-place orders and are shifting toward plans for safe reopening, the recent surge in new virus cases has other states reversing course. That means some park agencies are remaining closed, delaying reopening plans or considering reclosing their recreation facilities. What’s more, such closures have led to concerns about potential vandalism.

A park sign is covered by spray-painted graffiti. 14

Parks & Recreation

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOANN ROBERTSON

We have all seen the problems that vandals create, including spray-painted bleachers, missing signage, damaged athletic fields, torn-up synthetic playground surfacing and deliberately dismantled playground equipment. Vandalism is not just a nuisance; it is also costly and dangerous. Neighborhoods with higher rates of vandalism suffer from decreased property values and uneasy residents. It may also result in higher insurance costs, a loss of recreational opportunities and the need for additional police patrols, as well as costly emergency repairs and staff working overtime. When recreational facilities, such as parks, are dark and unoccupied at night, vandals may strike. Destructive behavior tends to increase

on weekends and school holidays. Problems often arise when the weather is nice, especially in the final few weeks of the school year — and don’t forget about Halloween. Problematic areas that attract vandals tend to be unsupervised, dark, concealed or isolated places. Vandals prefer neither to be seen nor heard, striking when locations are the quietest. Frequent areas targeted by vandals include inside bathrooms or locker rooms and behind dugouts or other structures. When reported, incidents of vandalism are frequently below an organization’s property insurance deductible. But at other times, there may be a large insurance claim, especially if the act ruins an expensive item, such as paint spattered inside an empty swimming pool or a vehicle driving across a grass football field and knocking down a field goal. When vandalism involves hatred and prejudice, such as crossburning, the painting of swastikas or any other attack on a religion, gender or ethnicity, contact law enforcement immediately. Be sure to take photographs for documentation because what may look like scribbles to you could be relevant information to law enforcement.

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Attempts should not be made to approach or apprehend suspected vandals. Instead, your park agency staff must be diligent in collecting a description of any suspects and vehicles to submit a report. Following are some helpful ways to prevent vandalism: • Report incidents often so patterns emerge quickly and targeted patrols can be scheduled. • Update any security staff about problem areas on a regular basis. • Review the positioning of security cameras frequently and post signs about the presence of cameras in areas that are under surveillance. • Consider a dedicated website or hotline where incidents can be reported anonymously. Be sure to post signs informing the public about the website or hotline at each location. • If on a tight budget, consider partnering with organizations nearby to plan more security patrols, improve lighting or install additional security cameras. • Publicize information about the consequences of vandalism on calendars, schedules, the website, newsletters and handbooks. By being proactive and using these suggestions, your organization can reduce costs by eliminating pointless property damage and destruction at your recreational facilities. Joann M. Robertson, CPSI, CPCU, ARM, CSP, is a Certified Playground Safety Inspector and Certified Safety Professional at Playground Medic in Hawthorne, New York (joannrobertson@ hotmail.com).

Member Benefit: Background Screening Best Practices BIB and NRPA’s partnership was created to help park and recreation agencies do background screenings better. Here are a few things to keep in mind to help prevent risk: How healthy is your data? Most information received by states is through county records. Ideally, the information would be correct and complete; however, in many cases the records are either missing data or inaccurate. You’ll need to assess what screening methods you are using to get the best data from every state relevant to your applicants. What is your background check costing you? Budgets are already lean, and not all background checks are the same. Selecting background checks based on the lowest cost can lead to a low-quality screen. The best approach is to ask, “Are we getting the best quality screen for a fair price?” Also, NRPA members receive exclusive pricing on BIB’s Secure Volunteer background screenings! Are you getting the full story? Inaccuracies in reports can’t provide the details you need when making a hiring decision or preventing a dangerous person from becoming a volunteer. When records are missing or pertinent information from a record is lost, such as final dispositions, it becomes challenging to make effective hiring decisions. Making sure you’re getting the best data possible from as many sources as possible ensures you’re getting the full story. What is the turnaround time? While the majority of quality background checks are completed in less than 72 hours, most delays experienced are related to jurisdictions being searched. For example, a court runner is physically going to a courthouse. While this is a highly effective process, it can lead to longer turnaround times due to court access hours, staff or technology available. It’s important for you to know of any jurisdictions you may be accessing regularly that could drive common delays. If you’d like more information on how your agency can develop the best background screening methodology, visit www.bib.com. NRPA members will gain immediate peace of mind knowing that volunteers and employees are well-vetted using some of the most powerful and advanced background checks available.

COVID-19: RESOURCES FOR PARKS AND RECREATION

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

Printable infographics on how to use parks safely

•

Continually updated guidance for parks and recreation

•

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

•

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

•

Guidance for managing a positive case of COVID-19

Find all these resources at: nrpa.org/Coronavirus

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Parks & Recreation

RESEARCH Data Shows U.S. Public Believes Strongly in Parks and Recreation By Kevin Roth

more) in many areas. Because of the tireless efforts of you and your colleagues, people continue to have opportunities to be physically and mentally healthy throughout the crisis. The May Park Pulse poll (nrpa. org/ParkPulse) showed that a vast majority of U.S. adults found exercising at their local parks, trails and open spaces essential to maintaining their mental and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, nearly 3 in 5 poll respondents, including twothirds of parents, told us that it is very or extremely essential to be able to walk, jog, hike and/or bike. We can see the impact of your work through the delivery of programming not only outdoors, but also in the home. P&R professionals are providing a wealth of recreation offerings online for people of all ages and abilities. This includes physical activity classes, health and safety courses, health literacy classes and academic classes. The June Park Pulse poll found that more than 4 in 5 adults — particularly parents and younger adults — highly value the virtual health resources delivered by local P&R professionals.

P&R professionals are among the nation’s biggest providers of childcare and youth services. Out-of-school programs are places for children to learn and grow and are a critical source of nutritious meals for many children. Per the July Park Pulse poll, 9 in 10 U.S. adults want children to have access to community-based programs and services this summer. The support for these programs is equal among parents and nonparents. As states, cities and towns across the nation lifted stay-at-home orders in late spring, many people began to consider their options for time off. Health safety concerns over flying, economic necessity and other considerations will keep many people closer to home for their vacation plans. Fiftyfour percent of people responding to the August Park Pulse poll said that they were more likely to pick a vacation spot closer to home than in prior years. P&R amenities are the likely destination for many people taking time off close to home this summer. The pandemic has reinforced the fact that P&R is essential. At the same time, the resulting economic turmoil has made the work of many P&R professionals ever more challenging. Never before has it been more critical to tell your agency’s story to your local political leaders, funders and the general public. Combining the data above with your agency’s success stories paints a picture of the essential nature of parks and recreation.

Data reveals 6 in 7 U.S. adults visited a park, trail, open space or recreation facility at least once over the past year.

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

arks and recreation is essential. Hundreds of thousands of P&R professionals, along with a cadre of volunteers and advocates, transform our cities, towns and counties into vibrant, healthy and resilient communities through high-quality park and recreation opportunities. One aspect of parks’ vitalness is the ubiquity of their usage; 6 in 7 U.S. adults visited a park, trail, open space or recreation facility at least once during the past year. For many people, parks and recreation is a daily habit. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has further highlighted how essential your work is. A recent NRPA Parks Snapshot Survey (nrpa.org/ ParksSnapshot) shows that more than a third of local P&R agencies across the nation were critical partners in their regions’ emergency response, from delivering nutritious meals to vulnerable members of the community and transforming their facilities into emergency shelters to providing daycare to the children of essential workers. But even more so, the value of parks has shined throughout the public health crisis. In many communities, parks, trails and other open space amenities served as the sole source of recreation opportunities during the past spring. NRPA Parks Snapshot surveys revealed park and trail usage surged by upwards of 50 percent (or

Parks & Recreation

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NRPA PARK PULSE

Vacation Close to Home with Parks and Recreation

More than half (54%) of U.S. adults are likely to vacation close to home this summer, given the global COVID-19 pandemic.

This is especially true among Millennials (61%) and parents (66%) who say they are more likely to pick a vacation spot close to home. Local park and recreation professionals and their agencies provide a variety of safe and affordable nearby activities for everyone — including: • Walking/ Hiking/Biking • Swimming • Picnicking

• Taking a Virtual Class • Gardening • Fishing

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

Visit nrpa.org/ParkPulse for more information.

FINANCE FOR THE FIELD The Impact of Proximate Proportion of ParkLike Space and Views on Housing Prices By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

revious columns have reported the impact of parks, trails and golf courses located near homes on the value of residential properties and a city’s tax base. However, in addition to proximate distance, there are two other features of parks and open space that influence a property’s value: the proportion of park-like space in the locale and views from a property.

Park-Like Space in a Neighborhood The mosaic of landscapes surrounding a property — proportion of parklike space, pattern of land use and a neighborhood’s character — influences price. Analyses using this measure focus on the broader availability of open space within an area, rather than on the more specific measure of distance and access to defined parks. This effect is most frequently measured by specifying the amount of open space as a percentage of either a neighborhood area or within a given

radius around a property. In a recent study that Sarah Nicholls, a professor in the department of business at Swansea University’s School of Management, and I published in Leisure Sciences, 27 studies were reviewed that investigated the impact on house prices of proportion of open space in the proximate area. All the studies were published in peer reviewed journals, which provided assurance that the research techniques producing the results were appropriate. Three primary trends emerged from the review:

Premiums for homes with a street-level view of a nearby landscape tend to range between 6 and 8 percent.

Parks & Recreation

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1. The amount of open space as a percentage of a neighborhood area has a positive impact on house price. 2. Premiums were relatively small compared to those associated with the distance measure of proximity — typically between 1 percent and 3 percent. 3. Premiums were higher for permanent open space whose definition included perpetual easements and designated park and conservation lands owned by public agencies or private organizations, such as land trusts, than for temporary or unprotected open space, which consisted of urban open space, agricultural lands and forested lands that did not have protective easements on them.

Park Views and Property Values The importance of views in valuing properties was recognized several decades ago by the Appraisal Institute. The Institute recommends appraisers consider the view when estimating a property’s value, but offered no guidance on how to arrive at a premium amount. The challenge is formidable because what constitutes an attractive view is determined in the mind contemplating it, and each mind perceives it differently. When this is combined with a set of studies characterized by an array of different types and definitions of view, different communities, different cultural values, different measures and methods of analysis, and relatively small sample

sizes, a wide range of findings is inevitable. Nevertheless, the empirical studies we reviewed offered some guidance. It is widely acknowledged that views of iconic parks or waterfronts attract large premiums. For example, premiums for apartments with a view of New York City’s Central Park compared to those whose window viewshed was directed elsewhere have been estimated to be around 40 percent, while offices with a view of the park often command 100 percent premiums. However, since these iconic locations are atypical of most people’s housing options, they were excluded from this review, which focused on views of relatively “ordinary” prosaic green spaces. Because they are exceptional, views from properties in tourism areas where the main attraction is the scenery were also excluded. The review differentiated between views from street level and those from high-rise buildings. Street-Level View Studies – The emergence of digital elevation models that can be used with geographic information system (GIS) land cover tools to develop three-dimensional landscapes has facilitated the ability to do large-scale studies of the effects of streetlevel views on house prices. Results from the 17 streetlevel view studies were mixed: two reported a negative impact; five showed no impact; two reported mixed results; and eight revealed the expected positive relationship. The premiums tended to range between 6 percent and 8 percent. The negative impact was a counterintuitive outcome. It was reported in studies that measured views of forests or woodlands and was attributed to the impeding extended views. Elevated View Studies – It is almost axiomatic to recognize that prices go up with an apartment’s floor number, because apartments on higher floors have superior landscape views, are not as exposed to noise sources and are further away from pollution. However, an analysis of condominium and co-op apartment sales in Manhattan reported that height premiums were more nuanced: Second-floor prices were 19 percent higher than firstfloor apartments where prices were lowest. There was little change until a substantial increase for the sixth through ninth floors. This was attributed to views on these floors, enabling owners to clear New York’s ubiquitous six-story buildings, gaze over the trees in Central Park, or see far enough to admire the Hudson or East Rivers. The prices increased in small increments until the 12th floor, after which they tended to level off since the views from higher floors were often not any different from those at the 20th floor.

Given the ubiquity of high-rise buildings in cities and the frequency of articles in the popular press, which feature anecdotes relating to the value of views, there were surprisingly few scientific studies that analyzed the value of view premium. Results from the 10 elevated view studies were mainly positive, with six of them reporting a positive premium, two with mixed results and two revealing a negative premium. Distant views did not command a premium, but elevated views of parks close to a high-rise apartment building typically had premiums of 6 percent to 7 percent. Assessment of the impact of parks on property values traditionally have been measured by distance. These results show this is an incomplete measure, since proportion of parks and greenery in a neighborhood and views also add value to residences. John L. Crompton, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor and Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University and an elected Councilmember for the City of College Station (jcrompton@tamu.edu).

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT

ADVOCACY

EBRPD staff created signage and educated park users on maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks to keep parks open and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protecting Funding for Public Health and Equity By Robert Doyle

ast Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) in Oakland, California, manages a system of 73 parks, 1,300 miles of trails and 55 miles of shoreline on 125,000 acres in the East San Francisco Bay Area. We are proud to serve the very diverse East Bay population, especially in these difficult times, by keeping 99 percent of our parks open and accessible, allowing all people access to the vital mental and physical benefits of exercising in nature.

Well before the current coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis, EBRPD established significant programming, encouraging greater access by members of underresourced communities. In partnership with our Regional Parks Foundation, we implemented a robust Healthy Parks Healthy People program, fostering relationships with doctors and hospitals to develop scientific studies showing the health merits of access to nature. 20 Parks & Recreation

A Parks Rx program and increasingly well-attended multicultural wellness walks followed. However, more work needs to be done to address the systemic health disparities that impact many of the communities we serve.

Assisting Public Health Agencies Unsurprisingly, local health agencies declared outdoor activity as essential activity at the onset of the

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Bay Area shelter-in-place (SIP) order. An immediate surge of users followed, as parks were the only game in town for getting out of the house to exercise. EBRPD responded quickly — balancing the needs to safely keep parks open and protect staff. Within 24 hours of California’s first-in-the-nation statewide SIP order, EBRPD began producing public service announcements describing how to keep safe in the parks during the pandemic. We kept most parks open, but temporarily closed some parking lots to reduce crowding, closed high-touch facilities — such as restrooms, play structures and picnic tables — and halted trash pickup. County health agencies subsequently asked EBRPD to keep parks

Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline — a new waterfront park with a public access pier — is one of the enhancements EBRPD is making this year.

and trails open as an essential service during the pandemic and the SIP orders. Weekly discussions with the county health agencies followed, and safety protocols were developed to keep staff safe when cleaning restrooms and picking up trash. Many of the closed amenities were reopened within two weeks. East Bay Parks staff rose to the challenge of creating signage and educating both regular park users and thousands of new visitors on maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks. At the same time, staff developed a reopening plan to ensure equitable park access to both urban and rural parks and trails, keeping as many parks as possible open for all, and rejecting calls from wealthy neighborhoods to restrict access to locales. Ninety-nine percent of our parks and trails have stayed open, and we continue to reopen those few closed facilities as safely allowable.

Advocating for Equity Equitable public access has long been a focus of the agency. Forty years ago, at the urging of conservation and community leaders, we made a huge commitment to provide public access along the urban shoreline, adjacent to some of the historically most under-resourced communities in East Bay. Miller/ Knox Regional Shoreline in Richmond was our first shoreline park, followed by Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline in Oakland and Point Pinole Regional Shoreline in Richmond, which recently received a major upgrade with a restoration and public access project. During the past 10 years, EBRPD has invested nearly $100 million in these urban communities and others, providing both more access and new

park improvements. We know the need is great and continue to keep our commitment to do more for social and environmental justice, especially now. This year, with grants and assistance largely supported by our legislative delegation, we’re opening three shoreline projects: • Bay Point Regional Shoreline Restoration and Access Project – $5.8 million ($3.9 grant funded, including $750,000 from a Land and Water Conservation Fund [LWCF] competitive grant) • McLaughlin Eastshore State Park Albany Beach Restoration and Bay Trail – a connection between the West Berkeley and Albany communities – $14 million ($4.6 million grant funded) • Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline in West Oakland – new waterfront park with a public access pier – $29.6 million (funded and developed by Caltrans and MTC/Bay Area Toll Authority) EBRPD has and will persist in making the case with our legislators for the need of continued enhanced investment in our vital public access programs and projects that deliver access to nature for all. As the economy cratered under the weight of

SIP orders, EBRPD set up meetings with state and local legislators to remind them that parks truly are an essential service and that the surge in visitation is real. In the short term, we need to protect the funding we have and proactively seek recovery funds as we navigate the uncertain times ahead. A future green stimulus and/or funding of LWCF could help fix and maintain parks, increase equitable access and continue parks’ role as part of the health system while providing needed economic opportunities for those struggling financially, even while mitigating some of the effects of climate change. In the long term, learning from this moment and keeping the public’s trust will position park agencies well for future funding. EBRPD has found that social media, Zoom meetings, virtual walk-and-talks and written correspondence are all effective ways to communicate at a time when elected officials are seeking positive stories. The park and recreation field has a great story to tell right now, so let’s tell it together! Robert Doyle is General Manager at East Bay Regional Park District (bdoyle@ebparks.org).

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Confronting Substance Use Disorder A comprehensive response to this public health crisis for park and recreation professionals By Lauren Kiefert

s providers of and connection points to public health services, parks and recreation plays a vital role in the opioid and substance use epidemic. Park and recreation leaders confront substance use on park grounds daily, with many staff on the frontlines responding to substance use and related issues. As a result, local agencies are challenged with finding effective and sustainable ways to address the ongoing public health crisis. With substance use continuing to impact communities and individuals across all races, classes, geographies and identities, the park and recreation field has a responsibility to respond to and be part of the solution.

A Community of Practice In spring 2019, NRPA created a Community of Practice (CoP) specifically addressing substance use disorder (SUD), with a focus on opioids. The CoP concentrated on two main aspects of substance use: prevention and operations/safety. The prevention component facilitated conversations and learning opportunities for park and recreation professionals on conducting staff training, identifying risk factors, building protective factors, understanding adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), recognizing signs of SUD and addressing associated stigmas. The operations/safety side

examined park maintenance, staff safety, sharps and drug paraphernalia cleanup, partnerships with law enforcement and public health agents, and response to overdose situations on managed properties. The report, titled Parks and Recreation: A Comprehensive Response to the Substance Use Crisis (nrpa.org/ SubstanceUseReport), draws on lessons learned through the CoP, data collected from agencies across the country, and recommendations from leading public health organizations and the federal government. It provides response strategies and recommendations for park and recreation

In spring 2019, NRPA created a Community of Practice, addressing substance use disorder with a focus on opioids.

22 Parks & Recreation

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professionals. The report highlights a variety of tactics and levels of response that focus on prevention, operations and maintenance, public safety, community education, partnership building, staff training, development and more. Strategies are rooted in evidence-based best practices and solutions. Response strategies are grouped into three overarching themes: Responding to Substance Use in Parks and Recreation – This section explores how park and recreation professionals can respond to common challenges associated with substance use taking place on property owned by the agency. It includes recommendations on drug and paraphernalia disposal and staff safety, facility modifications, naloxone training — and developing partnerships with harm reduction groups, public health organizations and law enforcement entities. Supporting Community Members Impacted by Substance Use – This section outlines how park and recreation professionals can support community members — including staff and youth — who may be directly or indirectly impacted by substance use or who are at high risk for SUD. Covered in this section is the importance of addressing and breaking down the stigma of substance use, developing referral systems with treatment providers and providing resources to community members, training staff on being trauma-

informed, offering tailored programming for impacted community members, and encouraging a holistic focus on health and wellness to include mindfulness and self-care. Focusing Efforts on a Prevention Lens – This section discusses how park and recreation professionals can focus efforts on prevention to reduce the risk of SUD, identify early warning signs and stop the generational impact of substance use. Topics covered include identifying risk factors and understanding ACEs, building protective factors around community members, providing community education, training staff on mental health first aid, and changing policies and improving environments to support positive behavioral health outcomes. The report shares the experiences of five park agencies responding to substance use and mental health disorders. These case studies provide realworld examples of the strategies and solutions discussed, ranging from installing sharps disposal kiosks in parks to providing community education, as well as offering prevention and awareness training. While we have learned a great deal of information related to substance use on park grounds and in communities, there is still so much to be discovered. Substance use is an ever-changing issue with trends evolving at a rapid rate. Park and recreation professionals are addressing and responding to a wide array of substance use challenges. We hope this report provides applicable strategies and best practices for all levels of response, based on the specific needs and infrastructure of your individual communities. NRPA will be developing supplemental resources to complement this report, covering topics

such as partnerships, asset building, mental health and homelessness. To share how your agency is responding to substance use and mental health disorders in your

community, please email NRPA Program Specialist Lauren Kiefert at lkiefert@nrpa.org. Lauren Kiefert is a Program Specialist at NRPA (lkiefert@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

EQUITY

COVID-19 is exacerbating racial, economic and geographic disparities in access to sports and recreation that create opporunity gaps and health inequities for many youth.

Creating Equitable Access to Physical Activity for Youth By Ka’ohe Wong, Bookie Gates and Sarah Margeson

hysical activity is one of the most important predictors and protectors of overall health and well-being. Prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, only 24 percent of youth ages 6 to 17 across the nation were meeting the daily physical activity recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (tinyurl.com/yaml2gst). In King County, Washington, this number drops to 19 percent — meaning many youth are not able to access the mental, emotional, academic and health benefits of physical activity. Unfortunately, inequity is profoundly present in organized sports. The 2019 State of Play: SeattleKing County report (tinyurl.com/ y9tdah6c) found that youth who do not speak English at home are nearly three times more likely to have never participated in organized sports or recreation than children who speak English at home. Youth of color are significantly less likely than white youth to have partici-

24 Parks & Recreation

pated in an organized sport. Black youth do not participate in physical activity — free play, organized sports or outdoor recreation — as often as their white peers. When they do, sports can be a vehicle to promote equity and integration, but it has also perpetuated stereotypes, racism, tokenism, inequity and further harm. Racial, economic and geographic disparities in access to sports and recreation had already

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created wide opportunity gaps and health inequities for many youth. This global health crisis is exacerbating those disparities.

The Play Equity Coalition Launched in response to the 2019 State of Play: Seattle-King County report, the King County Play Equity Coalition is a 75-member organization focused on regional inequities in youth access to physical activity through sports and outdoor recreation. Together, we are collaborating to advocate, fundraise and partner to amplify impact. Amid this pandemic, it is especially important that our reopening solutions center on youth of color, immigrant and refugee youth and the organizations that

serve them. To assist stakeholders across the region, the Play Equity Coalition created a Return to Play resource (tinyurl.com/ydalplnf) with guiding questions to support equitable access to physical activity through sports and outdoor recreation. These questions include: • With limited space and resources, how do we determine who participates and who is left out? • How are we communicating reopening fields and facilities? • Are we reaching communities that have had the most limited access to physical activity during the pandemic due to proximity to parks and playfields or disproportionate impact on their community? • As we navigate this pandemic, how can we use this as an opportunity to challenge and reshape systems and processes that created inequitable access to physical activity? • Are there partners and collaborations that can help broaden our scope and serve youth furthest from access? As phased reopenings of facilities and youth-serving programs take shape, we are concerned about the need for an equity-focused approach to service provision and the ability of stressed and underresourced nonprofits and program providers to navigate the demands of restarting. Recognizing the pre-existing inequities in youth access to physical activity, we encourage park agencies to consider the following recommendations to address these challenges: Ensure local, affordable, quality sports options are available to all kids. Partner with local organizations and school districts to innovate to meet the needs of families in your

area. Municipal park and recreation departments can play a critical role in supporting families by offering a trusted space for information and access. Families need childcare and children need safe places to play now more than ever. We encourage coordination with local school districts so providers can easily and affordably use fields and indoor facilities to provide physical activity programming to youth. According to the Aspen Institute’s Tom Farrey, park and recreation departments also “hold the power of the permit to set the conditions under which outside organizations access fields, gyms, pools and other venues. Often, cities just ask for proof of insurance. They can expand the checklist to include coach training and safety protections. They also can add filters prioritizing programs that are inclusive or abide by best practices in athletics and child development,” (tinyurl.com/y97taeqy). Prioritize youth sports organizations that focus on the whole child. With physical distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders, programs that intentionally support developmentally appropriate social-emotional learning practices through sports and recreation can help young people thrive. When coaches focus on the social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs of the whole child, they help youth athletes feel safe and supported, foster important traits such as responsibility and perseverance, guide them in building an emotional foundation for success, and teach teammates to respect and listen to one another (tinyurl.com/yatfrw69). COVID-19 has impacted not only our families, but also the organizations that serve them. Prioritizing local, highquality, youth-serving organizations

helps ensure these programs survive and contribute to rebuilding a stronger community. Prioritize input from communities most vulnerable and most impacted by COVID-19. Incorporate community voices into planning procedures and making decisions related to reopening through routine engagement with nonprofit organizations and school districts in your service area. Commit to examining pre-COVID policies around use of space, field reservations and permits to ensure equitable access for underrepresented communities. Events in 2020 have highlighted and exacerbated the gross inequities in our society — intentional shifts in our policies and procedures can help pave the way for systemic change. If you are unsure how to get started, the Center for Community Health and Development and the University of Kansas have partnered to provide The Community Tool Box (tinyurl.com/y4kygso8), a robust resource for taking action. The King County Play Equity Coalition envisions a space where all youth are active to a healthy level, and where access to sports and outdoor recreation are not determined by zip code, language or race. We view youth physical activity as a regional policy priority and seek to elevate our work as a national model for inclusive, healthy, youth sports and recreation. We are energized and hopeful to continue to work together to move this vision forward. Ka’ohe Wong is Program Quality Division Director, Schools Out Washington (kwong@schoolsoutwashington.org). Bookie Gates is Founder and Director, Baseball Beyond Borders (bookie@baseballbeyond.org). Sarah Margeson is Program Manager, Youth Sports Grants, King County Parks (smargeson@kingcounty.gov).

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Parks & Recreation

CONSERVATION

PHOTO OURTESY OF SEAN SHAFFER/CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT

Students from Chicago Public Schools work together to create their own play space for a day of pop-up nature play in Ping Tom Park.

Reversing the Impacts of Nature-Blindness By Michele White

ore than ever, open spaces, trails and parks have been an outlet for our communities to exercise, connect with nature and reduce stress during uncertain times; they have become an essential element of daily life. But with people spending more time at home, there have been several reports that nature is reemerging in our communities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While it’s easy to assume that our new lifestyle is allowing wildlife to find new places to live, some researchers beg to differ — their behavior isn’t changing drastically, ours is! Our communities are reconnecting with nature; maybe this is one of the momentarily positive situations arising from the current crisis. But how can we seize this moment to ensure they continue to engage with open spaces while also learning the importance of our conservation efforts? We can create or revamp outdoor programming — by either implementing physical distancing measures or going virtual — to keep our communi-

26 Parks & Recreation

ties coming back to parks. We also can refresh our key conservationrelated messages and provide easy ways for others to learn on their own.

P&R Professionals Get Innovative Park and recreation professionals with Chicago Park District are prioritizing natural play spaces to engage people in the joys and comfort of nature at an early age. For these

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professionals, providing the space isn’t quite enough; they also train their park staff to feel comfortable providing nature play experiences. Ensuring all park staff can provide this experience broadens the environmental engagement in their communities. Forest Preserves of Cook County in Illinois has a concentrated effort to engage diverse groups through their education and volunteer programming to ensure everyone feels comfortable and knows they belong in the outdoors. They hold events like “The Nature of Black Wellness — The Outdoors and Black Health, Past and Present,” an interactive presentation that explores the pivotal role of nature in the lives of African Americans, past through present (tinyurl.com/y9v85xrg). These types of programs could be

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Tech’s Role in the New Scope of Agency Work converted to virtual experiences and continued with physical distancing guidance in the future. Other communities, like La Crosse, Wisconsin, are creating community gardens in their parks and public spaces for communities impacted by the current crisis that will help provide food and build resilience. What better way to connect the younger generation to nature than by creating gardens that also build resiliency in their food supply? Huron-Clinton Metro Parks in Michigan has devoted an entire page to virtual nature-based programming for kids (metroparks.com/virtual) that even features a “Dear Kevin” column modeled after “Dear Abby.” When the interpretive centers were closed, the agency’s interpreters fielded questions about nature, science, agriculture and regional history that community members raised while sheltering at home. They posted the questions and answered daily via their Facebook and Instagram stories, which pulled others into the discussions. In Louisiana, The Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) staff are converting their annual BioBlitz (tinyurl.com/y9mcnbc7) into a virtual event that has physical distancing considerations for the activities that require people to be out interacting with nature. This will allow their community members to get outside in select parks suitable for the activity and find what nature holds in a safe way. You can follow suit by joining NRPA for our second annual Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz this September. Visit nrpa.org/BioBlitz for more information and to access a suite of helpful resources. Lorain County Metro Parks in Ohio began a program to get children and their families involved with nature at home without the need for screens. Community members expressed concerns about children accruing increased screen time during the pandemic; they wanted something that helped provide structured time outdoors. Naturalists on staff created nature boxes with activities and information to support children’s experiences in nature. The agency’s first boxes in May, which focused on trees and clouds, sold out in hours. Their June box focused on the sun. We all know that connecting people to nature is important. As park and recreation leaders, you understand the importance of building resilient communities to face climate change and other pressing conservation-related issues. To do this, we need to make sure our communities also celebrate the importance of nature and create the next generation of environmental stewards to help build those spaces and ensure a brighter future for everyone. Find out what your community members have been doing these past few months to gauge what they would like to do in the future. Now is our time to seize the day and strengthen your community’s connection to your parks and open spaces! Michele White is a Program Manager at NRPA (mwhite@nrpa.org).

By Liz McConomy Over the past few months, the way businesses operate has changed and park and recreation agencies have had to find creative ways to serve their communities.

While agencies might be offering fewer services due to restrictions, the scope of work has expanded from business-as-usual to additional tasks. Agencies and businesses alike need to consider disinfection protocols, physical distancing measures and reduced attendance regulations. As activity and event registrations for the Fall approach, factoring in how the new reality impacts agency operations is imperative. The time is now to empower staff and revitalize agency operations through tech. Technology can help streamline and automate agency processes, such as online registrations that reduce in-person lineups, virtual payments to limit the amount of “touch” points in a transaction, schedule creation and bookings with class or group size restrictions, facility cleaning and maintenance to ensure proper hygiene between sessions, etc. Leveraging technology allows you to make virtual activities and events accessible so you can keep your community connected, engaged and, most importantly, healthy. It is also likely that agencies are short-staffed as a result of lockdowns, meaning staff members are wearing multiple hats and juggling several responsibilities while trying to maintain levels of service and engagement. Technology helps reduce the strain on staff and eliminate human error. Agencies can introduce operational transparency and efficiencies through better communication, automation and project management at a time when staff members cannot necessarily walk over to a colleague’s desk to get things done. The good thing is, even though these initiatives may be a reaction to a crisis, they will continue to yield returns far beyond. The question is no longer about the value of digitizing operations — it’s “When are you going to start?” Visit smartrec.com to discover how we can help you start streamlining agency operations today. Liz McConomy is VP Marketing at Amilia (liz.mcconomy@amilia.com).

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Informal ‘Comp Time’ Process Prompts Sex Discrimination Claim By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

he Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at Title 29 Part 541 (29 CFR Part 541) defines employees who are exempt from overtime pay requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA requires all non-exempt employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime pay at not less than time and one-half the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek. In general, non-exempt employees earn hourly wages while exempt employees are usually paid a fixed annual salary. The FLSA pay requirements do not apply to exempt employees, which generally includes executive, administrative and professional employees who are engaged in the management of an agency or business who are compensated on a salary basis at a rate of not less than $684 per week. The primary duty of an exempt employee must be managing the enterprise or managing a customarily recognized

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department or subdivision of the enterprise, including the authority to hire, fire or recommend changes to the status of other employees. Management by exempt employees might also include, but is not limited to: directing the work of employees, determining the techniques to be used and apportioning work among employees. Moreover, the exempt employee must customarily and regularly direct the work

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of at least two or more other fulltime employees or their equivalent. Title 29 Part 553 of the Code of Federal Regulations (29 CFR Part 553) describes the “Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Employees of State and Local Governments,” which would include public parks and recreation departments. In particular, Section 553.22 addresses “FLSA compensatory time” and “FLSA compensatory time off.” These FLSA compensatory time regulations, however, retain a complete exemption for “any employee employed in a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity as those terms are defined and delimited in 29 CFR part 541.”

“Off the Books” Timecard System In the case of Pearson v. Georgia, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 14909 (11th Cir. 5/11/2020), plaintiff Melinda Pearson was a parks and recreation supervisor and manager and, therefore, considered an exempt employee under the FLSA. Pearson and several other employees, however, had been allowed to earn and use compensatory time off under an informal, de facto timecard system within the parks and recreation department. This “off the books” operation was contrary to the City’s payroll department policy prohibiting compensatory time off for exempt employees. Pearson’s use of “comp time” proved problematic, causing her to be demoted and ultimately terminated from her job for violating the City’s payroll policies. In response, Pearson claimed the City’s adverse employment actions against her constituted sex discrimination in violation of federal civil rights law. Pearson started working as a summer employee for the parks and recreation department in the City of Augusta, Georgia, in 1980. She was promoted several times. In 1992, Pearson became a special activities supervisor. During her time as a supervisor, she twice complained to the human resources department that, even though she was a supervisor, she was being forced to do manual labor in an attempt to make her “work out of her job.” Nothing came of her complaints. In 1996, Pearson was promoted to operations manager in the parks and recreation department. Despite the promotion, she continued to have problems. One of those problems arose in 1999 from her

attempt to use “comp time,” which is short for compensatory time, an alternative to overtime. Under the comp time system, an employee who worked more than 40 hours in a pay week could bank those extra hours for later use as paid time off. Instead of receiving overtime pay in cash, the employees could take an equivalent number of paid hours off work later. The City had a general policy of not allowing exempt employees — that is, salaried employees like Pearson who were exempt from the FLSA’s overtime requirements — to accrue or use comp time. Only those who were considered non-exempt employees under the FLSA were supposed to use comp time. Despite the City’s policy, the human resources department had allowed Pearson to accrue and use comp time. However, in 1999, Pearson’s manager denied her request to use comp time on the grounds that she was an exempt employee. After Pearson complained, the human resources director wrote a letter to Pearson and her manager, stating that because she had already accrued comp time that was “in the payroll system,” there was “no other option other than to compensate her for her time,” meaning to let her use it for paid time off. This letter did not specify if Pearson would be allowed to continue accruing comp time, although it did state that “exempt employees do not accrue compensatory time.” In a conversation they had at that time, the department director told Pearson that, unlike non-exempt employees, she could no longer report comp time on her official timecard. Both exempt and non-exempt

employees submitted weekly timecards to the City’s payroll department. Exempt employees indicated on their timecards only whether they had worked a full day or taken some sort of paid time off, like vacation or sick time. Non-exempt personnel, also known as hourly employees, recorded on their timecards the exact number of hours they had worked and also noted how many comp time hours they had accrued that week. If a non-exempt employee wanted to use comp time, they would mark the timecard to show that they were not working and would write on the timecard the amount of comp time hours that employee wanted to use that day. The payroll department tracked comp time hours accrued by non-exempt employees, but did not track comp time for exempt employees who were not supposed to have any comp time.

If a non-exempt employee wanted to use comp time, they would mark the timecard to show that they were not working and would write on the timecard the amount of comp time hours that employee wanted to use that day. Falsified Timecards Despite the City’s policy prohibiting comp time, the parks and recreation department had created a system that, to some extent, had allowed exempt employees to use comp time. Under this system, exempt employees would fill out a

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piece of paper each time they accrued comp time and place the paper in a binder on the assistant director’s desk. When they wanted to use accumulated comp time hours, the exempt employees would retrieve their comp time paper from the binder and submit it to their supervisor. The supervisor would then approve the exempt employees’ use of comp time to take off a day or some part of it.

The City payroll department had to approve an employee’s timecard before a comp-timeconsuming employee in the parks and recreation department could be paid. This process in the parks and recreation department for approving comp time for exempt employees was not quite enough to make this off-the-books operation work. The City payroll department had to approve an employee’s timecard before a comp-time-consuming employee in the parks and recreation department could be paid. In the case of exempt employees, the City payroll department would not have approved payment for prohibited comp time as a substitute for hours worked on a day that the exempt employee actually took off. With the approval of their managers, Pearson and the other exempt employees in the parks and recreation department, therefore, submitted timecards to the payroll department showing that they were working a full day, even when they were not working all or even part of that day, but were instead using comp time to be off. Under that in30 Parks & Recreation

formal, de facto system, the human resources and payroll departments had no record of any exempt employees, including Pearson, ever accruing and using comp time. It was under that informal system, Pearson, like other exempt employees in the parks and recreation department, kept track of and used her comp time. Throughout her employment in the department, Pearson’s managers continued to approve use of her accrued comp time for payment. In 2005, Pearson complained that male managers were receiving extra pay for taking on extra work, but she was not. That year, she filed an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) sex discrimination charge against her manager and the City. In her sex discrimination claim, Pearson alleged that she was treated worse and paid less than the other managers — all of whom were men. Specifically, Pearson claimed all of the male managers had offices, while she had none. Moreover, Pearson claimed that all of the male managers could wear whatever they wanted, while she had to wear a uniform. The EEOC issued a “right to sue” letter, but Pearson decided not to sue at that time. In 2008, Pearson contracted a serious infection that resulted in her undergoing 29 surgeries between 2008 and 2011. After each one of those surgeries, Pearson was out of work for at least a week, sometimes longer. In July 2011, Pearson had a severe flare up and was out of work until December 2011. During that time, she was placed on Family Medical Leave Act leave. Pearson was paid through mid-August (using her accrued vacation and sick

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leave), but after that her leave was unpaid. Pearson called a parks and recreation administrative assistant who handled timecards for the department and asked to use some of her comp time to extend the paid portion of her leave. Pearson was told parks and recreation was “going to have to hold her time of comp until she returned.” Instead, Pearson was granted catastrophic leave, a program under which employees can donate time off to an employee in need of it. Catastrophic leave is available only to employees who have exhausted all other forms of paid leave, including comp time. Many of the employees under Pearson’s supervision donated their time off to her. In December 2011, the City put out a new handbook explicitly providing that exempt employees could not accrue or use comp time. On December 8, 2011, Pearson signed a form acknowledging that she had received and had the opportunity to read the entire handbook. Shortly after Pearson returned to work in December 2011, she experienced problems with her new manager, and she found some of the employees under her supervision to be insubordinate. In late December, Pearson told her manager that she was going to file a formal complaint against him. The manager granted Pearson’s request to take some “time off to cool down.” Pearson was out of work for four days, but she had exhausted most of her available time off as a result of her return to work from her extended leave of absence. Her only remaining time off was comp time. Pearson requested permission

to use her comp time so she would not lose pay during those days that she would be out of work. The parks and recreation director approved her request. In keeping with the practice of the parks and recreation department, Pearson submitted a timecard indicating that she had worked each of those four days. Pearson’s four-day leave of absence did not go unnoticed. In early 2012, the City’s human resources department began an investigation into her use of comp time. The interim director of human resources, who later became the interim director of the parks and recreation department, oversaw this investigation. During the investigation, the director reviewed the parks and recreation payroll records and interviewed several employees, including Pearson and her supervisor. She also provided a written statement about the matter to the human resources department. Following the investigation, the director concluded that Pearson’s December 2011 use of comp time was improper because she was an operations manager, an exempt employee, and was thus ineligible to accrue and use comp time under the City policy. As a result, the director then demoted Pearson from operations manager to maintenance worker on May 2, 2012, a demotion that came with a pay cut of about 50 percent. Pearson appealed this decision. Her demotion was reviewed and affirmed by the City’s administrator. In May 2012, Pearson began working in the new position of maintenance worker to which she had been demoted. Although she complained that the work was

hurting her back, her manager told her that she had to continue working without any assistance. By the end of the month, Pearson had reinjured her back and had to go on medical leave again. She remained on leave for more than eight months, until February 2013. At that point, Pearson had not been medically cleared to return to work, and she had exhausted all of the leave available to her, so the City terminated her employment.

Demotion Based on Sex Discrimination In her lawsuit against the City and its employees in federal district court, Pearson claimed her demotion from operations manager to maintenance worker was the result of sex discrimination in violation of federal civil rights law, specifically Title VII and Section 1983. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that protects employees against discrimination based on certain specified characteristics: race, color, national origin, sex and religion. Under Title VII, an employer may not discriminate with regard to any term, condition, or privilege of employment. The Civil Rights Act of 1871 is a federal statute, numbered 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, that allows people to sue the government for civil rights violations. It applies when someone acting “under color of ” state level or local law has deprived a person of rights created by the U.S. Constitution or federal statutes. The federal district court entered judgments in favor of the City and its employees on all of Pearson’s discrimination claims. Pearson appealed.

Disparate Treatment Claims As described by the federal appeals court, in this particular instance, “the analysis of disparate treatment claims” under Title VII and Section 1983 would require Pearson to first establish the following prima facie case (i.e., allegation is sufficient on its face) to support a claim of sex discrimination: (1) she belongs to a protected class, (2) she was subjected to an adverse employment action, (3) she was qualified to perform the job in question, and (4) that her employer treated “similarly situated” employees outside her class more favorably.

If plaintiff Pearson succeeded in making out a prima facie case of sex discrimination, then burden of proof would shift to the defendant City to “articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its actions.” If plaintiff Pearson succeeded in making out a prima facie case of sex discrimination, then burden of proof would shift to the defendant City to “articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its actions.” If the City is able to do so, then Pearson would have to demonstrate that the City’s reason for its actions were “merely a pretext for unlawful discrimination.” In so doing, Pearson would then be able to persuade a judge or jury that “she has been the victim of intentional discrimination.” In this particular instance, the federal appeals court noted: “The parties agree that Pearson satisfied the first three prongs of the prima

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facie case: she is a woman, she was demoted, and she was qualified to do her job.” The appeals court, however, found Pearson and the City had disagreed as to “whether Pearson satisfied the fourth prong by identifying a comparator who was sufficiently similarly situated to her who was treated differently.”

Similarly Situated Comparators As noted by the federal appeals court: “A plaintiff must show that she and her comparators are similarly situated in all material respects.” Specifically, a “similarly situated comparator” in a sex discrimination claim must exhibit the following characteristics: (1) engaged in the same basic conduct (or misconduct) as the plaintiff; (2) have been subject to the same employment policy, guideline, or rule as the plaintiff; (3) will ordinarily (although not invariably) have been under the jurisdiction of the same supervisor as the plaintiff; and (4) will share the plaintiff ’s employment or disciplinary history.

In the opinion of the appeals court, the City’s response was not “a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for Pearson’s termination,” because Pearson’s evidence demonstrated that her misconduct was her involvement in “a process which resulted in falsified timecards in direct violation of City policy” was “exactly what the comparators did.” 32 Parks & Recreation

In her sex discrimination claim, Pearson had identified five men as potential comparators for her sex discrimination claims. The appeals court noted four of these men, were “subject to the same employment policy, guideline, or rule as” Pearson and were “under the jurisdiction of the same supervisor” as Pearson. In particular, the court found these four men “were all managers and all exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act, meaning that according to the City handbook they were not entitled to accrue or use comp time.” Accordingly, the issue before the appeals court was “whether Pearson showed that any of those four men engaged in the same basic misconduct as she did.” Specifically, the court had to determine whether any of these men had been “accruing comp time as an exempt employee and using it by marking their timecards to show that they were working when they weren’t.” In support of her sex discrimination claim, the court found Pearson had “submitted evidence, in the form of deposition testimony and declarations, that those four men used comp time even though they were exempt employees.” Moreover, the court found the acting director of human resources “would have known that at least some of the men were using comp time as exempt employees” because one of them “admitted doing so.” This employee’s admission came during an interview that the human resources manager conducted as part of the investigation into Pearson’s use of comp time. In addition, the appeals court found the acting director of human resources would have reviewed

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the investigation interview notes. Moreover, the court found the acting director would have known “human resources did not track comp time for exempt employees.” As a result, the appeals court concluded a similarly situated male employee “could not have taken comp time without falsifying his timecard in the same manner Pearson did.” The court also found direct evidence in the record that another similarly situated male employee “had falsified a timecard in the same manner that Pearson did,” including “three falsified timecards” from this male employee. Accordingly, the appeals court held Pearson had established a prima facie case of sex discrimination based upon evidence indicated these four male employees were “similarly situated in all material respects” to Pearson and her alleged comp time misconduct. To refute Pearson’s claim of sex discrimination, the burden of proof would then shift to the City to “articulate a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its actions.” As noted by the appeals court, the defendant City and its employees had claimed: “Pearson was demoted because she knew that she was not eligible for comp time as an exempt employee and she engaged in a process which resulted in falsified timecards in direct violation of City policy.” In the opinion of the appeals court, the City’s response was not “a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for Pearson’s termination,” because Pearson’s evidence demonstrated that her misconduct was her involvement in “a process which resulted in falsified timecards in direct violation of City policy” was

“exactly what the comparators did.” Moreover, the court found evidence in a letter that Pearson “had been told in 1999 that she could use comp time even though she was an exempt employee.” Further, when she was on medical leave, Pearson had been told that the parks and recreation department was “going to have to hold her time of comp until she returned.” In the opinion of the appeals court, the clear implication of this evidence was that “the use of comp time was permitted — otherwise, why would the department hold it for her?”

Conclusion Based upon this evidence, the appeals court concluded: “Pearson has raised a genuine issue of material fact as to whether the defendants’ articulated reason for demoting her” was a mere pretext in an attempt to rationalize and legitimize sex discrimination by the City. The appeals court, therefore, found the federal district court had erred in granting summary judgment to the City on Pearson’s Title VII and Section 1983 claims of sex discrimination. Accordingly, the federal appeals

The appeals court found the federal district court had erred in granting summary judgment to the City on Pearson’s Title VII and Section 1983 claims of sex discrimination. court ordered the federal district court to conduct a new trial to fully consider and resolve Pearson’s claims of sex discrimination against the City. For more information, see: “Gender & Age Discrimination Claim in Park Promotion,” James C. Kozlowski, Parks & Recreation, Dec. 2019, Vol. 53, Iss. 12 (tinyurl.com/yb2csu58) and “Former Parks Director Claims Overtime Pay Under FLSA,” James C. Kozlowski, Parks & Recreation, Dec. 2018 (tinyurl. com/ybdccvrm). James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D., is an Attorney and Associate Professor in the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management at George Mason University (jkozlows@ gmu.edu). Webpage with link to law review articles archive (1982 to present): mason. gmu.edu/~jkozlows.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATTI G. STERLING

The town of Bel Air, Maryland, created a unique water-based playground modeled after the Chesapeake Bay to connect families to a vital natural resource through interactive play and thoughtful design.

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Restoring Nature’s Playground Two park projects highlight the importance of offering water play and nature-based amenities to communities By Patti G. Sterling and Akosua Cook, AICP

s stewards of our open spaces, park and recreation professionals know parks are essential for families and youth to make a connection to nature, enjoy the natural world and learn to be future stewards of our environment. With that, we are responsible for providing spaces that are welcoming and accessible to all and offer educational value to our community members. This doesn’t just happen overnight; these spaces are thoughtfully planned with the community in mind. That is at the heart of what park and recreation professionals do every day. And, it’s also what drives the Building Better Communities grant program, the signature grant program of the American Water Charitable Foundation — the charitable arm of American Water — that is administered by NRPA. American Water has long believed in the importance of being a good neighbor and good steward of the environment. Its customers are at the center of everything the company does and every decision it makes. The grant program brings water play and nature-based amenities to communities across the country, while also ensuring the creation of a next generation of environmental stewards through play and educational opportunities. Through this program, two grantees were able to transform parks to create unique educational play experiences for their communities to connect with water and the natural world while learning how to be better stewards of our natural resources.

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Town of Bel Air, Maryland: Chesapeake Sensory Plaza The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is home to more than 18 million people, and the Bay itself — which stretches nearly 200 miles long — is the very heart and soul of the state of Maryland. In 2019, the town of Bel Air used the Chesapeake Bay as inspiration to create a unique waterbased playground that connects families to this vital natural resource through interactive play and thoughtful design. The project was made possible through a $150,000 Building Better Communities grant and is a testament to Maryland American Water’s dedication to the communities it serves. Chesapeake Sensory Plaza transformed an empty stretch of lawn at Rockfield Park, a 53-acre regional park managed by the town of Bel Air, into a sensory play experience that provides hands-on water play to teach children about the watershed ecosystem and build an appreciation for the environment. The plaza features a 60-foot-long channel that follows the natural topography of the site. To start the flow of water, visitors manually operate hand pumps or switches that empty into channels. The channels carry the water through the play area where it encounters a variety of features, including water wheels, lock gates, flaps and dams, which allow participants to manipulate its passage and explore the characteristics of water and flow. Design elements, including educational and interactive panels, provide information and fun facts about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and conservation practices. The pathways to the site are illustrated as if you are viewing the watershed area from 30,000 feet above and picture forests and farmlands, as well as urban and suburban areas. Natural elements and landscaping frame the 36 Parks & Recreation

project for additional context. The overall design for the project was created by the town’s director of planning, Kevin Small, who has a degree in landscape architecture and served as the project manager. This design supports the growing body of research that shows the more children interact with nature, the more likely they are to appreciate and protect the environment around them. A 2017 study by the University of British Columbia showed that 87 percent of individuals who played outside as children expressed a continued love of nature as adults. Of that group, 84 percent said that taking care of the environment was a priority in their life. “We tapped into this research to provide environmental education along with naturebased play,” notes Small. “The result is a rich sensory experience for children and their families to explore and learn in the great outdoors.” Chesapeake Sensory Plaza seeks to foster an emotional bond with nature and shape pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors that positively influence the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Specific learning outcomes include: • Introduce and understand the Chesapeake Bay Watershed area • Explore and experience water flow • Gain a greater appreciation for the natural environment • Encourage conservation behaviors The creation of Chesapeake Sensory Plaza is consistent with the town’s role as a Sustainable Maryland Certified Municipality, ensuring that environmental, economic and social objectives are balanced and mutually supported. With this in mind, the plaza was designed to highlight the importance of the watershed while remaining sensitive to water conservation goals. For example, the design team opted for manual pumps to start

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the flow of water instead of installing a continuously running system in an effort to eliminate unnecessary waste. Chesapeake Sensory Plaza is an exciting new addition that expands the overall play experience at Rockfield Park, a popular destination that features a community-built creative playground, walking trails, horticultural gardens and athletic fields. The new sensory plaza complements these existing elements and introduces tactile play that encourages creativity and exploration of the environment. “Chesapeake Sensory Plaza helps people understand [that] the health of the Chesapeake Bay is everyone’s responsibility,” says Small. “It’s a natural place to teach children and their families about the Chesapeake Bay watershed and encourage conservation behaviors for today and future generations.”

Chattanooga, Tennessee: East Lake Park East Lake Park is Chattanooga’s first and oldest park, dating back to the 1800s, and has a rich cultural heritage. During its 124-year history, the park has added many amenities, such as a zoo, an urban fishing hole, a home for swans and ducks, and a gathering spot for the neighborhood’s residents. The park is 18.5 acres, and at its center is a 1.75-acre pond. The pond is spring fed and much of the park is covered in trees. Due to wear and tear and a lack of consistent maintenance or infrastructure improvements, ecological enhancements were needed to put the luster back into this historic gem. With community input as a key and a driving factor, the goal of this project was to improve conditions for the pond and surrounding waterways, as well as to enhance key park features, including better access and amenities.

From initial conversations with the community in 2016, the city planned to replace an old playground. Tennessee American Water has been part of the Chattanooga community since the 1800s and through the support of a $150,000 grant provided by the Building Better Communities grant program, city staff were able to include a new play space from natural materials that would better celebrate the ecological restoration of the park. However, Chattanooga had very few examples of natural playgrounds to reference. The city sought proposals from qualified firms to design and furnish a custom-built play structure. After an extensive selection process, the city selected CORE Associates — which ended up being the perfect firm to execute this project. Inspired by the old springbox at the park, CORE created a new playground, called “The Spring,” which honors the surrounding landscape by leveraging the natural spring that runs through the park and feeds the lake. The playground is broken down into six main components: The Gateway, a collaborative community art piece; The Ridge, a central climbing structure; the Oxley trail, a discovery trail that pays homage to the zoo that used to be at the park; Conservation Creek, a rainwater collecting creek bed; and the Stematory, a STEM-inspired outdoor classroom. Along with the play space, access to the pond was enhanced to ensure the community could engage directly with the park’s water resources. Other key aspects of the park restoration included water-quality improvements, including restoration of the lake, daylighting of the spring, additional green infrastructure to improve overall water quality and a new boardwalk around the lake for the community to enjoy. Leveraging these improvements with a nature-based

play area and outdoor classroom showcased the importance of the ecological balance of the park and ensured community members can become future environmental stewards. What started as a water-quality project to improve the pond in 2016 transitioned into an overall park restoration. Now four years later, Chattanooga’s oldest park has a little something for everyone to enjoy. “This is where people come to celebrate and to have fun; to mourn; to see each other; to spread some love to each other; to talk about the things they may disagree on. This is the public square,” says Mayor Andy Berke. Local educator Joyce Lancaster says she can now fully enjoy the great outdoors in her own backyard. “Our families have always enjoyed the park and now they’ve done a wonderful renovation here. It’s beautiful. My children are excited….It’s just a beautiful asset to the community.” While the city and the community are all very happy with the end result, some important lessons were learned along the way. Park staff faced skepticism from the community and scrutiny from leadership but had a vision for this space — they just had to bring those with doubts along. And, community engagement is an important aspect of the work, which meant ensuring community members were engaged throughout the process. City staff hosted a community project day where the designers and the city invited residents to spend a Saturday morning creating brick molds for the entryway to the playground. This provided the opportunity to bring more people into the process, and gave the community the opportunity to have a lasting piece of the playground they could call their own. Since the park reopened on February 29, 2020, the community has fully embraced the park and play-

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAWN WHITE

A major highlight of the renovated East Lake Park is The Gateway, which comprises handmade mosaics created by local community members. The archway is an artistic representation of the original spring-head located in the park.

ground. The adjacent elementary school has taken the initiative to create a curriculum that activates the outdoor classroom and playground and residents from across the city travel to enjoy this unique space. The American Water Charitable Foundation’s Building Better Communities grant program helps families not only enjoy the wonders of water and the natural world, but also learn how every drop counts in ensuring stewards of our natural resources. Both of these projects took different approaches to connect their communities to nature and local water resources, which prove that through thoughtful planning and community engagement, unique spaces can be created that highlight key environmental opportunities that can help inspire the next generation of stewards. Patti G. Sterling is Grants Coordinator for Town of Bel Air, Maryland (psterling@belairmd.org). Akosua Cook, AICP, is Parks Planner for the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee (acook@chattanooga.gov).

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How Parks and Recreation Will Change Forever A closer look at the new normal that looms ahead By Richard J. Dolesh

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ust six months ago, our entire world was turned upside down by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nationwide, most businesses, schools, churches, parks and recreation facilities shut down. Many believed it would just be a short time to “flatten the curve” of the rate of infections and get back to normal. Yet, now in the heat of summer, we find that coronavirus infection positivity rates have surged, and more than half of U.S. states are facing increasing rates of infections. And, this is all before a second wave of infections that epidemiologists predict is virtually certain to strike America this fall. In addition to the pandemic and the resulting economic recession that has profoundly affected hundreds of millions of people, there are also momentous changes taking place across the country in support of racial equality and social justice that are embodied in the

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Black Lives Matter movement. As change piles upon change, there is one outcome that is increasingly apparent: parks and recreation will change forever. Because of the pandemic, public parks have become more important to people and more essential to our health and well-being than perhaps at any time before this pernicious disease threatened our health and freedoms. Mike Kelly, general superintendent of the Chicago Park

District and NRPA board member, says, “This pandemic hits us at every level — financial, health, economic, even emotional. One thing it has shown us is how important parks are to every walk of life.” Phil Ginsburg, director of San Francisco Parks and Recreation, agrees: “Parks are not just ‘nice to have,’ they are ‘must have.’ They are critical infrastructure and vital to the public.” Despite widespread disruptions to our society, the pandemic is demonstrating that communityoriented public systems that are grounded in the needs of local communities and neighborhoods, such as public parks and recreation, will be strengthened rather than fractured by the pandemic. Parks and recreation has already proven to be highly resilient and attuned to serving public needs. Responding to the pandemic, park and recreation systems have ramped up daycare for the children of first responders, provided shelter for people experiencing homelessness, continued meal programs for children and offered health services at community centers. The pandemic is showing how the mission of parks and recreation is evolving to include serving as a provider of social and health services in the effort to rebuild and reconnect communities. So, what has changed and why, and what will inevitably change in the future?

The Shape of Parks Parks and recreation facilities will look different than they do today. Already, park planners are looking at the redesign of common areas and public gathering spots with an eye to improving the flow of pedestrian traffic and maintaining physical distancing. For indoor fa40 Parks & Recreation

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cilities, the reconfiguration of existing spaces may not be all that expensive, but the retrofits of HVAC and air handling systems to reduce coronavirus loads will be expensive and complicated. Interestingly, COVID-19 is causing expansions of the public realm in ways that few would have predicted. Urban public space that was once heavily tilted toward providing vehicular access is rapidly transitioning to accommodate human powered travel, outdoor dining and public recreation space, boldly claiming territory for outdoor activities and new kinds of urban parks. In the future, the public will be giving up a lot of privacy to use indoor recreation facilities and participate in programs. There will likely be temperature testing at entrances, greater visual surveillance and possibly even facial recognition scans. At a minimum, the public will need to provide personal information to participate and many may opt in to using phone apps to give personal location data to inform health departments for potential contact tracing. Certainly, there will be less human touch, figuratively and literally with contactless payments and no-touch transactions.

The Shape of Recreation During and after the shelter-inplace orders due to COVID-19, visitation at state and local parks exploded. The crush of public use has required agencies to be as flexible and adaptable as possible. Early in the pandemic, local parks and trails were inundated with visitors who just wanted to get out daily for physical activity. Now that some jurisdictions are well into phased reopening plans, visitation has been greatest at recreational

hotspots, such as beaches and waterfronts, which have been overwhelmed with visitors. As a new round of infections spiked in states such as Florida, Texas and California, some jurisdictions opened and then completely closed their beaches, whipsawing the public’s expectations of how they could use their parks, and what was expected of them when they did. In Florida, Miami-Dade County’s reopening experience with overcrowded beaches and parks exemplifies how park and recreation agencies have demonstrated incredible adaptability and resilience in meeting the challenge of keeping people safe. “We realized that we needed to deploy a whole higher level of awareness and education to keep the public safe,” says Maria Nardi, director of Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces. “The mayor decided that the first thing to reopen was parks. These would be the test sites to ensure that things would work smoothly.” The department had to mobilize in a matter of weeks. It hired more than 600 park and beach ambassadors to patrol the beaches, waterfronts and marinas to encourage people to wear masks and respect physical distancing. Since there were no concerts or sports events, the department contracted with an event management company to employ those who were temporarily unemployed. School crossing guards who had been out of work were also recruited. In all, Miami-Dade has hired 800 people to serve as information providers and goodwill ambassadors. “People realize they have to watch out for themselves and others,” Nardi says. “We have had challenges, it is true, but recently, I really saw the

value of our approach. One of our ambassadors asked a young man playing basketball on an outdoor court to put on his mask. A friend who was playing with him said, ‘Hey man, I want to play basketball, put on your mask.’ He did, and he came back the next day and the day after, wearing his mask every day.” Programs and activities for older adults, beyond virtual or highly physically distanced activities, are likely to be seriously impacted for a long time — perhaps up to two years or longer. Recreational activities for the most vulnerable populations will remain limited until there is widespread community testing and development of an effective vaccine. P&R staff may employ creative ways to increase virtual programming and offer telehealth and chronic disease prevention services for older adults, but they are not likely to return to in-person activities for a long time. The impacts of the pandemic on youth activities, especially sports, have been abrupt and will likely be long-lasting. While youth who are participating at the elite level on travel teams or school teams will be most likely to return fairly quickly to skills development and competition, youth who are at the margins, especially those in underserved communities without access to team sports or without the ability to ‘pay-to-play,’ will be the most negatively affected. The longer the disconnection from sports lasts, the less attraction youth may have to returning to or even trying organized or team sports.

The Business of P&R Budget reductions spawned by the COVID-19 recession are likely to last for years and, in turn, will

result in significant reductions in staff, operating budgets and capital construction. Budget challenges will be aggravated by the likely long-term loss of fees and charges from reduced operations. Even when the economy begins to recover, park agencies are likely to be among the last public sectors to rebound. Analysis of the recessions of 1980 and 1991 by Dr. John L. Crompton of Texas A&M University showed that there was a one- to two-year period of recovery in terms of expenditure levels, but parks and recreation took almost a decade to recover as a proportion of government spending. More recent analysis of data from the Great Recession of 2008 to 2009, by Drs. Andrew Mowen, Nick Pitas and Austin Barrett of Penn State University, showed that as of 2016, park agencies have still not recovered to prior spending levels nor to prior proportion of government spending. Dr. Mowen says, “It took about a decade to recover from past recessions, but this one may take even longer.” Ginsburg of San Francisco says that revenue recovery plans are critically important. “City budgets are being decimated. Some of our critical sources of revenue from music festivals and other large group events will not come back for a long time. We must develop sustainable sources of revenue because we are headed for a couple of years of really hard times.” “Parks are no more immune than any other public-sector agency or corporation,” says Kelly of Chicago Park District. Many agency directors agree that workforce planning is critical but exceedingly difficult right now. “Retaining benefits will be part of the great debate,” he says. “If you want to

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attract good workers and talent, you have to look at what you are offering employees.” The uncertainties of future funding could lead to the greater employment of “disposable workers,” a term that has gained prominence in the gig economy. Even before the pandemic, many agencies turned to hiring part-time and contractual staff to perform what are effectively the functions of full-time employees. Such workers supplement the workforce, but are often prevented from gaining critical benefits because they work less than the number of hours that would qualify them for benefits. When annual budgets must be cut, these workers and other part-time workers are the first to go. Will this be the future workforce of parks and recreation — a contracted out workforce or an employed class of “disposable” workers who have little or no benefits and even less job security? Post COVID-19 workforce planning can no longer depend on attracting top-quality workers without offering certain benefits, and health insurance will be critical from now on.

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A Greater Orientation Toward Health and Equity Institutionally, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, parks and recreation will become integrally linked to health equity, food security and hunger prevention. This will be especially true in lowincome and communities of color. Park agencies have become essential meal providers to children and youth, second only to schools where meals are provided in beforeschool, after-school and summer meal programs. The pandemic exposed deep-seated disparities when meal distribution networks through local park and recreation programs were disrupted. Basic nutritional needs that were augmented by park and recreation agencies in meal programs ceased to operate or are only slowly returning as limited day camps and summer activities resume. These conditions are likely to persist when schools reopen in the fall of 2020 and after-school programs begin again. If park and recreation agencies are no longer conducting these programs, nutritionally adequate meals will no longer be provided to children and youth who are in impov-

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erished situations and communities of color. The racial and equity disparities will persist and even worsen unless there are interventions directly addressing the inequalities. Regarding the disparities in nutrition and food security, parks and recreation can make a real difference for vulnerable children. The existing crisis can be reversed if federal, state and local governing bodies act to repair the damage to deprived children who can no longer participate in quality meal programs. Funding must be purposefully redirected to nutrition and feeding programs where they are needed most. Restoring these programs, however, may come at the exclusion of funding other priorities, particularly for those communities that have adequate park and recreation services and facilities. NRPA, through its Walmart grant program, will be piloting interventions linking people of color to needed social services and healthcare through a nutrition lens, with the intent to contribute to building more effective food security systems in communities. Many park agencies have already embraced their role in helping to

provide greater food security for poor and under-resourced communities by facilitating community gardens, farmers markets, and farm-to-table or community supported agriculture (CSA) cooperatives. Greater opportunities exist to convert parkland to urban farms, community orchards, and sites for training programs for sustainable food supply and green infrastructure management.

Social Justice and Racial Equality The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fault lines of inequality in our society. Disparities in healthcare, social services, public safety, and yes, even in parks and recreation, that were largely under the radar have been laid bare and are all the more painful for their sudden prominence. “Low-income families have been hit the hardest,” says Kelly about the impacts of the pandemic. “It has been very clear that minorities have been disproportionately affected. We see greater rates of infection, more hospitalizations and more deaths in African American communities. This is why we as a

city have to invest greater amounts in those communities that have been most affected. We must make the kinds of investments in parks and recreation facilities that will help the families of these communities in our city. If this isn’t a wakeup call, I don’t know what is.” As reported by the PEW Charitable Trust citing multiple public health studies, there is growing proof that racism is a public health emergency, and more than 20 cities and four states have now passed resolutions declaring racism a public health emergency. The disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on Black, Latino and Indigenous U.S. residents with up to four times the number of infections than non-Hispanic white persons, have been shocking. Detrick Stanford, former park and recreation director and now chief operating officer of Clayton County, Georgia, says that the Black Lives Matter movement and the growing awareness of racial injustice will have a profound effect on parks and recreation. “How parks and recreation delivers services to the community will forever change.” The overriding message

of the Black Lives Matter movement is inequality, he says. And because parks and recreation is on the front lines of societal change, we must also be at the forefront of addressing social and racial inequalities. “If we are fighting health inequalities, we are fighting racism,” he says about the grave inequities in healthcare, access to good nutrition and environmental pollution that black communities encounter. “Addressing health disparities involves a range of social, economic and health factors,” Stanford says. “Parks and recreation [has] real solutions for addressing public health outcomes. We have great resilience in our country, but we must provide the context to why things must change and then be courageous enough to make the changes we need to make. We can do this.” Will parks and recreation change forever? As far as a return to normal, Kelly says, “I think Americans are incredibly resilient. There will be a return to normal someday.” But the next normal may be so far down the road that it will not ever feel like the old normal again. Richard J. Dolesh is an Editor at Large for Parks & Recreation magazine (dolesh@gmail.com)

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Leveraging Public-Private Partnerships

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Could P3s be the missing puzzle pieces for parks? By Gordon Feller

he Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, said it best during the economic meltdown of 2008: “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” However, when it comes to the recession of 2020, it may be the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that ultimately reveals which cities were truly prepared to make changes by the way they sustained their parks and protected their park budgets. The massive economic downturn and lingering health crisis continue to show that people rely on parks for open-air respite. During the early days of the pandemic, cities witnessed a surge in public park usage while shelter-in-place orders were in effect.

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COVID-19’s “early stage” institutional impacts are already being felt — public-sector budgets have changed dramatically, and not for the better. The decline of city and county tax revenues will mean that now, more than ever, park budgets will depend upon partners from the private sector and from the philanthropic world. One uncertainty in this current economy is the effect on corporate willingness to engage with non-revenue generating initiatives, since park partnerships will almost always fit in that category.

The decline of city and county tax revenues will mean that now, more than ever, park budgets will depend upon partners from the private sector and from the philanthropic world. This global health crisis will likely be defined by our response to it. Do we adapt, come together and innovate to create a new and brighter future? That’s how the Great Depression and World War II led to the birth of one of the greatest middle classes in the history of the world. To ensure that our parks truly succeed, how can public agencies and private companies collaborate with one another — and with the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that stand ready to participate? What are the ingredients for success with such park partnerships? These are the two questions at the heart of recent discussions among some leading personalities who have dedicated themselves to public-private partnerships (P3s). 46 Parks & Recreation

Lessons from Georgia In 1993, a handful of community leaders in Peachtree City, Georgia, chose to form the Southern Conservation Trust (SCT) as part of Peachtree City’s development plan for the wetland mitigation of Flat Creek, a high-priority stream within the Flint River watershed. What’s more, SCT is a nonprofit land trust and public recreation organization that serves the Southern Crescent of Metro Atlanta. According to Katie Pace Quattlebaum, SCT’s CEO and executive director, “Over the following years, SCT facilitated park management and development agreements with the city of Peachtree City, the Fayette County Board of Education, Fayetteville City and now private landowners in multiple counties in Georgia. We also own and operate three nature preserves in Fayette County. Giving landowners the option to donate the land to a nonprofit that will later develop the property into a park has been a huge incentive.” Quattlebaum believes that P3s for parks and public nature areas have created a unique and costeffective way to provide public access to lands. SCT now provides access to more than 1,200 acres of public lands in Fayette County through eight public nature areas, “and we are currently working on the development of six new public areas that will be completed by late 2020,” she says. These partnerships allow SCT to tap into private funding and foundation resources to fund park development and implement them in creative ways outside the normal scope of a city park. Quattlebaum says that they “work hand-in-hand with scout groups that build benches, kiosks

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and footbridges, as well as conduct research at the parks.” Partnering with SCT allows cities to have a very low-cost agreement that develops and manages the parks with SCT resources instead of theirs. Quattlebaum adds that, as a nonprofit, if there’s a need to complete a project onsite, “we don’t have to go through the typical bureaucratic process to achieve it, we can just implement what needs to be done for the betterment of the park and our visitors.” Being a conservation-focused organization also gives SCT the ability to focus on water quality, wildlife habitats and other natural resources that most city parks don’t take into consideration in their planning. Having skilled conservation and park staff also gives SCT the ability to lead dozens of environmental education opportunities at those parks each year, offering another free benefit to the cities and the general public. Without P3s, Quattlebaum asserts that “a lot of smaller towns and cities wouldn’t have the capacity to own these lands” — and wouldn’t be able to make these lands available for the public to enjoy nature safely. The SCT manages everything from the initial development of the park to the day-to-day operations, including insuring the park, maintenance of the parking lot, the building of restrooms, all trail maintenance, marketing, education and so much more. “We host large events at the nature areas we manage,” says Quattlebaum, whereby all the associated costs are covered by the nonprofit, including holiday events, festivals and guided hikes. These are “all things that smaller towns don’t have a park and recreation department to accomplish,” she points out.

One uncertainty in this current economy is corporate willingness to engage with non-revenue generating initiatives, since park partnerships will almost always fit in that category.

Lessons from Oklahoma One park partnership cited by enthusiasts is Gathering Place, a community park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tony Moore, executive park director of Gathering Place, likes to say that it was “designed by Tulsans for Tulsans.” A local partnership linking the public sector with the private sector is “at the genesis of our DNA,” he says. Gathering Place’s commitment to partnership first started with the 90-plus donors, led by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, who together gave more than $400 million to make it a reality. In that partnership, the city of Tulsa provided a $65 million infrastructure donation in the form of roads, stormwater drainage and bridges. In order for a park like Gathering Place to live up to its mission to be an inclusive “park for

all,” Moore believes that the focus had to be on “establishing trustworthy relationships with our cultural communities. Outside of the institutional donor partnerships, Gathering Place was intentional in building civic relationships with community stakeholders. We certainly realized that these relationships will take effort and will be authentically validated over time. But we are committed to the longevity of the task.” Their first two years of offerings — programming and signature events — also reflected the intent “to appropriately connect with our city’s diverse demographics by providing events that were culturally relevant and genuinely resonated with our audiences,” Moore notes. Gathering Place has been busy forging business partnerships.

“We knew that it would be important for us to be very strategic in our selection process in choosing the right partners that properly aligned with our mission and brand.” Moore says that he’s heard from a wide range of organizations seeking partnership opportunities. “We knew that it would be important for us to be very strategic in our selection process in choosing the right partners that properly aligned with our mission and brand,” he says. “We also knew that we had to personally manage our new brand in a way that would make our park attractive and sustainable to potential partners for years to come. We creatively sought partners with a

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“My advice to peers in other cities would be to first take a deep look at your park and attractions, identify all the external-facing attributes and the value that your park has to offer….Don’t sell yourself short.” variety of non-competing products and services.” There’s a wide range of organizations that Moore cites, including “exclusive beverage partners, transportation partners, cellphone partners, airline partners, mobile app partners, preferred hotel partners, not to mention our vitally important special event title sponsors.” He adds that he “sought organizations that we thought had a reciprocal relationship of value with the park and who also shared and embraced our mission.”

Reflecting on their experience with a P3, Moore says that “initially, there were some economic motivations, as corporations were leaving Tulsa and geographically migrating to larger markets in nearby cities. We needed a park with a halo effect that could help make Tulsa a more vibrant place to live, work and play.” Moore and his team contend that community-based parks have lots of capacity for revenue generation and relationship building. “My advice to peers in other cities would be to first take a deep look at your park and attractions, identify all the external-facing attributes and the value that your park has to offer….Don’t sell yourself short,” he says. “There are more propositions of value than you might think. Challenge yourself to look at things via a non-traditional lens. Take a look at your community and identify those high-

probability businesses and organizations with a need and desire to have [a] strong community presence. Identify those organizations [that] are already spending on community and civic initiatives.” To understand their civic missions, Moore encourages others to find out what’s important to those businesses. “Be aware that it’s not always the very important but more predictable needs, such as corporate citizenships, employees’ community involvement or sustainability positioning,” Moore says. “[It’s] sometimes simple needs associated with health and wellness, hunger or homelessness. Read their corporate reports and seek to understand where they are socially as an organization. You may be surprised to find that there are many low-hanging civic opportunities that your park can help in curating by providing a public platform for community outreach.” Peeking around the corner during a time of uncertainty, Moore sees “a resilient and stubborn movement where community parks will continue to flourish.” Any such successes, he says, “will only happen through joint synergies and philanthropic inspiration, but this has to be the commitment to the future. Our parks cannot die from the reallocation or starvation of public funding nor from the tightening or spend-down of private philanthropy. It will require both the public and private sectors.”

Lessons from Oregon

The decline of city and county tax revenues due to COVID-19's economic impacts mean that park budgets will depend upon partners.

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Eugene, Oregon, with its 168,000 residents, is known as “TrackTown USA.” Eugene’s official slogan is “A Great City for the Arts and Outdoors.” It’s also referred to as the “Emerald City.” Runners from all around the world come to

Eugene; many go running in Alton Baker park on Pre’s Trail. The trail is named after Steve Prefontaine, an iconic University of Oregon runner. The University of Oregon also has longtime links to Nike, as the company’s cofounder, Phil Knight, is a graduate and major benefactor. The Oregon-based multinational sporting goods and apparel corporation actually began in Eugene. Matt Sayre, managing director of Onward Eugene, an economic development organization that recruits new tech and life science companies to the region, offers some guidance. “Livability and outdoor amenities are some of the key draws to Eugene,” he states. “Right now, one of the unexpected benefits of our abundance of open spaces that have complemented social distancing measures appears to be fewer cases of COVID-19 relative to more compact urban metros like Seattle and San Francisco.” Sayre himself is an avid runner and uses Pre’s Trail at least twice a week. The origin of Pre’s Trail can be traced back to several P3s. Community organizations, including the Oregon Track Club, the Steve Prefontaine Foundation and private donations from Bill Bowerman, cofounder of Nike, all played a role. In more recent years, financial support has come from Jim Jaqua, who also has ties to Nike’s origin.

Lessons from Stormwater Partnerships Craig Holland, senior director of urban water for the Global Cities program of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), contends there are some lessons that can be transferred from other domains into the world of parks-focused P3s. The P3 projects he has worked on have not

been aimed at public parks. Rather, they’ve been focused on creating natural stormwater management practices on private property that yield a public benefit. Sometimes, those projects have public accessibility or visibility where they create an aesthetic benefit for a community. These are not parks, per se — at least not in the traditional sense. Holland offers some advice to peers looking for specific ways they can overcome the main impediments preventing successful park partnerships of this kind. The first is to “engage early and often with your public-sector partners. Bring them into your process for structuring deals, managing risk, hiring qualified contractors, and highlight both the successes and failures. It’s important when creating a new partnership or market that is managed by government to help them understand the business model of the market participants. This will make policy and programmatic changes more responsive to the needs of the market participants.” Ensuring the success of a partnership depends on a few key elements, according to Holland. His TNC team does an after-action debrief for all projects that they undertake to document what did and did not go well. “Based on that analysis, we try to expand relationships with contractors that we work well with and provide feedback to those that didn’t work out,” he explains. Since Holland and his colleagues are acting as project developers, not engineers or general contractors, one of his primary goals for market participation “is to build up the local expertise for successful project analysis and delivery,” he says. “To the degree we can, we try to create long-standing

partnerships with firms that share our values and desire to expand market uptake. This ensures those firms will continue to invest in the human and project resources necessary to scale up their businesses to match the city and our ambition, which are aligned.”

The cities are getting better at “marrying the myriad benefits of building more natural stormwater infrastructure across city agencies and priorities,” including water quality, urban heat island mitigation, flood mitigation, increased green space and workforce development. Looking down the road, Holland is mindful of one key fact: during the more than 10 years he’s been doing this work, he has “seen cities become increasingly more sophisticated in how they engage the private and NGO sectors, structure and manage their programs, and create incentives that drive market activity.” The cities are getting better at “marrying the myriad benefits of building more natural stormwater infrastructure across city agencies and priorities,” including water quality, urban heat island mitigation, flood mitigation, increased green space and workforce development. Perhaps that is the silver lining for parks and recreation, especially during these uncertain and challenging times. Gordon Feller is Founder of Meeting of the Minds and serves on the Boards of multiple nonprofits and for-profits, advocating for partnerships as an executive advisor to both corporations and governments. (gordon@gordonfeller.com, @GordonFeller).

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OPERATIONS Evaporative Cooling Solutions New technology battles extreme heat on synthetic turf fields By Chris Tetrault

n communities nationwide, finding field time remains a challenge as multiple sports organizations at the recreation and competitive levels compete for limited availability. The need to maximize sports field usage has led to more than 1,000 new synthetic turf field installations each year at schools, parks and municipal complexes across the country. ty’s “Synthetic Surface Heat Studies” (tinyurl.com/yar7mmbt), playing on fields reaching temperatures higher than 122 degrees is considered unsafe. In following those safety guidelines, unless treated by a cooling agent, the synthetic turf field would be unavailable for activity on many days during peak season. To make fields cooler, safer and more playable, new technological innovations are being introduced. One of the most prominent breakthroughs is the integration of cooling solutions as part of a synthetic turf system installation. Through a natural process, called evaporative cooling, the synthetic turf infill is treated with a cooling

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITADEL

Synthetic turf offers a breadth of performance benefits, including cushioning, enhanced durability, fiber support and turnkey maintenance. Most importantly, as youth sports continue to grow, it serves as an all-weather, anytime alternative solution to natural grass surfaces. For decades, one overlooked fact was that synthetic turf has the potential to get very hot, consistently reaching temperatures of 140 degrees and often registering above 160 degrees in some climates, which can be dangerous for athletes, coaches, officials and fans. According to Penn State University’s Center for Sports Surface Research (tinyurl.com/y77t7mny) and Brigham Young Universi-

Infill treated with cooling agents can keep synthetic turf from becoming dangerously hot. 50 Parks & Recreation

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agent that simply requires hydration in the form of irrigation, rainfall or humidity to continuously activate to reduce surface temperatures on synthetic turf fields. Evaporative cooling technology works on the same principle as human perspiration — stored moisture is slowly released from treated infill, removing heat and allowing a surface to cool. The infill coating captures water from rainfall, dew or irrigation and stores it for later use. As the sun’s radiation heats up turf, the coating releases moisture that enables the synthetic turf cooling infill to cool the entire synthetic turf system for sustained periods of time. While the use of black crumb rubber makes up nearly 80 percent of the synthetic turf field market in the United States, there are alternative infill options, such as sand, cork and walnuts, among others. Technologies like TºCool® treated Sports Sand can be added to these systems to enhance and extend their cooling benefits. Municipalities, recreation facilities, high schools and colleges are now recognizing the heat issue and the vast benefits of installing a synthetic turf cooling solution. What’s more, it increases safety for participants, maximizes field usage and extends the overall facility investment for many years. It’s truly a win-win for synthetic turf. Chris Tetrault is Design and Build Expert at TºCool® (tatroinc@gmail.com).

Make the Most of Your Underutilized Space By Eduardo Tamez Zamarripa

t sports and recreation facilities across the country, space is at a premium. Meanwhile, it’s becoming more and more clear that parks and recreational spaces play an increasingly important role in the physical, emotional and environmental health of communities everywhere.

• How close are neighboring homes to the unused space you are looking to transform? • Do you envision lighting being included as a way to expand opportunities for play? Once you’ve determined the space you have to work with at your facility, the types of activities that you envision accommodating by transforming that area, and other needs and specifics with regard to your project, you’ll be in a better position to explore options. Another key consideration is finding a solution that’s capable of serving a multitude of recreation and programming activities. And, when you have zeroed in on potential solutions for transforming unused space, you will need to consider additional factors, including: • How complicated is the installation process and how long will it take? • Is the equipment durable and capable of withstanding continual usage and harsh weather? • How inclusive is it and do you need it to meet certain requirements, such as accessibility standards set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? • Is it customizable and capable of meeting the specific available dimensions at your facility? One such solution to consider

PHOTO COURTESY OF MUSCO SPORTS LIGHTING, LLC

According to a recent annual report published by The Trust for Public Land, “The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored that close-to-home parks are crucial to a community’s quality of life. During this crisis, people have turned to their parks like never before — for fresh air, exercise, meditation, solace and a much-needed break from the stresses of a quickly changing world.” Clearly, it’s essential that park and recreation agencies find creative ways to make the most use of the outdoor space they have to work with. Utilizing your space more efficiently can help increase recreation programming initiatives and expand opportunities for your local community. However, coming up with innovative ways to transform unused and underutilized areas at your facility into high-quality play spaces isn’t easy. As you begin to think about and ultimately create a plan to move ahead with such an endeavor, here are some helpful questions to ask at the beginning of the process: • How much unused or underused space do you have to work with? • What kinds of activities do you believe would best meet your community’s needs? • Is the space you have to work with a good fit for those activities?

Multipurpose products can help activate underutilized space.

is an all-in-one, modular solution that includes LED lights, fencing, goals, benches, lockable storage and ADA-compliant access, such as Musco’s Mini-Pitch System™. With multipurpose products and some ingenuity, park agencies nationwide are transforming their unused and underutilized areas, such as old tennis and basketball courts, and transforming them into high-quality spaces that also meet the needs for any number of other activities. Remember, finding creative ways to make the most of your facility’s space is as important now as it’s ever been. With a little imagination and planning, you can do amazing things for the members of your community. Eduardo Tamez Zamarripa is Market Development Specialist at Musco Sports Lighting (eduardo. tamezzamarripa@musco.com).

PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | AU G U S T 2 02 0 |

Parks & Recreation

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12/19/2019 3:45:01 PM PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | AU G U S T 2 02 0 |

Parks & Recreation

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Easi-Set Buildings ................................................................................53

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Synthetic Surfaces................................................................................54

GameTime/PlayCore.......................................................................... C4

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advertiser index

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(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions. Copyright ©2020 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $46 a year in the U.S.; $56 elsewhere. Single copy price: $7. Library rate: $58 a year in the U.S.; $68 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G | AU G U S T 2 02 0 |

Parks & Recreation

PHOTO COURTESY OF TURF TANK

Park Bench

A line-marking robot creates safe zones on the grass.

Using Technology to Help Keep People Safe The United States is undoubtedly facing incredible challenges with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Given the pandemic, park and recreation agencies are assessing how to keep employees and the general public safe in parks and recreation facilities. We have been forced to learn how to adapt our personal lifestyles and organizational policies in order to protect ourselves and the health of those around us. One tactic for slowing the spread that has been widely promoted is physical distancing. Together, we must do all that we can to reduce the spread of this deadly disease. This includes maintaining a safe distance from one another whenever possible. A great solution that has been developed in public parks and recreation spaces is physical distancing zones that are painted in the grass that delimit the space between people. Unfortunately, turf managers and facility directors know that painting these physical distancing zones manually is a very laborintensive task, similar to painting the lines of a sports field. Since fields are mowed frequently, especially during the summer months, if a municipality has large areas of public green space in addition to its sports fields, it would be very inconvenient to measure the field and repaint all these lines manually every week or two. Thankfully, technology companies have developed a solution to answer these challenges through the development of an autonomous line-marking paint robot. Municipalities and sports organizations throughout the United States and abroad are utilizing this technology to paint “safe zones,” as well as their sports fields, with the help of autonomous GPS technology. Operated via an intuitive app, the robot will go straight to the precise location identified by staff and start painting. Users can choose how many zones or sports fields they want to paint, including their shape and size, customizing everything to fit individual needs. In addition, using the robot only requires one operator to take on the task of supervising the painting of fields, eliminating the need for staff to work in close proximity of others. This results in physical distancing for staff in the work environment as well. A few examples of municipalities already utilizing this technology this summer include the city of Rocklin, California, which uses the robot to paint its local soccer-club fields as well as provide zones for parents and fans to watch the games, and New York City Parks and Recreation, which is using physical distancing zones for parks and sports fields. Using technology to advance physical distancing practices can help to keep both park and recreation staff and patrons safe as we continue to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. – Jason Aldridge, Founder and President of Turf Tank

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