Parks & Recreation September 2020 by Creative By Design

S E P T E M B E R 2020 N R PA .O RG

THE EQUITY ISSUE A CALL TO DUTY

Baltimore County Recreation & Parks Tackles New Roles in a Pandemic

COVID-19 Lifts the Inequity Veil Minimum Wage: Where Are We Now?

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contentsseptember 2020

Since the pandemic began, Meisha and Aari Best have been visiting Baltimore County, Maryland’s Marshy Point Nature Center twice a week.

FEATURES

34 Going Above and Beyond Vitisia Paynich

In March, Baltimore County Recreation and Parks (BCRP) department staff underwent many changes and began navigating new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, two incidents stoked by racism changed the country. Learn how the BCRP staff have been adapting to their new roles and the new normal while continuing to serve their citizens, yet doing it through an equity lens.

40 Addressing Equity Christopher Bass, CPRP

Park and recreation professionals have been challenged with finding creative ways to offer essential, high-quality health and recreational services during the COVID-19 pandemic. And, 2

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equity gaps continue to widen in many communities. Learn how the Douglasville Parks and Recreation department staff are developing services with an emphasis on equity to expand access for all.

44 Revisiting Minimum Wage Increases Anthony Iracki, MS, CPRP

As departments rebuild from economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, many will need to address the topic of minimum wage increases on top of the other financial challenges they currently face. Now, more than ever, park and recreation work and employees are essential and deserve equitable pay. Staff from three agencies discuss how they are tackling minimum wage increases.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BALTIMORE COUNTY RECREATION AND PARKS

volume 55 | number 9 | parksandrecreation.org

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columns

contents september

Perspectives Equity at the Center Kristine Stratton

departments

Editor’s Letter Equity Is Not a State of Mind Vitisia Paynich

10 We Are Parks & Recreation Great Expectations: Financially Balancing Quality Programming and Equity 10 NRPA Life Trustee Eugene Young Passes Away 12 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience 14 Connect Hot Topics 16 Member Benefit: Technology’s Role in Safer Recreation 16

20 Finance for the Field The Role of Parks and Open Spaces in Reducing Taxes John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

22 Advocacy Local Access Is an Equity Issue Elvis Cordova

18 Research NRPA Engagement with Parks Report Kevin Roth

24 Health and Wellness Integrating Equity, Social Justice and Inclusion Practices Arthur Hendricks

19 Park Pulse Equitable Access to Parks and Recreation Is Vital to Communities Everywhere

26 Conservation Moving Forward: Making Racial Equity Real Raquel García-Álvarez

48 Operations Meet the Donors: 2020 Parks Build Community Project Paula Jacoby-Garrett

28 Law Review Park Law Enforcement Civil Rights Claims James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

50 Products 51 Park Essentials

The Better Beaubien program works with residents and local institutions in communities near the Forest Preserves Beaubien Woods on Chicago’s South Side to promote the site as a local resource and a place to get out into nature.

55 Advertiser Index 56 Park Bench

Cover image: Photo courtesy of Northwest Voice News

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PHOTO COURTESY OF FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY

Breaking Barriers to Live Abundantly Lindsay Hogeboom

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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

Equity at the Center Several years ago, NRPA established equity (at the time called “social equity”) as one of our core pillars. Since that time, we have been working to advance the promise of that pillar by raising funds, providing grants, and launching programs, tools and resources — all aimed at supporting greater access to quality parks and recreation for all people. Most recently, we launched a set of Greener Parks for Health resources (nrpa.org/Greener ParksForHealth) along with a web training series. These resources are designed to help professionals work to provide access to not only safe and inclusive parks, but also parks that include green infrastructure features that support clean air and water, reduce flooding and protect against climate change impacts. These Greener Parks for Health resources join a long list of tools created throughout the years to support equity. And yet, NRPA has never taken a careful look at how we operate and whether our operating practices hold equity at the center. Until now. With the launch of our strategic plan (nrpa.org/ About) — We Are Parks And Recreation — we have explicitly placed equity at the center of everything we do. That includes how we, as a nonprofit, charitable organization and member association, operate in service of equity. To support our ability to keep equity at the center of all that we do, we have made an investment in two critical areas, and I am happy to tell you about them in this month’s Perspectives column.

Leadership The first strategic investment to support a deep commitment to equity is the creation of a new leadership position — vice president of education and chief equity officer. This role will engage with NRPA members and advocates to advance equity, particularly racial equity and intersectional work in the field of parks and recreation. As our first chief equity officer, key areas of their focus will include: preparing the park and recreation field for the future by increasing diversity and inclusion among the profession; training the field to lead and manage teams with a focus on equity, inclusion and diversity; engaging the leadership of parks and recreation nationally on innovative practices; and building out 6

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and promoting tools that advance equity and inclusion in park and recreation programs. As our first vice president of education, they will oversee NRPA’s professional development and membership engagement efforts, ensuring that we are supporting the wide array of learning needs represented in our membership. They will further our efforts to deliver high-quality educational offerings across all platforms, from our virtual conference to online webinars to immersive schools. I am truly excited to partner with my new colleague in deepening our focus on equity and the pursuit of our tagline — everyone deserves a great park.

Assessment As anyone who has delved into equity and inclusion work will tell you, the learning journey should start with a careful look in the mirror, asking questions like “What are you doing to support equitable practices?” and “What are you doing that perpetuates barriers to greater equity?” This is exactly the step we are taking at NRPA. In late July, we retained the services of a consulting team to conduct an equity assessment of NRPA’s operating practices. They are looking at everything from our human resources functions to our scholarship, award and grant-making processes, to our editorial processes and everything in between. The consultants have managed an extensive process, from document reviews to interviews and surveys, to drawing from their deep knowledge of the park and recreation and nonprofit fields. We expect a robust report of their findings later this month (September) coupled with a roadmap for bringing our practices in line with our core principle of equity. Because we believe in fostering a learning culture in our organization and in the park and recreation field, we look forward to sharing our equity assessment process and learning with all of you. Until then, please know that NRPA believes strongly in leading by example. Most importantly, our work is truly driven by our strategic plan vision that parks and recreation is a catalyst of positive change for equity.

KRISTINE STR AT TON President and CEO

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

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

City of Bristol Parks & Recreation Bristol, Connecticut

parksandrecreation.org

Seattle Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Herman Parker

@parksrecmag

Previously with BREC Dallas, Texas

Joshua Medeiros, Ed.D., CPRP, AFO

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

Blog

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

nrpa.org/blog

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman Lexington, South Carolina

Jose Felix Diaz

James H. Evans

Ballard Partners Miami, Florida

New York, New York

NRPA

Fort Mill, South Carolina

Rosemary Hall Evans

Victor Dover

Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning Miami, Florida

Earl T. Groves

Richard Gulley

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

J. Kardys Strategies Miami, Florida

@openspaceradio

City of Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Las Vegas, Nevada

Anne S. Close

Jack Kardys

(or your favorite podcast app)

Greg A. Weitzel, M.S., CPRP

National Wildlife Federation Reston, Virginia

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

openspaceradio.org

Gastonia, North Carolina Richmond, Virginia

CONNECT

nrpaconnect.org nrpa.org/connect-app

NRPA SOCIAL MEDIA

Harry G. Haskell, Jr.

@NationalRecreationandParkAssociation

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

@nrpa_news

Kathryn A. Porter Mendham, New Jersey

@nrpa

Michael P. Kelly

Perry J. Segura

National Recreation and Park Association

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

Equity Is Not a State of Mind As I write this column for Parks & Recreation magazine’s Equity Issue, I’m reminded of the Civil Rights leaders who recently passed away — John Lewis and C.T. Vivian. Congressman Lewis, Vivian, Diane Nash and many others fought for racial justice and equality for African Americans across all 50 states. Essentially, this generation of activists originated the Black Lives Matter movement in the 1960s. Their activism and personal sacrifices paved the way for future generations to continue their work by advocating on behalf of Black and Brown people and other marginalized groups. Nearly 60 years later, our country is facing an epic health crisis and a racial inflection point. Park and recreation professionals remain on the frontlines of both, providing essential services to community members impacted by this pandemic and supporting those who are exercising their right to peacefully protest. The September cover story, “Going Above and Beyond,” on page 34, offers an in-depth look at how Baltimore County (Maryland) Department of Recreation and Parks (BCRP) staff are taking the lead to help their communities navigate through these challenging times — whether it’s distributing grab-and-go meals and food boxes, opening their recreation facilities to host blood drives or offering assistance to Black Lives Matter protestors. Most notably, BCRP discusses how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic exposed the economic inequities in more diverse areas, including the city of Dundalk. As BCRP’s Michael Palmere, explains: “I think the area…has been affected with people being laid off…and we’ve been addressing an issue that may have been there slightly prior to [COVID-19], but it’s definitely been magnified during the pandemic.” COVID-19 also has forced the city of Douglasville, Georgia, Parks and Recreation Department to examine the inequities that exist within its programs, facilities and services. In the feature article, “Addressing Equity,” on page 40, contributor Christopher Bass shares the lessons that his agency has learned throughout this experience. “After conducting this internal equity audit, several key concerns were identified,” he writes. “Within our seven parks, none of our playgrounds were ADA compliant, which limited access to play for our large population of individuals with disabilities.” Next, writer Anthony Iracki provides a follow-up on a 2015 minimum wage study he conducted in the feature article, “Revisiting Minimum Wage Increases,” on page 44. In early 2020, Iracki reconnected with some of the park agencies that participated in the initial study to discuss park and recreation budgets and staff pay. “[T]he lessons learned from this period can be applied in any toolkit designed to look at the impact of lost revenue, increased expenses or depressions in the economy,” he writes. Iracki also points out that as park and recreation agencies try to manage the increase to the minimum wage, they should develop a cost recovery model that includes sponsorship and grant opportunities. In fact, NRPA’s newly released Park and Recreation Professionals’ Guide to Fundraising (nrpa.org/GuideToFundraising) is just the resource to help. I also recommend NRPA’s Greener Parks for Health resources (nrpa.org/GreenerParksFor Health), which offer a suite of tools to address the inequitable climate-related health impacts and how to advocate for solutions. Lastly, thank you to all the park and recreation professionals who advocate on behalf of your citizens living in underinvested neighborhoods by sharing stories about the racial and economic disparities that exist in your communities. After all, Equity isn’t a state of mind — it’s a movement!

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

202 0 NR PA A NNUA L C ONFE R E NC E : A V I R T UAL E XP E R I EN CE

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nrpa.org/Conference

C ONFE R E NCE R E G IS T R AT ION N OW O P E N

WE ARE PARKS & RECREATION Great Expectations: Financially Balancing Quality Programming and Equity By Chris Nunes, CPRE, and Donna J. Kuethe, CPRP

he park and recreation profession has been focused on equity since its inception during the late 1800s to early 1900s. Over the past few decades, the profession has increased its focus on this area, largely due to the focus NRPA has placed on this issue. Today’s challenge is to identify methods in which to balance this concept and the ever-present financial constraints in public parks and recreation. Using business acumen coupled with a cost recovery plan, the services we provide can be equally accessible and available to all people regardless of income level, ethnicity, gender, ability or age.

Understanding the Consumer Our profession must move from the nomenclature of “resident” or “participant” to “consumer.” Many program users have a choice in who they use for recreation services. No matter what the ability to pay, con-

sumers deserve a product that meets their physical and social needs, attitudes, aspirations and other psychological criteria. Secondly, programs where the “economic need” may be the greatest are often perceived as “less than” services, but users have the same needs as those in revenue-

generating programs. Finally, the professional must understand there is no “one size fits all” consumer. For example, in youth sports, there are multiple market segments (instructional, recreation, competitive, elite). An agency doesn’t need to provide service at each level, only the level that makes sense for the agency in terms of participation (access) and financial mandates due to local competition from other municipal providers, nonprofits and for-profit entities. According to Corey King, director of parks and recreation in Matthews, North Carolina, “There are services offered by agencies that have proven to be revenue generators….These facilities meet the consumers’ needs…and the positive revenue affords the ability to divert dollars to fill true ‘gaps’ in recreation services.”

Entrepreneurial Approach Our programs, services and facilities must be relevant and brilliant. Creating relevant and brilliant services is manifested in understanding user needs; tracking and applying market changes; enhancing customer service technologies; implementing common sense procedures and policies; and most importantly, creating a fun, exciting, beneficial and rewarding experience. Offering meaningful experiences will bring Using business acumen coupled with a cost recovery plan, the services P&R professionals provide can be equally accessible to all people. 10 Parks & Recreation

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the consumer back. Secondly, embracing entrepreneurial approaches can help us develop programs that are “cash cows,” which provide revenues that are greater than their direct and indirect costs. These carry programs that may have limited revenue potential. Thirdly, a determinization on the potential for establishing a revolving fund should be made. This business approach allows the agency to retain revenue (year after year) from revenue positive programs; directly use the revenue for costs and to provide dollars for programs that may not generate positive revenue. Cesar Gomez, parks and recreation director for the city of West Park, Florida, says, “The concept of the ‘cash cow’ programs to establish a revolving fund to carry other programs is no different than the model that most college campuses use, as they use revenues from football and men’s basketball to often carry most of the entire athletic department operational budgets. Combined with donations, endowments [and] sponsorships, these two forms of revenue usually carry an entire university’s athletic department.”

Driving Cost Down In addition to producing brilliant services, our goal must be to do so at the lowest possible cost. This means constantly evaluating all program costs. The lower the program’s expenses, the less is needed to be generated by the agency. Overall, the question to be posed is, “Where can I reduce my costs without negatively impacting services?” As labor costs typically range from 60 to 70 percent of total operating costs, the professional must match use levels with the need for staff.

For some agencies, contracting programs may make the most financial sense. In terms of supplies, is the agency purchasing in the most efficient manner, are supplies enhancing the experience of a program, and can the agency leverage “in kind” sponsorships to reduce costs? Finally, an active approach toward implementing conservationminded systems, such as low-flow toilets and LED lights, reduces operations costs. According to Oscar Carmona, director of parks and recreation for Raleigh, North Carolina, “Having a revolving fund has really allowed us to take on more of an entrepreneurial and creative approach to programming and cost management. Staff know that the more successful and profitable a program is, the more we can invest back into our facilities or equipment to better enhance our customer experiences. In addition, revenues are also used to subsidize free or low-cost programming.”

Cost Recovery System The single, most important aspect is the implementation of a cost recovery philosophy. This philosophical approach translates community values into a “pro forma.” Overall, it asks the community how it views the value of individual programs and if, and at what level, there are both individual and community benefits. Recommendations are developed to identify which programs benefit the community and should receive tax dollars and which are to be supported by other revenue. From a long-term perspective, this provides the agency and community an action plan for financial sustainability, as well as a logical and rational approach toward price

setting. Geronimo Aguirre, parks and recreation manager for New Braunfels, Texas, states, “Now, more than ever, future decisions must be driven by past and current cost recovery analysis in order to make sound business decisions that will have an immediate impact on your financial bottom line.”

NRPA has identified three key priorities for the field: advancing community health and wellbeing, equity at the center and climate-ready parks. NRPA has identified three key priorities for the field: advancing community health and wellbeing, equity at the center and climate-ready parks. We must face that these worthy concepts all require money. To succeed at achieving equity, park and recreation professionals need to keep programs relevant and make them brilliant, stay on top of trends, understand the needs of their community, view users as consumers and develop a cost recovery philosophy that is vetted with public input. While these business approaches are needed and critical to our success, the profession must never forget our roots. We answer a myriad of social challenges and we need to truly believe in our missions and be fully committed to ensuring those we serve have equal access to the benefits of local parks and recreation services and facilities. Chris Nunes, CPRE, is Director of Parks and Recreation at The Woodlands Township, Texas (cnunes@thewoodlandstownship-tx. gov). Donna J. Kuethe, CPRP, is the former Recreation Director at town of Moultonborough, N.H. (retired September 2020) and Executive Director at GP RED (donnak@gpred.org).

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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

NRPA Life Trustee Eugene Young Passes Away

RPA and the park and recreation community are mourning the loss of Eugene A. Young, who passed away on July 20, 2020. Young devoted much of his career and life to the profession of parks and recreation. From a summer camp counselor to the longest-serving superintendent in East Baton Rouge Parish history, he spent 57 years working to make life better through parks and recreation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BREC

During his tenure from 1960 to 2003, Young led successful campaigns for tax elections to hire staff and purchase land while also accepting any donation of land, labor or supplies offered to BREC.

Parks & Recreation

Young joined the Recreation and Park Commission for East Baton Rouge Parish (BREC) in Louisiana as assistant superintendent in 1952. When he took over as superintendent eight years later, the agency was nearly broke; however, the budget-minded leader gradually turned things around. During his tenure from 1960 to 2003, Young led successful campaigns for tax elections to hire staff and purchase land while also accepting any donation of land, labor or supplies offered to BREC. As a result of Young’s efforts, BREC has grown in every area and has recorded a financial surplus at the end of each year. Park attendance rose from less than 2 million to more than 9 million visitors per year under his leadership. In addition, more than $5.5 million in land was donated to BREC throughout his tenure as superintendent. Young believed in hard work and brought national acclaim to the Baton Rouge area when BREC became one of the first two-park systems in the United States to achieve national accredFrom working as a summer camp counselor to the longest-serving superintendent in East Baton Rouge Parish history, Young spent 57 years working to make life better through parks and recreation.

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itation. Under his leadership, BREC won the highest honor bestowed on a park system — the national Gold Medal — twice. He also served on the NRPA Board of Directors with distinction for 18 years and was the first professional to be made a Life Trustee of NRPA in 1998. Young also served as chairman of the Personnel and Compensation Committee, which developed a policy and procedures manual and upgraded salaries and benefits for the NRPA staff. What’s more, he participated on Trustee Awards, Professional Development, Public Policy, Constitution and Bylaws, Research, Finance, Services to the Elderly, and Standards Committees. Throughout his career, Young served as a mentor and a source of inspiration to other park and recreation professionals across the country, especially those just starting in the field. Dianne Hoover, director of city of Bakersfield (California) Recreation and Parks Department, was among those who Young influenced. “Mr. Young served on a few committees while I was just learning about the various opportunities to get involved in NRPA leadership. He guided me to the American Park and Recreation Society (APRS) [now NRPA], where I met life-long friends. He was always professional and treated me as an equal even though I was just learning,” recalls Hoover. “He lifted others up, and he wanted us to succeed and seek the higher ground. Never once did I

hear a harsh word, or judgement of others, only positive encouragement to keep trying.” She adds, “I always considered him one of my mentors during the early years of my career, and I never had the chance to tell him that his words and actions were important as I moved through the ranks to director. He was a great leader, and we were lucky to have him involved in NRPA.” Young laid the foundation on which future superintendents built upon his legacy. He realized early on that parks make our communities better places to live, work and play. He knew they offer health benefits, clean the environment and bring people from

all walks of life together. And, Young knew he had to acquire land before rapid development turned our beautiful green spaces into concrete and asphalt. As Corey Wilson, BREC’s superintendent puts it: “We owe him and his family a tremendous debt of gratitude for his service, and my pledge to you is that we will continue building on his efforts to make BREC the best park system in the country.”

“We owe him and his family a tremendous debt of gratitude for his service, and my pledge to you is that we will continue building on his efforts to make BREC the best park system in the country.”

Special thanks to Corey Wilson, superintendent of BREC, and Dianne Hoover, director of city of Bakersfield (California) Recreation and Parks Department, for contributing to this article.

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

2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience

n April 2020, when the full extent of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impacts became profoundly apparent, NRPA made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference that was set to take place in Orlando, Florida. With the health and safety of its members, staff and the park and recreation community as NRPA’s top priority, the conference would need to be reimagined to continue to support the professional growth and ongoing development of park and recreation professionals while ensuring everyone’s safety. To meet both of these critical needs, the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference is going virtual.

The virtual conference will serve as a platform for networking and exchanging ideas in new and imaginative ways.

Parks & Recreation

“While the COVID-19 pandemic caused us to pivot from an in-person event to a virtual one, we are proud to deliver an experience that will be timely and relevant for park and recreation professionals and the vital

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role they continue to play in their communities’ responses to the pandemic,” says Kristine Stratton, president and CEO of NRPA. “Further, we are thrilled to bring top experts in race equity and social justice issues to this year’s conference, as the field of parks and recreation looks to create more fair and just access to the essential infrastructure and services we provide.” On August 3, 2020, registration opened for the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience (NRPA Virtual). This October 27– 29, thousands of people who are passionate about parks, recreation and making communities great places to live will converge for inspirational education sessions, energetic networking activities and an inside look at the latest products for the field. Not only will the virtual conference bring park and recreation professionals and advocates together as a community, but it will also serve as a platform for networking and exchanging ideas in new and imaginative ways. In addition to daily general sessions, there are 12 education tracks that attendees can choose from, including: • Advocacy • Aquatics • Conservation • Employee and Volunteer Management • Health and Wellness • Leadership and Management • Planning, Design and Maintenance • Professional Development

• Public Relations and Marketing • Recreation and Sports Programming • Research and Evaluation • Revenue and Customer Service NRPA Virtual will take the best of the in-person conference — including education sessions, keynote speakers and exhibitors — and put them in an innovative and interactive format to enhance the overall experience. Attendees will have the option to attend live education sessions, as well as be able to access the recordings of all 60plus sessions. In addition to dynamic keynotes — like Glenn Harris, president of the new Race Forward and publisher of Colorlines — and education sessions, attendees can participate in unique networking opportunities, an exploration-worthy exhibit hall and more. Attendees also will have the option to sign up for a virtual 5K and receive a limited-edition medal for an additional cost. Most importantly, the virtual conference platform will provide a unique opportunity to foster collaboration and connection with park and recreation professionals around the country and potentially the world. While the conference will not be occurring in Orlando, Florida, this year, NRPA remains committed to its annual Parks Build Community project (nrpa.org/ParksBuild Community), for which the association works with industry partners to refurbish or build a park in the conference host city. This year, NRPA is working with the generous donors to revitalize Orlando's Grand Avenue Park, and plans to unveil the project during NRPA Virtual. To register for the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience or view the schedule, visit nrpa.org/Conference.

Attendees will have the option to attend live education sessions, as well as be able to access the recordings of all 60-plus sessions.

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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

Hot Topics NRPA Connect is an online network with 65,000 professionals to answer your questions, share your challenges and discuss trending topics in the field. Check out what is being discussed this month: Special Event Ideas with Physical Distancing in Mind — An NRPA Member has asked the community to share ideas on special events during the COVID-19 pandemic to help keep their community engaged and safe. NRPA members offered the following suggestions: We are starting our outdoor movies with a limited capacity. We will be moving it to our youth ballfield [to] help us manage numbers, so we don’t get a huge crowd. While inside the ballfield, we will have family pods set up (chalk or cones) to create an area that can seat around six people comfortably. Each “pod” will be at minimum [of] 10 feet from the next pod. Families are encouraged to wear face masks while they are coming into the movie and exiting. They are able to take off their face masks once they sit down at their pod.

Scavenger Hunt — Each week, we hide a “golden ticket” at one of our 18 parks and take an up-close picture of the ticket to give as a clue. Families who find it need to take a picture of the ticket at the park and upload it to the post. Once confirmed, they stop by our office to pick up the prize.

Chalk the Lot — Families have all weekend to complete a parking space with chalk drawings. We alternated every other spot in a row to help encourage social distancing. Once families completed, we had them send in a picture of the drawing and social media followers voted.

We are offering two events coming up in September and October. One is our “Fall Frolic, ” where we set up learning/craft/activity stations along one of our nature trails (about 2.5 miles) and allow families to social distance as they go from station to station. We also include a nature scavenger hunt for the kids and when they return to the trailhead, they receive a treat/prize. The other one is a scarecrow decorating contest. Families pay $15 to receive a scarecrow frame (looks like a cross made out of 1X4s). Then, they can decorate their scarecrow and display. The top three get prizes. Log in to connect.nrpa.org today to share ideas or chime into the discussion!

Parks & Recreation

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Member Benefit: Technology’s Role in Safer Recreation By Kirsten Koppard-Telford

hen the pandemic hit, the first thing ePACT did was equip child and youth organizers with resources to quickly, but safely, offer emergency childcare to front-line workers. Soon after, we surveyed park and recreation agencies to find out what was needed to reopen facilities and launch new programs as restrictions lifted.

Managing Risks with Technology to Provide Better Care Working as a complement to registration systems, ePACT was ready to take on the rapidly changing, complex challenges organizations would face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Replacing High-Touch Processes to Minimize Community Spread Nearly 60 percent of P&R agencies surveyed planned to make administrative processes paperless to reduce the risk of virus transmission. ePACT was designed to collect and manage information without paper, which helps to reduce this risk while alleviating administrative burdens and minimizing chances of missed or incorrect data.

Creating New Protocols to Maintain Physical Distancing Nearly 80 percent of agencies surveyed planned to create new drop-off and pick-up protocols to keep families and staff responsibly apart. ePACT’s contactless checkin/out functionality makes it possible to do this at a distance while improving the ability to track, manage and archive check-in and out activities.

Conducting and Storing Daily Health Screenings Securely The introduction of daily health screenings and the need to store and quickly access data for reporting and contact tracing has changed many agencies’ processes. ePACT worked closely with the industry to address this gap by creating screening tools that integrate seamlessly into existing processes and applications. Kirsten Koppard-Telford is Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of health and emergency response network ePACT.

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RESEARCH NRPA Engagement with Parks Report By Kevin Roth

very year, the NRPA Research team surveys 1,000 U.S. adults to better understand how people connect with parks and recreation, the results from which serve as the basis for the NRPA Engagement with Parks Report. The 2020 report, which will be available in early September (nrpa.org/Engagement), provides key stakeholders with insights on the importance that local parks and recreation facilities have on the lives of every person in our nation. This year, we conducted a shorter than typical Engagement with Parks survey because of the pandemic. The 2020 study focused on a few questions: • How frequently do people visit parks, trails and recreation amenities? • How has the pandemic affected park usage? • Do U.S. adults see public parks as an essential government service? • Are people more likely to vote for political leaders who support park and recreation funding? The main takeaway from this year’s survey is that now, more than ever, parks and recreation is essential. According to this past May’s Park Pulse poll (nrpa.org/ParkPulse), 83 percent of U.S. adults said that exercising at local parks, trails and open spaces was essential to maintaining mental and physical health during the pandemic. The Engagement with Parks survey results tell us this sentiment is not fleeting and reflect a passion for parks and recreation. More than 4 in 5 U.S. adults say that parks and recreation is essential, a sentiment that holds for all segments of the population: • Across generations: 86 percent of both millennials and Gen Xers and 82 percent of baby boomers • Spanning race and ethnicities:

Parks & Recreation

85 percent of people who identify as Hispanic/Latino, 84 percent who identify as white and 76 percent who identify as non-white • For all household formation types: 88 percent of parents and 79 percent of nonparents • Crossing the political spectrum: 86 percent of Republicans, 82 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of independents Parks and recreation is essential because park usage is ubiquitous. The U.S. public visits a park or recreation facility more than twice a month on average. But for some people, parks are an even more regular habit with 1 in 6 survey respondents telling us that they visit park and recreation amenities at least weekly. Park and recreation professionals have worked tirelessly to keep outdoor public spaces open and safe during the pandemic. Even at the peak of stay-at-home edicts, parks and trails largely remained open and served as the sole recreation opportunity available to the public. In turn, people flocked to these resources to maintain their physical and mental health through the crisis. Fifty-nine percent of U.S. adults visited a park or recreation facility at least once from mid-March through mid-June. This translates to more

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than 190 million people in the United States whose lives were made better thanks to the hard work of park and recreation professionals during the first months of the pandemic. The vital role parks and recreation plays in everyday life also translates into broad public support for political leaders who champion for greater agency funding. Seventytwo percent of U.S. adults indicate that they are more likely to vote for politicians who prioritize park and recreation funding. Voters’ preference for local politicians who support park and recreation funding is robust across nearly every segment of the population: • Generation: Millennials (76 percent) and Gen Xers (79 percent) • Household formation: Parents (81 percent) and nonparents (67 percent) • Political affiliation: Democrats (79 percent) and Republicans (75 percent) • Residence: Walkable distance of a park (75 percent) and not a walkable distance of a park (64 percent) The 2020 NRPA Engagement with Parks Report reinforces the message that parks and recreation is essential, and this sense transcends the pandemic. The public’s broad support for parks and recreation solidifies this critical message to local political leaders, funders and the general public that park and recreation professionals and their agencies deserve full funding support. Kevin Roth is Vice President of Research, Evaluation and Technology at NRPA (kroth@nrpa.org).

NRPA PARK PULSE

Equitable Access to Parks and Recreation Is Vital to Communities Everywhere

A large majority (87%) of U.S. adults say it’s

important for people to have fair and just access to high-quality park and recreation programs, services and facilities that create healthy, resilient and economically vibrant communities. Essential programs, services and facilities include (but are not limited to):

Parks and Green Spaces

Recreation Facilities

Youth Sports and Programs

2/3 (67%) of U.S. adults think fair and just access to these types of programs, services and facilities is extremely or very important.

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 Role of Parks and Open Spaces in Reducing Taxes By John L. Crompton, Ph.D.

The Empirical Evidence

n previous columns, I have reported empirical evidence demonstrating that in most contexts, parks, trails, golf courses and open spaces have a positive impact on property values. However, the development community frequently expresses a competing view on how land should be used and so the question often becomes: Is an investment in park and open space likely to yield a better return than if the land were used for development? The prevailing conventional wisdom among many elected officials and taxpayers is that development is the “highest and best use” of vacant land for increasing municipal revenues. Developers claim their projects “pay for themselves and then some.” They exhort that their developments will increase a community’s tax base and lower each existing resident’s property tax payments. Thus, while it may be accepted that a park is likely to contribute extra increments of property tax from surrounding property to the local city treasury, developers frequently argue that much larger

property tax revenues would accrue if the space was built out with homes. However, there are two sides to a balance sheet and the developers’ perspective conveniently omits the additional capital and operating costs of providing schools, sewers, storm drainage, transportation, roads, water, fire and police protection, park and recreation facilities, libraries, general government offices, electricity, gas and solid waste disposal. If a community grows by 10 percent, these additional costs fall far short of the property and sales tax revenues the new 10 percent of residents gen-

Figure 1. Median Cost to Provide Public Services to Different Land Uses per Dollar Revenue Raise (n=151 communities) $1.20 $1.16

$1.00 $0.80 $0.60 $0.40 $0.20 $0.0

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erate, so most of these costs are paid by the 90 percent of existing taxpayers; even though they are adequately serviced by the existing infrastructure.

$0.30 Commercial & Industrial

$0.37

Farm/Forest Open Space

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Residential

In the late 1970s and 1980s, standardized procedures emerged for undertaking Cost of Community Services (COCS) analyses. In the decades since their introduction, this analytical tool has become increasingly sophisticated and has been used by many local governments to analyze the sources and expenditures of taxation revenues. The analyses identify three different land uses in a community — residential, commercial/industrial and agricultural/forest/open space — and recognize that they produce different amounts of tax revenues and cost different amounts to service. The American Farmland Trust reports the findings of 151 COCS studies, undertaken by more than 40 different research teams in 26 different states (see Figure 1). For every $1 million received in revenues from commercial/industrial and farm/forest/open space, the median amounts these communities had to expend to service these sectors were only $300,000 and $370,000, respectively. In contrast, for every $1 million received in revenues from residential developments, the median amount the communities had to expend to service them was $1.16 million. While the supposed benefits of growth are loudly and widely proclaimed by a community’s growth coalition, its associated costs are rarely discussed. The results from these studies refute the notion that development of land is invariably its “highest and best use,” which, sometimes, thwarts park and open space initiatives (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Residential Development The Myth

The Reality

Expands the tax base

Raises the cost of providing community services

Increases local tax revenues

Net deficit influence on local tax revenues

Reduces the tax payments of current residents

Increases the tax payments of current residents

Implications for Parks and Open Spaces Residential development is the most common alternate use proposed for potential park and open space lands. In those situations, the key fiscal impact issue becomes: Will the net costs of purchasing, maintaining and operating the land as a park or as open space be greater than the net costs associated with servicing a residential development that may be constructed on that site? The answer is usually “no.” The following example suggests that if the annual cost of maintaining and operating a natural park is lower than $180,000, then it is likely to be less of a financial burden to the community than if the 50-acre site is developed for houses. On a 50-acre site, assume a density of three homes per acre and a property tax rate (school district, city, county, etc.) of 2.5 percent of market value on homes valued at $300,000. • Thus, annual property tax revenue equals $1,125,000 (50 x 3 x $7,500). • Assume that the cost of servicing these residences is 16 percent higher than the property taxes received (see Figure 1). Thus, the annual net loss to the community for servicing this residential development is $180,000 (0.16 x $1,125,000). • If the operation and maintenance cost of the 50-acre natural park is lower than $180,000 per year, then it is a less expensive option to service than the housing development on the same site. Further, investment in parks and open spaces does not incur the externality costs that accompany residential development, such as congestion, crime, pollution, infrastruc

ture deterioration and changes in community character. The economic costs and benefits of parks and open spaces have largely been ignored in planning studies in the past. These results demonstrate the need to include these spaces in a community’s fiscal and economic discourse. By showing the relative fiscal strength compared to residential development, park advocates can refute the notion that parklands are a drain on local resources. A strategy of conserving parks and open spaces is not contrary to a community’s economic health, but rather is an integral part of it. The intent is not to argue that parks and open spaces are a superior option to housing. People have to live somewhere. There cannot be a national moratorium on residential development. The goal is not to prevent growth, but to encourage a balance between development and open spaces, which tends to get lost without these types of analyses. 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). 20_1585_Parks n Rec_SEP Mod: July 17, 2020 10:14 AM Print: 08/04/20 1:57:06 PM page 1 v7

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Parks & Recreation

ADVOCACY

In many communities where basic infrastructure is not available, parks provide a bridge to the many benefits outdoor recreation offers.

Local Access Is an Equity Issue By Elvis Cordova

lose your eyes for a moment and imagine a park. What do you see in your mind’s eye? What is the landscape? Who are the people there? What activities are they doing? Hopefully, you saw a thriving, lush, green area full of people from all different backgrounds and all ethnicities who were participating in a vast array of recreational activities. You don’t even have to imagine this — you often can walk, scoot or roll to a local park and see this for yourself; that is, if you have a park near you. In many communities where basic infrastructure is not available, local parks provide a meaningful bridge to the many benefits outdoor recreation offers. As we have all experienced throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, physically distanced recreation in the outdoors is vital for our health and wellness. Record numbers of people are experiencing the benefits of local outdoor recreation opportunities, many for the first time. But unfortunate-

22 Parks & Recreation

ly, many communities across our country do not have local access to a quality park. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 people do not have a park or natural area within 10 minutes of their home. This presents an unpleasant reality for many individuals and an equity problem that we cannot ignore any longer. Access to the outdoors is a challenge we must prioritize. While we all dream about hiking in the Grand Canyon or visiting Yellowstone National Park, these experienc-

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es simply are not attainable for many Americans. Finding quality opportunities within our own communities is how the benefits of outdoor recreation can reach more people, especially those in underserved communities in both urban and rural areas. A recent blog post published by the Good Earth Plant Company powerfully captured the importance of parks by stating that “Public parks demonstrate what democracy is all about. They embrace the potential of our human rights: freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom from fear. Parks are created on the ideal of being accessible to all people, no matter their income, ethnicity or religious beliefs.” I couldn’t agree with this statement more. That is why at the National

Recreation and Park Association, we continue to prioritize ensuring all people have access to the benefits of local parks and recreation. We want to help communities fill the parks gaps in their neighborhoods and to provide them with wonderful, beautiful and highly functioning parks and natural areas. Our public policy and advocacy team is purposeful in advancing the opportunities to enhance the resources available for our members. Most recently, we achieved a great victory with the passage and signing of the Great American Outdoors Act. This new law will provide historic levels of funding and unprecedented impact. Not only did this legislation have overwhelming support among those of us who are committed to the outdoors, conservation and recreation, but also it was an incredible win for the outdoors. What’s more, it represents another example of how policies related to the outdoors bring Republicans and Democrats together. However, the law’s biggest and most important win may be the pathway to equity that it creates. This new law will provide $9.5 billion to reduce the maintenance backlog on federal public lands and $900 million annually for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), effectively ending the long and unfair tradition of diverting billions of dollars in funds needed for LWCF to other unrelated programs. LWCF has made significant impacts in helping to build local parks over the years, but as funds were diverted to unrelated programs, communities were shortchanged and access to recreation became unbalanced. The Great American Outdoors Act can finally fix this problem. While the unprecedented commitment to robust funding has taken center stage in this debate, we cannot ignore the unprecedented access to quality outdoor recreation this law will provide for everyone. The full and permanent LWCF funding will help ensure outdoor recreation can reach all communities and is available to everyone through the stateside assistance grants, which help create quality local parks and access to outdoor recreation in local communities. These funds will eliminate the traditional barriers that restrict many people from accessing quality outdoor experiences, including cost and transportation. The Great American Outdoors Act does many things, but the equity it will help create for all communities is, without question, its greatest impact.

Our goal is to help increase the positive impact on our communities by advancing an accessible, inclusive, welcoming and memorable parks experience for everyone. As we look forward to the legislative challenges that lay ahead, we will continue to focus our actions through an equity lens to ensure that inclusiveness is at the center of our policy activities. Our goal is to help increase the positive impact on our communities by advancing an accessible, inclusive, welcoming and memorable parks experience for everyone — an experience that allows people to connect with nature and with one another. Elvis Cordova is Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at NRPA (ecordova@nrpa.org).

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HEALTH & WELLNESS

Studies have identified a racial and social disparity in the distribution and benefit of park and recreation services.

Integrating Equity, Social Justice and Inclusion Practices By Arthur Hendricks

ark and recreation programs have played a historic role in our country’s struggle toward social equality and civil rights. At the turn of the 20th century, leaders, such as Jane Adams and others, were at the forefront of embracing the importance of the recreation and playground movement. The establishment of parks and recreation facilities in communities have had a significant impact on the health, vitality and well-being of communities. However, as a field, parks and recreation is not exempt from the troublesome and adverse effects of discrimination. In the struggle for equal and civil rights, we saw access to public amenities placed front and center. The adoption of the 1964 Civil Rights Act eliminated segregated swimming pools, recreation amenities and drinking fountains, to mention a few. Significant Disparities While this historic law has had

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a profound impact on the nation and ended the exclusion of African Americans receiving the rightful benefits and fundamental rights afforded in the U.S. Constitution, racist attitudes and practices persist. Considerable segments of society still remain economically and socially disconnected. Today, more than two-dozen social indices of wellbeing — from housing, employment, education, criminal justice, healthcare and other facets of soci-

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ety — show a significant disparity by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. One painfully stark example is a study on African American inequality in America. Conducted by Harvard University, the study outlines the wealth disparity between white families and Black and Hispanic families. Data from 2016 reveals that the median wealth among white families was 10 times greater than Black and Hispanic families. The report further shows that in some regions, the wealth disparity is far more vast. Another 2015 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston reveals that in Boston, Massachusetts, the median net worth of white households was $247,000 versus $8 for Black households (tinyurl.com/y48nwzr9).

Such inequality provides the considerable challenge we must overcome. Within a park and recreation context, studies have identified a racial and social disparity in the distribution and benefit of park and recreation services. Across the United States, the availability, type, condition and usage of recreational resources and programs show a disparity between communities of color compared to white communities. The Racial Economic and Social Divide I believe park and recreation departments play a crucial part in racial and social justice. Park and recreation agencies must examine how their programs are bridging this racial economic and social divide. An effective equity, inclusion and social justice approach requires that the agency examine its impact on the community, review its policies and practices, and determine who has and has not benefitted from its services. Are we passive or active in addressing social inequality in our community? How does race and class play a role in our decision making? Do we engage, involve and empower all voices in the community? How are we perceived and are we trusted by historically marginalized communities? These are just a few questions, but integrating equity, social justice and inclusion practices within park and recreation agencies requires intentional focus, review and development of new habits of thinking and operating. This also entails a commitment to explore and remove harmful policies and practices that have had an adverse effect on historically marginalized communities. Park leaders will need to truly adopt practices of inclusion

Across the United States, the availability, type, condition and usage of recreational resources and programs show a disparity between communities of color compared to white communities.

and belonging and foster strong and authentic relationships across racial and class divides. Legislation alone will not end injustice, bias and discrimination. However, helping individuals within an organization and in communities form meaningful relations grounded in empathy and mutual respect is needed to eliminate the harmful effects of bias, bigotry and discrimination. I serve as the equity, inclusion and social justice manager for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks; I also served in a similar role with Portland Parks and Recreation, supporting the implementation of the bureau’s five-year racial equity plan. In this role, I was engaged with almost every facet of the organization and I worked with colleagues to apply equity, inclusion and social justice practices within their discipline. This requires a commitment from the entire organization. I often say that you cannot microwave equity, inclusion and social

justice. The adoption of anti-racist policies and practices involves creating systems that ensure equitable hiring, promotion and retention practices, and the design of culturally responsive services; fostering effective community partnerships with historically marginalized communities; and providing meaningful participation of minority business that might lead to potential contracting opportunities. Ultimately, my role is to help park and recreation agencies lead by example regardless of a community’s race or socioeconomic status, to make sure that community members receive the benefits of park and recreation services and to continue the tradition of park and recreation programs advocating for social justice and ensuring that every community is healthy, vibrant and racially just. Arthur (Art) Hendricks (he,him,his) is Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Manager for the Department of Natural Resources and Parks in King County, Washington (arhendricks@kingcounty.gov).

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Parks & Recreation

CONSERVATION

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY

Moving Forward: Making Racial Equity Real By Raquel García-Álvarez

t the end of July, the Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Illinois, approved a position paper nearly two years in the making, Moving Towards Racial Equity in the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Written by the Forest Preserves’ Conservation and Policy Council with staff and outside partners, the paper acknowledges that institutionalized racism has impacted the patterns of investment in and stewardship of the preserves, and gives specific recommendations to change its approach to benefit all the people of Cook County, including applying a racial equity lens to all future plans, programs, policies and investments.

The Forest Preserves of Cook County is one of the largest and oldest urban land conservation districts in the nation. It was founded more than 100 years ago and holds nearly 70,000 acres in Chicago and its suburbs, one of the most biodiverse and culturally diverse counties in Illinois (fpdcc.com/nature/restoration). The Forest Preserves has worked hard to welcome everyone onto our trails, in our nature 26 Parks & Recreation

centers, at our programs, and into our woods, prairies, wetlands and savannahs. Yet, two summers ago, we received a wake-up call that said we need to do more when one of our police officers failed to protect a young Puerto Rican woman during a racist incident at one of our popular preserves, Caldwell Woods. People of color can often feel unsafe and unwelcome in natural outdoor places (tinyurl.com/

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y5bwxwjd), and this incident only perpetuated that kind of unease.

Starting the Conversation To move us forward, we began to have tough conversations with community leaders and staff. We held a Cultural Awareness Forum organized with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, where staff expressed the need for internal improvements. Alongside community leaders, we partnered on a new annual rally at Caldwell Woods to celebrate diversity, hosted by the Northwest Side Coalition Against Racism and Hate. The Forest Preserves continues to deepen its engagement with Black, Indigenous and other communities of color through various means, such as a program that fos-

The Forest Preserves’ Land Acknowledgement was first read on Indigenous Peoples Day in 2019 at a celebration of the new Serpent Twin Mound (Pokto Činto) at Schiller Woods.

ters ongoing partnerships with local institutions and community groups located around Beaubien Woods on the South Side of Chicago. Body cameras have been purchased for all our police in the field, and we have begun an implicit bias training program in which all Forest Preserves of Cook County employees, starting with our police department, will participate. In the winter of 2018, we also launched a Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee (REDI) to begin addressing internal structural issues and to operationalize equity. Our committee starts with the idea that when the system is viewed with an equity lens, the benefits of racial equity extend beyond a targeted group to reach everyone. REDI first-year projects focused on improving our community engagement outreach, staff training opportunities and human resources processes. Second-year projects will continue to focus on improving human resources processes and training endeavors for staff and volunteers. Like all of Cook County, the Forest Preserves sits on land that was taken from Indigenous people, specifically the Council of Three Fires — the Ojibwa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes. To recognize this fact, we now have a land acknowledgement statement, along with a guide on how to integrate the statement in Forest Preserves events, so people are aware that Native Americans still live and practice their heritage and traditions in Cook County and these are their ancestral homelands. The Forest Preserves has been fortunate to receive an NRPA Heart Your Park grant. Through this grant, we envisioned engaging local residents to participate in our stewardship days and forest therapy walks. Due to restrictions on gathering in groups due to COVID-19, we’ve had to rethink this approach. Our Forest Therapy guide, Dr. Kim Ruffin, author of Black on Earth, came up with the brilliant concept of a forest therapy audio walk with the theme of “belonging” that is inclusive and welcoming to new users, volunteers and staff. We hope the audio will bring healing to those who hear it, remind them that they belong in natural spaces and convey that nature can care for them in their own unique way, whether it is in their local forest preserve, their yard or wherever a wild flower may be found. At the Forest Preserves of Cook County, we recognize that we certainly don’t have all the answers for racial equity at a land management agency, and our work

is not done. Many of our goals are ongoing, and we continue to look for opportunities to improve equity inside our organization and in the preserves themselves. We do know that we have the responsibility and are committed to doing the hard work of striving toward racial equity and to providing a natural space where every person truly feels welcome and safe. Raquel García-Álvarez is the Stewardship Program Coordinator at the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

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Parks & Recreation

L AW R EV I EW

Park Law Enforcement Civil Rights Claims By James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

n the case of Risse v. Porter, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 51141 (E.D. Cal. 3/23/2020), Plaintiff Lisa Risse (“Plaintiff ”) asserted a number of federal civil rights claims against Defendants Officer Michael Porter (“Officer Porter”), Rio Linda Elverta Recreation & Park District, and Fulton‑El Camino Recreation & Park District (collectively, “Defendants”). Officer Porter was employed as a law enforcement officer for the Fulton-El Camino Recreation & Park District, and also believed to be a law enforce‑ ment officer for the Rio Linda Elverta Recreation & Park District. As de‑ scribed below, these claims were prompted by Plaintiff ’s encounter with Officer Porter after a Little League game.

Grossly Inappropriate Behavior In her complaint, Plaintiff alleges the following facts. At approxi‑ mately 10 p.m. on April 13, 2018, Plaintiff made her way to her ve‑ hicle after watching her son’s Lit‑ tle League game at Westside Park in Sacramento, California. As she approached her vehicle, Plain‑ tiff began to greet Officer Porter, 28 Parks & Recreation

who was behind his vehicle. Offi‑ cer Porter directed his squad car’s spotlight at Plaintiff ’s face and shouted demands to see her iden‑ tification. Because the light was bright and obstructed her vision, making it difficult to produce the requested identification, Plaintiff opened and placed her purse on the back of her vehicle. She then stepped away from the vehicle

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with her hands up and to the side. Plaintiff claims she identified herself as a probation officer, in‑ formed Officer Porter that she carried a firearm in her purse, and told him that her permit to carry along with her identification were in her purse. She also says she told Officer Porter where in her purse the firearm was located. Plaintiff asserts that upon this information, Officer Porter assumed a shoot‑ er’s stance, raised his pistol, and shouted, “Gun! You have a gun!” This interaction caused Plain‑ tiff ’s 8-year-old daughter to begin screaming and crying. During this time, Plaintiff claims Officer Porter shouted “confusing and conflicting in‑ structions, requesting Plaintiff to back away from her purse,

keep her hands up, hand him her purse, and hand him her firearm.” Plaintiff asserts she was fearful Officer Porter would shoot and kill her if she ap‑ proached the purse, and that she attempted to explain to Officer Porter that the firearm was locat‑ ed in a secure zipper in her purse. Plaintiff alleges she was “certain that Michael Porter was about to shoot and kill Plaintiff in front of Plaintiff ’s daughter based on his behavior” and that she was “in mortal fear of her life.” Plaintiff asserts that when Of‑ ficer Porter “aggressively rushed and handcuffed” Plaintiff, her daughter began “fearfully beg‑ ging” for Officer Porter to “not kill her mom,” to which Officer Por‑ ter responded, “Shut the f*** up!” Plaintiff asserts that upon arriving at the scene, Plaintiff ’s 13-year-old son approached the vehicle and told Officer Porter, “get off my mom,” at which point Officer Por‑ ter aimed his firearm at Plaintiff ’s son. Plaintiff ’s husband, son and daughter “begged Michael Por‑ ter to not harm or kill Plaintiff.” Plaintiff ’s complaint further as‑ serts that Officer Porter continued to shout expletives at Plaintiff ’s children and “other surrounding community members while posi‑ tioning himself in a threatening manner, holding his service weap‑ on as if he were ready to aim and fire it.” According to allegations in Plaintiff ’s complaint, Officer Por‑ ter then reported a “‘woman with a gun and aggressive male threat‑ ening people at the Little League game’ into his radio and request‑ ed another officer.” A California Highway Patrol (“CHP”) Officer

and Sacramento County Sheriff ’s Deputy responded to the call. Lat‑ er, those officers allegedly stated that Officer Porter’s call was mis‑ leading and Officer Porter’s behav‑ ior was “grossly inappropriate.” Plaintiff additionally alleges Of‑ ficer Porter put Plaintiff into the backseat of a locked police vehicle with the windows rolled up, de‑ taining her there for more than an hour without proper ventilation. Plaintiff alleges she was unable to remove her winter clothing, be‑ came overheated, nauseated and nearly lost consciousness. Officer Porter allegedly refused Plaintiff ’s requests for water, dismissed her complaints that exhaust from the floorboard was suffocating her, and kept her locked in the vehicle. Within 20 to 30 minutes of being locked in the car, Plaintiff vomited on herself. According to the complaint, a responding Sergeant was present during her requests for water and ventilation. Additionally, the CHP Officer and Sheriff ’s Deputy pres‑ ent at the scene directed Officer Porter and the Sergeant to release Plaintiff, but they refused. Officer Porter released Plaintiff after more than an hour with a citation for re‑ sisting arrest. Plaintiff has not been charged with any crime arising from the incident. The following week, Officer Porter allegedly contacted the Rio Linda Little League office and recommended Plaintiff be banned because her family was “dangerous.” Officer Porter also contacted Plaintiff ’s place of employment, telling her cowork‑ ers she was aggressive and had resisted arrest. The Plaintiff ’s complaint alleges Officer Por‑

ter contacted Plaintiff ’s place of employment several times and continued to make “unlawful, un‑ founded, and derogatory remarks about Plaintiff ’s character to her coworkers.” Plaintiff asserts Officer Porter continues to harass her and her husband in public while in the presence of family and friends. According to Plaintiff, this ha‑ rassment includes spreading ru‑ mors about Plaintiff being “dan‑ gerous” and “a liar”; stalking Plaintiff; and repeatedly defam‑ ing Plaintiff “in communications with her place of employment and with members of the Rio Lin‑ da community.”

Plaintiff claims she is being treated for the severe psychological and emotional injuries resulting from the alleged acts and omissions of Officer Porter and Defendants. As a result, Plaintiff alleges she suffers from anxiety and severe emotional distress. Further, Plain‑ tiff claims she is being treated for the severe psychological and emo‑ tional injuries resulting from the al‑ leged acts and omissions of Officer Porter and Defendants. Due to public humiliation and continued defamation by Officer Porter, Plaintiff claims she had to take an extended leave of absence from her work, and her profes‑ sional and personal relationships have suffered. Plaintiff alleges she continues to experience a “loss of quality of life and a loss of quali‑ ty of relationship, companionship

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and society.” Moreover, Plaintiff claims her familial relationships have been harmed and she has suf‑ fered mental health ramifications from both the initial incident and Officer Porter’s continued stalking and harassment.

Plausible Liability Claim In response to Plaintiff ’s com‑ plaint, the Defendants denied any liability and filed a motion to dis‑ miss Plaintiff ’s claims. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, “Rule 12(b) (6),” tests the legal sufficiency of a complaint. Further, the Feder‑ al Rules of Civil Procedure that a pleading contain “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.” In addition, the complaint must give the defendant fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.

On a motion to dismiss, the factual allegations of the complaint must be accepted as true by the court. On a motion to dismiss, the fac‑ tual allegations of the complaint must be accepted as true by the court. Moreover, a court is bound to give a plaintiff the benefit of every reasonable inference to be drawn from the “well-pleaded” allegations of the complaint. A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the de‑ fendant is liable for the miscon‑ duct alleged. Ultimately, a court 30 Parks & Recreation

may not dismiss a complaint in which the plaintiff has alleged enough facts to state a claim to re‑ lief that is plausible on its face.

Municipal Policy or Custom Liability In her complaint, Plaintiff had asserted a number of federal civ‑ il rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (Section 1983). In its 1978 “Monell” decision, the Supreme Court of the United States held a plaintiff bringing a Section 1983 claim against a municipality must “allege an officer violated her con‑ stitutional rights by executing a lo‑ cal government policy or custom.” Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs. of City of N.Y.C., 436 U.S. 658, 690-91, 98 S. Ct. 2018, 56 L. Ed. 2d 611 (1978). In this particular instance, Defendants argued Plaintiff had alleged “only a single incident of unconstitutional conduct,” as op‑ posed to the requisite execution of a “local government policy or custom” to establish a federal civil rights claim under Monell. In response, Plaintiff claimed her complaint had asserted “var‑ ious theories of liability” based upon policy or custom. In par‑ ticular, Plaintiff claimed “Defen‑ dants made a conscious choice not to properly train Officer Por‑ ter and that they condoned his continued harassment of Plaintiff in violation of her constitutional rights.” Plaintiff further alleged, “these customs or practices were the cause of the harm inflicted on her.” Defendants, however, claimed “none of these subse‑ quent actions involved unconstitu‑ tional conduct.” As noted by the federal district court: “A municipality may be li‑

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able under Monell for adopting a policy or custom that inflicts inju‑ ry; failing to train employees prop‑ erly to the extent of deliberate in‑ difference to a constitutional right; or ratifying a subordinate’s uncon‑ stitutional behavior.” In this particular instance, the court found Plaintiff had indeed alleged sufficient facts to with‑ stand a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss her Monell claims against Defendants Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District and the Rio Linda Elverta Recreation and Park District. According to the court, to sufficiently state a claim based upon “inadequate training, supervision, or disci‑ pline,” Plaintiff would have to al‑ lege the following: (1) the training program was inadequate in relation to the tasks the particular officer must perform; (2) the municipal officials must have been deliberately indifferent to the rights of persons with whom the local officials come into contact; and (3) the inadequacy of the training was shown to have actually caused the constitutional deprivation. In particular, the court empha‑ sized the fact that, “a municipal‑ ity’s failure to train its employees in a relevant respect must amount to deliberate indifference to the rights of persons with whom the untrained employees come into contact.” Viewing Plaintiff ’s complaint in a favorable light in response to Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss, in this particular instance, the fed‑ eral district court found Plaintiff had sufficiently alleged “a failure to train that rises to the level of deliberate indifference by the mu‑

nicipality.” In so doing, the court found allegations that “a CHP Officer and a Sacramento Coun‑ ty Sheriff ’s Deputy stated the call Officer Porter made was mislead‑ ing and his behavior was grossly inappropriate.” In so doing, the court found statements by these “two officers from different law enforcement branches” indicated “Officer Porter was not behaving within the bounds of standard procedure,” which made it “plau‑ sible Officer Porter was not prop‑ erly trained”: Because this seems to be an otherwise ordinary encounter with a citizen, such inadequate training would amount to deliberate indifference to the rights of the ordinary citizens officers contact on a daily basis. Further, a Sergeant from Officer Porter’s department was present for at least part of the incident and, as alleged, did nothing to stop Officer Porter’s conduct, nor did he release Plaintiff from the patrol car.... [T]he Sergeant consulted Plaintiff as to where her firearm was located and was present during her complaints about the exhaust and heat, requests for water, and subsequent vomiting due to those conditions. In the opinion of the court, these alleged facts indicated, “Of‑ ficer Porter and the Sergeant may have believed they were within their rights to continue to detain Plaintiff.” According to the court, these facts, however, made “plau‑ sible the position that the munici‑ palities offered a training program so inadequate that it amounts to deliberate indifference.” Further, the court found “ratification by supervisors of a subordinate’s

conduct can serve as a ‘policy’ for purposes of municipal liability”: The mere failure to investigate the basis of a subordinate’s discretionary decisions is not considered a ratification. But even a policy of inaction may be considered a policy for purposes of Monell liability. In this particular instance, Plaintiff had alleged, “Defendants customarily allowed officers to be‑ have as Officer Porter is alleged to have behaved because they knew of and condoned the behavior through inaction.” Specifically, the federal court found the pres‑ ence of a Sergeant “who failed to discipline officer Porter or at minimum correct the ongoing sit‑ uation” could indicate “a ratifica‑ tion of Officer Porter’s conduct.” Further, Plaintiff had alleged the Defendants had not taken any disciplinary action against Officer Porter for his continued miscon‑ duct and harassment. In the opinion of the court, Plaintiff ’s allegations “at least suggests the municipality has rati‑ fied this behavior, allowing for the inference that a custom or policy exists that permits such conduct.” As a result, the federal district court found Plaintiff had alleged sufficient facts to establish a plau‑ sible federal civil rights claim against Defendants. The federal district court, therefore, denied the Motion to Dismiss by the munici‑ pal defendants.

Excessive Force and False Arrest Plaintiff also alleged violations of her right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment in that she was subject to “excessive force and false arrest” as a result

of her being “detained for over an hour in the backseat of a police ve‑ hicle with the windows rolled up and doors locked without proper ventilation.” Further, while hand‑ cuffed in the hot car, Plaintiff claimed her requests for water and ventilation were ignored, causing her humiliation when she vomit‑

The federal district court found Plaintiff had alleged sufficient facts to establish a plausible federal civil rights claim against Defendants. ed on herself due to the heat and exhaust fumes from the vehicle. In the opinion of the federal district court: “All of these alleged facts are sufficient to state a cogniza‑ ble claim under the Fourteenth Amendment.” Accordingly, the court also denied Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff ’s al‑ leged violations of the Fourteenth Amendment.

First Amendment Claim In response to Plaintiff ’s allega‑ tion that her First Amendment rights had been violated, Defen‑ dants argued Plaintiff had not provided any “evidence show‑ ing that by his actions [Officer Porter] deterred or chilled the Plaintiff ’s political speech and such deterrence was a substan‑ tial or motivating factor in [Offi‑ cer Porter’s] conduct.” Plaintiff, however, maintained, “her First Amendment claim focuses on the deprivation of her right to famil‑ ial association, companionship, and society.” Defendants, how‑ ever, contended, “Plaintiff ’s brief

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detention does not rise to the lev‑ el of a First Amendment depriva‑ tion of familial association.” As noted by the federal district court, the First Amendment does protect “distinctively personal as‑ pects of one’s life.” Specifically, the First Amendment would pro‑ tect “family relationships” that presuppose “deep attachment and commitments to the necessarily few other individuals with whom one shares not only a special com‑ munity of thoughts, experiences, and beliefs.”

The federal district court agreed with Defendants that “Plaintiff’s brief detention likely does not amount to a violation of the First Amendment. In this particular instance, the federal district court found Plain‑ tiff had alleged Officer Porter continued to harass her “subse‑ quent to the initial incident” of what Defendants described as a “brief detention.” Plaintiff al‑ leged such harassment included the following: …telling the Little League to ban her because she and her family are “dangerous”; calling Plaintiff ’s place of employment and defaming Plaintiff to her coworkers; spreading rumors in the community that Plaintiff is “dangerous” and “a liar”; and continuing to stalk and harass Plaintiff in public while in the presence of her family and friends. Accordingly, “as a result of De‑ fendants’ actions, inactions, or de‑ liberate indifference to her rights,” Plaintiff alleged, “her working as‑ 32 Parks & Recreation

sociations have been restricted and affected, causing loss of quality of life, relationship, companionship, and society.” The federal district court agreed with Defendants that “Plaintiff ’s brief detention likely does not amount to a violation of the First Amendment.” On the other hand, the court found: “The alleged sub‑ sequent intimidation and harass‑ ment by Officer Porter, however, condoned by the municipal De‑ fendants, could plausibly be con‑ strued as an unconstitutional re‑ straint of free association because it has had the effect of alienating Plaintiff from her family, friends, and coworkers.” As noted by the court, Defendants had attempt‑ ed to minimize this extensive ha‑ rassment by characterizing it as “loosely related post-incident ha‑ rassment and gossip.” In the opinion of the federal dis‑ trict court, the municipal Defen‑ dants’ inaction or indifference to allegations of Officer Porter’s con‑ tinued harassment of Plaintiff and false claims related to the incident amounted to more than “loosely related post-incident harassment and gossip.” Accordingly, the court found Plaintiff had “alleged suffi‑ cient facts to support a violation of her First Amendment Rights.” The court, therefore, denied De‑ fendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plain‑ tiff ’s First Amendment claim.

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress In addition, the federal district court found Plaintiff had alleged sufficient facts in her complaint to support a claim for intentional in‑ fliction of emotional distress and to overcome Defendants’ Motion

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to Dismiss. The court cited the following legal definition of inten‑ tional infliction of emotional dis‑ tress: To qualify as severe emotional distress, the distress must be so severe that no reasonable person in a civilized society should be expected to endure it. Emotional distress qualifies as severe and traumatic when manifesting as shock, horror, nausea, or another physical affect. As noted by the court, Plaintiff ’s complaint had alleged she suffered from “anxiety and severe emotion‑ al distress due to Officer Porter’s behavior,” which included the fol‑ lowing misconduct: Officer Porter pointed his service weapon at Plaintiff and her 13-year-old son and told Plaintiff ’s 8-year-old daughter to “shut the f*** up!” Plaintiff alleges she was in fear for her life and her family’s safety as Officer Porter threatened to harm them. Plaintiff alleges she was handcuffed with her winter clothing on, detained for over an hour in a hot police vehicle, without proper ventilation, and in front of members of her community, and that she became physically ill, all while her pleas for water and ventilation were ignored. Further, the court noted Plaintiff alleged she is “being treated for se‑ vere psychological and emotional injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from Officer Porter’s behavior.” In de‑ termining whether or not to grant Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss, as described above, the federal district court would accept “Plaintiff ’s al‑ legations as true and drawing all reasonable inferences in her favor.” Accordingly, the court found Plain‑ tiff ’s complaint had sufficiently

alleged distress “so severe that no reasonable person in a civilized so‑ ciety should be expected to endure it.” The federal district court, there‑ fore, denied Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff ’s intentional in‑ fliction of emotional distress claim.

Conclusion Having found the allegations in Plaintiff ’s complaint had sufficient‑ ly stated a legal basis for liability, the federal district court rejected Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss Plaintiff ’s lawsuit. The federal dis‑ trict court, therefore, would allow Plaintiff ’s lawsuit to go forward for further trial proceedings. In so doing, Plaintiff would be provided an opportunity to prove the allega‑

tions in her complaint, and Defen‑ dants could respond with evidence and testimony to deny any civil rights violations or liability in this particular instance. Postscript: On April 27, 2020, Defendants Fulton-El Camino Recreation & Park District, Mi‑ chael Porter, and Rio Linda Elver‑ ta Recreation & Park District filed a demand for a jury trial with the federal district court. Should this case proceed to trial, in making this demand, the Defendants chose to exercise their constitutional right to have this case decided by a jury, as opposed to the federal judge. In making this choice, counsel for De‑ fendants may have decided that lo‑ cal citizens on a jury might be more

Having found the allegations in Plaintiff’s complaint had sufficiently stated a legal basis for liability, the federal district court rejected Defendants’ Motions to Dismiss Plaintiff’s lawsuit. inclined to favor the position of law enforcement in their community park districts and deny Plaintiff ’s liability claims. 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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D N O Y E B W 5

ent m e v o er m ation t t a M e ives of Recr L k Blac rtment e h t a and nty Dep c i m ande ore Cou e action p l a lob e Baltim and tak g a By Vitisia Paynich How elled th obilize m p com arks to P hen Roslyn Johnson joined the Baltimore and

1) The Gillespie family make a second trip to Cromwell Valley Park. 2) The Martin kids hike on the open trails. 3) To ensure physical distancing, BCRP set up a drive-thru food distribution site. 4) Apral, a first-time visitor to Cromwell Valley Park, brings a book to read. 5) Budding nature enthusiasts pick up a couple of nature discovery boxes. 6) Staff prepare fresh corn for distribution.

County (Maryland) Department of Recreation and Parks (BCRP) as its new director in February 2020, little did she know the challenges that lay ahead for her and her staff — the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, an economic recession and a racial reckoning. “It’s hard to believe, but it was about a week before our first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Baltimore County that Director Johnson was unanimously confirmed as the first-ever woman to lead the department,” says Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski. He adds that Johnson really “got thrown right into the fire as she was taking over….” Johnson recalls that during the early days of the pandemic, “the staff was getting to know me; I was getting to know them — but communication was the key. We kept in close contact with our staff at all times.”

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As the third-largest county in the state and spanning 682 square miles, Baltimore County is home to more than 828,000 residents across 29 unincorporated cities and communities. Its population comprises 63 percent – NonHispanic White, 26 percent – Black, 0.33 percent – Native American, 5 percent – Asian, 0.04 percent – Pacific Islander and 4.2 percent – Hispanic, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Maryland recorded three confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 5 — alarming news that reverberated throughout state and local government agencies. By March 17, about 175 of the recreation and parks department’s 183 fulltime and part-time office and Police Athletic League (PAL) center staff began either teleworking from home or went on administrative leave, while others like nature center employees and park rangers continued working at their respective sites. Johnson explains that her department also includes an additional 900 seasonal and recreation program leaders, who ceased work-

ing at the time due to the pandemic but were paid sick and safe leave for up to 64 hours. Although parks, trails and nature centers stayed open, BCRP staff were concerned about the basketball courts and tennis courts as well. And, this posed a challenge that relates directly to social equity, Johnson says. She adds that basketball presents very different problems than tennis. “If you put a basketball rim up, you’re going to have 10 people crowded around a hoop to play, and they’re not going to be socially distanced,” she says. However, tennis allows for single players who could easily physically distance, yet it fails to promote equity. Johnson explains that, traditionally, each sport attracts two very different socioeconomic user groups. “So, we took down the tennis nets and we took down the basketball hoops at the same time,” she says. BCRP buildings (PAL centers and recreation facilities), portable toilets/restrooms, playgrounds, stages and water fountains also were closed to the public.

On March 30, Maryland reported 1,413 confirmed cases and 15 deaths, prompting Governor Larry Hogan to issue a statewide stay-at-home order (tinyurl.com/ y2uhwu5s) to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Pivoting to Provide Essential Services The pandemic and subsequent closures caused much anxiety for those in underserved communities, especially for those dependent on essential services like food assistance programs. “Prior to COVID, we only [offered] the meal program for those registered for our PAL summer program; they received meals and a snack,” Johnson explains. Once schools shut down, she says Baltimore County wasn’t certain that food distribution would continue for youth. Thus, the county executive formed a food distribution task force. Kara Burman, a regional coordinator at BCRP, has served as department lead for the task force and contacted partners, like the Maryland Food Bank and KidzTable, to participate in the food programs. Initially, the staff served graband-go meals Monday through Friday, whereby people could pick up two meals daily at designated facilities throughout the county. With assistance from the National Guard, BCRP was able to scale back the schedule to three days per week without having to decrease the number of meals distributed. On Saturdays, staff worked at drive-thru sites supplying 30-pound

On Saturdays, BCRP staff distribute boxes of nonperishable food and fresh produce to families impacted by COVID-19. 36 Parks & Recreation

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The National Guard has stepped in to provide extra man power for BCRP staff at food distribution sites.

nonperishable food boxes and boxes containing fresh produce and a loaf of bread to families. According to Burman, the county has served 4,609,745 total meals since March 16, with BCRP staff serving 76,210 meals during weekdays since March 23 and 1,059,095 meals during Saturday distribution. BCRP meals are totaling slightly less than onequarter of the total number of meals for the entire county. Michael Palmere, PAL coordinator at Dundalk PAL Center, runs the largest food distribution site in one of the most diverse communities in Baltimore County. “I think the area down here has been affected with people being laid off…and we’ve been addressing an issue that may have been there slightly prior to [COVID-19], but it’s definitely been magnified during the pandemic,” he says. “I know our grab-and-go meals, at least through June, just kept growing and growing. It seemed like we were doing 2,500 to 3,000 graband-go meals a week just at the Dundalk site.” In addition to providing food assistance, recreation and park staff further expanded their roles to assist other county agencies. As an example, during Baltimore’s special election for the U.S. House of Representatives seat formerly held by the late Elijah Cummings and Maryland’s primary election, BCRP staff worked at polling sites. The staff also opened facilities to host Red Cross blood drives and even received training to work the eviction prevention and child safety hotlines.

Fun and Healthy Alternatives Throughout this pandemic, Baltimore health officials emphasized the fact that people need to get outside in the fresh air and exercise to maintain overall physical and mental health. Thus, county parks and trails remained open as long as people avoided large gatherings and followed health guidelines. In fact, the BCRP team has noticed an uptick in park visits. Cromwell Valley Park, for instance, saw a dramatic increase in the number of park visitors. Kris Mervine, regional coordinator for BCRP’s nature, agriculture and environmental centers, adds, “[T]he nature venues…never really closed because the standalone nature centers…have large numbers of people visiting the sites for hiking and just to get outdoors.” When it comes to taking the proper safety precautions in parks and open spaces, Mervine contends that most people are doing the right things and physical distancing. “We added a lot of signage [and] social distancing ambassadors who

Families can pick up a remote nature discovery box that includes fun activties for kids to do at home or in a park.

were helpful…,” he says. Although nature venues stayed open, BCRP staff had to develop alternatives to in-person summer

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programing. Jessica Jeannetta, a community supervisor at Oregon Ridge Nature Center, and her team created remote nature discovery boxes for parents and children to take home. “The idea was just to have five to eight selfled activities that families could do with their children either here at the park or at home in their backyard that would get them outside exploring and experiencing nature first-hand,” Jeannetta explains. Maria Bieneman, a regional coordinator, also considered how to supplement traditional recreational programming when she created the Recreation Grab-and-Go program that offered families a bag of activities and relied on corporate donations. “One of our donations was with the Baltimore Ravens, and they put together a Flock Fitness Challenge for the Under Armour MapMyFitness app,” she says. The team also donated posters for the bags. Bieneman adds that these activity

bags are not just meant to keep kids busy, but they are a way to “bring us together during a pandemic.”

Summer and Fall Reimagined Johnson says she and her team didn’t know if this year’s summer camps would be canceled altogether due to COVID-19. “Originally, the governor said no more than 15 people in an entire building, and then that changed to no more than 15 people per room and that includes the instructors and staff,” she says, “and as long as they could still socially distance and be six feet apart.” On July 6, BCRP finally kicked off summer camp. While COVID-19 undoubtedly affected traditional summer camp, Wade Henninger, PAL coordinator at Mars Estates PAL Center, says there have been some positives. Because BCRP can only allow a limited number of people, “the kids

are receiving quality one-on-one instruction. We can really spend our time a little differently than we normally do,” says Henninger. Evers Burns, PAL coordinator at Winfield PAL Center, agrees. “We’re averaging about 10 to 12 kids; we usually average anywhere from 40 to 50 during the summer,” he says. “But we’ve done a lot of history lessons, as well as gone outside and played social distancing games, like kickball or HORSE basketball.” BCRP also plans to serve students when school resumes in the fall with distance learning. Bob Smith, chief of recreation services, says, “The option we’re looking at — in partnership with the school system, a couple of other local groups, and some of the community colleges and universities — is repurposing our community and recreation centers during the day. So, the kids would come in and access our WiFi.” He explains that BCRP could keep the numbers manageable based on physical distancing guidance. “We could just give kids some structured, daily activity on the educational side, as well as tie in some recreation pieces,” Smith says.

An Inflection Point in Racial Equality On May 25, 2020, two incidents stoked by racism and unconscious bias changed the country: the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Amy Cooper’s false allegation against Christian Cooper (no relation) in New York City’s Central Park. The Floyd case, in particular, sparked Black Lives Matter pro-

Since playgrounds remain closed during the pandemic, the Velich family visits Cromwell Valley Park instead. 38 Parks & Recreation

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tests across the United States and around the world. It also marked the beginning of substantive conversations about race within companies and organizations. BCRP was no different, as the agency wanted to address race both internally and externally. “My thought was if it’s affecting me, I’m sure it’s affecting everyone else,” recalls Johnson. “So, we called in a consultant to actually meet with our staff virtually. And, we had segregated meetings, which is unheard of but is actually a best practice in these situations.” The rationale behind this decision was to first provide a safe space and lay the groundwork with each group individually — first with the African American staff and then with people who are allies or want to become an ally — and then bring everyone together. The department held a series of meetings, in which people shared their frustration, anger and other emotions. “It was really kind of a place for healing for all staff,” notes Johnson. Externally, BCRP supported several Black Lives Matter protests that took place in many of the parks. Johnson says, “We worked in partnership with our police department. And, when we found out protests were occurring, we would let the police know” and vice versa. She adds that BCRP staff offered support by providing loudspeakers, stages or whatever organizers needed. These historic events also inspired BCRP to launch the All Parks for All People initiative. As André Clark, PAL coordinator at Cockeysville PAL Center, explains: “It’s just our way of letting the community know that we do rec

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWEST VOICE NEWS

BCRP lends support to the organizers of local Black Lives Matter protests.

ognize that…people may feel marginalized and we’re going to do everything that we can to make sure that they understand that the parks are not just for one set of people or one type of person, but…that all of our parks are for all people.” In fact, BCRP staff produced a series of public service announcements (PSAs) in multiple languages to drive this message home. County Executive Olszewski appears in the first PSA for the campaign. “Director Johnson and I are actually putting forward a pretty significant bond referendum this November,” says Olszewski. This $35 million bond referendum is focused on expanding equity in park facilities, which is consistent with the goal of the All Parks for All People campaign. Johnson also reveals that to commemorate the anniversary of the March on Washington on August 28, 2021 and to promote racial equity in all parks, Baltimore County will curate a photography exhibition at Gwynn Oak Park in Woodlawn, Maryland, in Spring 2021. The art exhibit will depict

racism and how it has affected people throughout the United States — while the chosen site is historically significant to the Civil Rights Movement. “It’s a park that in the past, was segregated and it was desegregated the same day as the first March on Washington,” Johnson notes.

The New Normal For the past several months, BCRP staff have been adapting to their new roles and the new normal while continuing to serve their citizens and emphasizing the importance of equity. As Olszewski puts it: “It’s been incredible how they’ve responded, but I think good leadership and a good team environment make all the difference....” Tune in to the September bonus episode of Open Space Radio to hear Roslyn Johnson discuss equity and how her team continues to help Baltimore County through difficult times at nrpa. org/SeptemberBonusEpisode. Vitisia Paynich is Executive Editor, Print and Online Content at NRPA (vpaynich@nrpa.org).

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The city of Douglasville, Georgia, Parks and Recreation Department conducted an internal equity audit to assess what equity issues were present and how to address them.

Addressing

EQUITY How a global pandemic helped the city of Douglasville, Georgia, expose pre-existing inequities

By Christopher Bass, CPRP

cross the country, park and recreation professionals have been challenged with finding creative ways to offer essential, highquality health and recreational services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As agencies adapt to this “new normal,” it is evident that things won’t be the same. With programs like esports and virtual classes and camps trending, park and recreation professionals are finding ways to bring recreation to the homes of the people we serve. These innovative programs strengthen community engagement during these unprecedented times. However, as the days and months go by, equity gaps continue to widen in many communities — specifically for communities of color and under-invested, at-risk neighborhoods.

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Parks & Recreation

E Q U I T Y A N D COV I D -1 9

Issues of Equity Before COVID-19 Prior to COVID-19, the city of Douglasville, Georgia, Parks and Recreation Department identified several concerns of inequity with our programs, facilities and services. Being as intentional as possible, department staff took a hard look at all operations within the department to determine what equity issues were present and how to go about addressing them. After conducting this internal equity audit, several key concerns were identified. Within our seven parks, none of our playgrounds were Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, which limited access to play for our large population of individuals with disabilities. The city of Douglasville is divided into five wards, and the play spaces within each of the wards were not of equal quality. Playgrounds and other amenities within our low-income neighborhoods were either outdated or unsafe. Another concern was walkability; during the assessment we found that citizens in certain wards did not have access to parks, recreation centers, playgrounds or

any other recreational opportunities. In fact, residents from these specific wards had to travel an average of 20 minutes to get to the closest city park. For some families, 20 minutes may not seem bad, but for families that rely on public transportation or have only one vehicle, this can be a major obstacle.

Challenges During COVID-19 This global pandemic has presented even more obstacles for us, especially as we attempt to ensure equity within the Douglasville community. COVID-19 has made providing leisure services to our citizens more challenging. In addition to the pre-existing equity issues, our staff has grappled with finding safe ways to reopen facilities and play spaces. COVID-19 forced us to close playgrounds, remove basketball hoops and lock athletic fields, which limits access to all Douglasville residents, eliminating health and wellness programs during a time when they are needed the most. To stay connected with the community during the pandemic, we offered several virtual programs Playgrounds and other amenities within Douglasville's low-income communities were outdated or unsafe.

that families could take advantage of from home. Once registration for these programs opened up, we began receiving calls from families asking, “How do we participate in the virtual programs if we don’t have a computer?” This was when we realized that virtual programming would not be the end all, be all solution to offering programs during this pandemic. These programs, which were intended to help families during the pandemic, created more challenges that needed to be addressed. In the Douglasville area, communities of color are impacted more than any other group. One of our primary concerns for these communities this summer has been lack of access to healthy food. Like many communities, summer meal programs provide families with nutritious meals and snacks when school is not in session. With the closing of facilities, distributing these meals has come to a halt. According to the USDA, in 2019, 2.7 million children across the country were provided meals each day as part of the summer meal program. These meals were distributed at schools, camps, parks, playgrounds, housing projects, community centers, churches and other public sites where children gather during the summer. Closing these facilities has limited food access for millions of families nationwide.

Addressing the Issues In order to address these issues, we developed a task force to take on the inequity issues, both pre-existing and those that have presented since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first action was to develop an equity plan. This plan consisted of three sections: (1) Access to Play, (2) Racial Equity and (3) a COVID-19 Response Plan. 42 Parks & Recreation

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The first two sections consisted of long-term planning efforts, while the third consisted of immediate actions to address inequity caused by the pandemic. Several key programs and outreach efforts were designed from this response plan, including: • Rec in a Bag: A program designed to provide families with bags filled with games and activities that can be enjoyed in the safety of their own home. • The Mobile Playground: An alternative to the standard playgrounds that are closed due to the pandemic. The mobile playground provides games and activities for children while allowing staff the opportunity to control overcrowding, utilize open spaces and properly disinfect games and playing surfaces. In order to provide safe and equitable program opportunities for our citizens, non-traditional methods will have to be developed in order to ensure we are meeting the needs of our constituents. The first step in planning consists of a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Challenges (SWOT) analysis of providing services. Beginning with this analysis allowed us to consider possible roadblocks that may have impeded progress in our efforts to provide programs for our citizens. Transportation was a major weakness for our agencies. We did not have a fleet of vehicles that could transport the supplies around the city, but because we were determined to provide this service, we found a creative way to utilize vacant trucks from our park maintenance division to reach our citizens. One of our strengths was our operating budget. During a time when local, state and federal budgets were cut across the country, our city manager fully

One equity challenge Douglasville recreation faces is the fact that not everyone has a computer to participate in virtual programming.

supported reallocating funds to accomplish our goal of providing recreation services during the pandemic. This is something that we didn’t take lightly, nor did we abuse. We remained good stewards of the budget, and we recognized that not having these funds would have made things more difficult. After conducting the SWOT analysis, we developed clear outcomes and action items, implementation strategies, performance measures to track progress and a detailed list of possible resources to aid in accomplishing our goals. This plan will continue to assist our department in the pursuit of providing equitable programs, activities and services for the citizens of Douglasville.

The Work Continues In 2015, NRPA launched the “I’m a Park and Rec Kid” campaign. The goal of this campaign was to encourage youth and people of all ages to utilize parks, recreation centers and play spaces as a solution for happier and healthier lives. Many park and recreation professionals are Park and Rec Kids themselves. Many of us grew up participating in sports, summer camps and other recreation opportunities as children. As great as this may sound, this is not the reality for many people in this country. It’s important to note that not

everyone grows up as a Park and Rec Kid. Some grow up never having access to any park, playground, recreation center or any other leisure service within their community. For some, these opportunities aren’t available within the neighborhood they reside. These are kids who could be raised by a single parent whose main priority is working to provide for their family and who, likely, doesn’t have time to drive 20 minutes across town to let their children play in a park. For some of our staff, this was their lived experience; yet it drives them to ensure that the park and recreation agency does everything in its power to provide safe and equitable programs throughout the community regardless of an individual’s race, religion, gender, ethnicity or economic status. Even in the midst of a national health emergency, we must continue to save lives by providing essential health and recreational services for those we serve. We must be resourceful, innovative and creative when developing programs and offering services to ensure that all programs, special events and activities are developed through an equity lens to expand access for all.

Christopher Bass, CPRP, is Assistant Director for Douglasville Parks and Recreation (bassc@douglasvillega.gov).

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Parks & Recreation

Revisiting

Minimum Wage Increases

Park and recreation professionals talk budgets and staff pay five years later

By Anthony Iracki, MS, CPRP

or park and recreation professionals, there are few questions with the power to foreshadow significant changes more than “How should we handle an increase to the minimum wage?” It is no doubt a polarizing question. What is deemed a positive for society can pose a significant challenge for those who are tasked with administering it. Implementing an increase in minimum wage can result in a loss of staff, an increase in pricing for services, a decrease in service-based programs and contention among stakeholders. Park and recreation professionals often are the first to see adverse operational impacts before the positive sets in. The truth is this challenge has been occurring regularly for quite some time. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor reports the minimum wage was increased on a semi-regular schedule between the years of 1938 and 2009 (tinyurl.com/y76ctddg). Typical time between increases were as short as one year for a period through the 1960s and 1970s. Since 2009, the minimum wage has

44 Parks & Recreation

not increased federally, and to this day (11 years later) remains at $7.25 per hour. Adjusted for inflation, an item that costs an hour’s wage in 2009 would cost $8.72 today — an increase of 20.2 percent. In 2015, I began researching this topic as part of my master’s thesis. Encouragingly, I discovered that there were park and recreation agencies across the country that

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were already taking steps to enact a cost recovery plan to recoup expenses in response to increases, putting their state or city minimum wage near the $10 mark. In early 2020 and prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I revisited some of those agencies to discuss how they have fared since 2015 and what their plans are for the future. Many are in states that recently have enacted laws setting a minimum wage of $15 by 2025. The information speaks to challenges with an increasing minimum wage in times of normal operations. However, the lessons learned from this period can be applicable in any toolkit designed to look at the impact of lost revenue, increased expenses or depressions in the economy.

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Parks & Recreation

M I N I M U M WAG E

Equity in wages was a concern for multiple departments described below. As we readjust to the future of our industry, we will need to keep wage equity a priority when rebuilding our departments and structure.

Changing Fees to Manage Budgets in Oregon In 2015, the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District in Oregon was facing a minimum wage increase from $12 to $15 an hour, resulting in a budget impact of $500,000 to $2.7 million, depending on which rate garnered approval. The lower rate and budget impact would result in minimal changes to the department’s rate chart, while the higher number resulted in a more drastic adjustment.

The Rockford Park District in Illinois was expecting an increase of the minimum wage to $10, resulting in a budgetary impact of $1 million. Eligible employees were split between two groups, with program supervisors making up 85 percent of the workforce and maintenance workers comprising the remaining 15 percent. The district managed this by adjusting fees to cover 75 percent of program costs and cutting back on their number of offerings to offset the budget impact. At the time, the district had around 3,000 offerings per year and no tax increase had been discussed. But, due to a $100 million bond measure that passed in 2008 and a subsequent climate poll, it was determined that the public was favorable to the option. Aisha Panas, director of park and recreation services, along with her 46 Parks & Recreation

Tualatin colleagues, Keith Hobson and Katherine Stokke, provided an update from 2015 and offered insight on how the district was handling a law passed in 2016 that would increase the minimum wage to $14.75 by 2022 with annual adjustments following based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, with Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area coming in $1.25 higher than the other areas in the state. To address these increases, staff have been provided with augmented expenditure targets of 2.5 percent to 3 percent a year to pay applicable positions the minimum wage. This includes updating their class fee structure using a cost recovery model. Panas reports this approach has been successful and the restructuring of fees has resulted in minimal impact on operations. Next steps include addressing compression, which results when differences in pay do not reflect the skills, experience, level or seniority between two employees, along with the next group of employees impacted, which includes lifeguards and other certified staff.

Maintaining Balance in Illinois In the Midwest, the McHenry County Conservation District in Woodstock, Illinois, was already preparing for the 2015 increase by implementing merit raises — so, at most, the 2015 increase would amount to a $1.50 raise, bringing the minimum wage up to $10 per hour. Although the district had planned for an increase, adjustments still would be needed. Human Resources Manager Jenny Heider predicted a hiring freeze, minor cuts to seasonal staff and deferred maintenance resulting in an impact to programs and park appearance. In a follow-up interview with Heider in 2020, she re-

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ported that managers were able to find room in their budgets so staff would not need to be reduced nor fees raised. Heider attributed this success to her agency’s yearly merit increases, which meant that when the minimum wage was increased, it didn’t have a negative impact and adjustments were made without a loss in service. She reported they have since increased their minimum wage to $11 per hour. In response to a new Illinois law raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024, they plan to continue to implement incremental raises along the way to reach this goal. At this time, an increase to taxes is not an option, so funds must be made up operationally. The Rockford Park District in Illinois was expecting an increase of the minimum wage to $10, resulting in a budgetary impact of $1 million. To offset this cost, Director Jay Sandine predicted an increase in program fees along with a reduction in programs, services and staffing. Already impacted by the Great Recession, Sandine voiced concern over the impending change, as his community was struggling financially and the loss of jobs and quality-of-life services would only signal further hardship. Following up with Sandine in 2020, I learned the past five years have resulted in many changes for the Rockford Park District. The district has cut staff, closed facilities and reduced the number of programs it offers. With the new Illinois minimum wage law set to have a $2 million impact on his budget over the next four years and nowhere else to scale back, Sandine and his team have been looking for other areas to adjust and alternative sources of funding. One adjustment has been to his Parks Foundation, which in the past used money for capital cost and

facilities. Now, the foundation money is used for operating deficits. Additionally, the district seeks out sponsorships and naming rights along with grants from local and national organizations. This approach, however, is not a long-term sustainable solution. The real answer lies in the state capital of Springfield, Illinois. Sandine has been working with the legislature to have more funds appropriated toward his district and others like it. Currently, he receives no percentage of hotel, sales or gas taxes collected from the events his facilities bring to the area. Also, his district sees no revenue from the newly passed marijuana legalization. Through continuing to explore alternative revenue streams and working with his elected officials and the state association, Sandine is hopeful there will be changes made to funding that will allow his district to recover costs and continue to serve its community.

Considerations During my conversations with staff at these agencies, multiple people expressed concerns over compression, wage equity and recruitment. They add that with an increase to the minimum wage comes additional work for restructuring their wage schedules to ensure staff with experience, seniority and certifications are being paid at an equitable rate against new hires making upwards of $15 per hour. In addition, the agencies expressed concern over recruitment of staff, citing how they will have to consider paying above the minimum wage to attract lifeguards and other part-time employees who may find alternative work more appealing. Following are considerations for managing an increase to the minimum wage based on my research:

If possible, agencies should implement incremental wage increases in anticipation of a future rise in minimum wage. Incremental increases will lessen the impact of a mandatory rise in wages. These increases should consider compression and equity. A cost recovery model that considers fee structures, rental revenues, maintenance costs, and sponsorship and grant opportunities should be developed. Non-revenue generating service programs should be assessed for potential revenue generating viability. Alternative funding should be considered to cover the increasing cost of wages outside of sponsorships and grants. This can be completed through forming park foundations, realigning foundation funding goals, working with legislatures, and finding support from partners such as NRPA and your state association. Community engagement is essential to ensure park and recreation agencies are meeting the needs of stakeholders through these changes. Engagement will allow agency staff to develop a strategic plan around closing facilities, restructuring and adjusting programs. Feedback from the community will ensure the agency is still meeting the needs of its stakeholders and may increase support for alternative funding.

2 3

Conclusion My research has shown there is no one solution for an increase to the minimum wage, but there are considerations to be had based on what others have learned through their experiences. While many agencies continue to balance the business model with the service model and face a multitude of funding and other external challenges, adding a

mandatory wage increase can be a significant cause of stress. What is promising is the number of agencies that have gone through situations and can offer feedback and support. If you’re having doubt, I encourage you to visit NRPA Connect (connect.nrpa.org) and share your concern with other professionals. By reaching out and making connections, you will find the support you need to do what’s best for your agency and community. Given today’s challenges, increases in the minimum wage may be the furthest thing from our minds. The research has shown, however, that this is not a topic that disappears due to changes in the economy. If anything, it simply bides its time and waits for the challenges of the day to pass and then presents itself again when the work being done demands the conversation. When departments rebuild, many will still need to address this on top of every other financial challenge they currently face. The truth is the 2008 financial crisis prepared departments for the COVID-19 crisis and moving forward, we will begin to rebuild thanks to lessons learned along the way. While it may take more time, it is achievable. We face not only economic challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also social challenges. Throughout this current health crisis, the inequities our communities encounter have become increasingly apparent. Now, more than ever, our work and workers are essential and deserve equitable pay for their work across the board. By making your people the priority, you will see a greater return on investment than any stock, bond or line item ever could. Anthony Iracki, MS, CPRP, is Recreation Supervisor for the Whitefish Bay School District (anthony.iracki@wfbschools.com).

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Parks & Recreation

OPERATIONS Meet the Donors: 2020 Parks Build Community Project By Paula Jacoby-Garrett

D PHOTO COURTESY OF FREENOTES HARMONY PARK

espite the quarantine due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the slow reopening of our nation, the Orlando, Florida, Parks Build Community (PBC) Grand Avenue Park project has continued to move forward. The city of Orlando’s Families, Parks and Recreation Department along with NRPA and donor companies have worked hard to ensure the park renovation continues to forge ahead.

Freenotes Harmony Park is donating dual-use musical/public art structures to the 2020 PBC project.

To date, stakeholder meetings have been held, design plans have been created and donors have stepped up to contribute products for the park. A big milestone in the project, the Grand Avenue Neighborhood Center groundbreaking, took place July 16, 2020. The event celebrated the construction of the neighborhood center, as well as the park revitalization. In attendance were Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Commissioner Bakari Burns, the city of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department Director Lisa Early, along with other local officials and personnel. We celebrate the donors and 48 Parks & Recreation

their dedication to creating an interactive and engaging park for the Grand Avenue community. “This is a strong community that truly values this park. None of this would be possible without the PBC donors,” says Ted Mattingly, NRPA’s PBC project manager. “Their willingness to donate the products and design the play areas gives the local community more options than they normally would have. The donors are providing the best equipment on the market to this project, and they understand how important the project is and the value of giving back.”

Playgrounds Nothing defines a park and attracts youth more than its playgrounds, and this park will have something for everyone. BCI Burke Company (bciburke.com) is providing a custom-designed playground for children ages 5 to 12. Targeted for the same age group, GameTime/ PlayCore (gametime.com) will be supplying a custom challenge course playground with integrated shade. A separate play structure will be furnished for young children ages 2 to 5. To top off the playground, approximately 3,000 feet

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of artificial turf will be provided by ForeverLawn (foreverlawn.com) from its Playground Grass Ultra collection. This advanced product contains antistatic and antimicrobial technology, resists ultraviolet degradation and is manufactured to withstand the heavy traffic of a playground.

Fitness Designed for accessibility and built to last, Greenfields Outdoor Fitness (gfoutdoorfitness.com) has generously donated a six-piece fitness equipment set for the park. Its equipment can be enjoyed by people of all ages and fitness levels. To keep the equipment cool, Shade Systems™, Inc. (shadesystemsinc. com) is providing a shade structure for the fitness equipment. “Shade Systems fabric shade designs are engineered for easy removability in the event of a severe storm, [while] the CoolNet™ shade fabric protects against the sun’s harmful UV rays,” says Brad Buzard, general manager at Shade Systems, Inc.

Fields Outfitting the sports fields around the country since 1922, Gared Sports (garedsports.com) has donated fiberglass backboards with goals, stationary bleachers, competitionsized soccer goals, lacrosse goals and outdoor batting cages to the Grand Avenue Park project. “Gared is an advocate for rebuilding communities through the renovation of green spaces, such as Grand Avenue Park, and we love that NRPA shares our passion for play and the importance of recreation,” says Kara Oughton, marketing manager at Gared Sports. Known as a leader in outdoor

Park Amenities Grand Avenue Park is a true community center, and stakeholders of the park specifically asked for the ability to have more community activities on-site. To be able to include movie nights at the park, Epic Outdoor Cinema (epicoutdoorcinema. com) has donated a 16-foot inflatable movie screen. These screens allow for a pop-up movie night without the added issue of outdoor storage and maintenance of the screen. Focused on quality design with the best materials and easy maintenance, Most Dependable Fountains, Inc. (mostdependable.com) will supply a multiuse unit that provides a traditional drinking fountain combined with a water bottle filler and pet fountain. Freenotes Harmony Park (free notesharmonypark.com) will provide aesthetics and music for the park with its dual-use musical/

public art structures. An industry leader in outdoor musical instruments, Freenotes Harmony Park will donate two of its multiinstrument, whimsical, natureinspired collections. “The installation in Orlando is going to have our botanical collection, which includes a lot of brightly colored naturethemed products and our new butterfly collection [that] goes hand in hand with the botanical pieces,” says Kate Morrison, sales and business development manager for Freenotes Harmony Park. “It is fun to watch all ages interact and to let generations come together to play.” Stephanie Devine, vice president of marketing and brand strategy at UltraSite (ultra-site.com) says “UltraSite worked with NRPA and Grand Avenue Park on the site amenities that would best fit their space and needs, including the size of the park and the frequency of use. The team landed on UltraSite’s sleek Oxford Collection. UltraSite will donate eight 8-foot Oxford Tables, four of which will have umbrella holes. We will also be donating four umbrellas for the tables.” UltraSite also will be pro-

The 2020 Parks Build Community Donors Include:

BCI Burke Company bciburke.com

DuMor Site Furnishings dumor.com

GameTime/PlayCore gametime.com

Gared Sports garedsports.com

Greenfields Outdoor Fitness gfoutdoorfitness.com

Most Dependable Fountains, Inc. mostdependable.com

Musco Lighting musco.com

Freenotes Harmony Park freenotesharmonypark.com

Playground Grass by ForeverLawn foreverlawn.com

Shade Systems, Inc. shadesystemsinc.com

Epic Outdoor Cinema epicoutdoorcinema.com

UltraSite ultra-site.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOREVERLAWN

lighting, Musco Lighting (musco. com) is providing the LED lights for the multipurpose field at the park. This will extend park-use times and allow games and other community events to occur in the evenings.

ForeverLawn will provide approximately 3,000 feet of artificial turf to the Grand Avenue Park renovation.

viding nine of its 36-gallon Oxford Receptacle trashcans. DuMor Site Furnishings (dumor. com) will be providing additional site furnishings for the park. “DuMor is honored to have been invited to participate in another Parks Build Community project,” says Anita Rudy, president of DuMor. “We are happy to donate 10 of our all-steel benches and three all-steel game tables toward the Grand Avenue Park renovation.” Recognizing the merit of the community and the people in it, Rudy believes that people are at the heart of every project, including the Grand Avenue Park revitalization. “We see the value public spaces bring to a community. We believe NRPA does a great job developing worthwhile projects, and we appreciate the opportunity to be a part of something so positive.” For more information about the 2020 Parks Build Community project and how you can be involved, contact Gina Mullins-Cohen, NRPA’s vice president of communications and chief marketing officer, at gcohen@nrpa.org. Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a Freelance Writer based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Parks & Recreation

PRODUCTS Fitness Obstacle Course Burke’s Outdoor Fitness Collection combines physical fitness with time spent outdoors to create a fun, active community space that encourages people of all fitness levels to move! ELEVATE® Fitness Course brings out the ninja in all of us and helps engage teenagers and adults in obstacle course fun! ACTIVATE® Fitness Circuit and INVIGORATE® Dynamic Fitness can be placed in fitness clusters or along a trail and offer variety in both cardiovascular and strength workouts. Created with certified trainers, each collection is complete with instructional videos and an app to ensure everyone gets the most out of their workout. BCI BURKE COMPANY, BCIBURKE.COM, 800.356.2070

Canine Play and Agility Bench Gyms For Dogs® has introduced a new outdoor play and agility product for dogs that also serves as a comfortable seating option for people. The bench is free-standing and features a very unique polar antique color topped with a clear coat to protect the finish of the product. It is designed to be playful for dogs, and provides a comfortable seating area for people with a perfect slope that allows the bench to dry shortly after any rain. At approximately 5 feet long, 22 inches high and 24 inches deep, the bench is great for any park or backyard play area. GYMS FOR DOGS®, GYMSFORDOGS.COM, 800.931.1562

Beach Entry Pool Fountain Nozzle Fountain People is pleased to offer its new ZEN-Series Zero Entry Fountain Nozzle for any zeroentry fountain or beach entry pool. The nozzle produces a cluster of solid streams of water that, when vertically aligned, create a water-column effect from a flush-mounted configuration. This flush jet can be placed in as little as three to six inches of water and produces a terrific aerated bubbling effect at the beach entry of pools or in shallow fountains. The ZEN-Series Zero Entry Nozzle is made of 304 stainless steel or corrosion-proof brass. FOUNTAIN PEOPLE, FOUNTAINPEOPLE.COM, 512.393.1155

Recreation Management Software The CivicRec® recreation management software from CivicPlus® is efficient and configurable software with insightful data access to help drive revenue and engage the community. It has an interface that is easy to use for both staff and citizens, as well as robust tools for managing activities, facilities and point-of-sale. CivicRec® offers integrated functionality to manage memberships, instructors, sports leagues, volunteers and ticketing. Accounting tools, reports and other financial tool integrations allow recreation departments to share accurate data with their local government administrations. For citizens, the public portal conveniently enables users to track their activities and reserve facilities. CivicRec’s responsive design ensures that the public portal is optimized for any device to ensure a positive citizen experience. CIVICPLUS®, CIVICPLUS.COM, 888.228.2233 50 Parks & Recreation

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Pilot Rock/RJ Thomas Mfg. Co. .......................................................15

advertiser index

Aquatix by Landscape Structures.....................................................13

Playcraft Systems/PlayCore.............................................................. C4 Shade Systems..................................................................................C2, 1

Goldenteak/The Wood Carver, Inc. ................................................53

ULINE........................................................................................................21

Gopher Sport..........................................................................................27

Urban Fountains + Furniture.............................................................55

(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 | S E P T E M B E R 2 02 0 |

Parks & Recreation

Park Bench

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABUNDANT LIFE ADVENTURE CLUB

Breaking Barriers to Live Abundantly To empower people of color to spend time in nature to inspire wellness, abundant living and connection — that is the mission of Abundant Life Adventure Club. This Nashville, Tennessee-based adventure company is breaking down barriers to the outdoors, so that everyone can enjoy the wellness benefits of parks and open spaces. Founded in 2017 by Claude and Dr. Kim Walker, the club was borne out of the duo’s commitment to living healthier. “As health professionals, we knew in order to make our active lifestyles sustainable, we needed to get active outside of the gym, find our tribe and add some fun variety,” Dr. Kim says. “Outdoor recreation was the solution and transformed our lives.” Contrary to their current love for outdoor adventures, Claude asserts that they were not always outdoorsy people. “Our exposure to outdoor recreation was once limited to only traditional sports in urban parks.” He recognizes that this experience — or lack thereof — is not unique to them. “We know the challenges of trying to figure out where to go, who to go with and how to stay safe. We created Abundant Life Adventure Club to help people of color live an active lifestyle through positive exposure to outdoor recreation with ease.” Not only is the club creating access to nature for people of color, but also it goes a step further to be intentional about cultivating deep relationships with nature for participants by incorporating mindfulness and meditation. “We take a break to stop for meditation in the most scenic part of the adventure, we call ‘inspiration point,’” says Dr. Kim. “We want to be transformed, challenged and restored while being immersed in nature’s beauty.” And, as participants are connecting with nature, they are also building bonds with their co-participants. Claude asserts, “We’ve created a safe space to talk about our challenges, experiences and perspectives to connect on a deeper level. We get to celebrate, inspire and support one another. It’s refreshing to really feel seen, heard and understood.” As guests on a recent episode of NRPA’s Open Space Radio podcast (openspaceradio.org), the Walkers discuss their mutually beneficial partnership with the Nashville Parks and Recreation Department that increases the offerings the club can provide while helping the agency expand its audience and participation, specifically to diverse participants. “Anything outside of hiking and biking is outside of our scope of expertise…so we knew we needed help with that,” Dr. Kim says. “That’s where we rely on Nashville Parks and Recreation the most, because they bring that level of expertise, different activities and access to different places. We basically bring the people.” When asked about how the club is making a difference, Claude tells a story that exemplifies the importance and impact of the program. “Last year, we took our club on a waterfall hike to Burgess Falls. One of our members in her mid-40s, [who] was born and raised in Nashville, had such an amazing and transformative experience. She said she lived in Nashville her whole life and didn’t know there were any waterfalls in Tennessee. We encouraged her to take in every moment of this first-time experience. The joy on her face made our hearts smile.” – Lindsay Hogeboom, Associate Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

Members of Abundant Life Adventure Club take part in a group kayaking trip.

56 Parks & Recreation

| S E P T E M B E R 2 02 0 | PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N .O R G

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

Printable infographics on how to use parks safely

•

Continually updated guidance for parks and recreation

•

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

•

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

Find all these resources at: nrpa.org/Coronavirus

Dynamic

PARKS & RECREATION SEPTEMBER 2020 ◆ THE EQUITY ISSUE ◆ BALTIMORE COUNTY RECREATION & PARKS TACKLES NEW ROLES ◆ A MINIMUM WAGE UPDATE

Parks & Recreation September 2020

Articles inside

Revisiting Minimum Wage Increases

Going Above and Beyond