Parks & Recreation Magazine October 2016

OCTOBER 2016 W W W. N R PA . O R G

2016 NRPA Annual Conference Issue

Exploring St. Louis | NRPA Conference Special Events | Designing Parks for Health

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contents october 2016 volume 51 | number 10 | www.parksandrecreation.org

2016 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

60 Meet Me in St. Louis If you’re on-site for the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference in St. Louis, you’ll want to make time to get a broader sense of everything this vibrant city has to offer.

73 St. Louis Overachievers: The 2016 Conference Program Committee The 2016 Program Committee provides an invaluable level of support as it works to recruit and select the best and most relevant education sessions.

Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

66 St. Louis Parks and Green Spaces St. Louis is a park-lover’s paradise — get your dose of green at any or all of these remarkable public spaces.

Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

70 2016 NRPA Annual Conference

Special Events From the Opening Reception to the Closing General Session, these are the gatherings you don’t want to miss.

72 Welcome to St. Louis The St. Louis Local Host Committee is proud to welcome all NRPA Conference attendees!

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74 NRPA Live: Your Virtual

Conference Experience Stream the best sessions of the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference how you want, when you want.

FEATURES

76 Designing Parks for Health Data-supported evidence is mounting that parks improve public health — leaders in parks and recreation, supported by community residents, municipal leaders, corporate partners and nonprofits, are incorporating that information as they plan and design new community parks, greenways, blueways and transportation options.

Joanna Lombard, AIA, LEED, AP

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contents october

departments 14 Letters

columns 8 Perspectives Restoration and Renewal Susan Trautman, CPRP

10 Meet the New Chair Introducing Steve Eckelberry, the Incoming Chair of the NRPA Board of Directors

16 Research Public Park Usage: Motives and Challenges 16 By the Numbers: St. Louis Bound 24

28 Community Center Nathan Benderson Park: A Classic Reclamation Project 28 From the Director’s Chair 30 Notable News 32

12 Editor’s Letter Another Year of Progress Gina Mullins-Cohen

42 Advocacy Smoke-Free Parks: Why Park and Recreation Departments Should Lead the Effort Justin Hurdle

36 Partnerships for Parks Grassroots Park Stewardship: A Force of Change Le’alani S. Boykin and Kathryn T. Trainor

44 Law Review ‘Hold Harmless’ Incentive in Recreational Use Statute James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

40 Member to Member Swimming in Sustainability in Loretto Tom Doherty, LEED Green Associate

52 Future Leaders There Is a First Time for Everything Kevin Witte, CPRP

82 NRPA Update NRPA’s Wildlife Explorer Program 82 Member Spotlight: Carolyn McKnight 84 NRPA Connect Hot Topics 85 NRPA Park Pulse 85 Member Benefit: Make Data a Walk in the Park 86 Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge 86 Professional Development Calendar 87

88 Operations Providing Equal Access to Aquatic Facility Locker Rooms for People Who Are Transgender

54 Conservation Green Workers Certification May Create New Training Opportunities Richard J. Dolesh

56 Health and Wellness Super Summer Chefs Mariana Espinoza

58 Social Equity Restorative Healing at Youth Visions Reflection Park Samantha Bartram

90 Products 91 Marketplace 95 Reader Service and Advertiser Index 96 Park Bench Monarchs Visit NRPA Waystation Richard J. Dolesh

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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 PA’ S L E A D E R S

Restoration and Renewal Recently, I had the good fortune to go hiking in Grand Teton National Park, leaving a sweltering city behind for the cool mountain air. Nothing restores me like being outdoors, especially if I am in a beautiful park. Hiking through Cascade Canyon was nothing short of awe inspiring and brought peace to my soul. Like most of you, I get lost in work and family responsibilities. I have learned that my one week each year hiking in a great national park is what I need to be restored.

This afternoon, I headed out to my favorite conservation area where I hike multiple times a week in an effort to figure out what to write, especially for this final column.

After high heat and big storms this week, the cool air from the north arrived. The creek was swollen and falls’ first leaves were on the trail. It’s time for autumn and it is exciting to think about October!

It has been a privilege to serve as chair, and I hope before Conference ends in October that I have met many more of you. St. Louis loves its parks, and we are fortunate to have a region and a state that has taxed itself many times to ensure every person has the opportunity to be in the outdoors. This year’s theme is “Connecting to Nature,” and we will be providing many opportunities indoors and out for you to learn more about this important topic. I think our region is a fitting place to celebrate nature, and I hope you get outside and enjoy the many beautiful parks that are a part of the mobile workshops.

While I am lucky to be able to travel to national parks, our local parks are what bind our communities together. The greenways our organization builds each year are about connecting people to nature and to each other. Not every community is blessed with a beautiful park, but thanks to NRPA’s Parks Build Community the city of Wellston in St. Louis County will be getting a very beautiful new park.

This is a community that struggles with life’s basic needs. The Wellston community has worked with us during this past year to design this park. Fundamentally, they asked for a safe place to gather, where grandparents can take their grandchildren to play and be in the outdoors. The park is named for the Wellston High School mascot, the Trojans. Wellston lost its high school a few years ago, but there are many proud Trojan alum who sent up a cheer when they heard the park’s name. I am deeply grateful to all of the vendors, consultants, contractors, staff and contributors who helped bring this park to life.

I invite each of you to join us at the ribbon cutting. For me, the joy of watching people play in a brand new park is what makes our work so much fun and so meaningful.

SUSAN K . T R AU TM AN, CPR P Chair of the Board of Directors

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Chair-Elect Stephen Eckelberry Bartlett Park District Bartlett, Illinois

Past Chair Detrick L. Stanford, CPRP Clayton County Parks and Recreation Jonesboro, Georgia

Treasurer Neelay Bhatt

Michael Kelly

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Houston Parks and Recreation Houston, Texas

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman Lexington, South Carolina

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B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S U P D AT E

Meet the New Chair

Steve Eckleberry takes the helm as the new chair of the NRPA Board of Directors The change of seasons also marks a shift of leadership among the NRPA Board of Directors.

Following the Annual Conference in St. Louis, current chair, Susan Trautman, will make room for Steve Eckleberry to begin his term as board chair. The Illinois native has been immersed in parks and recreation throughout his life, from playing baseball in local rec leagues as a kid to serving in his current position, as technology manager for the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, where he’s worked for the past 15 years. Eckleberry also serves in an elected position on the Board of Commissioners of the Bartlett Park District in Bartlett, Illinois, a position he has held for the past 20 years. Motivated by his lifelong love of baseball, Eckleberry co-founded a local nonprofit to help recruit, train and assign baseball umpires for games in the area, all while cultivating a new interest in officiating lacrosse. We caught up with Eckleberry to learn more about his affinity for the field of parks and recreation and what he looks forward to as he settles in as NRPA board chair. Following is a portion of our conversation.

Parks & Recreation magazine: What drew you to the field of parks and recreation?

Steve Eckelberry: I grew up playing baseball in our local parks and at 14 started working as an umpire.

I remember being a kid and playing at the neighborhood park and how much fun we had just playing outdoors. I love being outdoors so when the chance to run for our local park board came up, I realized I had a chance to give back to my community. Having an opportunity to work in the field as well, especially for an agency that serves individuals with disabilities, really completes the circle for me.

P&R: Why did you want to serve as a member of the NRPA Board of Directors?

Eckelberry: I have always had a passion for parks and recreation. I have been involved in both state associations in Illinois. When I became involved in NRPA, it was shortly after some major changes had taken place to the structure of the Board of Directors, taking it from more than 70 members down to a much more manageable number. I was part of the Nominating Board Development Committee, which helped find and vet new candidates for the board. The more I became involved, the more I realized I could help NRPA move forward and continue to stay relevant to its members.

P&R: What do you hope to accomplish during your time as board chair?

Eckelberry: NRPA is moving in a great direction right now. We have a strong strategic plan in place and our board is transitioning from being a policy-making board into a resource board. We have brought on some terrific new board members and have a task force that has worked diligently this past year to try to identify possible board members for future years. During this year, I want to keep this momentum going, so our board, and organization as a whole, grows even stronger. We will be working hard to implement our strategic plan, as well as work on our board work plan, which helps support our strategic plan.

P&R: What does the future of parks and recreation look like to you?

Eckelberry: I think as we continue to face more and more financial constraints, agencies will have to look at different and more creative ways to provide services to residents. This includes private partnerships, and working with other governmental agencies and nonprofits. We will be dealing with an aging population, which may mean more programs directed toward those age groups. Technology has started to play a bigger role in parks and recreation, and it will only get bigger. At the same time, technology can be a stumbling block. It makes it harder to get people outside, when some believe everything they need is in the palm of their hand.

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EDITOR’S LET TER

Another Year of Progress When you think of a city — any city — what is the first image that pops into your mind? Is it a skyline of towering buildings, traffic, smog perhaps, or throngs of people rushing up and down concrete paths and stairways, looking straight ahead, brows furrowed on faces long unrecognized by the sun?

Or, do you imagine trees, hundreds of them, leaves stroking the sky, the gentle song of sparrows racing through the wind only to be overcome by the high, sweet chirps and twitters of children playing?

While most of you probably thought of the first image, more and more cities are being defined by the open space and public parks that connect the intimate lives of city dwellers to nature, to healthier lifestyles and to a variety of cultures.

“Designing Parks for Health,” beginning on page 76, by Joanna Lombard, tells the story we know all too well. It addresses the onset of car-culture and urban sprawl. It speaks to the slow turn of parks from great places of gathering, fun and social health, to one-offs designed for specialized activities. Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (MDPROS) is reinventing not only the way we think of parks, but also how we think of our time and our place within parks. The agency was recently rewarded for its hard work — it was named as one of seven nationwide winners of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2016 Culture of Health Prize.

The NRPA Annual Conference convenes in St. Louis this year, and if you haven’t been to the city before, you are in for a grand surprise. Throughout the year, I have had the opportunity to visit this great city several times in conjunction with NRPA’s Parks Build Community Project. The 2016 project is a complete build-out of a park — much-needed in the town of Wellston, Missouri. Thanks to our many donors and our partnership with Great Rivers Greenway, a vacant lot has been transformed into beautiful Trojan Park, a space boasting three playgrounds, an area devoted to outside fitness, a regulation basketball court, a splash-pad, shaded picnic areas, butterfly gardens and treelined walkways. The Grand Opening of Trojan Park is set for 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, October 8. Jr. NBA will hold a basketball clinic for kids from the neighborhood and afterward, a celebrity basketball game, organized by Wellston Mayor, Nathaniel Griffin, will christen the court. Don’t miss it.

Also, not to be missed are the numerous activities, events and education sessions our Annual Conference has to offer. Make sure to read the latest news on the Conference and things to do in St., Louis in this issue’s Conference package by Paula Jacoby-Garret, beginning on page 60.

Just last year we were in Las Vegas celebrating NRPA’s 50th anniversary. Another year is in front of us, with so many more opportunities to make our communities great.

GINA MULLINS-COHEN Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing Editorial Director 12 Parks & Recreation

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Samantha Bartram sbartram@nrpa.org MANAGING EDITOR Sonia Myrick smyrick@nrpa.org EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR Catrina Belt cbelt@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Creative By Design www.creativebydesign.net SENIOR SALES MANAGER EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Dana Storm 703.858.2174 dstorm@nrpa.org SALES MANAGER WESTERN REGION AND ASIA Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Mike Abbaté Keith Anderson Gerald Brown Ernest Burkeen Gwendolyn Chambers Brendan Daley Anthony-Paul Diaz Ryan Eaker Mariela Fernandez Robert García Kathleen Gibi Paul Gilbert Greg Harrison Tim Herd Mareya Ibrahim Edward Krafcik Todd Lehman Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Gil Peñalosa Dr. Kevin Riley Matthew Rudnick Paula Sliefert Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs Randy Wiger

Letters We hope the articles you read in Parks & Recreation are thought-provoking and engaging, and we want to hear your opinions on what you read in these pages. Through social media posts, website comments, emails to staff or posts on NRPA Connect, let us know how the magazine’s articles apply to your job and your agency. To submit feedback for this section, email Executive Editor Samantha Bartram at sbartram@nrpa.org.

Comment from Chris Dropinski regarding Kathy Capps’ August 2016 article, “Serving Participants with Medical Needs,” (www.parksandrecreation.org/2016/August/ Serving-Participants-with-Medical-Needs): After working extensively with the City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department during the past year, it is no surprise to see an article like this that highlights the sensitivity, caring attitude and professionalism that characterizes such a delightful group of staff. Hats off to Kathy and all of you and thank you for sharing such a wonderful resource of information!

Comment from Reeve Brenner regarding Mark Trieglaff and Larry Labiak’s August 2016 article, “Recreation and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” (www.parksandrecreation. org/2016/August/Recreation-and-the-Americans-with-Disabilities-Act): There is no question that sports with offense and defense and body contact are exclusionary and even discriminatory. And team play, unless it is alongside play — rather than opponent- and rival-based play — is totally unsuitable for the differently able, the mobility impaired and physically and cognitively challenged participants. Unfortunately, our community underserves these special populations. The only three ball-playing sports — and our community invests heavily in ball-playing sports fields with budgets, space and attention — are Bankshot, bowling and golf, where good players play alongside not-so-good players.

Bankshot sports were conceived precisely for alongside participation and, most importantly, for drop-in availability. Alongside play without rivals to defeat makes 14 Parks & Recreation

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Bags as low as 2¢! everyone and every participant a winner. The National Association for Recreational Equality (NARE) advocates for mainstreaming integration of special populations, including the disabled and physically and cognitively challenged, in sports and recreation in society and educates to the critical differences between drop-in play facilities and scheduled programs. NARE (www.nareletsplayfair.org) calls attention to the distinctions among self-competitive, noncompetitive and rivalry-competitive play, particularly in community-based ball-playing facilities. NARE distinguishes between alongside play and playing against others; between contact and noncontact sports and age-appropriate playgrounds, play fields and playcourt facilities communities provide; between accessibility and inclusion; and in balancing the now-disfavored Spectrum theory of sports with the total-mix-diversity theory of sports. Identifying the several features required for equality and inclusion at play, NARE calls attention to critical social issues for the 21st century.

[Ed. Note: Reeve Brenner, a Maryland-based Rabbi, invented Bankshot Basketball in the early 1980s. The National Association for Recreational Equality is a sponsor of Brenner’s line of Bankshot products.]

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Research Public Park Usage: Motives and Challenges

By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

E

arlier this year, NRPA released the results of a Penn State University study that found broad-based support among Americans for their park and recreation services. The report titled Americans’ Broad-Based Support for Local Recreation and Park Services found that Americans almost unanimously agree that their communities benefit from their local public parks, even if they themselves are not regular park users. Even more remarkable was that the results from this survey virtually matched those from a similar NRPA/Penn State study from 25 years earlier.

The survey results highlighted the fact that the general public strongly believes in parks and recreation and that we should better tap this resource to further spread the word that park and recreation agencies offer essential quality-of-life services to communities. With this goal in mind, NRPA Research has launched two new on-going initiatives that will chronicle Americans’ support for public parks.

Last month, this column noted one of these initiatives: a monthly poll, we call NRPA Park Pulse, of Americans on park and recreation-related issues.

The second research initiative launches at this year’s NRPA Annual Conference. Each fall, we will publish the latest results from the NRPA Americans’ Engagement with Parks Survey, which probes Americans’ usage of parks, the key reasons that drive their use and the greatest challenges preventing greater enjoyment. The results will emphasize the importance of public parks in Americans’ lives, including how parks compare to other offerings of local governments. Further, we will use this study to demonstrate how parks turn our towns and cities into vibrant, dynamic communities and that parks and recreation is a solution to many of the challenges facing our communities.

So, what did we learn with the inaugural edition of the NRPA Americans’ Engagement with Parks Survey? There are a number of valuable takeaways, but we will summarize seven of them here.

An overwhelming nine in 10 Americans identify parks and recreation as an important service provided by their local government. This support spans Continued on page 20

1st 16 Parks & Recreation

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Research Continued from page 16 support for parks is fervent among Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

The NRPA Three Pillars resonate strongly with Americans, who see them as key goals for their local park and recreation agency, with almost equal percentages seeing each pillar as a critical function of their local agency.

• Seventy-six percent of survey respondents rate as either “extremely important” or “very important” that their local park and recreation agency focuses on health and wellness.

• Seventy-four percent of Americans see as an “extremely” or “very” important role for their agency to devote resources to conservation.

• Seventy-two percent of survey respondents support their park and recreation agency devoting efforts to improve social equity.

2nd

across every segment of the population: by generation, race, ethnicity and household formation (including where there are children in the household). Even more so,

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in a time when Americans seem to disagree passionately about the proper role of government and public provision of services at the state and federal level, the

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Americans visit their local park and recreation agencies on a regular basis. In fact, two in five survey respondents said they had visited a local park and/or recreation center at least once during the week prior to completing this survey; another 19 percent said they had visited sometime during the prior month. In all, 80 percent of Americans have visited a local park and/or recreation facility within the past year.

Park and recreation users visit their local parks and recreation facilities on average slightly less than 29 times per year. Almost three in 10 park users are power users: 16 percent visited between 21 and 50 times during the past year while 12 percent report visiting at least 51 times during the past 12 months. Power users are more likely to be Millennials, those that identify themselves as Hispanic and parents. On the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers make far less frequent visits to their local parks.

The reasons people visit their local park and recreation facilities can be as diverse as they are numerous. The No. 1 reason people gather at local park and recreation facilities is to be with family and friends (58 percent). Fifty-two percent of people visited during the past year to exercise or to increase their level of

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Research

physical activity. Slightly less than half of Americans visit their local parks based on a desire to be closer to nature.

There are a number of barriers that are keeping Americans from enjoying their local park and recreation facilities even more. These barriers represent chal-

5th

lenges (and perhaps opportunities) for park and recreation professionals to identify solutions to further improve the accessibility of their offerings to the public.

The biggest barrier keeping Americans from greater enjoyment of their local park and recreation facilities is a lack of time

(39 percent). A lack of quality facilities near one’s home (20 percent) is the second biggest barrier, followed by a concern about personal safety at the park or recreation facility (17 percent), a lack of awareness of the park location or offerings (16 percent), parks/recreation offerings not matching areas of interest (14 percent) and excessive costs/fees (14 percent).

Also detracting from the enjoyment of local park and recreation offerings are concerns about the ability to safely travel to and from their nearest local park, playground, open space or recreation center.

While almost three in five Americans feel “completely” or “very” safe walking to and from their local park and recreation facility (58 percent), 14 percent of Americans say they feel unsafe doing so. What’s concerning is that Americans without a safe way to walk to their local parks visit these facilities 40 percent less often than those who do.

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Most Americans also indicate they are more likely to vote for local politicians who make park and recreation funding a priority. Seventy-two percent of survey respondents say they are either “much more likely” or “somewhat more likely” to vote for a local politician (e.g., mayor, county executive, council members, etc.) who makes park and recreation funding a priority.

Americans overwhelmingly support increased local government spending on public park and recreation services. Three-quarters of survey respondents say they want their local governments to increase park and recreation spending, split between 27 percent indicating that they would “definitely” support increased spending and another 47 percent stating that they would “probably” support higher spending. Again, this support for increased spending crosses almost every demographic grouping and political persuasion.

7th

partnerships to write brief articles that take a closer look at the Americans’ Engagement with Parks Survey. The focus of these pieces will link the key findings from the survey to many of the activities that NRPA and

park and recreation agencies lead every day.

Look for these pieces on Open Space, the official blog of NRPA. Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA’s Vice President of Research (kroth@nrpa.org).

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The typical survey respondent indicates they would support their local government increasing park and recreation spending to $9 per month per resident, almost 30 percent above the current median level as tracked with NRPA’s agency performance benchmarking source, PRORAGIS. The way parks and recreation has integrated itself into the lives of most Americans highlights that it is not a luxury, but rather a crucial, essential service delivered by local governments. In the coming months, NRPA Research team members will join with their colleagues in public policy and

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By the Numbers

St. Louis Bound Welcome to St. Louis! Hopefully you’re on-site with us to experience the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference, but, even if you’re home-bound this year, there’s still plenty to appreciate about our host city. St. Louis is home to more than 100 parks, including the massive Forest Park and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, which hosts the iconic St. Louis Arch. It’s a big city with big demands of its parks amenities — below, find some other interesting facts about America’s Gateway to the West.

315,685

Population estimate as of July 1, 2015.

23.8 minutes Average travel time to work for employees ages 16 and older.

34.7

$34,800

66.2 sq. miles

98

Median resident age.

St. Louis total land area.

Median household income.

Number of grocery stores (2.76 per 10,000 people).

1874 585

Number of bridges.

The year Eads Bridge was completed.

Spanning the Mississippi River, the arched steel truss bridge was, at the time, the first of its kind in the world and still carries all manner of transportation today.

1836

Founding year of Lafayette Park, the first public park established west of the Mississippi River.

300+ 3

Number of cheeses that make up Provel cheese — cheddar, Swiss and provolone are specially blended as a topping for thin St. Louis-style pizza.

19

Number of studio albums cut by St. Louis native Chuck Berry, known as the Father of rock n’ roll.

Sources: Explore St. Louis, City-Data.com, U.S. Census Bureau, Wikipedia

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Numbers of bird species that migrate via the Mississippi flyway, along which St. Louis is situated. The St. Louis Audubon Center and Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary offer just two of many excellent spots to view a feathered friend.

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Community Center Nathan Benderson Park: A Classic Reclamation Project

By Robert Sullivan, CFE

H

ard-working and physically fit to the end of his life, Nathan Benderson rode his bicycle daily through an undeveloped borrow pit on his way to work. And every day, as he contemplated the large lake, overgrown with cattails and weeds with egrets and Sandhill cranes staking claim, he thought about what a diamond in the rough the property was, and how it could be transformed into something really spectacular for the community. In his mind’s eye, the visionary developer imagined a place where local residents could walk, bike, run and fish. What he didn’t plan on was that in just a few years, that borrow pit would become not only a beautiful Sarasota County park, but one of the world’s foremost rowing and event venues.

Nathan Benderson Park (NBP) is situated in the northeast end of Sarasota County. The land, originally an active shell excavation pit for road construction fill, was purchased by Sarasota County in the early 1990s and was known as Cooper Creek Park. The surrounding area was being developed into a retail destination, when Benderson’s company purchased an adjacent 101-acre easement from the county and agreed to develop it, along with the existing Cooper Creek Park, into a community asset. This plan,

subject to county approval, would incorporate Benderson’s vision of health and wellness and would be a wonderful asset designed for residents to enjoy.

Testing the Waters As plans for the park were underway, several local rowing entities began testing the waters and concluded the lake on the property was a great place to row and compete. Subsequently, two regattas were successfully hosted at the location in 2009 and thereafter, planning for

Nathan Benderson Park went from a diamond in the rough to a world-class rowing facility.

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a rowing facility at the site began. The Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, Inc. (SANCA), a nonprofit organization created to manage the park, was born in 2010 in conjunction with Sarasota County Government. As additional regattas were hosted at the park, it became apparent the spot was a special place, and with additional research, could become a premier rowing venue within a community park.

While construction began on the new park in 2011, representatives from SANCA and the county visited and assessed top rowing venues to identify the characteristics and amenities they deemed necessary to make NBP one of the best facilities in the world. They consulted with the World Rowing Federation (FISA) on design and implementation so the park could qualify as a FISA-certified facility.

It was determined the work to be done would include dredging the lake to deepen and lengthen it; building an island (now Regatta Island), a bypass canal, a custom-designed wave attenuator, vehicle bridges and pedestrian bridges; and making it ADA compliant. This work was all completed in 2013.

From Borrow Pit to World-Class Venue Through partnerships and investments

by Sarasota County, the state of Florida and the Benderson Family, NBP has been transformed into a premier rowing and sports venue as well as a wonderful community park. Today, NBP shines as a master-planned, world-class rowing facility featuring a 2,000-meter sprint course and aquatic sports center. It’s a unique, dog-friendly, 600-acre public

Nathan Benderson waves while standing with his ubiquitous bicycle.

park that grants access to the 400-acre lake and offers something for everyone to enjoy — miles of dedicated walking, running and bike trails, fishing and direct water access for sports such as paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing and rowing. Furthermore, NBP provides regular programming such as dragonboat paddling and learn-to-row classes for different skill levels, equipment rentals and community outreach programs.

In just a matter of years, NBP has generated a significant positive economic impact on the area. The park held more than 45 events in the 2015-2016 season and welcomed more than 50 teams to train. It has played host to, or will host, many local, national and international events, including: • International Breast Cancer Paddlers Commission (2014)

• UIPM Modern Pentathlon World Cup Final (2015, 2016) • USRowing Youth Nationals (2015, 2017) • Olympic and Paralympic Rowing Trials (2016) • The World Rowing Championships (2017) • World Rowing Masters Regatta (2018) • Numerous para-rowing, triathlons and events for the disabled • Diversity Rowing Camps • Special Events for Veterans The future is extremely bright for NBP

and great things continue to happen there.

The award-winning design of the finish tower is currently under construction and expected to be completed by early 2017; the new children’s playground is a perfect gathering place for families; and plans for a boat house are in the works. With the intent to roll out more activities like cultural performances, health and wellness fairs, increased youth and college sports competitions, and numerous international competitions that put the park in the local, national and international spotlight, Nathan Benderson Park is well on its way to being recognized as America’s premier rowing course and a jewel in the Sarasota County Parks system.

Robert Sullivan, CFE, is President/CEO of Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates, Inc. (roberts@sanca.us).

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Community Center

From the Director’s Chair

I

nnovation is today’s watchword, and leaders in the park and recreation space know they have just as much to gain by staying ahead of the curve as do their counterparts in tech or public health. At NRPA, Conference season is a particularly useful time to examine trends in our field, as thousands of park and recreation professionals gather to discuss what’s on the cutting edge, and what’s right over the horizon. This month, we’re talking trends with directors from this year’s Conference host city, St. Louis, as well as hosts for the 2017 and 2018 event, New Orleans and Indianapolis. We asked Gary Bess, director of the St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Department; Victor N. Richard, III, CEO of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission; and Linda Broadfoot, director of Indy Parks and Recreation, the following question: What do you see as the most prominent trend in today’s park and recreation field? Below are their responses. overwhelmingly approved the formation of Great Rivers Greenway to connect our parks and region with linear trails and greenways, as well as assist local municipalities and the county by providing funds for trails and greenways within their jurisdictions.

Gary Bess When I entered parks and recreation full time in 1974, many of the 90 municipalities within St. Louis County’s borders did not exist and few provided well-established leisure services. During the past 40 years, municipalities, communities and neighborhoods have established programs and built facilities to meet their specific needs.

The challenge to park professionals today is to recognize this trend when planning facilities and programs and work to make sure we are not duplicating services, but complementing the efforts of our neighbors while still meeting the desires of local residents.

Recognizing the combined wealth of park and recreation facilities within our region and the need to connect our county to other parts of the area, voters 30 Parks & Recreation

Victor N. Richard, III To keep par with what I see as the most prominent trend in today’s park and recreation field, the city of New Orleans/ New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORDC), in conjunction with the New Orleans Recreation Development Foundation (NORDF), made a more than $120,000 investment in the acquisition of the RecTrac, MainTrac

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and WebTrac modules from Vermont Systems, Inc. in 2014. These programs have significantly advanced the data collection, monitoring and reporting sophistication of all recreation and facility use operations of NORDC. With the implementation of these recreation management modules, the intentionality behind our public engagement has been enhanced. Additionally, these technological investments have created a streamlined mechanism by which facility utilization can be maximized. It is critically important to be able to publically present high-quality, sophisticated data that continues to emerge via the ongoing institutionalization of NORDC. As cities across the country face ongoing funding constraints for myriad reasons, public recreation operators are challenged to continually justify the importance and validity of public recreation. Investing in advanced recreation management software allows for the return on investment (ROI) of tax dollars to be routinely reported in a manner that is easily understood by the community at large. Lastly, community members consistently desire information that demonstrates strategy behind decisions, purpose behind programming and connectivity to the community behind partnerships.

Data, data, data is the emerging trend and the sooner we collectively “get on the bus,” the better it will be for public recreation across the United States.

Linda Broadfoot The trend I see that heartens me the most involves the increasing role that parks play in cities’ quality-of-life efforts. In times of economic decline, it’s unfortunately easy to shift the focus away from parks, trails and recreation. That shift is being reversed. Government and corporate leaders are looking to parks as a

vital quality-of-life tool in their communities. They recognize that our services, programs and events encourage residents to be healthier and more engaged. Parks most definitely foster community and economic development.

In Indianapolis, our new mayor has continued to stand up and act as a champion for parks. And, there are a number of housing and community efforts reaching out to Indy Parks to augment their plans.

Our parks and programs are also crucial public safety tools. Police officers are now offering a variety of programming at our family centers, helping to better connect them to our customers and services. Through this effort, we are combining resources with law enforcement to accomplish key goals, which in turn contributes to stronger cities and towns.

All of these attributes are obvious to us who work in parks and recreation. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to us to remind everyone that our work is more than just fun. We are necessary components of healthy and vibrant communities. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

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Community Center

Notable News n The Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority (PARA) in partnership with the Alabama Department of Public Health is offering a WiseWoman program in an effort to prevent cardiovascular disease among area women. WiseWoman, an extension of the Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, provides lifestyle programs and referral services for low-income, underinsured or uninsured women with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Women who sign up for this program receive a value membership with PARA that provides them with access to fitness classes at four PARA activity centers, along with discounts for leisure and aquatic

classes. A state-funded grant of $5,000 from the Alabama Department of Public Health pays for the memberships provided through WiseWoman — currently 25 women are signed up for the program. n Children in the Dilworth Park community of Corpus Christi, Florida, have been asked to submit their designs for their very own, brand new playground, which is schedule to be built by volunteers on November 5. This project is a collaboration of several organizations: Kaboom, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Beautify Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation. The playground at Dr. HD Dilworth Park will be the 28th playground built by Kaboom and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.

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n For the first time in 31 years, Los Angeles City developers will now have to pay higher fees that are then used to pay for parks and open spaces in underserved Los Angeles neighborhoods.

On September 7, 2016, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to increase the fees, which could add $30 million per year (prior to the increase, the fees added $22 million) to the city’s parks and park improvement program.

The fees, known as Quimby fees, were put in place in 1971 and are paid for by residential developments. ParkScore ranks L.A. at No. 65 of the 100 largest U.S. cities when it comes to parks. According to L.A. Neighborhood Land Continued on page 34

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Community Center

Continued from page 32 Trust Executive Director Alina Bokde, this increase will help the city’s park system to move up in the rankings. n New York’s Upper West Side will soon boast a completely redesigned, all-inclusive Bloomingdale Playground that will allow kids in wheelchairs to play alongside those with various physical and mental abilities. The final design, presented by the New York City Parks Department in collaboration with area residents, students and teachers at the schools adjoining the playground, was approved by Community Board 7, September 6. The playground, located on Amsterdam Avenue between West 104th and 105th streets, has an estimated cost of $5.8 million and will feature play equipment that can accommodate a wheelchair user and a typically abled child simultaneously. n Under legislation introduced by Pittsburgh’s City Council on September 7, the city, for the first time, would permit limited, overnight camping in city parks. Currently, city parks close at dusk and violators are subject to arrest.

Under this new legislation, Parks and Recreation Director, Jim Griffin, is required to develop strict regulations and approve each camping request. Griffin, who admits the legislation could encourage people, including the homeless, to camp illegally in city parks, thinks that with the risks can be mitigated with the proper policies and procedures in place to protect the parks and public.

He foresees only a few events a year that would fall under this legislation and that camping would be limited to groups like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, participants in city summer camp programs and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. n City officials in Worcester, Massachusetts, are exploring the feasibility 34 Parks & Recreation

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of creating a “sanctioned site” for a homeless camp in an attempt to contain and reduce the number of such encampments throughout the city. The site, which would contain toilet and shower facilities, would also make it easier to deliver much-needed medical and social services to Worcester’s homeless. The city’s Quality of Life Task Force has identified 80 homeless encampments and 87 unique homeless individuals. Worcester’s City Council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee has requested that the city manager provide it with a detailed report about what exactly is a “sanctioned site” and what it would take to have one in the city. n The beautifully manicured lawns and flowers of Torrington, Connecticut’s Coe Park are featured in a song, written by Torrington-based singer/ songwriter Delaney Morgan, for a national song competition put on by The Guitar Center. To win the $25,000 purse and a chance to be on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, among other incredible prizes, competitors are required to submit a video for their song. Morgan’s song, “Walk in the Park,” is about “a boy who is mesmerized by the green grass and beautiful skies of a park, encircled by cars and city life.

It expressed the longing for love and an old-fashioned stroll through a city park….” Morgan sings his song while strumming his acoustic guitar in the short video, shot entirely in Coe Park.

In order to garner enough points to become a finalist — 10 will be selected to compete for the big prize — he has posted the video on the Torrington Downtown Partners website and needs people to vote for his song. Check out Morgan’s original work at https:// songwriter.amplifiertv.com/channel/ Delaney+Morgan.

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Partnerships for Parks Grassroots Park Stewardship: A Force of Change

By Le’alani S. Boykin and Kathryn T. Trainor

I

n the 1970s, at a time when government was too limited by budget constraints to provide key services, New Yorkers who cared about their public spaces rolled up their sleeves, picked up their trowels and took back their parks from neglect.

“Friends of ” groups, as they called themselves, came together to put positive use back into abandoned parks seized by graffiti, drug activity and violence. Their grassroots park stewardship became a force of change in local communities.

Melanie Reiders

Today, NYC’s friends of groups are still making marks on their parks and doing so with far more support from the public and private sectors. Since 1995, Partnerships for Parks (PfP), a joint program of City Parks Foundation (CPF) and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), has been the primary champion and resource for NYC friends of groups. Communities and government know that public parks are the settings for our shared experi-

ences and improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers by providing spaces for social and civic engagement. By developing occasional volunteers into community leaders, PfP builds long-term investment in public space and strengthens the social fabric of our neighborhoods. The program’s aim is to create strong partnerships between local communities and NYC Parks to help them see one another as allies, working toward a common goal of caring for parks.

Visitors participate in a community visioning activity led

by Friends of Mosholu Parkland with support from PfP.

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One Mission, Two Parents For more than 20 years, PfP has carried out its harmonious mission under two distinct organizations: NYC Parks, the city agency that owns and manages a nearly 30,000acre park system; and CPF, the only independent nonprofit with a specific mission to lead programs that activate those parks throughout the five boroughs. Being part of local government allows PfP to work on the same team as park management; being part of a nonprofit allows it to relate to communities and build trust with them.

While it has its own vision statement, strategic plan and identity, PfP is not an independent organization and cannot always act autonomously. Decisions around budget, staffing and program development must be developed in coordination with and approved by CPF and NYC Parks.

Both parent organizations are consistently committed to park stewardship.

Build, Connect, Sustain PfP equips people, organizations and government with the skills and tools to transform neighborhood parks and green spaces into dynamic community assets.

PfP consists of three areas — Outreach, Technical Assistance and Volunteer Programs — that are responsible for specific services and resources. Those services and resources are employed to build, connect and sustain the friends of groups, helping them to become long-term stewards of their parks.

Many of the best practices identified

by PfP are based on the experience it developed through its Catalyst initiative, a community development program cre-

ated more than 20 years ago to provide very focused, intensive and extensive outreach and community-building program resources in individual parks..

Build focuses on establishing relationships with community members and institutions where PfP responds to requests from those who want to get involved in improving the quality of life in their local neighborhoods. The Outreach Program employs coordinators in all five boroughs who are assigned to serve specific regions within their borough. In most cases, the coordinators are the first individuals to connect community members to NYC Parks, PfP and other resources within their neighborhoods to support the work they want to do for their parks. Outreach coordinators begin the group development work by sharing information about how to get involved in parks and work collaboratively with NYC Parks, and best practices for growing a group, such as how to lead meetings, conduct effective outreach, build interest in their cause and create partnerships with the agency and their fellow community members. Outreach coordinators excel at community engagement because of their approach of listening to the needs of the community.

To continue to build the skills of park group leaders, PfP provides Technical Assistance and training through a series of workshops that cover such subjects as: “How to Start or Join a Park Group,” “Building Your Community Park Group: Partnering for Success,” “Getting Green $ for Green Space” and “Expand Your Impact: Skillfully Growing Your Community Park Group.” These areas are the baseline skill set needed to have a sustainable park group. To address timely issues and opportunities, PfP also hosts special topic workshops throughout the year for additional learning and networking opportunities. In addition, park group leaders can apply for a six-month fellowship that requires them to propose a goal they want

Malcolm Pinckney

Participants at the 2016 Partnerships for Parks Conference learn how to engage with their public parks.

to achieve by the end of the program.

Connect includes the work of Outreach and Technical Assistance programs, teaching groups how to identify common interests and priorities, and to encourage the creation of partnerships among people involved in the parks or working on related issues. This phase also prioritizes connecting park groups to NYC Parks to collaborate on agency and citywide initiatives to maximize the investments from government, as well as to activate networks for social and civic activity that increase the positive impact on their communities.

Because physical improvements are important to demonstrating change in these public spaces, the Volunteer Program provides year-round volunteer opportunities through the It’s My Park program. As part of It’s My Park, the Volunteer Program gives companies and organizations opportunities to contribute to the community groups’ work through hosting corporate team-building and volunteer events to beautify the parks. The intention is to supplement and match external groups with park groups’ priority projects approved by NYC Parks.

Connecting community groups with established companies and organizations helps PfP achieve its goals of sustainable and supportive volunteerism. These hands-on service projects build interest around what is possible in the park and PfP provides tools, promotional materials and project-planning support to community groups to lead these efforts.

Sustain encompasses the capacity

building work that PfP does to cultivate the skills needed for a community group to support its parks long-term and empower volunteers to become community leaders. PfP helps groups create missions, develop the appropriate structure that reflects their goals and activities, and maintain the strong connection to the community they represent. PfP also provides small capacity-building grants — since it was founded, PfP has granted more than $1.2 million to 1,000 community groups and organizations through this program, which provides not only direct financial support, but also consultations and support throughout the application process to help groups build grant-writing skills and clear plans for their own growth and community impact. Because park groups need long-term funding and support to grow their park events and programs, PfP emphasizes the development of fundraising and other group development skills to ensure their sustainability.

Community Parks Initiative Launched by Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver in 2014, the Community Parks Initiative (CPI) brings $285 million in capital dollars to densely populated, growing neighborhoods with higher-than-average concentrations of poverty. The 60+ parks receiving full reconstructions as part of CPI have all received less than $250,000 in capital improvements during the past 25 years. With this initiative, NYC Parks is engaging New Yorkers in rebuilding local parks; providing new, free public programming; and en-

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Adam Cohen

Partnerships for Parks

Case Study: Astoria Heights Park Friends of Astoria Heights Park was formed in the fall of 2013 by a group of neighbors who felt strongly about protecting their Queens, New York, neighborhood park and ensuring their community had the same clean, safe, fun and inspiring public spaces as other neighborhoods in the city. The group, whose mission is to “aspire to work with all of their neighbors to make the park a place where we gather to celebrate and demonstrate respect both for our common values and for our unique backgrounds and perspectives,” started by bringing maintenance and safety issues to the attention of NYC Parks and its Community Board.

While the drive and mission originated with this group, Western Queens PfP Outreach Coordinator, Nichole Henderson-Roy, worked closely with the leadership team to connect them to the right people in the agency to achieve what they set forth to do. This collaboration with NYC Parks and PfP — participating in PfP’s It’s My Park program, participating in a peer-mentoring Academy Fellowship program, being fiscally sponsored by City Parks Foundation to receive tax-deductible donations for their group, receiving Capacity Fund grants that funded summer programming, a mural and street tree care — has led to a clean and active park that is well-used by the community.

Astoria Heights Park serves an ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhood and according to Lynn Kennedy, Chair of the Friends of Astoria Heights Park, the leadership team is intentional about seeking out groups and individuals who are representative of the community’s diversity to help foster community pride. They engage new constituents by hosting fun events that reflect the local community’s culture and interests and have found that these activities result in neighbors caring for this public space and holding it to a high standard of cleanliness through It’s My Park projects and encouraging positive activity by hosting fitness programs, sing alongs, book giveaways, and puppet shows The heightened feeling of community created by Friends of Astoria Heights Park has resulted in increased participation at park events and funds raised, and a strong partnership with elected officials, city agencies, and local institutions and businesses. The group’s voice is now heard beyond the park’s borders to address the needs of the community including advocating for increased safety measures in the neighborhood’s streets and more programming for school-aged children. With a park renovation underway as part of NYC Parks’ Community Parks Initiative, Astoria Heights Park will be an even more vibrant community space led by a dedicated friends group that will continue to beautify and activate the park.

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riched community support for parks.

With community input collected in-person and online, NYC Parks is redesigning and reconstructing neighborhood parks and targeting other park spaces for immediate physical improvements and repairs. In addition to these physical changes, the agency is enhancing public programming on its properties in these neighborhoods. To better connect these parks with their users, NYC Parks has adopted elements of PfP’s model of community building to ensure sustainable community support structures for all CPI sites. PfP staff works to raise awareness of CPI, engage community members in the park redesign process, and unify and develop communities of park advocates and stewards.

Participatory Park Design In 2014, NYC Parks set forth the Framework for an Equitable Future, a vision for a strong, just parks system, including citywide programs like the Community Parks Initiative. Community engagement is at the core of the Framework, which is why NYC Parks has taken historic steps to further involve the public in park design decisions, from making capital project tracking accessible online to putting strategies in place that ensure high attendance at public input meetings. PfP has been part of the participatory design movement as well, collaborating with several local partner organizations to develop resources that explain and teach New Yorkers how to participate in the NYC Parks’ process for funding, designing and building capital projects. The Center for Urban Pedagogy and New Yorkers for Parks worked with PfP on an illustrated publication, How Can I Improve My Park, that walks citizens through who to know and the steps to take for both capital and maintenance projects. Participatory design experts at Hester Street Collaborative created “People Make Parks,” a joint project with PfP that

describes eight ways communities can get involved in the capital process — from advocating for funding to caring for the new park — and offers a community visioning toolkit with 12 activities designed to collect user input while they are enjoying the park.

The community groups that have been the most successful at growing their membership and participation in park activities have consciously solicited their community for ideas on park use. So, PfP now has a dedicated visioning program that focuses on coaching and training friends groups to gather and share public input with NYC Parks, elected officials, and their communities. PfP Director, Sabina Saragoussi, highlights the importance of the community voice that is captured in community park visioning, describing it as “a

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public input process led by a community group that gathers ideas, desires and concerns from a broad and diverse audience about activities in their neighborhood park. Community Visioning encourages a sense of community ownership and informs park design and programming.”

Empowering Communities While New York City’s skyline and landmarks make it unique, the more than 1,950 parks, playgrounds, beaches and recreation facilities across the five boroughs are the shared spaces where individuals connect with each other, foster a sense of community and affect change.

PfP has been successful in this work, first and foremost, because of the inspiring dedication and energy of its friends

groups. Municipal and nonprofit partnerships allow PfP to increase resources and provide access to decision makers and funding to achieve common goals.

Whether it is gathering input or planning a program, PfP encourages park groups to be reflective of their neighborhood and to be intentional about reaching across cultures, languages, needs and the interests of the people in that community.

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation.org/2016/ October/Grassroots-Park-Stewardship-AForce-of-Change.

Le’alani S. Boykin, MURP, is the Community Visioning and Planning Manager at Partnerships for Parks (lsboykin@cityparksfoundation.org).

Kathryn T. Trainor, MA, is Director of Technical Assistance at Partnerships for Parks (ktrainor@ cityparksfoundation.org).

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Member to Member Swimming in Sustainability in Loretto Strategic partnerships and active community engagement returned the joy of swimming to residents of a small Tennessee town

By Tom Doherty, LEED Green Associate

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ituated five miles from the Alabama border in southern-middle Tennessee is the quaint city of Loretto. With a population of approximately 1,800, the town is usually quiet, but recently there’s been a big splash with the opening of a new state-of-the-art recreation space.

Through a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of Sustainable Practices (TDEC), Division of Recreation Educational Services, and Croy Engineering, Loretto celebrated the opening of its new pool August 27, 2016.

Getting Started With an aged, 25-year-old pool hampered with failing pumps and severe leaking, the city had no option other than to close the former pool. After years without any aquatic recreation opportunity, the city was eager to develop a new facility. As mentioned by City Administrator Keith Smith, “We conducted a survey to gauge

the community’s interests in our parks and recreation programs. Building a new pool was what the community requested and a splash pad was second choice. We wanted to build a sustainable pool and were able accomplish this goal by working with this incredible group of stakeholders.”

The citizens of Loretto were actively involved as city leaders kept them en-

Loretto Pool project partners from left to right: Tom Doherty, TDEC; Gerald Parish, TDEC; Commissioner Robert J. Martineau Jr.; and Representative Barry Doss.

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gaged and informed throughout the process. When city leaders began discussion of closing the pool following the receipt of cost estimates for pool repair, citizens turned to social media through the “Save the Loretto City Pool” Facebook page. Because of this page, the public was able to stay informed of city council meetings and project updates regarding the future of their new pool.

Citizen involvement further persuaded the city to explore options related to possible grants and funding for the development. By involving stakeholders in the process, Loretto created a unified effort for discovering the best solution.

That solution presented itself in 2014 as the city applied for a Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant, an opportunity offered through the Division of Recreation Educational Services. The program provides funding to eligible entities to purchase lands for parks, natural areas, greenways and recreation facilities.

According to Director of Recreation Educational Services, Gerald Parish, “The application noted innovative ideas of using both recyclable material and energy efficient features.”

Parish continued: “In meeting with Mayor Jesse Turner, his staff, the project engineer Andy Somers of Croy Engineering and Representative Barry Doss, it was determined to move forward with this project. With a $250,000 Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant and a $273,100 Office of Sustainable Practices’ grant, plus the local match of $525,000, the total

project was over $1 million.” Parish concluded by saying, “We have now developed a model in swimming pool development for the state of Tennessee in using recyclable products and energy-efficient equipment to help preserve our environment.”

Building and Enjoying Loretto City Pool Environmentally friendly features such as a recycled glass bead filter system, a pool deck composed of 40 percent fly-ash — a byproduct of coal combustion — and a retractable pool cover to help maintain ideal aquatic temperatures are helping put this small town on the map for sustainability. The facility includes pervious pavement, bioswales, skylights and LED lighting to illuminate interior areas, and is built from the same fly-ash concrete. All sustainability features are highlighted in permanent signage around the property. Additionally, all pool facilities, parking, restrooms and sidewalk areas are Americans with Disability Act-accessible.

The effort has not gone unnoticed. The project has helped the city market its innovation and their holistic approach to creating an environment that supports health and wellness, provides a community gathering space and addresses the need for a public facility in the region. Somers, noted, “The pool was not designed as a stand-alone project, but was specifically sited to fit in with the overall park plan. The pool project includes elements that help meet city goals for better handicap accessibility, improved public restroom facilities and a continuous walking path around the park perimeter. All while taking advantage of sustainability features wherever possible.”

In response to the collaborative efforts of the pool development, Mayor Turner said, “As mayor of a small town, I always want our projects to reflect the best of our community. It can be a struggle to find the resources to make that project come true.

This is why I am so proud of our new community pool project.

Not only does it provide a great source of recreation for everyone in our town, it is also a beautiful structure — one that will make Loretto proud for many years to come.”

Since the opening of the pool, “Several hundred folks have already visited in the few days we’ve been open,” Turner continued. “We’re booking private parties daily, and we’ve began a water aerobics class and the attendance has been phenomenal. I cannot give enough thanks to the project partners.”

The Loretto City Pool will be open through October, weather permitting. So, if you find yourself in southern-middle Tennessee, be sure to pack a bathing suit.

Tom Doherty, LEED Green Associate, is an Environmental Specialist for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s Office of Sustainable Practices (tom.doherty@tn.gov).

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ADVOCACY

Smoke-Free Parks: Why Park and Recreation Departments Should Lead the Effort

By Justin Hurdle

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n an effort to recognize park and recreation’s growing responsibility in promoting healthy communities, this summer the NRPA Board of Directors adopted a statement encouraging the establishment and maintenance of tobacco-free facilities. This decision by NRPA’s leadership will protect the health of our workforce, visitors and the environment while aligning the profession with the views of forward-thinking cities, states and public-health officials.

In many communities, parks and outdoor public spaces act as a relaxing refuge for all. It is also quite possible that, for many users, these outdoor spaces may be the only available places to be in-touch with nature and enjoy access to clean, fresh air. Public outdoor spaces need to remain open and accessible, and prohibiting smoking in these areas will enhance the user experience while also benefiting the environment.

Clearing the Air Across the country, municipal governments

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have passed ordinances banning smoking in public parks and on public beaches. The American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation reports that, as of July 1, more than 1,260 municipalities have tobacco-free park laws on the books. This includes a diverse list of big cities like Boston, Los Angeles and Houston, as well as smaller towns like Jasper, Alabama; Sylvania, Ohio; and Wellington, Colorado. According to Joe Turner, director of the Houston, Texas, Parks and Recreation Department, the city “needed help ensuring that we had the tools to prevent a range of antisocial behavior in our

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parks.” Turner, who was appointed director in 2004 and is soon set to retire, continues, “The smoking ban gave us the chance to work with our staff and the public health community to ensure all of Houston had access to safe, clean parks.”

As we are focusing on tobacco-free policies in parks and outdoor public spaces, it is important to understand who uses parks and what the public thinks about tobacco-free policies. A 2015 national study commissioned by NRPA found that 70 percent of both men and women use their local parks occasionally or frequently. Of those respondents, ages 15 to 55, more than 70 percent said they are at least occasional park users. Finally, 87 percent of those living in a household with five or more people reported using parks at least occasionally.

The usage statistics are important to note in the context of public opinion regarding

public smoking bans and can be useful when making policy proposals. The polling organization Gallup has found the general public to be supportive of smoking bans in all public places, increasing from just 39 percent in 2001 to 58 percent in 2015. Drilling down further, Gallup found that 68 percent of women and 47 percent of men support bans, as well as 46 percent of 18-29-year-olds and 58 percent of 30-49-year-olds.

Local public opinion is more difficult to pin down, but a review of 89 public opinion surveys, published in 2015 in the journal Tobacco Control, showed that support for tobacco-free school-grounds and playgrounds is almost always above 80 percent. In addition, surveys conducted in several states focused specifically on parks and green spaces produced smoking ban support ranging from 34 to 60 percent. Much of the difference in support between bans involving “playgrounds” and “parks and green spaces” is likely because people tend to associate playgrounds with children, and are more likely to advocate keeping tobacco away from kids (although, to be sure, children are sure to be found in all the aforementioned settings).

Jumping on the Ban Bandwagon Park and recreation departments should take advantage of widespread public support for tobacco bans in public spaces, as they can add to the efforts of local governments, businesses and public health experts to improve the well-being of citizens. Tobacco bans have proven particularly effective in terms of deterrence. A 2012 study published in Health & Space determined that, “banning smoking in parks was associated with a heightened perception of difficulty to smoke” among young adults, both smokers and nonsmokers. Deterring teen smoking should be a top priority because, according to the Surgeon General’s 2014 report on the effort to combat smoking, 87 percent of tobacco users start before age 18.

When it comes to parks and outdoor public spaces, however, the main purpose for instituting tobacco-free policies is to combat the damaging effects of secondhand smoke. In 2012, the CDC determined that roughly 58 million nonsmokers in the United States, and two out of every five children ages 3 to 11, were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. Although parks and outdoor public areas are meant to be safe and healthy environments, the presence of secondhand smoke can make potential park-users shy away. In the longrun, a decrease in public support and park visitors because of secondhand smoke concerns could result in people being skeptical of funding for park projects if they believe that their concerns are being ignored.

There are also environmental and

cost-savings benefits associated with tobacco bans. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable, meaning they will remain visible until they are removed. In fact, a 2011 study published in Tobacco Control estimated that “tobacco product litter” comprises up to 36 percent of all visible litter, with estimated removal costs ranging from $3 million to $16 million.

Best Practices In August 2011, Philadelphia adopted a smoke-free regulation that covered all recreation centers, playgrounds, ball fields, courts and pools. Ultimately, the mayor signed an executive order directing the commissioner of the park and recreation department to adopt a smoke-free policy. Through various public outreach tactics, like handing out wallet cards with information on the new policy and engaging with visitors, support for the policy was strong. Since the regulation’s implementation, 222 public areas have been deemed smoke-free, along with 850 smoke-free acres and an estimated 3.6 million visits to park and recreation facilities that will be smoke-free.

On a smaller scale, Mecklenburg County in North Carolina instituted a smoking ban in all county-owned parks, greenways and park property. Various agencies coordinated communication campaigns to get the word out and offered information about help to quit smoking, like the QuitlineNC telephone hotline, a state-run service that provides callers who want to quit smoking with guidance and support.

Park and recreation departments and employees are uniquely positioned as they interact with community members and families on a daily basis, providing healthy places to play and enjoy the fresh air. Advocacy of tobacco-free policies in our parks and open spaces is the logical next step in the stewardship of community health and well-being.

Justin Hurdle is an Intern with NRPA’s Urban and Government Affairs department (jhurdle@nrpa.org).

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L AW R E V I E W

‘Hold Harmless’ Incentive in Recreational Use Statute

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

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any states, localities and private organizations are interested in developing and enhancing linear trail systems to increase public recreation opportunities. Most linear trail systems of any significant distance, however, require public recreation access across private lands, in particular a railroad right-of-way or a utility corridor. Accordingly, public entities and trail advocates seek to develop partnerships with railroad and utility companies to develop a trail allowing public recreation access along a railroad right-of-way or utility corridor. Railroad companies and utility companies are often very reluctant to allow public recreation access along the railroad right-of-way or utility corridors based on fears that any accident may prompt costly legal actions and subsequent liability.

In most states, recreational use statutes (RUS) have been enacted to encourage private landowners to open their land, free of charge, for public recreational use. With minor variations, the RUS adopted in most jurisdictions is based on a model statute, titled “Public Recreation on Private Lands: Limitations on Liability,” that appeared in the 1965 edition of Suggested State Legislation from the Council of State Governments. Generally,

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an applicable RUS provides that a landowner who opens land for public recreational use free of charge owes no legal duty to guard, warn or make the premises reasonably safe for the recreational user. As a result, the landowner will be immune from liability for ordinary negligence, but not willful/wanton misconduct on the part of the landowner. Under the willful/ wanton misconduct exception to RUS immunity, the landowner would still

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be liable for misconduct demonstrating an utter disregard for the physical well-being of others, tantamount to intent to injure.

By statute, an applicable RUS effectively affords the recreational user the same legal status and duty of care owed a trespasser. For both trespassers at common law and recreational users under an applicable RUS, there is no affirmative legal duty to exercise reasonable care in preparing or maintaining the premises. For trespassers and RUS recreational users alike, the landowner would, however, owe a very limited legal duty to avoid negative behavior, i.e., engaging in outrageous misconduct that demonstrates an utter disregard for those on the premises that is tantamount to intent to injure, or “mantraps.”

While an applicable RUS provides a very strong legal defense against negli-

gence liability, landowners can still be sued by an injured recreational user.

As a result, a landowner must still raise the RUS as a defense and, thus, incur the cost of legal representation to respond and defend a liability claim.

Despite a strong legal defense that will preclude liability in most cases, an applicable RUS does not overcome the fear of being sued in the first place. As a result, an RUS may not accomplish the stated legislative objective of these laws, i.e., to encourage landowners to open their land to public recreation use free of charge. As described below, Virginia is one of the few jurisdictions to amend its RUS to address the real landowner fear of being sued and the attendant cost of legal representation. Moreover, the Virginia RUS as amended would allow for private landowners to receive some types of fees in exchange for allowing public recreation access to their land.

Indemnify Liability Cost In the mid-1980s, a prominent Virginia legislator was interested in public policy to promote a depressed farming economy through diversification into public recreation, e.g., fishing ponds, camping, etc. As remains the case today in developing linear public trail systems over a railroad right-of-way or utility corridor, one significant disincentive for private landowners to allow public recreation access was the fear of liability for recreation-related injuries.

At the time, much of this private land in Virginia involved forests owned by a large paper company.

Like similar statutes in most jurisdictions, the original Virginia RUS based on the 1965 model statute did not address the real concern of private landowners about being sued and incurring legal costs to raise an applicable RUS and successfully defend a

liability claim brought by an injured recreational user. To address the true liability concern involving the cost of a lawsuit for the landowner, the Virginia RUS was amended to add a very significant provision that allows a landowner to enter into an agreement in which a public entity is required by statute to “hold harmless” and indemnify the landowner for the cost associated with a claim brought by an injured recreational user. (See: www.vacode. org/2016/29.1/5/1/29.1-509.)

Specifically, under the Virginia RUS, a valid “Section E” agreement would require the public entity to provide indemnification for the cost of any legal representation and damages associated with a claim by an injured recreational user. In pertinent part, Section E provides as follows: The government, agency locality, notfor-profit organization or authority with which the agreement is made shall indemnify and hold the landowner harmless from all liability and be responsible for providing, or for paying the cost of, all reasonable legal services required by any person entitled to the benefit of this section as the result of a claim or suit attempting to impose liability.

Under Section E, “any person” may enter into an agreement with a public entity to grant an “easement or license” for “the use of, or access over, his land by the public” for any of the recreational purpose enumerated in the RUS. Section E is an effective statutory response to the real liability concern of private landowners: “Can l still be sued? Yes, you can always be sued, but you will “just be along for the ride” if you enter into a Section E agreement.

In the event of any claim or lawsuit, the public entity with which the private landowner has a Section E agreement is obligated to indemnify the private landowner for any liability and

provide or pay for the cost of “all reasonable legal services required...as the result of a claim or suit attempting to impose liability.”

A Section E agreement with a public entity can involve “the commonwealth or any agency thereof, any locality, any not-for-profit organization granted tax-exempt status under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or any local or regional authority created by law for public park, historic site or recreational purposes.”

In pertinent part, enumerated recreational purposes in the Virginia RUS include, “hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, participation in water sports, boating, hiking, rock climbing, sightseeing, hang gliding, skydiving, horseback riding, foxhunting, racing, bicycle riding or...any other recreational use...”

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A “landowner” covered by the RUS includes, “the legal title holder, any easement holder, lessee, occupant or any other person in control of land or premises, including railroad rightsof-way.” For example, within the context of an applicable RUS, a volunteer group would be considered an “occupant” in control of the premises at the time of any alleged negligence in providing assistance with trail development and/or maintenance.

The statutory definition of “land” or “premises” in the Virginia RUS includes “real property or right-of-way, whether rural or urban, waters, boats, private ways, natural growth, trees, railroad property, railroad right-ofway, utility corridor and any building or structure which might be located on such real property, waters, boats, private ways and natural growth.” The original Virginia RUS was amended to broaden and strengthen the scope and applicability of the statutory definition of “land” to expressly include urban as well as rural land. In Virginia, this is particularly important in the devel-

opment of a comprehensive linear trail system, many of which traverse through suburban and urban areas, most notably in Northern Virginia.

Fee Exception Allows Payments The legislative intent of the model RUS was to encourage private landowners to open their land for public recreational use “free of charge.” Accordingly, in addition to the willful/wanton misconduct exception, the RUS in most jurisdictions also provides a fee exception. In pertinent part, the Virginia RUS provides that this statute “shall not limit the liability of a landowner which may otherwise arise or exist when the landowner receives a fee for use of the premises or to engage in any activity” defined in the RUS as a recreational purpose or use.

Generally, the fee exception will apply if the recreational user paid a fee to access that particular portion of the premises where the injury occurred. In other words, did the recreational user have to pay a fee to be standing at the location where the injury occurred?

Accordingly, an entrance fee may void

RUS immunity for the entire site while a campground fee may only void immunity for the campsite itself, not adjacent trails open to the public for recreational use free of charge.

In addition to allowing indemnification under Section E, the statutory definition of “fee” in the Virginia RUS provides an additional incentive to landowners to enter into agreements with public entities to allow public recreational use of the premises. Specifically, the statutory definition of “fee” in Section A of the Virginia RUS does not include the following fees or payments received by the landowner from government, not-for-profit or private sources: License fees, insurance fees, handling fees, transaction fees, administrative fees, rentals or similar fees received by a landowner from governmental, not-for-profit or private sources, or payments received by a landowner for rights of ingress and egress...or any action taken by another to improve the land or access to the land for the [recreational] purposes [enumerated in the RUS]...or remedying damage caused by such uses.

As a result, in addition to the hold harmless and indemnity requirements in a Section E agreement, the Virginia RUS would also allow a landowner to receive rent and/or any transactional fees associated with an agreement allowing public recreational access to the premises without triggering the fee exception to statutory immunity from negligence liability.

Governmental Immunity Preserved In addition, Section E expressly preserves existing public recreational immunity available to localities under Virginia Liability Localities in Operation of Parks, Recreational Facilities and Playgrounds (§ 15.2-1809 www. vacode.org/15.2-1809). Pursuant to this statute, localities are immune from

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liability for ordinary negligence, but not gross negligence, in the operation and maintenance of a park, recreational facility or playground.

Similarly, Section E provides that “any action against the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof, for negligence arising out of a use of land or railroad rightsof-way covered by this section shall be subject to the provisions of the Virginia Tort Claims Act (§ 8.01-195.1 et seq.).”

The Virginia Tort Claims Act limits the amount recoverable by any claimant to $100,000 or “the maximum limits of any liability policy maintained to ensure against such negligence,” whichever is greater (www.vacode.org/8.01-195.3).

Further, under the Virginia Tort Claims Act, the commonwealth is liable like a “private person” for personal injury or death caused by the “negli-

project design impact

gent or wrongful act or omission of any employee while acting within the scope of his employment.” Accordingly, immunity under the Virginia RUS would also apply to the commonwealth, like any “private person,” who opens the premises under its ownership or control free of charge for public recreational use.

As a result, all parties to a Section E agreement (private landowners, localities, nonprofits, the commonwealth) would be immune from ordinary negligence under the Virginia RUS. When the RUS applies, liability, if any, for injuries sustained by a recreational user would require proof of egregious or outrageous behavior (willful/wanton misconduct, gross negligence) as opposed to mere carelessness (ordinary negligence). When the applicable law

requires proof of willful/wanton misconduct or gross negligence, as opposed to ordinary negligence, liability is very unlikely and many of these claims are not pursued in the first place or dismissed prior to trial.

Liability as Excuse To date, there has been no reported case law in Virginia testing the validity and enforceability of a Section E indemnity agreement under the Virginia RUS. Moreover, it’s unclear to what extent Section E agreements have been developed and actually implemented to provide public recreation trail access over private lands.

Given the availability of indemnification for any liability and attorney fees associated with a claim brought by an injured recreational user, the per-

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ceived fear of liability may not have any legal basis under the Virginia RUS. In many instances, however, liability concerns are offered as a mere pretext, a convenient excuse, to deny public recreation access across private land.

Denying public recreation access based on liability effectively short circuits and ends the discussion. It’s always easier to deny access and not have to spend the time and effort necessary to partner with public entities to allow public recreation trail access along a utility corridor or a railroad right of way.

Aside from indemnification from any liability and the cost of legal representation under the Virginia RUS, what benefit accrues to the private landowners, in particular railroad and utility companies? Similar to sponsors in an “adopt-a-highway” program,

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trail advocates and public entities might ensure that railroad and utility companies receive public relations benefits and recognition for providing public recreational trail access across their property.

Recently, there have been a series of news reports involving derailments of crude oil tanker trains. One derailment triggered a catastrophic fire near downtown Lynchburg, Virginia. In light of this bad press, railroad companies in Virginia and elsewhere might be concerned about a potential future incident involving injuries to users of a public recreation trail adjacent to a railroad right-of-way. Despite the existence of a valid and enforceable Section E to cover any liability and legal costs associated with injuries to recreational users, the railroad company may still fear adverse

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impacts to its business operations and reputation in the court of public opinion in the event of an accident.

Media Report Anxiety In Virginia, the State Trails Committee provides advice to the Commonwealth of Virginia on a number of trail-related issues, including liability concerns related to the use of private rail and utility corridors for public trail systems. In particular, a news report has raised ongoing consternation among public agencies about a perceived “precedent” set by a wrongful death claim against the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF). (See: www.courthousenews.com/2014/12/31/va-utilityfaces-200m-wrongful-death-suit.htm.)

As described in the media report, the family of a 6-year-old girl who

drowned while fishing with her grandfather sued Virginia’s largest utility for $200 million, claiming its negligence led to the tragedy. The family alleged Dominion Virginia Power failed to warn visitors to the Lake Anna recreation area of dangers associated with its use of the lake’s water to cool a nearby nuclear power plant. The 6-year-old girl was fishing with her grandparents when she fell through a gap in the fence surrounding the lake and drowned. The forceful current swept the girl under, preventing any rescue attempt.

On the day of the drowning, Dominion Virginia Power was using water from the lake to cool steam at its nuclear facility.

The process involves condensing the steam into water and then pumping it back into the lake. The family claimed this procedure caused water temperatures in the lake to vary greatly, leading to dangerous undercurrents.

The family alleged these dangerous undercurrents constituted an ultra-hazardous activity in a public lake available for participation in water-recreation sports. Moreover, the family alleged “the 4-foot square gap between the fences at Lake Anna posed a safety threat to visitors, especially to children.” Dominion claimed the commonwealth, through DGIF, was responsible for this “fisherman’s catwalk.”

Apparently, DGIF settled this case, rather than litigate the claim. Since a settlement is not an admission of liability, despite popular opinion to the contrary, there is no legal precedent whatsoever set by this case.

Use or Lose RUS Defense Under the Virginia state tort claims act, the liability of DGIF as an agency of the commonwealth is limited to $100,000 per incident. (See: www.vacode.org/8.01-52.) As owner of the lake in control of the process, which created the allegedly dangerous currents, the potential liability exposure of Dominion would not be limited. That being said, had this case been litigated, both DGIF and Dominion could have raised the Virginia RUS as a strong defense to any liability.

While certainly tragic, similar case law would suggest that strong lake currents near a nuclear facility are neither “ultra-hazardous” as alleged or sufficiently egregious to constitute gross negligence. As defined by the Virginia Supreme Court, gross negligence “shows an utter disregard of prudence amounting to complete neglect of the safety of another.” Accordingly, assuming DGIF and Dominion opened the premises for public recreational use free of charge, no legal duty was owed to guard, warn or make the premises reasonably safe for fishing under the Virginia RUS. Moreover, the risk of drowning in a manmade or natural body of water not designated for swimming is generally considered an open

and obvious risk to anyone old enough to be at-large, including the drowning risk posed by strong currents.

When litigated rather than settled, these claims can be successfully defended when the applicable legal standard to impose liability is “gross negligence or willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure or activity,” as in an applicable RUS. For example, in the case of Clem v. United States, 601 F. Supp. 835 - Dist.

Court, ND Indiana 1985, the federal court found landowner immunity under the Indiana RUS to a tragic drowning of a father in Lake Michigan. In so doing, the court stated, “This is a case where the human heart strings pull in one direction and the law compels a contrary conclusion.” Clem was swim-

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L AW R E V I E W

ming in Lake Michigan with his wife and daughter when he was caught in an undertow current and drowned while trying to save his wife.

In the Virginia incident, it was not clear whether or not a Section E agreement was in place between the utility company and DGIF at the time of this particular tragedy. Regardless, DGIF could have raised the Virginia RUS as a defense and vigorously litigated this claim through trial and, if necessary, an appeal to the state supreme court.

Instead, DGIF chose to settle, rather than litigate. The decision to settle or litigate involves a number of economic and political considerations that are not necessarily based on the available law, including landowner immunity under anGF_Park_Rec_Ad_7.625x4.75_Final.pdf applicable state RUS.

The popular media is quick to report an astronomical dollar figure when a claim is filed, like $200 million. Less media attention, however, is given when a claim is ultimately dismissed or settled. Moreover, when settled, the actual amount paid is usually far less, a mere fraction of alleged damages cited by the media in reporting the initial claim.

1

Effective RUS Defense As illustrated by reported court decisions in a number of jurisdictions, landowner liability should be the rare exception, rather than the rule, particularly when an available RUS defense is available. (See: www.parksandrecreation. org/2016/July/Recreational-Use-Statutes-in-State-Supreme-Courts.)

8/31/16 6:19 of PM case law interpreting the The body

scope and applicability of landowner immunity under an RUS is extensive and well developed. That being said, to date, the Virginia courts have yet to consider a Section E indemnity agreement under the Virginia RUS. Regardless, as illustrated by reported case law, an applicable RUS provides immunity to the owners and occupiers of land in the vast majority of cases involving injured recreational users on the premises free of charge.

The existence of a Section E indemnity agreement is more about shifting financial responsibility for the cost of defending any liability claim away from the private landowner.

In addition to Virginia, California would also allow public entities to indemnify private landowners for allowing public recreational use of their

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premises. Specifically, as described in a 1995 opinion from the state attorney general, California recreational use law would similarly allow a county to agree to indemnify private landowners for injuries sustained by persons using the trails adjoining or traversing the landowners’ properties in order to acquire land for a county-wide recreational trail system (www.oag.ca.gov/system/ files/opinions/pdfs/95-305.pdf).

In addition to Virginia and California, other jurisdictions might consider similar “Section E” amendments to an existing RUS. Specifically, in a more effective RUS, governmental or private entities would hold landowners “harmless” from any liability and indemnify the cost of any liability and legal representation associated with a claim by an injured recreational user. In so doing, the RUS will become a much stronger legal tool to promote increased development of public recreational opportunities on private lands, in particular along trails traversing a utility corridor and railroad right-of-way.

Rather than routinely settling claims, public entities must understand and be willing to utilize an existing RUS to aggressively defend recreational injury claims and be willing to litigate through the appeals process, if necessary. Given governmental immunity under an applicable RUS or other available immunity statutes, in the long run, the cost defending infrequent individual claims, including indemnification and assuming legal costs for private landowners, will be far outweighed by increased public recreation benefits and opportunities.

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

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FUTURE LEADERS

There Is a First Time for Everything

By Kevin Witte, CPRP

I

attended my first NRPA Conference last year in Las Vegas, and I was not entirely sure what to expect. Based on my experience, here are some tips that will help you navigate through your first NRPA Conference.

How to Prepare Know what you are doing before you get there to get the most from your Conference experience. Visit www.nrpa.org/ conference2016 and familiarize yourself with the schedule, locations and activities. Download the NRPA Conference Mobile App and use it to help plan your week. If you have never been to St. Louis, hop online and look up where your hotel is in relation to the Conference site and any other pre-Conference activities you are attending. Be sure to plan for travel time so you are not late to anything.

Picking Sessions As a young professional, attending sessions that relate to your position is im52 Parks & Recreation

portant. Look at the work you do and find sessions that will help you do your job better and/or give you new program ideas or strategies you can take back to your organization. You should also think about the job you want in the future. Pick a topic you might not know about and go learn! Lastly, find a session about leadership or management.

The Young Professional Network (YPN) Did you read Karen Lussier’s article in the August Parks & Recreation magazine about the YPN (www.parksandrecreation. org/2016/August/Who-What-WhenWhy-Your-Official-Invite-to-the-YPN)? If not, you should. Lussier is the outgoing YPN chair and discusses the YPN and

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why you should get involved. One thing I will reiterate is to attend the YPN retreat from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, October 4.

This is a prime opportunity to meet other young professionals, learn about the YPN and discover how you can get involved.

You can consider this group of people to be your new friends. I was slightly intimidated going to this meeting in Las Vegas not knowing anyone, but came into a room full of people who were excited to have me there.

The YPN is putting together a “Young Professionals at Conference” electronic publication. This will be available on NRPA Connect under the YPN community prior to the start of the Conference. Use this as a resource for finding other YPs in attendance. You can also sign up for the “take a student/YP to lunch” opportunity. This program pairs distinguished professionals with YPs/ students. You will receive an email with

your match and the two of you can set up a time at Conference to meet.

Networking Networking is the most important thing you will do all week. Do not be afraid to meet people! At every session, social and meeting you attend, sit next to someone you do not know and introduce yourself. Remember to pack your business cards! In Las Vegas I met tons of great people, many of whom I stay in touch with. Remember to ask for the other person’s business card and do not be afraid to follow up. Just the other day I asked a connection I made in Las Vegas to send me information on a Pokémon Go event he ran in one of his parks and he sent me all the details and information. You will be amazed at how these connections can help you down the line.

Exhibit Hall The exhibit hall is massive. Make sure you carve out time to walk through it.

Meet different vendors, get product information and make even more connections.

Many vendors will also host socials that you should attend.

Socials After a full day of learning and networking, it is time to have some fun and relax.

The YPN hosts a social that you can attend with your new friends. Also, check with your state association — odds are they have a social planned. Don’t have an organized social to attend? Make your own! When the day is winding down, you will find yourself in a sea of other Conference attendees in the city. Wear your name badge so others will recognize you, and get out there!

Random Things I Learned Arrive to sessions at least 10 minutes early. Chances are if you think a session is really interesting, so do a lot of other attendees. Bring a notepad, tablet or laptop on which to take notes. Bring a backpack/shoulder bag to carry essentials like a water bottle, which you can refill at stations around the Conference.

Lastly and most importantly, do not forget to have fun!

If you want to know more about my Conference experience or would like to meet up in St. Louis, please feel free to reach out to me at kwitte@ci.mlt.wa.us.

See you in St. Louis!

Kevin Witte, CPRP, is the Recreation Supervisor for Mountlake Terrace Recreation and Parks in Washington state (kwitte@ci.mlt.wa.us).

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Green Workers Certification May Create New Training Opportunities

By Richard J. Dolesh

A

new national certification program for those who work in the construction, inspection and maintenance of green infrastructure stormwater management may offer a new range of training and educational opportunities, as well as new paths for career development for park maintenance workers and individuals entering the field of parks and recreation.

Managing Stormwater The management of stormwater has become a significant challenge for many cities and urban areas. Traditional stormwater management techniques, often referred to as “gray infrastructure,” rely on channels, pipes and culverts to collect and move stormwater runoff. This gray infra-

structure is aging and deteriorating in most urban areas and no longer protects water bodies from pollution. And, even though cities are spending hundreds of millions of dollars annually to repair failing water infrastructure and separate combined stormwater and sewer systems, hundreds of cites are in violation of requirements of the Clean Water Act to repair or replace failing stormwater infrastructure.

Utilizing “green infrastructure,” which relies on the processes of nature and natural systems to treat stormwater, is a relatively new approach to stormwater management. Green infrastructure is proving to be highly successful in mitigating water pollution and reducing the costs to treat stormwater runoff, among other benefits.

Parks Are Uniquely Suited to Green Stormwater Management Green infrastructure stormwater management in parks is an idea whose time has come. Parks are located centrally in urban areas, they are permanently in protected conservation status, and they contain the natural systems that can treat and filter stormwater. Park agencies across the country are looking at how they might install smaller-scale green infrastructure projects on their own and how they might partner with water utilities, public works departments and nonprofit organizations to implement larger-scale green infrastructure solutions to stormwater management in and around parks.

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NRPA, through a generous grant from The JPB Foundation, is pioneering new approaches to how green infrastructure in parks can produce triple bottom-line benefits through the Great Urban Parks Campaign, a partnership initiative of NRPA and the American Planning Association that is focused on developing cutting-edge innovations and new evidence-based models of practice for urban parks. NRPA seeks to demonstrate how green infrastructure in parks can go well beyond providing just the functional benefits of stormwater management and additionally provide social equity, economic and environmental benefits to underserved communities.

NRPA has awarded four grants to nonprofit partners working with park and recreation agencies in Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver and Pittsburgh. These upcoming green infrastructure projects, which require community engagement and empowerment as essential components, are already demonstrating success.

One way that green infrastructure project sponsors can tangibly engage their communities is by employing young adults who live nearby project construction sites.

The Great Urban Parks Campaign projects are showing that there is excellent potential to create new jobs in the construction, inspection and ongoing maintenance of green infrastructure projects.

National Green Infrastructure Certification Program DC Water, the public water utility of Washington, D.C., in cooperation with the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the national nonprofit for water professionals, has initiated a new program that will enhance prospects for

green infrastructure workers. DC Water and WEF have been working to create the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP), which will provide classroom training, interactive learning experiences and field site visits in a 30- to 40-hour course that will award a certificate to workers who successfully complete the training. The first certifications are expected in early 2017.

A number of water utilities around the country are already working on developing NGICP content, including the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and about 10 other partners.

Stacy Passaro, the program manager of NGICP, says that the certification will appeal to two types of workers — those who

are already employed in parks, grounds maintenance, landscaping and water and sewer construction, and entry-level workers who cities are seeking to employ from employment-challenged communities.

Passaro says there will be many benefits for workers who obtain such certification.

“You will become more valuable to your employer,” she said. “This certification shows that you have training and skill in how to maintain new types of stormwater management installations.” She emphasized that workers who have understanding, knowledge and certification will find more job opportunities. “Such workers will be more valuable to city governments, contractors, water utilities and park agencies,” Passaro says. She also noted that the NGICP certification is portable — if workers move to a new job or a new city, their certification goes with them.

An Opportunity for Parks?

The opportunity for parks workers seems significant. Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit working with NatureWORKS, is conducting a national research project to survey the occupations and potential for workforce development in green infrastructure in both the public and private sector. Not only are park and recreation workers already well-versed in the techniques and knowledge of how green infrastructure works, but new duties in the construction, inspection and maintenance of green stormwater infrastructure can be easily and naturally incorporated into traditional park maintenance and management work programs.

For more information about NGICP, visit www.NGICP.org.

Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice President of Conservation and Parks (rdolesh@nrpa.org).

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Super Summer Chefs

By Mariana Espinoza

W

hen the young “Super Chefs” arrived at the Grand Prairie, Texas, Parks, Arts and Recreation Department’s (GP-PARD) administration building for their big day, they tied their aprons, situated their chef hats and crossed their fingers that their meal would turn out great.

The Super Chefs lunch program wrapped up a month-long celebration of summer campers recognizing and thanking their superheroes during July’s Park and Recreation Month. Super Chefs included summer campers from each of Grand Prairie’s recreation centers who had participated in classroom instruction about healthy eating and making healthy food choices; taken part in Grand Prairie’s Summer Intergenerational Gardening Program to learn how to grow their own fruits and vegetables; and learned how to prepare their own healthy meals.

This brand-new Super Chefs program allowed campers to demonstrate what they learned throughout the summer to some of their park heroes, while taking the main stage as chefs for the day. As superhero-themed music played in the background, the Super Chefs entered the conference room one-by-one and introduced themselves. One of the campers announced that when he grows up, he wants to

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be a chef and own a restaurant! Super Chefs was a grand day of fun, education, health, wellness and inspiration for the young campers.

The Main Ingredients for Overall Wellness GP-PARD strives to ensure its summer campers have opportunities to participate in a variety of activities that promote health and wellness. The

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main ingredients of the Super Chefs program included working with recreation center staff to schedule classroom education, coordinating visits with the gardening club at The Summit to experience the active senior adult center’s gardens and greenhouse, and participating in the GP-PARD’s Summer Fitness Initiative. GP-PARD Summer Programs Intern and graduate student, Victoria Guerra, led recreation staff in coordinating and implementing a program that would teach young campers how making healthier eating choices affects their overall wellness.

In the weeks preceding the Super Chefs lunch, participants learned about complex and simple carbs, processed and natural sugars, and good and bad fats.

Additionally, youths learned about what particular vitamins can be found in different foods, including vitamins C and D, calcium and antioxidants.

The careful combination of all these program ingredients resulted in each Super Chef camper creating their own food plate, as well as learning how to properly serve a meal, dining etiquette and cooking and kitchen etiquette.

The total time for meal preparation was approximately 35 minutes, but the Super Chef lunch was an hour-long celebration of healthy eating. In addition to their park heroes, Super Chefs also invited staff from the city manager’s office, city council and park board to join the special lunch and celebrate healthy eating. Guerra stated that one Super Chefs program goal was “to serve a well-balanced meal that would provide as many vitamins, minerals and whole foods as possible.”

The invited guests enjoyed a menu of veggie kabob appetizers, Latin lettuce tacos with Southwestern black bean salad as the main course, and strawberry graham delight as dessert. The veggie kabobs, both low in carbs and calories, incorporated lots of vegetables and provided an excellent source of minerals and vitamins. The Latin lettuce tacos served as a lower-carb alternative using lettuce as a wrap instead of a flour- or corn-based tortilla. Complex carbs were provided by the Southwest black bean salad — the beans, along with chicken, added lean protein to the meal. Avocados were added for texture and healthy fats, while low-fat graham crackers kept the dessert course light. Super Chefs also learned that strawberries are packed with antioxidants — they not only taste sweet and delicious, but they also help the body fight disease.

At the conclusion of the program, for their participation and accomplishment, each Super Chef received a golden spoon and certificate signed by Grand Prairie’s Director of Parks, Arts and Recreation, Rick Herold.

A Healthier Future The Super Chefs learned that their overall wellness depends on their commitment to stay physically active and eat healthy foods.

Summer camp staff taught the youth that the fitness activities in which they participated, in addition to the healthy eating lessons, were all part of learning how to live a healthier lifestyle. GP-PARD’s Summer Fitness Initiative included all campers taking part in physical activity for 30 minutes twice a week and a benchmark assessment every four weeks.

This assessment included activities such as recording the number of frog jumps or shuttle runs campers could complete in 30 seconds. The goal of the initiative was to quantify the effects of organized fitness on the campers’ overall fitness levels. To celebrate their fitness accomplishments, a Superhero Run/Walk was held just for sum-

mer campers, during which they celebrated with some of their favorite superheroes.

Campers learned the basics of the wellknown 80/20 rule of fitness: 80 percent nutrition and 20 percent exercise. Teaching the campers the basics of nutrition and exercise is part of GP-PARD’s essential ingredients for a healthier future for all Grand Prairie residents. GP-PARD works to teach all summer campers and their families the value of a healthy diet that will have countless long-term benefits. In Grand Prairie, recreation center staff members teach youth and families that making healthier food choices and staying physically active directly affects overall well-being. In Grand Prairie, Super Chefs are our superheroes!

Mariana Espinoza is the Senior Recreation Supervisor for the Grand Prairie Parks, Arts and Recreation Department (mespinoza@GPTX.org).

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SOCIAL EQUITY

Restorative Healing at Youth Visions Reflection Park

By Samantha Bartram

O

n a bright fall morning in October 2005, members of “America’s Nazi Party” gathered on the lawn of Woodward High School in Toledo, Ohio.

They planned to march through the predominantly black, mid-western neighborhood, shouting hateful slogans and flaunting the Nazi salute.

When residents learned of the demonstration, dozens gathered in protest. The white supremacists managed to travel less than half a mile, to nearby Woodrow Wilson Park, before interactions between the neo-Nazis and counter-demonstrators began to escalate and police demanded an end to the march.

Still, the damage had been done, the instigating Nazis had fled, and the crowd had grown to more than 600 people. Many people clashed with police, buildings were looted and burned and then-Toledo Mayor, Jack Ford, declared a citywide state of emergency that lasted through the weekend.

When the dust settled, more than 100 people were arrested and 12 police officers were injured. Perhaps more alarming, a deep wound had been opened in the community whose mostly black residents despaired that authorities would allow such a group to march in the first place, that neo-Nazis would deliberately seek to sow unrest in their neighborhood, and that local police would end up deploying tear gas canisters and flash-bang grenades against the very citizens they swore to serve and protect.

Particularly impacted by this horrible three-day demonstration of hate, violence and fear were the north-Toledo neighborhood’s children. Many witnessed the march and clashes with police and perhaps a dozen were among those arrested.

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Dr. Lorna Gonsalves, a long-time educator, counselor, organizer and founder of Creative Peaceful Resistance (CPR), met one such youth through her work as part of a restorative justice program. “Subsequently, I worked with many different groups of neighborhood youth who were upset by the neo-Nazi intrusion,” Gonsalves explains. “Using art as a conduit, youth spoke about their feelings and visions for change.”

Creative Peaceful Resistance CPR is a grassroots organizing initiative conceived in 1999 by Gonsalves and a group of ethnic studies students at Bowling Green State University. CPR allows marginalized youth the space to perform a critical examination of social injustices within their communities, express their frustrations, hopes and lived realities through art, and engage civic leaders in productive discussion through the public display and discussion of their art.

Gonsalves knew CPR’s model would benefit young north Toledo residents — channeling their visions of change into

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art, participants created a three-part mural titled, “Rising Above Bigotry.”

The artwork now hangs on a street near Woodward High School and serves as a beacon of hope and growth for a community wounded by racist hate.

Expanding the Mission So impacted were the youth who worked with Gonsalves on the north Toledo mural that they endeavored to create an entire “reflections park” that would feature more impactful artwork. “[They wanted to convert] a public park into a youth-centered outdoor gallery and recreational area,” Gonsalves says. “This was a way of restoring and reclaiming their neighborhood and creating a safe space for gathering and organizing.

“Seniors recalled Wilson Park not being a welcoming space for people of color as the neighborhood was integrating decades ago. And so, the park holds a history of racism. Community youth voiced the desire to replace a history of hate with visions of hope in the park.”

Woodrow Wilson Park already included one mural by artist Nate Masternak titled “Rescue Youth,” that envisions the park as a sanctuary for local youth. It seemed the perfect site for Youth Visions Reflection Park. “I have been struck, though not surprised, by the energy and creativity of young people in the community throughout the process of creating Youth Visions Reflection Park,” Gonsalves adds.

Making Youth Visions Reflection Park Creation of the murals in Youth Visions Reflection Park began in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2013 that then-Commissioner of Parks, Denny Garvin, began working in earnest with youth on the park site. In 2014, in collaboration with additional youth from the U.S. Department of Labor’s YouthBuild program, work on the park began.

Gonsalves describes the present state of the park thusly: “There are six original free-standing murals already installed in the park, including a replica of ‘Rising Above Bigotry.’ Local artists are preparing to depict the CPR trajectory on the outer wall of the pool building in the park. In addition, eight more murals have been planned for the park. A walking path has been marked and will soon be paved. Once the path is completed, reflection benches built by youth will be in-

stalled. Finally, a memorial rock honoring neighborhood youth lost to violence, addiction and suicide will be placed under a tree and surrounded by benches.”

The project enjoys robust support from Commissioner of Parks, Lisa Ward, who said, “Our parks must be spaces in which youth can feel safe and welcomed. This youth-centered park demonstrates that we are listening — that we value them.”

Councilwoman Yvonne Harper, whose district contains Wilson Park, has appointed a board of elders to work with youth and oversee the park. Manager of Parks, Jody Prude, has been instrumental in working with the city to implement youths’ suggestions, including enhancing the park shelter and finalizing plans for the asphalt walking path, which will wind through the mural gallery. Juvenile Court Judge Denise Cubbon, also

a strong supporter of Youth Visions Reflection Park, would like to see some of the neighborhood youth, who are on probation, work on the project as part of their community service.

Once the park is completed, youth organizers would like to use it as a model and invite young people from other communities to create their own Youth Visions Reflection Parks.

“Revitalizing a public space is transformational — not just for the space itself, but for the people involved in the work,” Gonsalves says. “The process of planning and building Youth Visions Reflection Park has helped youth to recognize their agency to effect change and transform their community.”

Lorna Gonsalves contributed to this article.

Samantha Bartram is the Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine (sbartram@nrpa.org).

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Meet Me in

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S

t. Louis has a rich history of originality, ingenuity and cultural diversity.

Founded in 1764 by French fur trader Pierre Laclede Liguest, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s earliest immigrants were primarily from France, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Poland. Today, St. Louis is a melting pot of people from all over the world, including Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Home to close to three million residents, St. Louis continues to maintain distinct cultural districts with authentic food, shops and seasonal events. From the grounds of the Gateway Arch to the Italian Food on the Hill, St. Louis has something for everyone in its unique sites, attractions, activities and restaurants, so take the time to enjoy what this grand city has to offer.

By Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

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Places to See St. Louis Arch — Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Nothing says St. Louis more than the iconic St. Louis Arch. The nation’s tallest monument, it’s also the largest arch in the world. You can take a tram to the top of the arch, which is managed by the National Park Service, and visit the museum located beneath it.

The St. Louis Riverfront area, along the Mississippi River near the arch, is full of activities for every type of visitor, from paddleboat cruises and helicopter tours to seasonal events and local attractions.

Address: 11. North 4th St. St. Louis, MO 63102 Hours: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. daily Website: www.nps.gov/jeff/ planyourvisit/gateway-arch.htm Admission: Adults $3, children under 16 are free Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis Containing one of the largest collections of mosaics in the Western Hemisphere, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is a true masterpiece. More than 83,000 square feet of mosaics coupled with the 7,621 pipes of the Great Cathedral Organ make this 100-year-old

structure a sensory marvel unlike any other. The cathedral is not only a tourist destination — it is also a special place of worship with masses held daily.

Address: 4431 Lindell Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63108 Hours: 7 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays; both self and guided tours are available. Call 314373-8241 for more information.

Website: www.cathedralstl.org Admission: $2 suggested admission St. Louis Zoo Formed in 1910, the St. Louis Zoo is one of the top zoos in the nation, housing more than 14,000 species across a sprawling 90 acres. Highlights include the newly opened Tasmanian Devil Den and McDonnell Polar Bear Point exhibit.

Address: One Government Dr. St. Louis, MO 63110 Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily Website: www.stlzoo.org Admission: Admission is free, but there are fees for the parking and for some of the special attractions Missouri Botanical Gardens Almost 80 acres, the Missouri Botanical Gardens was founded in 1859 and is one of the top botanical gardens in the nation. Designated as both a National St. Louis Arch — Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

St. Louis Zoo

Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, the facility hosts a Japanese garden and three conservatories, among other attractions.

Address: 4344 Shaw Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63110 Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Website: www.missouribotanicalgarden. org Admission: Adults $15; children 3-12 $5 Saint Louis Art Museum Established in 1879, the Saint Louis Art Museum is located in historic Forest Park. Touted as one of the principal art museums in the United States, the museum has featured exhibitions as well as rotating installations. The building was designed by Cass Gilbert for the 1904 World’s Fair and is the last remaining building from the fair.

Address: One Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park St. Louis, MO 83110 Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Friday, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

Website: www.slam.org Admission: Free Anheuser-Busch Brewery One of the largest and oldest in the nation, the Anheuser-Busch Brew-

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ery includes three National Historic Landmarks and provides visitors with the opportunity to witness the beer making process.

Address: 12th and Lynch St. St. Louis, MO 63118 Hours: Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Website: www.budweisertours.com/ locations/st-louis-missouri.html Admission: Admission is free for the 45-minute tour

Missouri Bontanical Gardens

Things to Do St. Louis City Museum This unique, half artwork/half oversized playhouse is as much for children as it is for adults. Opened in 1997, the City Museum is housed in the former International Shoe building; the “exhibits” are each one-of-a-kind, hands-on creations made of a mix of reclaimed architectural and industrial materials. Visitors can climb, touch and play throughout the facility.

Address: 750 N 16th St. St. Louis, MO 63103 Hours: Monday–Thursday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Friday–Saturday 9 a.m.–midnight, Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

Website: www.citymuseum.org Admission: General $12; children 2 and under admitted free; $10 after 5p.m.

Friday and Saturday St. Louis Science Center and Planetarium Named a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate in 2016, this 50,000-square foot facility has hundreds of exhibits focused on life science, space, energy and the environment, to name a handful.

Address: 5050 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110 Hours: Monday–Saturday 9:30 a.m.– 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Website: www.slsc.org Admission: Free admission with small fees for some attractions

The Magic House — St. Louis Children’s Museum Address: 516 S Kirkwood Rd. St. Louis, MO 63122 Hours: Monday–Saturday 9:30 a.m.– 5:30 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m., call for times after Labor Day Website: www.magichouse.org Admission: Admission $10, ages 1 and older Butterfly House See more than 1,000 butterflies fly free in the 8,000-square foot glass conservatory.

The Butterfly House also includes educational programs, an outdoor butterfly garden and the opportunity to view butterflies emerging from their chrysalises.

Address: Faust Park, 15193 Olive Blvd.

Chesterfield, MO 63017 Hours: Open Tuesday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Website: www.missouribotanicalgarden. org/visit/family-of-attractions/butterfly-house.aspx Admission: General admission is $6; $5 seniors 65 and older; $4 children 3-12; children 2 and under are free

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A Taste of History National Blues Museum Opened in April 2016, the National Blues Museum focuses on the history of blues music across the nation. Exhibits include St. Louis blues artists, female blues musicians, costumes, instruments and songbooks.

Address: 615 Washington Ave. St Louis, MO 63101 Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday and Monday 12 p.m.–5 p.m.

Website: www.nationalbluesmuseum. org Admission: Adults $15; over 65 $12; children ages 5-17 $10; children under 5 are free Missouri History Museum Founded in 1866, the Missouri History Museum was created to preserve the history of the city and state. Rated the Best Museum in St. Louis in 2016 by Go! magazine, this museum has a variety of permanent and temporary exhibits.

Address: 5700 Lindell Blvd.

St. Louis, MO 63112 Hours: Monday, Wednesday–Sunday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday: 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Website: www.mohistory.org Admission: Free Grant’s Farm Grant’s Farm is the ancestral home of the Busch family, famous for their Anheuser-Busch beers, such as Budweiser.

The 281-acre facility includes the family residence and surrounding grounds.

Rated as one of the nation’s top attractions, Grant’s Farm includes more than 900 animals of more than 100 species.

Address: 10501 Gravois Rd. St. Louis, MO 63123 Hours: In the fall, open Friday 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Website: www.grantsfarm.com Admission: Admission is free; some attractions require a small fee Where to Eat South Grand Home to more international restaurants than Epcot Center, the South Grand neighborhood represents 14 different countries. This eclectic area is known not only for its restaurants, but also for its 19th-century Victorian

National Blues Museum

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walking park in Tower Grove Park, which includes the Missouri Botanical Gardens, unique shops and is host to seasonal events. South Grand won the 2015 Great Street Award from the American Planning Association — Missouri Chapter.

Address: Bounded by Arsenal St. on the north, Chippewa St. on the south, Kingshighway Blvd. on the west, and Grand Blvd. on the east Website: www.southgrand.org The Hill (Italian restaurant hot spot) Looking for some Italian dining? The Hill is St. Louis’ Italian neighborhood and maintains tradition in its restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores. This was also the home of baseball’s Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola.

Address: Manchester Ave. (Route 100) on the north, Columbia and Southwest Ave. on the south, South Kingshighway Blvd. on the east, and Hampton Ave. on the west Website: www.explorestlouis.com/ things-to-do/neighborhoods/the-hill Cherokee Street With more than 12 blocks of restaurants, stores, antique shops and galleries, the Cherokee Street area is a thriving destination for those looking for a unique urban experience. This area is also known as the Mexican food mecca of St. Louis, so if you are looking for an authentic Mexican meal, this is the place.

Address: From downtown, take Jefferson Ave. to Cherokee and head either direction. Or take Broadway south to Seventh St. to Cherokee St. and head west Website: www.explorestlouis.com/ things-to-do/neighborhoods/ cherokee-street Ted Drewes Frozen Custard First opened in 1930, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is a St. Louis tradition.

This family establishment was originat-

Grant’s Farm

Where Does St. Louis Rank? st

st

st

ed by Ted Drewes Sr. and continues to be family run despite numerous offers to create a franchise. The Chippewa operation is located on historic Route 66. Kosher custard is available. Ted Drewes has been featured on the Food Network and “Man vs. Food Nation.”

Address: 6726 Chippewa and 4224 S. Grand Blvd.

Hours: Chippewa location is open 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Grand location is open 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m.

Website: www.teddrewes.com Tony’s Restaurant St. Louis’ restaurant of the year in 2014, Tony’s has been a St. Louis favorite since the 1940s. It’s a perfect place for a fine dining experience.

Address: 410 Market St. Saint Louis, MO 63102 Hours: Tuesday–Friday 5:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m., Saturday 5 p.m.–10:30 p.m.

Contact info: 314-231-7007 Website: www.tonysstlouis.com Pappy’s BBQ Rated one of the top-five restaurants in

the country for ribs by the Food Network, Pappy’s Smokehouse is a muststop if you are in the mood for barbecue.

Address: 3106 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 63103 Hours: Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. (or until they sell out) Website: www.pappyssmokehouse.com Soulard Market Established in 1779, this farmer’s market is located in a historic French neighborhood of St. Louis.

Address: 730 Carroll St. St. Louis, MO 63104 st Hours: Best day to shop is Saturday because all booths are open (7 a.m.–5:30 p.m.), also open Wednesday 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday 8 a.m.–5 p.m., st Friday 7 a.m.–5 p.m.

Website: www.soulardmarket.com Note: Please check dates and times before visiting these locations — some stfacilities changend hours seasonally.

st

st

st

Happiest nd City in America rd (Based on smiles by Jetpack City Guides, 2013) Highest number of nd and libraries rdper museums capita (From all cities with cheapest cost of living, Kiplinger.com, 2013) FastestndGrowing Cityrd for Tech Jobs (Fortune Magazine, 2013) Missouri Botanical Gardenndis the oldest rd botanical garden in continuous operation in the United States nd Park — Forest rd Best City Park (USA Today, 2016)

Tallest nd arch in the rd world — Gateway Arch (Mental Floss)

nd

rd in America Best Zoo (Fodors, 2015)

nd

Oldest rd Symphony in the United States

rd

Best Botanical Garden in the Nation — Missouri Botanical Gardens (USA Today, 2016)

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St. Louis

Parks and Green

Alexander Liberman, The Way, 1972-80.

Kevin J. Miyazaki/Laumeier Sculpture Park

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Spaces S

By Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

t. Louis residents have a love for parks that goes back to the early 1800s. Some of the oldest parks in the nation were created here in 1812 — Gravois, Laclede and Mt. Pleasant Parks. Jackson Place Park was created in 1816 and the iconic Forest Park in 1874, among others.

To date, there are 105 public parks within the city of St. Louis’ borders and more than 40 others in the adjacent St. Louis County, not to mention 10 state parks in the greater St. Louis metro area. Seventy-eight percent of St. Louis residents enjoy walkable park access and the city ranks in the top 25 in the United States for park spending per capita — at $125 per resident. Approximately 80 percent of parkland in St. Louis is designated parkland, with the remaining acreage consisting of natural parkland. In short, it’s a park lover’s paradise.

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Regional Destinations Gateway Arch Grounds Located at the base of the Gateway Arch, the CityArchRiver project is transforming the existing open space into a more visitor-friendly, multiuse outdoor space. The creation of walking and bicycle trails, play areas and entertainment spaces will impact both tourists and residents alike. In May of this year, residents celebrated the renovation with a community picnic that

included a 2,016-foot-long picnic table and fireworks. www.cityarchriver.org Forest Park More than 500 acres larger than New Yorkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Central Park, Forest Park spans 1,370 acres and houses not only green spaces, but also the local zoo, history museum, science center and art museum.

Forest Park opened in 1876 and today is visited by 12 million people annually. It Missouri Botanical Garden

was recently ranked the best urban park in the United States by USA Today. www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/ departments/parks/parks/ForestPark.cfm Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park The largest park in the county parks system, Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park is slightly larger than 2,000 acres. It contains the largest natural lake in Missouri, a golf course, tennis courts, athletic fields, an archery course and numerous facilities for walkers and picnicking.

The park also contains a significant wetlands system and maintains habitat for a variety of waterfowl. www.stlouisco.com/parksandrecreation/parkpages/crevecoeur Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park Directly across the Mississippi River from the St. Louis Arch, the Malcom W. Martin Memorial Park is a 34-acre park and home to the Mississippi River Overlook and the Gateway Geyser. The overlook is located on the west side of the park and provides a 40-foot-high view of the river and overlooks the arch and St. Louis skyline across the river. The Gateway Geyser is the tallest fountain in the United States and second tallest in the world, reaching 630 feet into the air. www.meprd.org/mmmp.html Greenways In 2000, residents of the greater St. Louis area voted to create Great Rivers Greenway with the goal to connect parks with greenways throughout the area, providing trails to connect people and places. When complete, more than 600 miles of trails will give residents access to parks, neighborhoods, rivers and businesses across the region. Great Rivers Greenway has created an interactive web-based tool to help visitors find areas to explore based on individual interests like wildlife-watching, fishing, biking or finding a playground. www.greatriversgreenway.org

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Art and Sculpture Citygarden Located within walking distance of the St. Louis Arch, this almost 3-acre park combines world-class sculpture and landscape design. There are 24 sculptures, three water features, rain gardens, native plants and green roofs. www.citygardenstl.org Laumeier Sculpture Park Founded in 1968, this 105-acre facility is more museum than park. A walking trail winds through 60 large-scale sculptures.

There is also an indoor gallery set in an early 1800s Tudor stone mansion. Guided tours are available. www.laumeiersculpturepark.org Natural Areas Castlewood State Park Set along the winding Meramec River, this park is known for its hiking and mountain-biking trails. There is a host of wildlife viewing, fishing and outdoor recreation for those desiring a taste of adventure. https://mostateparks.com/park/ castlewood-state-park Lone Elk Park For those wanting an intimate look at local wildlife and a nice get-away from the hustle and bustle of the city, this is the place. Lone Elk Park is a 546acre wildlife management area that contains a host of wildlife, most notably elk, bison and deer. Many view the park from their car, looking for wildlife, while others venture out on trails that range from a 3-mile loop to a 13-mile round-trip hike. www.stlouisco.com/ParksandRecreation/ParkPages/LoneElk Klondike Park Located on the site of an old silica sand quarry, this 250-acre park has both paved and natural trails for hiking

and biking. Camping facilities include both cabins and campsites. www.sccmo.org/690/Klondike-Park

Missouri Botanical Garden

Pere Marquette State Park Located northwest of downtown St. Louis, this 8,000-acre state park hosts a variety of recreational activities year-round, including horseback riding, hiking, fishing and more. Incredible views of the Illinois River and historic attractions like the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps-built lodge with guest rooms and cabins beckon visitors to stay a while. www.dnr.illinois.gov/Parks/Pages/ PereMarquette.aspx Powder Valley Conservation Area Nestled near the junction of two major highways, the Powder Valley Conservation Area offers a rich taste of nature in a small 112-acre site. The beautiful oak history forest has wandering trails and the nature center combines information on backyard wildlife and conservation. www.nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/powder-valley-cnc Shaw Nature Reserve Managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Shaw Nature Reserve is a 2,400-acre natural area utilized for research, education and habitat reconstruction. Located outside the city, the reserve was used in the 1920s as a refuge for plant specimens from the botanical gardens that were being threatened by air pollution in the city. www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/visit/family-of-attractions/shaw-nature-reserve.aspx For Children Tree Top Playground at Shaw Park Shaw Park was established in 1935 and consists of 50 acres of rolling hills filled with recreation facilities and amenities.

In 2010, the park built the Tree Top Play-

ground in the north part of the park. The playground is completely fenced in and contains a tree house play structure, adaptive swings and ramps to ensure accessibility and musical instruments. www.claytonmo.gov/government/ departments/parks_and_recreation/ parks/shaw_park.htm Faust Park Created in 1968, this 200-acre park preserves the original estate of Fredrick Bates, Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second governor. Located in the park, the Faust Historical Village consists of several historical structures from the mid- to late-1800s. The 1920 St. Louis Carousel, also located in the park, offers rides on more than 60 hand-carved horses and deer. The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House is also located in the park. www.stlouisco.com/parksandrecreation/parkpages/faust Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a freelance writer located in Las Vegas, Nevada (paula.jacoby.garrett@gmail.com).

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2016 NRPA Annual Conference Special Events NRPA Opening Reception The NRPA Opening Reception at 6:30 p.m. October 5 is the kickoff to a week full of discovery. Join thousands of your peers, speakers and exhibitors at the St. Louis Zoo to explore the wildlife exhibits, grab a drink, have a bite to eat and show off your moves on the dance floor while enjoying the band. Special guests include penguins, apes, stingrays and more! The Zoo, in beautiful Forest Park, is renowned for its beautiful naturalistic exhibits and for its diverse collection of animals. It is widely recognized for its animal management, wildlife conservation, research and education. This party is graciously sponsored by GameTime and tickets are included with Full Package, Young Professional and Guest registration packages.

The Creativity Lab New this year, the Creativity Lab will

host facilitated individual, small and large group activities, games and exercises throughout the Conference that will help spark innovation, guide creative problem solving and provide engaging discussions. Use kinetic sand to squeeze, stretch and shape whatever comes to mind. Play audio tic-tactoe and improv games, participate in a scavenger hunt and try out a mini skill-builder activity. Loosen up and have some fun at the Creativity Lab. Check the Conference Mobile App for the full schedule of the activities happening October 5, 6 and 7.

Exhibitor Hosted Happy Hour Stick around the Exhibit Hall October 6 for the Exhibitor Hosted Happy Hour at 5 p.m. This event will feature food, drinks and opportunities to win a variety of giveaways. You can catch up with old friends, share everything you learned during the first two days of the Confer-

ence and chat with exhibitors. This is also a great opportunity to browse the exhibit hall and discover the amazing products and services on display from the more than 400 exhibitors.

NRPA Closing General Session: Parks and Rec, All Hands on Deck We are capping off three days of innovative education sessions with a big surprise at 4:45 p.m. October 7. This event may be cloaked in mystery but it’s guaranteed to be something you will be telling all your co-workers about when you get back to the office.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join thousands of your peers for a finale session like none other — including a demonstration that you won’t soon forget and an opportunity to have some fun with other attendees. This surprise will be worth the wait, so make sure you mark this “session” on your schedule.

Don’t miss the most exciting special events of the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference!

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THANK YOU SPONSORS We would like to thank the generous sponsors of the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference

® ™

If you are interested in being a sponsor for the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, please contact Lindsay Shannon at lshannon@nrpa.org or 703.858.2178

Welcome to St. Louis

T

he St. Louis Local Host Committee is proud to welcome all NRPA Conference attendees! Park and recreation professionals from two dozen different agencies volunteered their time and resources in a true demonstration of collaboration and teamwork, all to make the 2016 Conference the best yet. Local Host Committee members secured major donations of shirts, lunches, transportation and more, while planning ways to showcase St. Louis, its surrounding environs and the Missouri Park and Recreation Association to their best effect. Attendees are invited to enjoy their time in St. Louis — local volunteers will be wearing red shirts at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference, so don’t hesitate to ask them a question!

• Chris Atkinson (St. Charles Parks and Recreation) • Kirsten Barnes (Five Star Recreation) • Michael Biedenstein (St. Louis County Parks and Recreation) • Lisa Blumer (Ellisville Parks and Recreation) • Maralee Britton (St. Charles Parks and Recreation) • Gerald Brown (Sunset Hills Parks and Recreation) • Linda Bruer (Ballwin Parks and Recreation) • Scott Davis (Webster Groves Parks and Recreation Department) • Patty DeForrest (Clayton Parks and Recreation) • Craig Feldt (O’Fallon Parks and Recreation) • Gary Gates (Missouri Park and

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Recreation Association) • Terri Johnson (Municipal Partners for Inclusive Recreation) • Kyra Kaltenbronn (retired) • Emma Klues (Great Rivers Greenway) • Tyler Landreth (O’Fallon Parks and Recreation) • Maggie Martin (St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Department) • Jakcee McCall (O’Fallon Parks and Recreation) • Tom McCarthy (Chesterfield Parks, Recreation and Arts Division) • Miki McKee-Koelsch (Webster Groves Parks and Recreation Department) • Jan Neitzert (Missouri Park and Recreation Association) • Tom Ott (St. Louis County Parks and Recreation Department) • Teresa Proebsting (Parks and Recreation

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Cooperative — Richmond Heights) • Danielle Reecht (O’Fallon Parks and Recreation) • Bill Reininger (St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry — Tower Grove Park) • Brian Schaffer (Des Peres Parks and Recreation Department) • Elizabeth Simons (Great Rivers Greenway) • Alicia Stellhorn (St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry) • Cheryl Thompson (Florissant Parks and Recreation) • Mary Vaughn (retired) • Sarah Veile (Missouri Park and Recreation Association)

St. Louis Overachievers: The 2016 Conference Program Committee

Wanda Ramos Parks and Recreation Division Chief Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

he 2016 Program Committee for the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference provides an invaluable level of support for NRPA Staff as they work together to recruit and select the best and most relevant education sessions to serve their peers and support NRPA’s Three Pillars. Proudly representing agencies from across the country and working in a variety of capacities within parks and recreation, this team spent the better part of the year determining what topics would be of most value to their colleagues, seeking out top speakers in the field and vetting hundreds of session applications. Below, find the members of this year’s Program Committee. We sincerely thank them for their hard work, wisdom and sacrifice.

Michael Huffstetler Navy Lake Site Manager Morale, Welfare and Recreation Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay, Georgia

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Shane Mize Recreation Superintendent Missouri City Parks and Recreation Kaboi Simpson Deputy Administrator/Athletics Clayton County Parks and Recreation Inés Palacios Director of Recreation Playcore Tiffany Johnson District Manager Seattle Parks and Recreation Kirsten Barnes Executive Director Missouri Park and Recreation Association John Prue Installation Program Director Naval Station Great Lakes

Lucky D’Ascanio Conference Program Committee Incoming Chair Director Falmouth Community Program Rita Shue 2016 Program Committee Chair Retired General Manager Hayward Area Recreation and Park District Pat Armstrong Program Committee Past Chair Director Yarmouth Recreation Department Dody Erickson Deputy Director Denver Parks and Recreation Department Janet Bartnik Director of Parks and Recreation Liberty Parks and Recreation Edward Matthews Bureau Manager City of Norfolk

Sven Leff Director Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Nikki Ginger Professional Development Manager Chicago Park District Chuck Szoke Executive Director Channahon Park District Dirk Richwine Advisor GP-RED Sandra Gonzalez Director Pico Rivera Parks and Recreation Michael Klitzing Chief Operating Officer Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation Mark Young Consultant/Advisor Parks Forever Consulting

Shonnda Smith Chief Program Officer New Orleans Recreation Development Commission An-Taria Curry Recreation Manager East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission Lynda Cochran Chair, Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies The College at Brockport, State University of New York David A. Miller Acting Director Detroit Parks and Recreation Ann Marie Heiser Recreation Services Manager City of Allen Parks and Recreation Department

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NRPA Live: Your Virtual Conference Experience

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he NRPA Annual Conference is the largest gathering of park and recreation professionals in the world. While thousands are able to join us each year, we know that for each attendee there are 20 others who are not able to be there personally. This is why we created NRPA Live, a virtual way to participate in education opportunities at Conference. We select some of the best sessions and stream them live during the three-day event. Through our online portal you are able to listen, learn and ask questions to instructors just as if you were sitting in St. Louis, Missouri.

All sessions included in the below 2016 NRPA Live lineup offer 0.1 CEUs, allowing you to earn more than half the CEUs required to renew your CPRP! You also have the option to purchase a package that will allow you to access the session recordings for up to 12 months, so you may wait to watch and learn when it is most convenient.

Wednesday, October 5 8 a.m.-9:15 a.m.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: 7 Non-negotiables of Customer Service What your customers do not tell you is just as, if not more, important than what they do. Learn about seven customer service “non-negotiables” will transport you and your team to a new level of service.

9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Cultivating an Exceptional Relationship with Those that Govern You Every park and recreation department manager is governed by either an elected or appointed body. This session will show you how cultivate positive relationships with these groups and how to navigate political storms.

11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

So You Want to Be a Director?

Secrets Unveiled!

More than 50 park and recreation directors were surveyed to compile a list of “secret” factors that can help someone who wants to rise to the director level. This session is a must for those who aspire to be directors!

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1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m.

Recreation Program Hacks: 60+ Innovative Ideas in 60 Minutes Sixty-plus recreational program ideas will be shared during this interactive session, where you’ll be sure to find a “must do” for your community.

3 p.m.-4:15 p.m.

Engagement: The Overused Meaningless Buzzword Killing Employees and Organizations Employees want leaders who listen to ideas, mentor, coach and truly empower staff. This session will help you create an environment that allows staff to do what you hired them to do — be successful!

Thursday, October 6 1 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

Zika: Get the Buzz on Protecting Yourself and Your Communities In February, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern. Zika has the potential to dramatically affect park agencies. Speakers will share their strategies and tips to stay ahead of this potential health emergency.

2:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

Leveraging Social Media as a Communication Tool Social media is great for telling your online audience about your programs, facilities and services, but have you used it to talk with your customers? Learn how social media can become an essential tool for customer service and how

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you can get help from your community in marketing programs and services.

4 p.m.-5:15 p.m.

Is Your But Too Big? Push beyond a culture of excuses.

Challenging conventional thinking and pushing beyond comfort zones, this intensive and spirited session promises to be provocative and insightful.

Friday, October 7 8 a.m.-9:15 a.m.

Balancing the Business Model with the Social-Service Model We’ve created our own snowball effect of declining subsidies by establishing a solid business model for what should be considered social services that benefit the communities we serve. This panel discussion will share examples of successfully acquiring public support from those who utilize services… and those who don’t!

12:15 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in Youth Sports Forty million kids are involved in youth sports programs nationwide. More kids are also dropping out of youth sport and recreation programs than ever before. This presentation will identify not only successful youth sport programming ideas, but also successful strategies to respond to negative youth sport situations.

NRPA Live is a great opportunity to boost your professional development — for additional details, visit www.nrpa.org/NRPALive.

THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS OF THE 2016 PARKS BUILD COMMUNITY PROJECT

Join Us on October 8 for the Trojan Park Dedication Ceremony in Wellston, Missouri

Designing Parks for

Health

By Joanna Lombard, AIA, LEED, AP

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arks are the infrastructure of our communities. The locus for daily walks and memorable civic events, parks represent the identity of place. Very few buildings achieve the iconic status of most parks. Ask anyone to meet in front of a notable structure and it will likely require an address. Choose a park as the meeting place and the question moves to specifics — By the fountain? At the entrance?

In the United States, parks have been understood as essential to community health for the past 200 years, including Asa Grey’s garden cemetery movement, Frederick Law Olmsted’s Boston Fens and his “lungs of the city” metaphor associated with the design of Central Park in New York. These parks set a standard for improving ecological health through the plant and water systems of the park,

and community health through clean air and access to nature. While designers anecdotally and through their own personal experience felt natural settings provided individual health benefits, a body of data supporting these theories had yet to exist.

In the second half of the 20th century, as epidemiologists and public health researchers began to study the growing

impact of chronic disease, the built environment emerged more clearly as a significant factor. Seminal studies had already documented the link between longevity and social interaction, finding that across time and culture, people with higher levels of social interaction lived longer than those with fewer social contacts. Meanwhile, the post-WWII generation had moved from walkable cities and town centers to car-centric suburbs in a new settlement pattern of sprawl, which removed social interaction and physical activity from the daily routine.

By the 21st century, researchers studying the increasing rates of deleterious health

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D E S I G N I N G P A R K S F O R H E A LT H

staff understood the significant history and potential of parks. William Lyman Phillips, a young associate from Olmsted Brothers, worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps to create parks in discarded areas like the former quarry, as well as the county’s most beautiful shorelines. As much as was accomplished, however, the network of parks remained auto-centric and destination oriented.

At the opening of the 21st century, the Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces (MDPROS) leadership engaged in an open planning process to imagine a new future with a connected system of greenways and blueways, neighborhood parks, transit-oriented parks and development that would provide a resilient network for ecological and population health. The original team, led by Maria Nardi, now assistant director of planning and design excellence at MDPROS, outcomes — cancer, diabetes, heart disease and a host of related ailments — focused more specifically on the built environment and its impact on physical activity.

By now, however, parks had followed the same settlement pattern of sprawl as new parks were placed in drivable, rather than walkable, distances from neighborhoods. And, just as buildings stopped serving many simultaneous and diverse uses, parks followed the same trend with a focus on single-use spaces — a baseball diamond, a tennis court. So, just as single-use buildings stood empty in their off-hours, single-use parks were usually depopulated outside of game time.

The result of these kinds of physical and functional separations could be seen in the vast expansion of driveways and parking lots, and the diminishment of places that had once served as lively neighborhood centers. In the process of this radical post-WWII spatial experiment in which towns and cities became adjunct to highways and roads, and life moved off the streets and sidewalks and 78 Parks & Recreation

The separation of life into pods of single-uses enforced a pattern of commuting from place to place, which further limited the capacity of parks to provide social interaction and physical activity essential to health and well-being. into cars, parks became use-specific destinations instead of the lifeblood of daily infrastructure. The separation of life into pods of single-uses enforced a pattern of commuting from place to place, which further limited the capacity of parks to provide the social interaction and physical activity essential to health and well-being.

Florida’s Miami-Dade County is an exemplar of this settlement pattern. Its first parks evolved as plantings along roadsides. One of its earliest, and now iconic, parks was built on a site that had been mined for its oolitic limestone and was dotted with leftover mining equipment.

Fortunately, the early parks department

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conducted extensive community engagement sessions to develop a vision that represented the aspirations of residents, as well as advances in park and urban planning strategies that put people first.

As Nardi and the MDPROS professionals worked with national and local landscape, park and urban designers to develop the new masterplan, the need for impact accountability for the various strategies became increasingly evident.

This marked the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with the University of Miami’s Built Environment, Behavior and Health Research Group. The linking of community health outcomes and the new masterplan can be seen, for exam-

ple, in the goal to provide parks within walking distance of every resident.

Approved by the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2008, and subsequently adopted as part of the county’s Comprehensive Development Master Plan, its principles were also adopted by the school board, as well as the region’s 34 municipalities, three state parks and two national parks — Biscayne and Everglades National Parks. The Master Plan also represents a signature effort to assess action plans in relation to research-validated strategies for enhancing community health.

Data-Informed Design Decision-Making As the teams from MDPROS and the University of Miami worked together to identify leading impacts of the built environment on the health and well-being of Miami-Dade County residents, the research group drew on a generation of public health investigations. Health researchers 50 years ago had demonstrated the importance of social interaction, and by the opening years of the 21st century, a comprehensive series of studies demonstrated the impact of the built environment on physical activity and chronic disease.

In Miami-Dade County, the twin pillars of health — social interaction and physical activity — which had naturally occurred in a daily walk through a neighborhood were now, for a large part of the population, lost to the isolation of car trips. A trip to the park, in most locations, is beyond the distance of a walk.

The research group of faculty from the Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences and the School of Architecture had published findings during the past decade on the benefits of mixed-use blocks on children and social-support features, such as balconies and stoops, for elders. Building on this work with funding from the Office of Policy Development and Research in the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Health Foundation of South Florida, the team studied greenness on the county’s neighborhood blocks and its relationship to health outcomes in older adults.

tension and 10 percent for lipid disorders — or, to put this in a larger context, 49 fewer chronic conditions per 1,000 residents, equivalent to a reduction in the biomedical aging of the study population by three years.

Health researchers 50 years ago had demonstrated the importance of social interaction, and by the opening years of the 21st century, a comprehensive series of studies demonstrated the impact of the built environment on physical activity and chronic disease.

When 2010-2011 health data for almost a quarter million Miami-Dade Medicare beneficiaries over age 65 were examined in relation to greenness based on NASA satellite imagery, researchers found that neighborhood blocks with higher levels of greenness were associated with a significantly lower chronic disease risk for the residents of those blocks.

Living on a higher greenness block was associated with risk reductions of 14 percent for diabetes, 13 percent for hyper-

The finding that the impact of greenness levels was proportionately stronger among all racial and ethnic groups in lower-income neighborhoods suggests that the addition of trees, parks and open spaces in low-income neighborhoods could also address issues of health disparities to achieve greater parks equity, a foundational principle of the MDPROS Master Plan. Nardi and MDPROS Director Jack Kardys collaborated with the research group on the interpretation of these findings, and after

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D E S I G N I N G P A R K S F O R H E A LT H

Shade trees, green spaces and opportunities for community gardens

and in particular, greenness and parks, the research group consolidated this work into five, key points that represent leading elements of the Master Plan, supported by extensive research demonstrating beneficial health associations.

provide significant health benefits. the results went online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, they announced the results of the study at the department’s sixth annual Great Parks Summit and conducted workshops for planners and designers to apply the results to a current park retrofit project.

Nardi believes that “working with emerging evidence on parks and built-environment impacts on health and well-being enables parks and public spaces to contribute to more equitable communities.” She also observes that collaborations with community partners in both research and implementation “offer the most effective way to achieve beneficial outcomes.” Current MDPROS partners include the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, Public Housing and Community Development and the Transportation and Public Works Department. These partnerships have led to enhanced data-mapping, which enables broader, shared awareness of the conditions in greatest need of amelioration. Nardi noted that, “MDPROS is then able to correlate data to capital projects.”

Park Design for Health The MDPROS Master Plan is a comprehensive document that addresses both the internal conditions of parks and the connections of parks to neighborhoods, based on the understanding that the realm of parks begins at each resident’s door and extends through the connective fabric of the city and its parks and open spaces. With an equally comprehensive body of data on the health impacts of the built environment, 80 Parks & Recreation

1

Mixed-Use

The five points begin with mixed-use.

Access to mixed-use destinations provides multiple reasons for more people to walk. Neighborhoods with mixed-use destinations show higher levels of social interaction and physical activity, essential elements of a healthy lifestyle. Mixed-use in a parks context can mean that the park is part of a mixed-use district with shops, residences and other kinds of activities nearby, or that the park itself serves as a mixed-use destination in the neighborhood. This can be seen in parks that provide for a variety of uses within the park, and extend to include opportunities for food and other services.

2

Connectivity

Mixed-use depends on connectivity.

Multiple destinations are only beneficial when they are accessible. Studies show that people walk more in areas

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with connected sidewalks and having many route choices is associated with high connectivity. A greater density of intersections, for example, is associated with more walking and higher levels of physical activity. The ability to access mixed-use destinations through a variety of paths ensures a greater likelihood of frequent social interaction, as well as the benefits of physical activity through walking. Generally, shorter blocks and more paths connecting blocks support more activity and community cohesion.

The Master Plan illustrates numerous conditions for increasing connectivity to parks and enhancing neighborhood walkability. This reinforces the concept of parks and open spaces as opportunities to build connectedness throughout an otherwise sprawling region.

3

Greenness

The third element, and most obviously related to parks, is the presence of greenness. Shade trees, green spaces and opportunities for community gardens provide significant health benefits. Often, parks dedicated to a particular sport may be limited in providing greenness. This is where the streetscape and sidewalk system that connects a park to its neighborhood can help to contribute greenness. There is a significant body of research on the role of neighborhood greenness in enhancing community identity and encouraging physical activity. There is also evidence that higher levels of greenness are associated with higher property values. The case for green addresses individual, population, economic and ecological health.

4

Eyes on the Park

Jane Jacobs, in her hallmark book, The Life and Death of Great American Cities, noted the importance of what she called, “Eyes on the Street.” She pointed out that neighborhood safety and vitality depend on a maximum number of people watching over a streetscape. In a well-connected, mixed-use neighborhood, people are present 24/7. Residents and workers in the neighborhood are moving in and out so that someone is always present. Jacobs observed this feature as a hallmark of a thriving street, public space or park. Sub-

5

Mobility

Finally, mobility enables people to reach places through multiple modes of travel — walking, biking and various forms of private and public transit.

Sidewalks and streets can occupy more than one-third of the land of a city.

Adding surface parking lots, that figure can range to as much as two-thirds of the ground plane. Understanding the importance of these aspects of mobility as part of the park system is foundational to developing the connectivity necessary for a dynamic park system.

While the specifics of how each park provides these elements are unique to its context and location, a fully connected park system begins at the doorstep of each resident and serves as infrastructure that supports health and well-being. sequent research confirms that the observation of public space enables a level of safety and security that has both health and well-being impacts for the observer and the observed. Parks are especially sensitive to supervision and the proximity of residents, the presence of mixed-use, easy access through a well-connected network, and the presence of trees are all linked to higher levels of activity and social support. Providing close proximity of active uses and easy visual and physical access can ensure sufficient numbers of Eyes on the Park, as well as enhancing both physical activity and social interaction.

Parks that can be reached on foot by the first circle of users provide important neighborhood destinations and participate in a park infrastructure that connects parks, greenways and blueways across a region through trails, sidewalks, streets and rails. Kardys points out that “complete streets with generous sidewalks, which connect to convenient transit access points, are the essential ingredients of a truly accessible system of parks and open spaces.”

Kardys also notes that “a multimodal approach to connectivity ensures that access is equitable, allowing the largest number of residents to enjoy

great public spaces and experience a green and safe journey to reach them.” This comprehensive and inclusive approach to mobility also enables people with various levels of personal mobility to enjoy parks. Making parks welcoming for users with supportive appliances provides opportunities for social interaction and physical activity in a safe space that builds skill and enhances well-being.

This five-point checklist: (1) Mixed-Use (2) Connectivity (3) Greenness (4) Eyes on the Park (5) Mobility provides a framework for assessing the potential for parks to contribute to community and individual health. Other aspects of resilience and hazard mitigation add to the ecological health profile, and there are clearly many other aspects of park design. The key contributors to health, however, are embedded in this checklist and, to the extent that park and park system design provides and enhances these elements, the closer parks move toward a healthy community design strategy.

While the specifics of how each park provides these elements are unique to its context and location, a fully connected park system begins at the doorstep of each resident and serves as an infrastructure that supports health and well-being.

Parks provide the places where many of life’s most profound experiences are celebrated — designing parks as linked elements within a parks infrastructure can transform our suburbs, towns and cities so that these beloved places are also our partners in health.

Joanna Lombard, AIA, LEED, AP, is a Professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture and the Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine (jlombard@miami.edu).

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NRPA Update NRPA’s Wildlife Explorer Program

By Roxanne Sutton

T

he evidence is irrefutable — young people are increasingly disconnected with the natural world. In fact, the average American child spends as few as 30 minutes in unstructured outdoor play each day and more than six hours daily in front of an electronic screen.

In order to ensure that the next generation becomes stewards of our public lands and natural resources, it is essential that youth are presented with opportunities to connect with nature in their daily lives. It’s been established that to achieve greater frequency of such opportunities will take creativity in developing new ways to connect kids during afterschool hours, not just in traditional periods of weekend park visits or in school settings.

At NRPA, we believe park and recreation agencies are uniquely positioned to provide such opportunities by leveraging existing out-of-school time programming to help solve the “nature deficit disorder” by connecting kids to nature in their own backyards — local parks.

As a way to encourage more park agencies to incorporate nature programming into their current offerings, NRPA launched Wildlife Explorers in September 2016, a turn-key initiative that connects youth to nature and encourages exploration and learning in the out-of-doors. Developed with our partners at the National Wildlife Foun-

Wildlife Explorers — The Basics Target age range: 5 to 10 years old Program length: 6 weeks (meeting one to three times per week) Activity length: 45 minutes to one hour per week Location: Any park or recreation center, schoolyard or outdoor space Staffing: Little to no experience with subject matter required. NRPA recommends a 1:15 facilitator to student ratio.

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dation and Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the program consists of a nature discovery curriculum targeted at underserved and urban areas nationwide.

Understanding that each park and recreation agency’s outdoor spaces are uniquely different and that not all park staff have experience or a comfort level with implementing environmentally focused programming, NRPA designed Wildlife Explorers to require no previous experience facilitating environmental programming from park and recreation agency partners. Wildlife Explorers programming can be conducted in any park space — no matter how small or large.

The curriculum is not aimed at teaching kids environmental concepts, but rather, Wildlife Explorers focuses on “environmental likeability” in order to encourage exploration and increase kids’ comfort with spending time in nature.

NRPA piloted the program at several agencies across the country during summer and fall of 2016, including in San Jose, California, New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Baltimore, Maryland. By providing support to park staff through a printed leader guide that walks facilitators through the cur-

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riculum and online webinar trainings, pilot agencies were able to implement the nature program without a naturalist or trained environmental educators, thereby reaching new audiences of young people who would not otherwise have access to nature programming.

We know that connecting kids to nature can provide vast benefits, including improved overall health, increased concentration, and the ability to problem solve and think creatively, among others. Creating intentional time for kids to be outside is the first step in creating a life-long affinity for nature.

Local parks and recreation centers are opportune spaces to connect young people with the natural world. Wildlife Explorers is a tool designed to increase the capacity of park professionals to do just that.

To learn more about the Wildlife Explorer program and/or upcoming grant opportunities, or to download the curriculum, visit our website at www.nrpa. org/wildlifeexplorers.

Roxanne Sutton is NRPA’s Communication Manager (rsutton@nrpa.org).

Wildlife Explorers is an out-of-school nature discovery program that connects youth to nature. This “environmental likability” curriculum targets underserved and urban communities nationwide and encourages exploration and learning in the out-of-doors.

Wildlife Explorers requires no previous experience facilitating nature programming from our park and recreation leaders, and is able to be conducted in any park space – no matter how small or large.

To learn how to implement this program at your facility, visit:

www.nrpa.org/WildlifeExplorers

Developed by NRPA in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

NRPA Update

Member Spotlight: Carolyn McKnight

R

esilient. Tough. Adaptable. Driven by a desire for excellence. These are but a handful of adjectives to describe Carolyn McKnight, superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Commission (BREC). We can also add “award-winning,” as McKnight is set to receive the National Distinguished Professional Award at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference. Still, it’s difficult to come up with a way to adequately encapsulate the awesomeness of this woman who, before endeavoring to raise two boys on her own, was busy serving in the Air Force, earning her master’s degree from Texas Christian University and joining the Texas Air National Guard — she retired in 2006 at the rank of colonel, having served for more than 20 years as a reservist. McKnight also boasts an impressive parks and recreation résumé — she worked for the city of Dallas Park and Recreation Department from 1985 until January 2012, after which she moved to East Baton Rouge, where she’s since served as superintendent. “When I get up in the morning, I don’t feel like I am going to work. I feel like I am going to make a difference in people’s lives,” McKnight says, shooting her formidable ray of uncompromising optimism out into the world. We were fortunate to talk with McKnight, as she and her staff continue to play a critical role in recovery from recent historic flooding in Baton Rouge — following is a portion of our conversation.

Parks & Recreation magazine: What do you feel has been the most impactful lesson you’ve learned as you arrive at this moment in your career?

Carolyn McKnight: Resiliency during and after crises, service before self, and excellence in all we do are core values driving my steps every day. I learned and had these values reinforced while serving in the Air Force, as a single mother for 20-plus years and as now as the leader of BREC and as a new member of the La Capitale Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. These values have sustained and motivated me to keep moving, regardless of how tough or difficult it might get. It has been a very difficult year for the East Baton Rouge community with the police shooting, the constant and bitter protests that followed, the killing of three law enforcement officers and now the historic flood of 2016. I have seen our community torn apart by racial unrest and brought together by the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy. Before the flood waters came, we were brainstorming and actively engaging law enforcement officials about joint programming to close the racial divide. I have learned that it isn’t

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just a saying — “parks build communities” — we are the most positive entity in a community to help rebuild. Parks and special community events are vehicles to allow young African-American youth and law enforcement officials to see each other as people — not as a badge and a uniform, a title or their station in life — but as real people. As they play together and spend time together, people get to know each other in a whole new way.

P&R: East Baton Rouge has been heavily impacted by recent flooding — how have you kept up morale, both within your agency and the community at-large?

McKnight: From the moment the waters began to rise, the BREC team sprang into action. We opened five shelters at the request of the American Red Cross. We deployed our two “BREC on the Geaux” mobile recreation playground units and the BREC Art Gallery teamed up to offer healthy activities and a creative outlet for children in shelters across the parish.

We opened 10 emergency camps that allowed parents a safe place for their children while they worked or began the

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long journey of assessing and removing flood-damaged homes. Our BREC team worked to open camps in our buildings until schools re-opened and we used several of our facilities to store needed cleaning and other supplies donated by people from all around the country. We allowed the National Guard and Department of Transportation and Development to stage at our sites and we have used another site to temporarily hold debris to greatly speed up collection and clean up from several thousand flooded homes in our parish.

We did all of that despite having about 25 percent of our own BREC staff impacted by the flood. We have helped staff by providing them with a financial stipend given by our BREC Foundation, acting as a shelter-in-the-workplace for employees and their families for as long as they need it, maintaining distribution centers for donated supplies, expanding emergency leave and soliciting donations on behalf of our employees and community.

Despite a skeleton crew in many areas, we were able to inspect all 184 parks and quickly re-open and repair the majority of them to give people a sense of normalcy and a place to get away from the stress and devastation wherever we could. This recovery is going to take a long time, but our staff has responded to the needs of the community and I believe they will continue to do so for the duration.

— Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

NRPA Park Pulse

N

RPA Park Pulse is a new monthly poll of Americans focused on park and recreation issues. Questions each month span from the serious to the more lighthearted, but always help tell the park and recreation story. This month, we take a closer look at attitudes surrounding physical activity in children.

Children’s Physical Activity Opportunities Lacking A Park Pulse poll conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association asked 1,017 Americans ages 18+ whether they agree there should be more opportunities today for physical activity in children.

Park and recreation agencies are committed to providing children with year-round opportunities to get active.

96%

of Americans agree children should be given more opportunities to be physically active

83%

81%

of Americans believe park and recreation centers can provide opportunities for physical activity outside of school grounds

of Americans believe more opportunities on school grounds, such as gym or playgrounds, should be offered to children

www.nrpa.org ©2016 National Recreation and Park Association Based upon a survey conducted for the National Recreation and Park Association by Wakefield Research among 1,017 nationally representative Americans, ages 18+, between June 16th and June 23rd, 2016, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population ages 18+. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. All decimals are rounded to the nearest percentage point. This may result in certain numerical totals adding up to slightly more or less that 100%.

Hot Topics The NRPA Annual Conference isn’t the only place buzzing with hot topics in our field. NRPA Connect features more than 50,000 park and recreation professionals discussing the latest news. Below, take a peek of what is trending this month: Filming in parks and facilities: Agencies are often approached by producers who wish to film in their parks and facilities. What policies do you have in place for fees charged?

Does the price cover maintenance costs and clean-up fees? Read this discussion to see what members recommend.

Maintenance standards for dog parks: Dog parks are always a popular topic on NRPA Connect and this discussion focuses on maintaining dedicated dog parks. Discussion items include pesticide application, sod replacement and more.

State-of-the-art recreation centers: Looking for examples of stateof-the-art recreation centers? Login to read examples from fellow professionals and gain inspiration for your new recreation center.

Urban forestry program: Looking for tips and insight on organizing a written urban forestry plan? You’ll find many great resources in this thread, including the National Arbor Day Foundation Guidelines on Municipal Tree Ordinance.

Have questions about using Connect or getting started? Email Hayley Herzing at hherzing@nrpa.org or visit www.nrpaconnect.org to join the conversation today!

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NRPA Update

Make Data a Walk in the Park

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he innovative data analysis tool mySidewalk is simplifying the way hundreds of organizations streamline existing conditions, identify specific conditions, benchmark against near or like places and tell more data-driven community stories. By automating the heavy lifting, mySidewalk is helping communities move projects forward and make stronger, more informed decisions using data.

This basic overview provides instant existing-conditions analysis of your community broken down by total population.

NRPA has partnered with mySidewalk to build data templates that enable NRPA members to instantly generate interactive local reports for their communities. Every template includes demographic and socioeconomic data mapped alongside local parks and trails across the country.

Now, all NRPA members can request any of the following interactive local analyses free of charge, as a member benefit: What sort of senior programming is your community likely to need?

Learn more about the aging population living near your parks and review charts of related data in your community. This analysis can be used to answer questions regarding programming for target age groups.

What sort of child and adolescent programing is your community likely to need?

Discover the proportion of people under the age of 18 living near your parks and compare that information with corresponding data charts, allowing for insightful programmatic decisions and proactive planning.

What is the demographic makeup of the population living in your community?

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Where are residents with disabilities living in your community?

Locate areas where residents with disabilities live in your community for insight on how to provide more inclusive, accessible programs.

Are members of your community walking or biking to work?

Understand how residents move in your community and make more informed decisions about where to build bike paths and trails. This analysis will also tell you where residents have easier access to your facilities than others.

For instant data discovery and to tell a more informed data-driven community story, visit http://community.mysidewalk.com/buildstrongerparks and request a free interactive report.

If you’d like to learn more about mySidewalk, stop by booth 221 at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference. Nick Bowden, CEO of mySidewalk, will also be speaking during the Conference at 1 p.m. Thursday, October 6, on, “The Art of Building a Better Haystack Using Data.” Not headed to the NRPA Annual Conference? Simply visit www.nrpa. org/mysidewalk to learn more.

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Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge The following question is a sample Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) examination question.

An example of a program management goal would be: A. Participants will improve their skill in tennis B. Tennis courts will be programmed 75 percent of the time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

C. Participants will experience 50 percent of the types of fitness classes offered D. Skills will be developed in pitching, hitting and fielding Calling all beginning to mid-level professionals! The Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) is the national standard for all park and recreation professionals who want to be at the forefront of their profession. For more information on the CPRP certification program, please visit www.nrpa.org/cprp.

Answer – B

What is the demographic makeup of the households in your community?

This overview provides instant existing-conditions analysis of your community broken down by total households.

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

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

SCHOOLS AND CONFERENCES SCHOOL IS IN! The end of summer marks the beginning of school, and this fall the kids are not the only ones returning to further their education. The 2016 NRPA school season kicks off each August with Directors School, which this year hosted its largest class of students in school history! If you missed us there, be sure to take note of the program dates included on this page and plan to participate in an upcoming scholastic endeavor! Also, be sure to visit www.nrpa.org/education for information about scholarships and other tuition assistance.

NRPA Conferences and Schools are forums where the park and recreation community comes together to exchange ideas and information. Register now for these upcoming events. All NRPA Schools are held at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, unless otherwise indicated.

November 6-10, 2016

January 15-20, 2017

January 29 - February 3, 2017

March 12-17, 2017

AFO PROGRAM

1-2 6-7 7-8 21-22

North Miami, Florida Camarillo, California St. Louis Park, Minnesota Las Vegas, Nevada

JAN

18-19

Phoenix, Arizona

7-8 28- Mar 1

The Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) certification program provides the most comprehensive training on playground safety standards and the credentials to inspect playgrounds for safety compliance.

9-10

Canton, Michigan

DEC

DEC

CPSI PROGRAM

Phoenix, Arizona Hartford, Connecticut

www.nrpa.org/AFO

www.nrpa.org/education

NOV

Austin, Texas Charlottesville, Virginia Portland, Oregon Sun City, Arizona Anaheim, California Sacramento, California

NOV

8-9 8-9 10-11 12-13 15-16 28-29

MAR FEB

The Aquatic Facility Operator (AFO) certification is a state-of-the-art certification for pool operators and aquatic facility managers.

2-4 2-4 8-10 9-11 16-18 29- Dec 1 13-15

Lexington, South Carolina North Salt Lake, Utah Liberty, Missouri San Angelo, Texas Clearwater, Florida Everett, Washington Horsham, Pennsylvania

www.nrpa.org/CPSI

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Operations Providing Equal Access to Aquatic Facility Locker Rooms for People Who are Transgender

By Laurel P. Richmond, Ph.D., CPRP, AFO-I

A

quatics professionals have many tasks that they must handle on a daily basis. Ensuring that their pool is safe for all patrons is the No. 1, most-pressing concern. While we are always concerned about children running on the deck, or the temperature and chemistry of the water, we are also concerned with patron safety in the shower, changing areas and locker rooms. Many of us have policies prohibiting the use of cellphones while in the locker rooms or have set maximum ages for a member of the opposite sex to use the changing facilities. Now, as many states have recently passed laws regarding transgender people and their use of locker rooms and bathrooms, we must establish policies and trainings to ensure that every person is treated safely and fairly while using our facilities.

Recent news stories have created scrutiny over who is using which locker room or changing facility and who is “allowed” to utilize sex-segregated spaces such as restrooms. It is our responsibility as pool operators to create and enforce a clear set of guidelines for all patrons and to mitigate the fear that someone might feel about who is using “their” space.

Understanding Terminology First, we must understand what is meant by the umbrella term, “transgender.”

Gender is a sociological construct and is characterized as man, woman and the range of identities in the spectrum between man and woman. A person who identifies as transgender is a person whose gender identity is not the same as what was assigned to them at birth. Their physical body and sex organs do not match how they feel inside about who they are. Their parents and doctors classified them as a boy or a girl at birth, but they feel and believe their gender identity is not well-represented by this early classification. As such, this person may have decided to partially or fully transition to their correct gender. The process of transitioning means changing the physical body and gender presentation from one gender to another. This includes a wide spectrum of things from altering one’s hair, dress and mannerisms, to taking hormonal supplements and/or having surgery to transition to the gender that matches one’s identity. The goal

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for many people who are transgender is to “pass” as the gender with which they identify. This means that they may not have had surgery to transition from one gender to another, but one cannot tell that they were born a boy as they are presenting their body using feminine traits and characteristics and therefore “pass” through society as a woman.

A person who is transgender can be anywhere on the spectrum of transitioning, and this presents challenges for those of us who are responsible for locker room facilities. Some states allow a person to change the sex on a driver’s license no matter where the person is in the stages of transitioning. Locker room patrons often determine whether or not someone is “allowed” to be in the locker room based on physical clues and not every transgender person passes as the gender with which they identify. This requires that we educate our staff and patrons about this topic and have very clear policies in place that are enforced.

Communicating with Patrons Aquatic facility operators must think about how to address questions from patrons regarding transgender people and the facility’s policy about locker room use. Ensuring that a policy is in place prior to an incident or complaint is fundamental to providing quality service.

Creating and enforcing a policy helps to address the concerns and fears of facility patrons. The facility policy exists to support and provide safe, quality aquatic experiences for all patrons.

Researching your state law is the first step. Many states require that the sex listed on a person’s driver’s license corresponds to the locker room that must be used.

The second step involves surveying the facility space and the locker room itself. For facilities that have the space, it may be possible to create a gender-neutral changing area or provide a family

restroom for people who are made uncomfortable by using the larger men’s or women’s locker rooms. Gender-neutral areas are to be used by anyone who wishes to use them. They are not to be spaces only for people who identify as transgender. If this is not possible, evaluate the locker room space that you do have. Toilet areas are private and shower areas may be separated spaces as well.

Hang shower curtains in both the shower areas and in the changing areas to provide more privacy for all patrons.

Third, staff must be trained to address all patron concerns confidently and discreetly. They must be able to explain the facility policy and enforce it without drawing excess attention to individuals. Other than checking identification to ensure that the sex listed matches the sex of the locker room in use, it is not staff ’s responsibility to question who belongs in what locker room. Staff may need to direct the patron’s attention to the gender-neutral space or point out the accommodations made if privacy is still a concern.

Finally, invite a review of your policies by someone who is transgender and uses your facility. They may have suggestions that can make the space more welcoming for all patrons. These steps help us to follow the law while also providing safe, enjoyable aquatic experiences for all our participants.

People who are transgender typically do not want excess attention to be called to them. It may be difficult for them to even consider using an aquatic facility knowing that they might be questioned about which locker room they “should” be using. Aquatic activities require changing into clothing that is form-fitting and often revealing, and for someone who is uncomfortable with the presentation of their body, it might be easier to avoid swimming facilities all together.

It is our responsibility to to make our aquatic spaces as safe and welcoming for each participant as possible.

Laurel P. Richmond, Ph.D., CPRP, AFO-I, is an Assistant Professor at California State University, Long Beach (laurel.richmond@csulb.edu).

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Products Outdoor Water Bottle Fillers

Compliant Wheelchair Picnic Tables The Pilot Rock brand W-Series universal access picnic tables are designed to meet or exceed the ADA requirements and provide compliant wheelchair access at both ends of the table. The seats are full length so every table in your public areas can be fully accessible and fully useable by everyone! R.J. Thomas Mfg. Co. provided seven W-Series universal access picnic tables for the NRPA’s “Parks Build Communities” Trojan Park project in Wellston, Missouri. The Pilot Rock product line includes picnic tables, pedestal grills, park and street site benches, campfire rings, bike racks, trash and recycling receptacles and lids, lantern poles, custom signs and more. PILOT ROCK, 800.762.5002, WWW.PILOTROCK.COM

Willoughby Industries’ bottle fillers are perfect for parks, college campuses or anywhere people need access to filtered water outdoors, even near beaches. These vandal-resistant filling stations are constructed of heavy-duty type 304 stainless and are available as a single bottle filler, bottle filler plus water fountain or bottle filler plus water fountain and child-height water fountain. Please stop by booth #2610 at NRPA Conference in St. Louis to see our new products! WILLOUGHBY, 800.428.4065, WWW.WILLOUGHBY-IND.COM

Salt Chlorinators

Zipper Fix

ChlorKing’s® new Chlor MSM (Mini Switch Mode) line of salt chlorinators is designed to meet the lower capacity needs of spas and smaller commercial pools, such as those in parks, while giving them the operating efficiencies and safety benefits offered for larger pools by the company’s Chlor SM (Switch Mode) line. Two models are available: Chlor MSM2 for spas and pools holding up to 2,500 gallons of water and Chlor MSM5 for pools holding up to 75,000 gallons. They are capable of using salt to produce up to 2.2 pounds of chlorine or 6 pounds, respectively, over a 24-hour period. CHLORKING, 800.536.8180, WWW. CHLORKING.COM

FixnZip® is a new way to solve broken zippers with effortless repair sans needles, threads and tools. This product slides over any broken zipper and instantly replaces it as a new zipper — perfect for any product or wardrobe malfunctions. FixnZip is perfect for instantly fixing the zipper on a wide range of products, including heavy jackets, backpacks, boat covers, sleeping bags and jeep windows. Easy-to-use and eco-friendly, FixnZip is reusable and can be taken off one item and used for another. Its design enables each to fit a range of sizes as well as universally apply to teeth or coil zippers, metal or plastic.

FIXNZIP, 866.817.0400, WWW.FIXNZIP. COM

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The Easiest Way To Build

Visit Us at Booth #1534 NRPA Conference Oct 6-7 , St.

Louis

Precast Concrete Buildings For All Your Park & Rec Needs VERSATILE • DURABLE • FAST • ECONOMICAL • SECURE Standard and custom plans, styles, colors, finishes • Sizes from 10’ x 12’ to 50’ x 250’ Pre-engineered, Pre-assembled, Pre-plumbed, Pre-wired • Minimal site preparation Outperforms all other materials • Resistant to rot, vandalism, fire, blast, and storms Installation in just hours • Available nationwide from a network of Licensed Producers Concessions • Dugouts • Electrical/Mechanical • Hazmat • Maintenance Sheds • Offices • Press Boxes Pump Houses • Restrooms • Locker Rooms • Field Houses • Security Shacks • Shelters • Storage & more!

Online Quote Form

EasiSetBuildings.com 866.252.8210

NRPA 1-2pg 7.625x4.75 2016.indd 1

6/6/2016 8:39:34 AM W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 6 |

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marketplace

s ice e Pr st rvic ers e e w Lo eat S stom Gr c Cu rrifi Te

Recycled site furnishings â&#x20AC;¢ park signs

Bright Idea Shops, LLC Akron, Ohio 800-886-8990 fax 330-258-0167 www.brightideashops.com www.park-signs.net

SCENIC SIGNAGE

Julian Wash Soneran Habitat - Tucson, AZ

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CONCRETE PING PONG & CORNHOLE GAMES

Great For: Parks • Playgrounds • Colleges Schools • Water Parks • Campgrounds and More!

INCREASE PARK

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AT NO COST! IN 2015, THREE OF OUR PARK PARTNERS WON NRPA GOLD MEDALS Congrats Delaware State Parks (State Parks), M-NCPPC, MD (Class I) and Plano Parks and Recreation (Class III)!

Come see us in booth 5653 at NRPA 2016

Doty&Sons

CALL US: 800-233-3907

Visit Us: byobagsgame.com Concrete Products, Inc. www.dotyconcrete.com Sycamore, IL. 60178 Quality Products Since 1948

, parks around the US In partnership with tes era op d an al l the capit Go Ape provides al ing cit ex an g din ad ses while the adventure cour ity to your park. recreational amen

SESSMENT! 0769 FREE ONSITEe.cAS om or call 415.553.

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• Stock products ship in 2 days or less • Seeking new quality dealers • We back our dealers, no direct-selling • Industry leading recycled plastic • USA Made, in business 43 years

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www.FrogFurnishings.com | sales@jayhawk.com

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marketplace LEADERS IN OUR FIELD. OUTSTANDING IN YOURS.

CALL FOR EDUCATION SESSION PROPOSALS Submit your session proposals now to speak at the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana

Our innovative design and reputation of quality has made us the goal of choice for the uncompromising customer.

FIND US AT EMAIL TOLL FREE

WWW.SCOREMASTER.COM SALES@SCOREMASTER.COM 1-888-726-7627 Our goals meet or exceeds ASTM F2056 and ASTM F2673

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For more information, visit www.nrpa.org/Proposals or contact education@nrpa.org DEADLINE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016

Request free information from the manufacturers of the products found in this issue.

I prefer to receive the information via

Mail

Phone

Email________________________________________________________________

Name__________________________________________________________________________________ Phone__________________________ Address________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________________State________________ZIP___________________________________________ What’s your favorite part of the NRPA Annual Conference?_______________________________________________________________________ Please email your answers to dstorm@nrpa.org.

reader service

YES! I would like free product information!

Check the product(s)/company(ies) that you would like information from: AQUATICS Aquatix...............................................55 877.632.0503 www.aquatix.playlsi.com Pentair................................................13 800.831.7133 www.pentaircommercial.com Vortex.................................................22 877.586.7839 www.vortex-intl.com Water Odyssey...................................31 512.392.1155 www.waterodyssey.com Waterplay Solutions Corp.................47 800.590.5552 www.waterplay.com ARCHITECTS/ENGINEERS Brinkley, Sargent, Wiginton Architects...........................................49 972.960.9970 www.bsw-architects.com ATHLETIC/EXERCISE EQUIPMENT Go Ape................................................93 415.553.0769 www.goape.com Greenfields Outdoor Fitness...........2, 3 888.315.9037 www.greenfieldsfitness.com Power Systems...................................32 800.321.6975x1012 www.powersystems.com/NRPA TriActive America..............................51 800.587.4228 www.triactiveamerica.com BLEACHERS/ SEATING Kay Park Recreation..........................94 800.553.2476 www.kaypark.com BUILDINGS/TENTS/SHELTERS Classic Recreation Systems...............31 800.697.2195 www.classicrecreation.com Easi-Set Buildings..............................91 866.252.8210 www.easisetbuildings.com Poligon®..............................................20 612.399.1963

www.poligon.com Shade Systems™ Inc.............................1 800.609.6066 www.shadesystemsinc.com Stageline®...........................................41 800.267.8243 www.stageline.com Waterloo Tent.....................................41 800.537.1193 www.waterlootent.com BUSINESS SERVICES/CONSULTANTS/ CONTRACTORS Sports Advisory ................................59 727.474.3845 www.sportadvisory.com COMMUNICATIONS Basinger AudioSystems....................91 877.638.5816 www.portablesound.com GOLFING PRODUCTS/SERVICES Adventure Golf Services...................53 888.725.4FUN www.adventureandfun.com Disc Golf Association.........................92 831.722.6037 www.discgolf.com GROUNDS MAINTENANCE John Deere...........................................5 800.358.5010 www.johnedeere.com/local ICE RINKS Nice Rink.............................................43 888.642.3746 www.nicerink.com LIGHTING Ephesus Lighting........................ 26, 27 800.573.3600 www.ephesuslighting.com Musco Sports Lighting......................17 800.825.6030 www.musco.com PARK PRODUCTS/SERVICES American Swing Products.................91 800.433.2573 www.americanswing.com

Ameristar Security ............................15 888.333.3422 www.ameristarsecurity.com Bright Idea Shops..............................92 800.886.8990 www.brightideashops.com Dogipot..............................................34 800.364.7681 www.dogipot.com Du Mor Site Furnishings......................7 800.598.4018 www.dumor.com Great American Business Products...... 15 800.790.8896 www.petwasteeliminator.com Gyms for Dogs — Natural Dog Park Products.....................................93 800.931.1562 www.gymsfordogs.com Jayhawk Plastics Inc..........................93 913.764.8181 www.frogfurnishings.com Most Dependable Fountains........... C2 800.552.6331 www.mostdependable.com National Construction Rental...........94 800.352.5675 www.rentnational.com Paris Equipment Manufacturers LLC.............................33 800.387.6318 www.peml.com Pilot Rock®..........................................23 800.762.5002 www.pilotrock.com Victor Stanley®.....................................9 800.368.2573 www.victorstanley.com PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT Cemer® Playground & Fitness..........25 +90.232.853.87.04 www.cemer.com.tr Cemrock..............................................29 520.571.1999 www.cemrock.com GameTime®........................................ C4 800.235.2440 www.gametime.com/challenge

Playworld.......................................... C3 800.233.8404 www.playworld.com/branch-out Landscape Structures®............... 18, 19 888.438.6574 www.playlsi.com Swing Set Mall....................................14 800.985.7659 www.swingsetmall.com Themed Concepts®............................48 855.724.3270 www.themedconcepts.com RESTROOMS/LOCKER ROOMS Green Flush Technologies.................50 360.718.7595 www.greenflushrestrooms.com SIGNS/SCOREBOARDS Berntsen ............................................21 877.686.8565 www.berntsen.com iZone Imaging....................................92 888.464.9663 www.izoneimaging.com SPORTS EQUIPMENT Doty & Sons Concrete........................93 800.233.3907 www.byobagsgame.com Scoremaster Goals.............................94 888.726.7627 www.Scoremaster.com Soccer5®USA......................................57 305.393.5230 www.soccer5usa.com SURFACING Matéflex..............................................39 800.926.3539 www.mateflex.com SofSurfaces........................................35 800.263.2363 www.sofsurfaces.com TURF PRODUCTS Jacobsen®...........................................11 888.922.TURF www.jacobsen.com Superthrive®.......................................21 800.441.8482 www.superthrive.com

Mail the completed form to Dana Storm at NRPA, 22377 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, VA 20148-4501 or email to dstorm@nrpa.org.

(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 ©2016 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: $36 a year in the U.S.; $46 elsewhere. Single copy price: $4.50. Library rate: $48 a year in the U.S.; $58 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Park Bench

Monarchs Visit NRPA Waystation In December 2014, Eagle Scout candidate Jacob Schaffner and volunteers from his Boy Scout troop began preparing planting beds for a Monarch Waystation at NRPA headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia. The nectar-bearing plants and milkweeds planted in the waystation have grown and flourished since then, and new beds planted by NRPA staff volunteers were added in the spring of 2016. NRPA’s Monarch Waystation is one of more than 14,000 waystations throughout the United States.

Monarch Waystations are pollinator-friendly wildflower gardens that are specially planted with a variety of wildflowers and milkweeds, plants that are essential to the monarchs’ life cycle as they migrate through multiple generations nearly 3,000 miles from Southern Mexico and back again where they overwinter until the following spring.

As most NRPA members know, monarch butterflies are in a desperate fight for survival. Once common, if not abundant throughout North America, monarchs have declined more than 90 percent in the past 20 years.

This monarch butterfly seen drawing nectar from a zinnia was photographed by Jaclyn Synder, age 15, who is the daughter of Karen Synder, NRPA’s playground safety manager. Snyder stopped by headquarters with her daughter during the Labor Day weekend to hike to a nearby reservoir and visit the waystation to look for monarchs. Jaclyn caught this long-distance visitor at exactly the right moment.

NRPA’s Parks for Monarchs campaign now has more than 500 park and recreation agencies participating in monarch conservation activities creating habitat, conducting educational programs and engaging volunteers in citizen science and monitoring. rch s Pa rk s for Morchna Cons ervation

A Resource Guide for Mona

96 Parks & Recreation

NRPA is pleased to announce an exciting new resource for monarch conservation in parks. NRPA and Monarch Joint Venture (MJV), the national consortium of conservation organizations working to restore the monarch, have collaborated on a new publication: Parks for Monarchs: A Resource Guide for Monarch Conservation. This new guide, made possible by a generous grant from Phillips 66, provides information and resources on monarch biology, how to create and restore pollinator habitat, how to engage citizen volunteers in monarch conservation and how to make your parks havens for monarchs and other pollinators. It is now available for download at www.nrpa.org/parks4monarchs.

Sign on to the Parks for Monarchs campaign when you download the guide, and join the movement of parks fighting to save the monarch!!

— Richard J. Dolesh, NRPA’s Vice President of Conservation and Parks

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But instead of copying Mother Nature, we’re complementing her.

Branch Out™ offers the appealing scale and activities of tree play in an efficient, open layout. It’s a solution to revitalize post-and-platform playgrounds while maintaining an aesthetic connection to the natural world.

Playworld.com/Branch-Out

A NRPTH BOO

2716

PLAY HAS NO LIMIT.TM Challenge Course by GameTime® combines obstacle course activities with precision timing systems and a mobile app to help your community achieve its health and wellness goals. It’s a fun, exciting and social fitness experience for all generations. Accept the Challenge® at gametime.com/challenge.

Enriching Childhood Through Play®

PARKS&RECREATION OCTOBER 2016 ◆ 2016 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE ISSUE