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contents november 2016 volume 51 | number 11 | www.parksandrecreation.org
2016 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
FEATURES
38 Inspired, Recharged and Raring to Go
44 The Greenline — Connecting San Antonio’s Past to Its Future
More than 7,100 people gathered in St. Louis for the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference, and, this year, attendees were in for some incredible experiences.
40 Urban Rewilding
Dr. Scott Sampson inspired Conference-goers to remember the joy of connecting with nature as a child, and urged park and recreation professionals to encourage today’s kids to get outside and get curious.
41 Nonstop Learning
2016 NRPA Annual Conference education offerings kept attendees engaged, interested and inspired.
42 In Recognition of Excellence
Join NRPA in congratulating this year’s deserving award honorees.
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San Antonio’s The Greenline linear park looks to create a valuable community amenity out of one of the city’s most-recognized features, the nowclosed Brooks Air Force Base. Eric Moreno
48 Disasters: Are You Prepared?
The increasing frequency and severity of weather events across the country is having a direct impact on park and recreation agencies. Richard J. Dolesh
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contents november
departments 12 Research
columns 6 Perspectives The More We Learn, the More We Grow Stephen Eckelberry
8 Editor’s Letter
Introducing NRPA Park Metrics 12 Stay on Your Smartphone! 14 Park Pulse: Americans Support Tobacco Bans at Public Parks and Recreation Centers 17
18 Community Center Video Marketing: Now with a Bigger Bang for Park and Rec Agencies 18 From the Director’s Chair 20
22 Member to Member Year-Round, Paved-Trail Surface Maintenance Ty Houck
52 NRPA Update Park and R.E.C.-reativity 52 Member Spotlight: Kristina K. Adams 54 Member Benefit: Go Green on a Budget 55
United We Serve Gina Mullins-Cohen
24 Advocacy The New Markets Tax Credit Oliver Spurgeon III
26 Law Review Age Discrimination Claim by Beach Patrol Chief James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.
32 Conservation Empowering Volunteers to Take the Lead Lori Robertson
34 Health and Wellness Troops for Fitness Engages Military Veterans in Community Health and Wellness Programming Marla Collum
Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge 55 Will You Go Out With Us? 56 NRPA Connect Hot Topics 56 Professional Development Calendar 57
36 Social Equity Creating a Special Space for Their Buddies Maria Bosack
58 Operations Modern Aquatic Therapy and a New Clientele
60 Products 61 Marketplace 63 Reader Service and Advertiser Index 64 Park Bench Movable Chairs Sonia Myrick
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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
The More We Learn, the More We Grow As I look back on another great experience at the NRPA Annual Conference, this year in St. Louis, I’m amazed at the networking and educational opportunities offered. I’ve attended more than 15 NRPA Conferences and each of them has offered unique opportunities for our members. One of the things that always strikes me is how much we learn from each other. Whether it is through networking at an event or from our peers presenting at a session, we all have so much knowledge to share. The beauty of the park and recreation profession is that we are always willing to share what we know. The more we learn, the more we grow as both professionals and advocates. And, there is never a time to stop learning. We all know our day-to-day jobs take up more and more of our time as many of us take on more responsibilities these days. But, as trends, technology and people evolve, it is important for us to keep up with these changes. And, NRPA is here to help. I had someone tell me they could not believe the amount of data that NRPA had and how much it would help them in telling their story to elected officials. That’s part of our goal at NRPA. We want you to be able to make your case to demonstrate how important parks and recreation is to our communities. We are committed to developing even more research to help you in your efforts. Our new strategic plan has a goal of creating more healthy, sustainable and equitable communities for all. During the next three years, we plan to reach 4.5 million people in the areas of NRPA’s Three Pillars: Conservation, Health and Wellness, and Social Equity. The programs themselves happen through you, our members. As your new chair, I invite you to take advantage of the many educational and networking opportunities NRPA has to offer. Whether it is a webinar, one of the management schools, Innovation Labs or just getting involved in a conversation on NRPA Connect, stay engaged. Make sure the networking doesn’t just take place at the Annual Conference. Continue to reach out to your peers for help and advice. Take advantage of our research. Use it to demonstrate just how important your park and recreation programs are to everyone in your community. And finally, continue to do what you do so well — remembering how vital are the services that you provide.
S T EPH EN ECK ELB ER RY Chair of the Board of Directors
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2377 Belmont Ridge Rd. | Ashburn, VA 20148 2 703.858.0784 | www.nrpa.org
NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Jack Kardys
Chair of the Board of Directors Stephen Eckelberry
Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida
Bartlett Park District Bartlett, Illinois
Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois
National League of Cities Washington, D.C.
Karen Kress
Great Rivers Greenway District St. Louis, Missouri
Treasurer Michael Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois
Secretary Jack Kardys Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida
President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jesus Aguirre Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington
Leon T. Andrews
Yellowstone Park Foundation Emigrant, Montana City of San Diego, California, Park and Recreation Department San Diego, California
Susan Trautman, CPRP
William “Joe” Turner Houston Parks and Recreation Houston, Texas
Dr. Howell Wechsler Alliance for a Healthier Generation New York, New York
LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman
Fort Mill, South Carolina
James H. Evans
Anne S. Close
New York, New York
Rosemary Hall Evans Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
Earl T. Groves
National Wildlife Federation Washington, D.C.
Gastonia, North Carolina
Stephen Eckelberry
Richmond, Virginia
Robert García
Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.
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EDITOR’S LET TER
United We Serve The essence of a military career is service. No matter the branch or rank, the women and men who populate the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force spend their working days in service to their country. We commonly refer to a person’s time spent in the military as “service.” “My father served during WWII” or “My daughter is serving in Afghanistan.” We thank veterans for their service and we acknowledge the service of extended family, spouses and children who support their loved one deployed far from home. Our land, too, serves to support the military interests of our country. Thousands upon thousands of acres are dedicated military bases, providing training grounds and living quarters for a large portion of the approximately 1.4 million people currently serving in United States Armed Forces, as well as their families. In the almost 30 years since Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) — the process by which the United States Department of Defense seeks to increase its efficiency by strategically closing, consolidating and realigning military bases — became a routine legislative practice, hundreds of these bases have closed. Left in that wake are swaths of land and facilities seemingly paused in service, suspended in purpose. Appropriately, across the country civilians, military personnel, U.S. government agencies, municipal leaders, corporate partners and others are coming together to forge new paths of service for these frozen facilities. Author Eric Moreno details in our cover story, “The Greenline — Connecting San Antonio’s Past to Its Future,” one such project that will connect the recently overhauled Brooks Air Force Base with the city’s thriving South Side. The linear park is the final feature in a years-long revitalization effort that will make it easier than ever for this shuttered military base, now mixed-use development, to exist in service to the community. As park and recreation professionals, you, too, have a deep understanding of the concept of service. It’s likely what drew you to this career path. That so many of us — from active and retired military personnel to recreation leaders, teachers, nutrition counselors, urban planners, social activists and still others — share the impulse to serve, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This issue honors the special work of Morale, Welfare and Recreation leaders, veterans who became Troops for Fitness instructors, and communities that rally to find innovative pathways to service, whether it’s for an individual or a set of buildings that once housed a humming Air Force operation. We thank you for your service.
GINA MULLINS-COHEN Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing Editorial Director 8
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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 Lisa Paradis Gil Peñalosa Dr. Kevin Riley Matthew Rudnick Paula Sliefert Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs Randy Wiger
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Research Introducing NRPA Park Metrics The streamlined, interactive performance database formerly known as PRORAGIS By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.
A
llow me to introduce — perhaps, more appropriately, reintroduce — you to a friend: NRPA Park Metrics. This is the most comprehensive source of data standards and insights for park and recreation agencies available anywhere. It is an all-inclusive suite of agency performance resources to assist park and recreation professionals in the effective management and planning of their operating resources and capital facilities. NRPA Park Metrics (www.nrpa.org/ metrics) includes not only an annual report on the state of park and recreation, but also a series of interactive tools that enable park and recreation agencies to build customized reports that allow for comparisons with peer agencies. Park and recreation professionals can use this benchmark data to gain more funding support, improve operations and better serve their communities. Renamed and Improved If NRPA Park Metrics sounds familiar to
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you, it is because you already know it. It is the new name for PRORAGIS. During the past year, we have made a number of improvements to PRORAGIS based on the passionate feedback you shared with us. The new name better reflects the benefits of this powerful resource. One of the biggest changes we made was a drastic streamlining of the survey instrument that collects PRORAGIS data. The new questionnaire takes far less time to complete and only asks questions that are relevant to a majority of
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park and recreation agencies. The resulting Agency Performance Survey instrument, launched late last year, collects all of its information in just 30 questions, broken into eight different sections: • Jurisdiction (location, population, size of area served) • Agency Operations (operating expenditures, revenue sources) • Capital Budget (current year, five-year capital budget) • Personnel (FTE counts, distribution of responsibilities) • Workload (number of parks and buildings, mileage of trails, number of people served) • Agency Responsibilities (what agencies operate, maintain, contract) • Facilities (counts of facilities, athletic fields) • Activities (sports leagues, cultural offerings, out-of-school time programs) Most importantly, the streamlined survey instrument respects your time. If your agency has not filled out an Agency Performance Survey in recent years, you, like most agencies, can enter your data in 20 to 30 minutes. Even better, agencies that have entered their data in recent years can update their 2016 NRPA Park Metrics data in just a matter of minutes. The online survey form allows you to “push” prior year’s data into the current year’s form. After transferring this data, all you need to update are a few figures for the current fiscal year and you are done. In many cases, an agency can update its NRPA Park Metrics data in less than 10 minutes. Why wait? The 2016 Agency Performance Survey is now open to accept your agency’s NRPA Park Metrics data. Go to
www.nrpa.org/metrics to get started. If you need help with your login credentials or have questions on how to push prior year’s data into your 2016 profile, simply email me at kroth@nrpa.org and I will get you going. Accessing the Data When you add your agency’s data to NRPA Park Metrics, it becomes part of the most robust park and recreation agency performance database for our nation, allowing your agency and its peers to identify best practices and inform strategic decisions for years to come. While benchmark data cannot, in and of itself, give you all the answers to the issues that may be vexing your agency, it does provide an information base from which you can make educated decisions. Use this data with your leadership, your staff, external consultants and key stakeholders as you guide your agency into the future. Let’s review all of the ways you can access the data from NRPA Park Metrics. The NRPA Field Report, published each spring, is the annual review of park and recreation agency performance data. The 2016 edition summarizes the data from almost 1,000 agencies throughout the United States, featuring 21 figures that highlight critical metrics of park and recreation agencies. Questions answered include: • What is the median number of residents per park? (answer: 2,277 residents) • What is the typical number of acres of parkland per 1,000 residents? (answer: 9.5 acres of parkland) • What does the typical park and recreation agency staff size look like in terms of full-time equivalents (FTEs) per 10,000 residents? (answer: 7.4 FTEs per 10,000 residents served) • How much in terms of operating expenditures does the typical park and recreation agency spend per resident served? (answer: $76.44 per resident served) • How much does the typical park and
recreation agency recover in terms of costs (i.e., revenue as percentage of operating expenditures)? (answer: 29.0 percent of its operating expenditures from non-tax revenues) As interesting as these findings may be, they only start the conversation. The reason is that your park and recreation agency is not “typical,” but rather the product of unique characteristics that serve a diverse population. More powerful insights come when you are able to compare your agency to others that share similar characteristics and challenges. That is where the NRPA Park Metrics’ Interactive Tools come into play. Here you can take a closer look at each of the 21 figures presented in the NRPA Field Report and examine the metrics by major groups. You can dig deeper into the data with crosstabs for: • Acres of parkland maintained by agency • Budget size • Jurisdiction population and type • Number of FTEs • Number of parks maintained • Population per square mile • Region of the United States You can analyze NRPA Park Metrics even further by creating an Agency Performance Report. Create a custom report of park and recreation metrics based on agency characteristics of your choosing, including agency size and budget, jurisdiction population and geography. These reports feature median values on budgets, staffing
and facilities, and highlight the responsibilities and activities of peer agencies. The most customized reporting experience comes when your agency has an upto-date NRPA Park Metrics profile. By entering your agency’s data in NRPA’s newly streamlined Agency Performance Survey, you gain access to a benchmark report that compares your agency to that of its peers. You can narrow down the data to compare your agency to that of a peer group you define (including identifying specific park and recreation agencies that also have updated their NRPA Park Metrics profile). The resulting reports present your agency’s data next to the median, upper and lower quartile values, along with the individual responses of each agency in your peer group. If your agency had not been keeping its PRORAGIS profile up-to-date, now is a great time to enter your data with the streamlined Agency Performance Survey. Regardless of your agency’s level of participation with NRPA Park Metrics, I encourage you to discover (or more likely rediscover) the many ways this powerful collection of park and recreation agency performance benchmarks are available to you. Our work on NRPA Park Metrics is not complete. In the coming months, we will be introducing new reports and dashboards that give your agency new ways to compare itself to its peers and to identify new areas for growth in the future. Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA’s Vice President of Research (kroth@nrpa.org).
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Stay on Your Smartphone! Social media messages that connect youth with nature By Keri Schwab, Ph.D., Susan Houge Mackenzie, Ph.D., William W. Hendricks, Ph.D., Lindsey M. Higgins, Ph.D., Marni Goldenberg, Ph.D., Jerusha Greenwood, Ph.D., and Brian Greenwood, Ph.D.
D
oes your agency face a challenge simply connecting with youth in your community? Do you have programs designed to get youth outdoors, but feel that the ever-changing landscape of social media and technology needed to reach them is a maze? Are your state-of-the-art outdoor recreation and education programs really cool but participation is waning? In an effort to identify social media messages that resonate with youth, and that will ultimately encourage them to connect with nature, researchers from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, embarked on an exploratory investigation of urban youths’ motives to spend time outdoors, and their social media use. Rather than viewing social media and technology as the downfall of youths’ engagement with nature, we sought to find out how agen-
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cies can capitalize on the convergence of nature and technology. Despite the well-known mental, social and physical health benefits of spending time in nature, youth are increasingly disconnected from natural areas and outdoor recreation activities. This separation can hinder environmental awareness and opportunities for physical, social and mental health enhancement. The impacts of limited contact with nature are often more pronounced in low-in-
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come urban areas and for minority residents due to “park poor” neighborhoods with little to no access to natural areas. Messages that Resonate Time spent online is often sedentary, but if leveraged appropriately, social media could be a medium that fosters health and social behavior change among youth. At a basic level, social media presents opportunities to engage youth through the technology and apps they use frequently. Photos and posts online, through personal and agency-sponsored social media accounts, can suggest opportunities to participate in outdoor recreation activities, remind youth of the benefits of spending time in nature, or inform them of local resources. At a deeper level, social media messages can tap into youths’ motives to participate in outdoor recreation and physical activity. For example, if youths want to go outdoors to spend time with friends or for adventure, messages from peer groups, agencies and community leaders can tap into these motives. Agencies can support youths’ active and outdoor experiences by providing information on current recreation events and programs, on trailheads and hiking locations, or even facilitate finding friends with whom to participate. However, to foster behavior change through social media, an understanding of youth perceptions of nature and outdoor recreation is necessary to facilitate crafting posts and messages that resonate with their strongly held attitudes and motives. To gain this understanding, during the spring and summer of 2014, sev-
en focus groups were conducted with 42 youths, ages 11–20 years old, primarily of Latino or African-American descent and from a densely populated urban area. They were asked about their motivations to experience nature and the outdoors and their use of technology, including which social media sites they frequent and why. Six key themes to help craft effective messages emerged from this exploratory study: (1) unique and novel experiences, (2) escape, (3) social connections, (4) challenge, (5) adventure and (6) achievement. Of these, the unique and novel experiences theme was most common across all focus groups. This theme represents the desire to do something unusual or different from their peers. Comments such as, “I like finding a lot of bugs… bugs that I don’t even know existed,” expressed youths’ desire to engage in “out-of-the-ordinary” activities that felt unexpected and unique. This theme was unsurprising given the volume of research that shows people like going outdoors to experience wonder and satisfy their curiosity. Escape from a range of stressors, such as school, city life and even technology, was another theme echoed across almost all focus groups. One participant said, “I always have this urge to want to get away, like, to get away from the city and to get away from the lights, and just to get away from it all.” Youth seemed to clearly understand the value of time in nature as a way to release stress. One shared: “Sometimes in school we have so much going on… but then when you’re outside, you just forget about it…that way you can escape…and most importantly with the people you like, like your family, and you could just experience the same thing.” It was surprising that although a quarter of youth are almost constantly online, they were also aware of the immense benefits of disconnecting from technology. “You just get tired of being on your phone a lot,” one participant stated. In addition to disconnecting from technology, youth viewed outdoor experiences as a chance to reconnect with family and friends. A social connections theme, which captured their appreciation of how the outdoors could facilitate social bonding, was illustrated with statements such as “You get to learn things…that you wouldn’t… at home,” and “When you are in nature, you get to bond with [people] more…have like a little picnic and…share thoughts and experiences.” Another participant noted, “Bringing my family to nature just really makes us grow as a family, because we get to bond with each other more than how we would in our homes. It’s a lot different.” Adventure, challenge and achievement were additional themes that captured youths’ motivations for seeking outdoor recreation experiences. They spoke of seeking excitement and adventure or doing something they never thought possible. They wanted to engage in a challenging activity and feel a sense of accomplish
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Research
ment. The adventure theme, for example, highlighted the excitement associated with exploration. As one participant explained, “Kids just like to go and have an adventure. They like to discover new things because there’s so many, like, wildlife out there, and they could say, ‘Oh, I want to discover this or see it in real life.’” Challenge meant doing something they didn’t think possible or, even better, something their friends had not achieved. “Everybody gets all competitive to beat each other at doing whatever it is they’re being challenged [to do],” one youth explained. And, they appreciated the sense of accomplishment that followed adventure and challenge. Achievement could be experienced several ways, and did not always entail completing a “grand feat.” It could be as simple, as one youth stated, as “when you go somewhere and you see like a waterfall or something. It feels like it’s a reward.” Bragging to their friends is another way youth experience achievement. For example, one youth described “like when we went to the snow and 16 Parks & Recreation
brought back pictures and were showing people. And they were like, ‘Oh, I want to do that next time.’” Engaging Youth Via Social Media Although using social media to inspire outdoor recreation activities and a connection with nature may seem counterintuitive to some, gaining youth attention is the first step toward engagement, and one plausible medium is technology. By building on youth interests — both in technology preferences and motivations for spending time in nature — park and recreation professionals can encourage participation in outdoor recreation–based youth programs and an appreciation for natural places. To effectively connect with youths, we recommend designing social media messages and marketing campaigns that consider the themes described herein. Furthermore, easy to understand access information (e.g., addresses, apps, transportation alternatives and routes) should accompany the messages to help convert youth interest into action. For example, a
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photo and an online post about reaching a peak (that taps into the themes of challenge and achievement) should be paired with links to trail maps and public transportation options. Combining themes in social media messages and campaigns — seeking adventure with family and friends for greater social interaction — can engage youth through the multiple motivations they express. For example, an agency might post information and photos on its social media sites to encourage youth to hike to a waterfall or unique natural feature, or to complete a novel challenge, such as geocaching with close friends or family. Finally, youth reported using multiple social media platforms, so park and recreation professionals should publish content on multiple sites and encourage youth to engage with their messages by creating and adding content. Youth created and shared content, such as comments or photos of accomplishments and social outings, may be one of the most powerful ways to ensure continued engagement with social media that in turn, encourages outdoor recreation participation and visits to natural areas. With effective planning and targeted use, social media has immense potential to engage youth in outdoor activities that enhance physical, social and mental well-being. Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation. org/2016/November/Stay-on-YourSmartphone. Keri Schwab, Ph.D. (keschwab@calpoly.edu), Susan Houge Mackenzie, Ph.D. (mackenzi@ calpoly.edu), William W. Hendricks, Ph.D. (whendric@calpoly.edu), Marni Goldenberg, Ph.D. (mgoldenb@calpoly.edu), Jerusha Greenwood, Ph.D. (jbgreenw@calpoly.edu) and Brian Greenwood, Ph.D. (pgreenwo@calpoly. edu) are faculty members in the Department of Experience Industry Management at California Polytechnic State University. Lindsey M. Higgins, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Agribusiness Department at California Polytechnic State University (lhiggins@calpoly.edu).
NRPA Park Pulse Each month, through a poll of Americans that is focused on park and recreation issues, NRPA Park Pulse will help to tell the park and recreation story. Questions span from the serious to the more lighthearted, and with this month’s poll we take a closer look at attitudes surrounding support for prohibiting the use of tobacco products at public parks and recreation facilities.
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Community Center Video Marketing: Now with a Bigger Bang for Park and Rec Agencies By Joe Dysart
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hile video marketing is already on the radar of most park and recreation agencies, recent indications show that the medium will continue to explosively transform the internet for years to come. Video-friendly, social media start-up Instagram, for example, a mere blip on the Web’s radar a few year ago, now boasts 500 million users, and Snapchat, another video-centered, social media network, is growing almost as ferociously. In addition, YouTube, the online video king, currently cruising along at more than a billion users, is reaching more 18-49 year olds than any cable TV network in the United States, according to the company’s stats page (http://tinyurl.com/ndayhok). Anne Abrams, public relations consultant for Jack London State Historic Park in California says, “Video draws the viewer in, in a very experiential way.” Frankie Nelson, recreation coordinator for the Folsom, California, Department of Parks and Recreation, agrees. She films videos of kids who enjoy the city’s annual summer camp program and makes sure those miniature movies are seen by the parents who
are paying for that summer camp fun. “Since the inclusion of video marketing in the summer camp program,” Nelson says, “we’ve gained more interest from potential customers by providing them with an opportunity to view a day in the life of our camp.” Currently, 55 percent of consumers watch at least one video per week on a mobile device, according to a 2015 Animoto study that also shows 48 percent of Millennials are viewing videos exclusively on mobile. Perhaps most telling is a prediction from market researcher eMarketer that by 2017, businesses and organizations will, for the first time, spend more advertising dollars on digital advertising — approximately $77.4 billion — than on TV advertising. Video Marketing Tools Park and recreation agencies looking to cash in on the seemingly insatiable appetite for video on the Web have a cornucopia of tools they can use to put together marketing videos of all types: YouTubeDirector (http://tinyurl. com/jq2rwej): Released earlier this summer, YouTubeDirector is a suite of easyto-use tools specifically designed for small businesses and organizations looking to
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make quick marketing videos from their smartphones. Its core product is a downloadable app featuring commonly used templates for video ads, which a park and recreation agency’s marketer can use to quickly populate with their own video content. The templates also all come complete with pre-packaged music that can be used to further polish the production. Moreover, for park and recreation agencies willing to spend at least $150 to advertise on YouTube, the video goliath will send a local video producer right to your door to put your video together for you, free of charge (http://tinyurl.com/zau2ko3). For organizations that go this route, the entire video creation process takes less than a day, according to Max Goldman, product manager, YouTubeDirector. Live Video Streaming: Nothing engenders immediacy in marketing quite like video that is streamed live, and major social media networks are scrambling to provide this service to their users free of charge. Facebook, for example, has begun rolling out a live-streaming service that is ridiculously easy to use on a smartphone (http://tinyurl.com/q3epqgn). Simply log in to Facebook with your smartphone, tap your “Update Status” button and choose the “Live Video” icon to start filming your park. While you’re broadcasting, you’ll be able to see how many people, including how many of your Facebook friends, are watching. Plus, your viewers will be able to live stream comments to one another as they watch the video. Similar free, live video-streaming services are offered by Periscope (https:// www.periscope.tv), a Twitter-owned
company, and YouTube Live Streaming (http://tinyurl.com/myuvreb). Free Stock Images: While stock photography from online services like Getty Images can be expensive, there are a number of websites where you can grab tens of thousands of royalty-free images for your videos, including: Pixabay (https://pixabay.com): This huge site has hundreds of thousands of images that are in the public domain. It offers not only images, but also vector graphics, illustrations and short video clips. Unsplash (https://unsplash.com): This site offers a plethora of high-quality images. Photos are arranged in collections, or you can drill down for more specific needs with a search tool. The Commons (www.flickr.com/commons): Flickr’s The Commons compiles images with no known copyright restrictions from museums, libraries and individuals all over the world. Many selections come from major arts institutions, such as The Smithsonian, the New York Public Library and the British Museum. Magdeleine (http://magdeleine.co): At this site, you’ll be able to search for a photo by color, category, license type or simple keyword. Videvo (www.videvo.net): This is one of the world’s largest sources of free cinematic video clips and motion graphics. Free Background Music: As with images, there are a number of sites where you can download free background music for your marketing videos. These include 33 Amazon sites with free music for videos (http://tinyurl.com/jhdhvrh), Free Stock Music (http://tinyurl.com/ hbdx8rv) and YouTube Audio Library (http://tinyurl.com/pfqwhgh) Free Video Analytics: You’ll have a better idea of how well your videos are doing if you know who’s clicking on links in your videos that lead back to your website, Facebook page or other Web
properties. Google (https://analytics. google.com), YouTube (www.youtube. com/analytics) and Twitter (https://analytics.twitter.com/about) all offer free analytics tools you can use to further understand what marketing videos are working best for you. Buffer’s “Complete Guide to UTM Codes” (http://tinyurl. com/otz5p6u) will show you how to add special codes to your videos that Google Analytics can use to determine who’s clicking on your website and where, including on the videos you make. Source Video-Making Expertise in Your Backyard: “Look to the younger generations for raw talent and expertise,” says Kelsey Heiden, marketing coordinator for the city of New Braunfels Parks and Recreation Department in Texas. “Millennials and Generation Zers are said to be ‘tech-innate.’ They can help you create the content you need to launch a video content library and might even teach you a thing or two.” Erica Green, recreation supervisor for the Riverside, California Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and another video marketer who’s enjoyed success with her productions, adds: “With the recent posting of the department’s ‘Running Man Challenge’ video, our social media audience has grown exponentially. The increased amount of people engaged in social media resulted in a large number of additional foot traffic to our website and participation in our programs and activities.” Essentially, long gone are the days when injecting video into the marketing mix for your park or rec agency meant hiring an expensive team that could significantly bite into your promotional budget. These days, video is more a matter of having a smartphone, and knowing where to go for free tools and/or extremely inexpensive video services. Joe Dysart is an Internet Speaker and Business Consultant based in Manhattan, New York (joe@ joedysart.com).
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Community Center
From the Director’s Chair
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hen we think of American women and men in uniform, how they recreate typically isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. While enlisted members of the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard do spend a great deal of their time working to carry out and protect the interests of the United States, they have off-hours, too. Filling that time with a diverse array of leisure opportunities is the job of Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) professionals, who oversee and administrate recreational programming designed for U.S. military personnel and their families stationed at home and abroad. As this is our Military issue, Parks & Recreation magazine asked Nancy Dussault, outdoor recreation program specialist with the U.S. Marine Corps Semper Fit and Recreation Branch (MFS); Josh Gwinn, IMCOM G9 community recreation chief for the U.S. Army; and Brian Rockenbach, CNIC Afloat Recreation Specialist for the U.S. Navy the following question: What is the most pervasive challenge you experience in trying to provide diverse and engaging recreational opportunities for enlisted women and men, as well as their families? Below are their responses. Nancy Dussault The greatest challenge is to be relevant to our customers, Marines and our Commanders. Relevance has many sides — relevant to a new generation of young Marines entering the Corps every year, relevant to Commanders in that they are engaged with and support Semper Fit and Recreation programs, and relevant to key stakeholders who direct resources to the various Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) programs across the Corps. In a resource-constrained environment, the Marine Corps has embarked on a major strategic-planning effort to help shape the future of Semper Fit and Recreation. This effort can be summarized in the following manner: On a given day, Marines need to “get stuff done,” so that when they are off-duty they can “reconnect,” “reignite” and “refuel.” We identify these as targets of opportunity when looking at the programs offered and the manner by which they are delivered, while also ex-
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ploring avenues for developing partnerships with off-base entities. Our mission is to provide the “Total Force” with a healthy environment and provide relevant programs and services that sustain readiness, enhance quality of life and promote community wellness. This is a holistic approach that supports the balance of social, physical, spiritual and mental well-being of individuals and encourages optimal health where people live, work and play. Josh Gwinn Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (FMWR) is the military equivalent of municipal park and recreation departments. FMWR offers traditional components, like parks, marinas, outdoor recreation programs,
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recreation centers, sports programs and golf courses. In addition, FMWR provides child care, Armed Forces recreation centers, libraries, travel services, auto skills, bowling centers, food and beverage operations and a variety of social-service programs. These programs are delivered by a staff of more than 30,000 FMWR professionals around the world, at more than 75 garrisons, in places like Korea, Japan, Germany, Italy, Kuwait and various deployed locations. When I began my career in FMWR in the late 1990s, the Army was primarily a garrison-based force with a predictable operational tempo (OPTEMPO). That changed in 2001 when soldiers began deploying to locations in the Middle East. Since then, the OPTEMPO has only increased, and the impact of more than a decade of high-OPTEMPO has significantly impacted soldiers and their families. As a result, FMWR had to quickly refocus program offerings and how we supported the Army mission, soldiers and their families in both a deployed and stationed status. We’ve created programs like Warrior Adventure Quest, an outdoor recreation program that seeks to mitigate high-risk behavior by teaching life skills through high-adventure programs. This was accomplished in a time when financial resources were in high demand due to multiple engagements throughout the world. Although challenging, nothing has been more rewarding than seeing FMWR positively impact the lives of our Army family. The dedicated men and women of FMWR have been vital in providing quality-of-life programs that impact the readiness of our force.
— Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine
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Brian Rockenbach Navy civilian employees who provide Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs for the Navy while assigned to some of the largest ships in the Navy’s fleet are known as Afloat Recreation Specialists, better known as the ship’s “Fun Boss.” These professionals aboard amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers face a unique set of challenges much different than the typical recreation programmer. The Fun Boss lives aboard ship in tight quarters 24/7 for six to nine months at a time and has many different responsibilities since they are the only recreation professional onboard, serving the needs of thousands of young, active-duty sailors and Marines. A typical day can mean running a basketball tournament in the afternoon, putting on a holiday event that evening and, the next day, hosting a live, televised bingo broadcast. If the ship is making a port call, there are logistics to arrange and sightseeing information to announce to smooth the way for a sailor or Marine’s first memorable trip to that locale. Afloat Recreation Specialists bring creativity and energy to their recreational programming to engage sailors and build a robust program. How can one person accomplish this when the ship is deployed out to sea? A good strategy is to use the talents and diversity of the crew and empower them to start special recreation interest groups and lead their own activities. The Fun Boss guides and supports these events and groups, alleviating the need for having a single person lead all programs. By learning to create advertisements, procuring supplies, training the activity leaders and making announcements over the ship’s PA system, sailors learn new and more diverse recreational activities and fitness programs from each other. By creating and managing systems, teams, special interest groups and programs, the Afloat Recreation Specialist empowers crew members to be active in guiding the path of their recreation department onboard the ship. This grassroots approach to programming challenges can actually be a strength of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation program onboard the Navy’s largest ships.
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Member to Member Year-Round, Paved-Trail Surface Maintenance By Ty Houck
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reenville County Parks, Recreation and Tourism has been looking for an effective method to maintain our paved trail surfaces for quite some time. We knew this need would become even more acute once we built the Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail (GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail), a 19.9-mile-and-growing multiuse greenway system that connects Greenville County with schools, parks and local businesses. In 2009, we opened the GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail, our first greenway trail/linear park. Originally 4 miles long, it has grown to 19.9 miles long and, annually, sees more than a half-a-million users and brings in $6.7 million in tourism revenue. Because of the scenic and shaded design of the trail, we noticed that it started to experience wear on the asphalt surface, from potholes caused by subsurface sinking to uplift from tree roots. What was needed was a compact asphalt repair unit that our passionate but small maintenance crew
could manage. Last year, we found such a system in the infrared asphalt repair process produced by KM International. Prior to discovering the infrared repair process, we literally had to beg to get on the road paving list of the County Roads and Bridges crew, a list that was always long! In addition to the long wait, the traditional method of repaving includes several steps that can prove to be problematic for trails. Following are a few of the challenges we encountered: Traditional repaving involves large
A section of the highly trafficked, multiuse Greenville Health System Swamp Rabbit Trail.
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heavy trucks. Our pavement is only 2 inches thick. The use of heavy trucks can leave tire depressions and can be especially damaging to our trail shoulders, causing “gator cracking” that has the potential to catch tires and cause trail users to be thrown down as fast as a gator closing its jaws. Traditional repaving equipment is about as wide as our trail. Our GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail — so named because it’s on an old rail bed that runs through some swampy areas that were once home to Sylvilagus aquaticus or Swamp Rabbits — is mostly 10 feet wide. Usually, when a road is being repaired, a detour is created to allow vehicles to drive around the work. On our trail, we do not have that option. We can’t have a mom with baby in a bike trailer or small children just learning to ride make a detour off the trail and ride on a roadway with a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit as we repair a section of trail. Asphalt is typically only made when the temperature is 50 degrees and rising. When the temperature reaches 50 degrees and higher, people really like to be out on the trail. Traditional milling and repair removes all existing asphalt and has to bring in all new material to make a patch. This method of repair creates a seam for freeze-thaw damage and for weeds to grow. It also isn’t very environmentally friendly to haul usable asphalt offsite when it could be reused on-site. The infrared asphalt repair technology and process allows us to work on half the width of the trail while the other half stays open and passable for trail users. A twoman crew using equipment hauled behind
a Gator can heat up a 42-inch by 42-inch work area in seven minutes, allowing the crew to dig down and remove a root. Then, working with the existing asphalt and a just a few new asphalt bricks to fill in the space created by the root removal, the crew can make a repair that is thermally bonded to the surrounding asphalt — no seam, no trail closure, no detour and, no sitting on a long county waiting list! The reality for many park and recreation agencies is that we have employees that have pride in their parks and community members that thirst for more recreation, but we never have enough money or time to meet all needs. We are excited that with a small investment, we now have technology that allows us to more effectively and efficiently maintain our trails. During the time of year when we aren’t cutting grass, marking fields
Even in snowy conditions like these, trail maintenance can be done using the infrared asphalt repair process.
or spending extra time cleaning up, and, more importantly, when trail usage is not at its highest, we can spend time working on our trails. This technology allows us to carry out repair work in colder temperatures, even below freezing and in the snow (conditions that are not traditionally ideal for asphalt repair), when we have “more
time” for projects like these. In fact, we are preparing to use the infrared asphalt equipment one week a month in January, February and March of 2017. Ty Houck is the Director of Greenways, Natural and Historic Resources at Greenville County Parks, Recreation and Tourism in South Carolina (thouck@greenvillecounty.org).
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ADVOCACY
Fifty-four million dollars in NMTC-based financing from three community development entities (CDEs) helped to build the Vince Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park, part of a redevelopment initiative for a severely distressed portion of the downtown Pensacola, Florida, waterfront. The park recently won an Urban Land Institute North Florida “Open Space” category award.
The New Markets Tax Credit Helping park and recreation agencies in low-income areas close the financing gap By Oliver Spurgeon III
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ach year, park and recreation agencies in low-income neighborhoods grapple with the same question during budget season: How can we pay for new recreational facilities without breaking the bank? While access to recreation can sometimes seem like a low priority for local governments, especially if there’s a hole in the budget, it’s often high on the list of public amenities supported by residents. This means that despite the overabundance of public will for shiny and new rec centers, recreation leaders are often left to maintain lush, green parks, keep seniors healthy and active through quality programming, clean pools and employ staff with very tight budgets. This annual ritual also puts off requests for the newest splash pad, an Olympic-sized swimming pool or stateof-the-art playground equipment until the next year. However, with the help of devoted citizens from the community who believe in the power of parks, socially conscious investors who think investments should pay dividends for everyone and a little financial backing from Uncle Sam, recreation agencies in
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struggling neighborhoods are entering into a relatively new space to pay for cutting-edge park and recreation facilities: high finance. The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) is giving park and recreation agencies in low-income areas another financial tool to help with replacing aging recreation centers, updating parks that have outdated play equipment — think metal jungle gyms — that can
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be dangerous for children to use, and building new facilities despite relatively flat funding from year to year. Recreation agencies in low-income neighborhoods have all the same qualities as those in wealthier communities: committed and talented staff, dedicated volunteers who are willing to give their time and skills, and passionate citizens who want the best recreational facilities possible. What they don’t have are large budgets to build, upgrade or expand facilities. But, that’s where the NMTC comes in to help close the gap. The NMTC was designed to give local governments, citizen groups and community advocates the financial foothold they need to attract private dollars into distressed communities that have very little existing economic activity. It’s intended to help finance projects that have
social and economic benefit for low-income communities but that would otherwise be overlooked as investments or charged higher interest rates because of a number of factors, including misperceptions about risk or location. Although the NMTC is more commonly associated with financing low-income housing construction and shopping centers, it has been used to help build parks in many cities, including Cincinnati, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Pensacola, Florida. In 1994, Uncle Sam set up the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) to support economic development in struggling communities. The CDFI Fund’s goal is to bring dollars into low-income communities through investments from the private sector and to use vested community groups as the intermediaries who design and choose the best projects. The prevailing wisdom behind this structure was that the local citizens, small businesses and nonprofit organizations in struggling neighborhoods know their communities best. These stakeholders, known as community development entities (CDEs), have an acute understanding of what amenities are lacking — such as affordable housing, parks and recreation centers, grocery stores or retail shopping opportunities.
ally insured banks in struggling communities. This primarily comes in the form of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which seeks to end discrimination in loans made to individuals and businesses in low-income neighborhoods. The CRA also ensures that banks meet the credit needs of their local communities. The good news for your agency is that banks are routinely evaluated to ensure they are meeting the goals of the CRA, and every dollar invested in CDEs by banks counts toward their community development goals under the CRA. Everybody wins when we invest in struggling neighborhoods. Citizens have better quality of life and get to enjoy new parks, politicians get to tout economic growth and businesses get to add to their bottom lines. More importantly, the NMTC proves that parks can be the catalyst for economic development and job creation. Visit www.cdfifund.gov to learn more about the NMTC, and feel free to reach out to the NRPA Public Policy Team if you have additional questions. Oliver Spurgeon III is NRPA’s Government Affairs Manager (ospurgeon@nrpa.org).
How NMTC Works The CDFI Fund administers the NMTC and offers tax credit allocations — basically a line of credit — to local CDEs to help finance their desired projects. The initial tax credit allocations are the seeds that enable community development to happen in struggling neighborhoods. CDEs use the tax credit allocation from Uncle Sam to attract investors that are willing to fund the construction of parks and other beneficial projects, and trade some or all of their tax credit allocation for cash. This “face value swap” between CDEs and investors ensures that local stakeholders are not taken advantage of after soliciting backers for their projects. At the end of the transaction, CDEs use the cash to finance their desired project, and investors receive the tax credit allocation, which lowers their federal tax rate and makes financing community development projects like parks, grocery stores, housing and retail more affordable. To date, the CDFI Fund has awarded more than $2 billion to CDEs, and its New Markets Tax Credit allocations have helped struggling communities attract more than $43.5 billion in private sector money from investors to transform communities, including assisting with the Gulf Coast recovery after Hurricane Katrina. So, what’s at stake for banks backing NMTC projects? Uncle Sam uses several “carrots” to increase investments from feder
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Age Discrimination Claim by Beach Patrol Chief James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.
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he Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age. The ADEA’s protections apply to both employees and job applicants. Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because of his/her age with respect to any term, condition or privilege of employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments and training (www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/age.cfm). Potential age-related legal problems in the workplace can start out as public relations issues, in particular a lack of communication between an employer’s supervisors and employees over 40 years of age. As illustrated by the federal district court opinion described herein, a series of negative interactions along with otherwise innocuous questions by a supervisor to an employee may later prove quite problematic in the event of an age discrimination claim. In this particular instance, statements like, “When are you going to retire?” and/or an offhand, flippant comment at a meeting, like, “Just
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how long are you going to be hanging around here?” were cited as significant indicators of age discrimination. Negative Interactions In the case of Cirelli v. City of Wildwood, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 109389 (Dist. N.J. 8/19/2015), plaintiff Louis Cirelli alleged a violation of the ADEA, 29 U.S.C. §621, et seq., after his employment with the Wildwood Beach Patrol (WBP) was terminated on July 24, 2012. At the time of his termination, Cirelli, 66 years old, had worked for WBP for 48 years. Cirelli had served as the main supervisor and the No. 1 officer on the
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beach patrol since 1995. Cirelli had never been reprimanded or disciplined prior to the events which gave rise to his lawsuit. Anthony Leonetti became the Commissioner of Public Safety and Cirelli’s immediate superior in 2011. Sometime thereafter, Leonetti asked Cirelli, “When are you going to retire?” In response, Cirelli said 2012 would be his 49th year on beach patrol and he would like to reach 50 years. Leonetti said that was “OK” with him. Both Leonetti and Cirelli described the exchange as “not adversarial,” but Cirelli found the conversation “challenging,” characterizing the interaction as “negative.” At some point in the fall of 2011, Leonetti directed Cirelli to develop a budget for WBP’s 2012 season. Leonetti and Cirelli informally discussed the budget at least one time prior to Cirelli submitting his budget proposal. In so doing, Leonetti directed Cirelli to help the city of Wildwood save money.
Cirelli gave Leonetti a budget on December 16, 2011, which suggested removing three supervisory positions and adding 10 lifeguard positions. Cirelli claimed he was attempting to comply with a directive from Leonetti to restructure the staff when he proposed his budget. Leonetti denied that he gave Cirelli any such directive. Leonetti told Cirelli in a January 2012 budget meeting that his restructuring proposal was “absurd.” Steven Stocks, a WBP captain, viewed the suggested elimination of supervisory positions as an attempt to fire Stocks. At Stocks’ request, Leonetti called a meeting in March of 2012. At the meeting, Stocks provided Leonetti with a list of concerns about beach patrol operations, including “no prequalification of guards, no background checks, no swimming tests, no records, no driving tests, [and] no evaluations of senior lieutenants.” In addition, Stocks presented another list titled “Chief Cirelli Issues Summary 2012.” This list named 10 alleged deficiencies in Cirelli’s running of the beach patrol, including alleged misappropriation of funds on uniforms, supplies and boat repairs. In particular, Stocks claimed Cirelli had solicited and spent “thousands of dollars in donations made to the Wildwood Beach Patrol under the pretense of a ‘Lifeguard Association’ [while refusing] to turn over the financial records for review.” At this March meeting, Cirelli alleged Leonetti was quiet, but Stocks had asked him, “Just how long are you going to be hanging around here?” Stocks later testified that he made this list of Cirelli’s deficiencies at Leonetti’s request. Leonetti testified that he was unaware of the purpose of the meeting, other than Stocks had asked him to set up the meeting. At some point in early 2012, Leonetti told Cirelli to concentrate on administrative duties and delegated operational duties that had previously been Cirelli’s re
sponsibility to Stocks. Stocks is “some 20 years younger” than Cirelli. Prior to the WBP’s Memorial Day opening, Leonetti approved rehiring Cirelli for the 2012 season. Cirelli, however, claimed “his start date was pushed back one month to May 2012 and his salary reduced to $25,000, in order to save money.” Cirelli was “not aware of whether anyone else’s salary was also reduced.” After Cirelli opened the season, apparently without any problems, he worked until his termination on July 24, 2012.
otherwise do anything in response to the HR complaint. The city of Wildwood investigator who issued a report in response to Cirelli’s HR complaint admitted he never spoke with Cirelli in putting the report together. Moreover, Cirelli did not speak with the city administrator or the city attorney about his HR complaint. Having reached no resolution with city of Wildwood officials, Cirelli filed a charge with the Philadelphia Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
As illustrated by the federal district court opinion described herein, a series of negative interactions along with otherwise innocuous questions by a supervisor to an employee may later prove quite problematic in the event of an age discrimination claim. Prior to his termination, Cirelli complained that “he was shut out of the staff, because he was not included on the Beach Patrol website, in training information and forms given to new lifeguards (which only referenced Stocks as the supervisor).” In addition, Cirelli alleged Stocks had sent emails implying that he was “running the beach patrol improperly and not responding to Stocks.” Further, Cirelli claimed Stocks had communicated to local media that he was “not on board with decisions of the beach patrol.” On or about May 14, 2012, Cirelli had submitted a formal verbal complaint to Kimberly Hodsdon, human resources (HR) director for the city of Wildwood, alleging age discrimination and a hostile work environment. At that time, Cirelli also made a request for mediation with Leonetti and Stocks. The HR director later told Leonetti that Cirelli had complained, “but she was not specific,” apparently, regarding the basis of the complaint. Leonetti did not speak with Cirelli or
(EEOC) on July 11, 2012. EEOC sent the city of Wildwood a copy of Cirelli’s charges on July 19. Leonetti terminated Cirelli’s employment on July 24, 2012. Leonetti claimed he consulted no one else in making the decision to terminate Cirelli. Leonetti also denied seeing the EEOC charge until the day after he had terminated Cirelli. In addition to the list of deficiencies cited above, Leonetti justified his decision to terminate Cirelli’s employment based on Cirelli’s “proposed budget that would have stripped the department of all its senior staff,” a proposal which Leonetti deemed “absurd.” Following his termination, Cirelli filed a second EEOC charge on August 1, 2012. Cirelli received a right-to-sue letter from the EEOC on August 26, 2013, and filed his ADEA complaint in federal district court on September 23, 2013. One week later, Cirelli sent a request to the Wildwood City Clerk requesting that his pension be processed, which the Life-
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guard Pension Commission members denied on December 18, 2013, “due to pending litigation.” Cirelli then amended his complaint on May 30, 2014, to include his claim for retaliation in addition to his ADEA claim. Summary Judgment In his complaint, Cirelli alleged age discrimination, hostile work environment and retaliation against the city of Wildwood. In addition to the city of Wildwood, Cirelli had also brought ADEA claims against Leonetti and Stocks individually. Cirelli subsequently acknowledged that “the ADEA does not provide for individual liability.” Accordingly, the federal district court granted summary judgment to both Leonetti and Stocks.
marily judged and effectively dismissed without trial proceedings. Age Discrimination As noted by the federal district court, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that claims under the ADEA require a plaintiff to show that age was the “butfor” cause of the adverse action. In other words, “but for” Cirelli’s age, he would not have had his employment terminated. Further, the court noted that a plaintiff “must first produce evidence sufficient to convince a reasonable factfinder as to all of the elements of a prima facie case of discrimination.” Specifically, in order to first establish a prima facie (i.e., Latin for “on its face”) case of discrimination, the plaintiff must demonstrate the following: (1) he is over 40 years old, (2) he is
As noted by the federal district court, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that claims under the ADEA require a plaintiff to show that age was the “but-for” cause of the adverse action. The city of Wildwood filed a motion for summary judgment to effectively dismiss Cirelli’s lawsuit. In so doing, the city of Wildwood argued Cirelli had failed to allege sufficient facts which, if proven at trial, would support a claim for age discrimination, hostile work environment or retaliation. In reviewing a motion for summary judgment, the court would “determine whether there is a genuine issue for trial” to determine “the credibility of the evidence or the truth of the matter.” In deciding whether to grant a motion for summary judgment on a particular claim, the court would construe all facts and inferences in a light most favorable to the party whose claim would be sum28 Parks & Recreation
qualified for the position in question, (3) he suffered from an adverse employment decision, and (4) his replacement was sufficiently younger to permit a reasonable inference of age discrimination. In this particular instance, the parties conceded that Cirelli was “over 40 years old, that he suffered an adverse employment decision when he was terminated, and that his replacement, Stocks, was sufficiently younger than Cirelli to permit a reasonable inference of age discrimination.” As a result, in determining the existence of a prima facie case of age discrimination, the federal district court acknowledged the only remaining issue was “whether Cirelli was qualified for the position of WBP Chief.”
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In making this determination, as a general rule, the court noted a plaintiff ’s “satisfactory performance of duties over a long period of time leading to a promotion clearly establishes his qualifications for his job.” In this particular instance, the court found Cirelli had “worked his way up from being an 18-year-old lifeguard to WBP Chief over a nearly half-century career, unmarred with any employment-related disciplinary actions prior to the events giving rise to this suit.” As a result, the federal district court found Cirelli was “qualified for his position and has established a prima facie case of age discrimination.” Nondiscriminatory Reasons To counter Cirelli’s prima facie case of age discrimination, the city of Wildwood claimed it had legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons (LNDRs) for terminating his employment; specifically, Cirelli had presented “a budget plan that was deemed by his supervisor to be ‘absurd.’” While citing a listing of Cirelli’s alleged “deficiencies,” Leonetti claimed he had focused “primarily on the allegations related to the WBPLA.” Specifically, Leonetti claimed Cirelli had “stalled” in responding to “legitimate inquiries” about a fund (WBPLA) related to the beach patrol which Cirelli controlled, but the city did not know about. According to Leonetti, Cirelli’s actions surrounding the WBPLA fund, in combination with “continuing deficiencies,” prompted Leonetti to fire Cirelli. Pretext? Having been offered presumably legitimate nondiscriminatory reasons for terminating Cirelli’s employment, Cirelli would have to present sufficient evidence that “cast substantial doubt” on the reasons given by the city of Wildwood and Leonetti. Specifically, Cirelli had to show that otherwise legitimate
nondiscriminatory reasons were a mere “pretext” and actually “discriminatory animus motivated the employer” to terminate Cirelli’s employment based exclusively on his age and not mixed with other factors. To reiterate a basic requirement in an ADEA claim, “a plaintiff must show age discrimination was the ‘but-for’ cause of the adverse action, not merely a motivating factor.” The city had argued that Leonetti terminated Cirelli because Cirelli had “presented a budget plan that Leonetti deemed ‘absurd.’” In response, Cirelli claimed he had created this budget “at Leonetti’s express direction.” Moreover, Cirelli pointed to the fact that his December 2011 budget proposal did not affect Leonetti’s approval of his rehiring for the 2012 season. In the opinion of the federal district court, this evidence cast reasonable doubt on whether the city’s articulated legitimate nondiscriminatory reason, i.e., the “absurd” budget proposal, was the “true motivation” for Cirelli’s termination. As noted by the federal district court, a “plaintiff may survive summary judgment by submitting evidence from which a factfinder could reasonably disbelieve the employer’s articulated legitimate reasons.” As a result, the court denied the city’s motion for summary judgment “on the basis of this proposed LNDR.” The city’s second LNDR focused largely on the WBLA allegation against Cirelli. Specifically, the city had argued Leonetti terminated Cirelli, because he “stalled in responding to legitimate inquiries” regarding the fund Cirelli controlled “relating to the beach patrol that the city did not know about.” In particular, the city claimed Cirelli “solicited and spent thousands of dollars in donations made to the Wildwood Beach Patrol under the pretense of a ‘Lifeguard Association’ and refused to turn over the financial records for review.”
In response, Cirelli had clarified that “the fund dealt with a beach patrol alumni association that was not actually associated with the city.” Moreover, Leonetti had admitted that Cirelli, when asked
about this account, had “turned over a checkbook and ‘after a while’ all the books and records related to the fund.” Leonetti further admitted that “he never reviewed the checkbook or conducted
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L AW R E V I E W
but-for cause” of Cirelli’s “downgrade in duties and his termination.” As a result, the federal district court denied the city’s motion for summary judgment on Cirelli’s age discrimination claim.
any forensic accounting.” Instead, Leonetti had “turned the investigation over to his police department.” The police department “never issued cause for any action” against Cirelli and had “apparently eventually lost the records.” In light of Cirelli’s “eventual cooperation with the investigation and Leonetti’s lack of follow-through in determining whether any wrongdoing occurred,” the federal district court, once again, found “a reasonable factfinder could also disbelieve this proffered LNDR.” As a result, the federal district court denied the city’s motion for summary judgment on the WBLA fund as a legitimate basis for terminating Cirelli’s employment. Discriminatory Animus In addition, the federal district court found Cirelli had presented “sufficient evidence of discriminatory animus to survive summary judgment.” As described by the court, a plaintiff “can support a claim of such animus by showing that the employer in the past had subjected him to unlawful discriminatory treatment” or “that the employer treated other, similarly situated persons not of his protected class more favorably.” In this particular instance, Cirelli had argued 30 Parks & Recreation
that the city, through Leonetti, had “subjected him to unlawful discriminatory treatment” based on the following: …reducing his duties and otherwise shutting him out of staff responsibility, while at the same time, treating Stocks, a similarly situated person not of his protected class more favorably, giving Stocks duties that ostensibly belonged to Plaintiff and promoting him into Plaintiff ’s position once Plaintiff was terminated. As noted by the court, Stocks had also asked Cirelli, “Just how long are you going to be hanging around here?” at the same March 2012 meeting where Stocks presented the “multipage list of Cirelli’s deficiencies” which the city claimed were sufficient for Leonetti to, essentially, “put Stocks in day-to-day control of the department.” In reviewing a motion for summary judgment, the federal court would view the facts in a “light most favorable” to the party who would lose the opportunity to proceed to trial. Applying this summary judgment standard to Cirelli’s ADEA claim, at this pretrial stage of the proceedings, the federal district court found Cirelli had indeed presented sufficient evidence for a judge or jury to reasonably conclude “age discrimination was the
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Retaliation Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on age or for filing an age discrimination charge, testifying, or participating in any way in an investigation, proceeding or litigation (www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/ publications/age.cfm). In this particular instance, the federal district court also considered whether Cirelli had alleged sufficient facts that could establish a claim for “retaliation” under the ADEA. As cited by the court, in order to go forward with a retaliation claim a plaintiff would have to show the following: (1) he engaged in a protected employee activity; (2) he was subject to an adverse action by the employer either subsequent to or contemporaneous with the protected activity; and (3) there is a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse action. Moreover, the court noted “a short, temporal proximity between the protected activity and the adverse employment action supports an inference of causal connection.” Applying these principles to Cirelli’s situation, the court found he had alleged sufficient facts to make a case for retaliation. Specifically, the court found Cirelli had “engaged in a protected activity when he complained to HR.” Moreover, the court found Cirelli had similarly engaged in a legally protected employee activity when he later filed his claim with the EEOC. In the opinion of the court, Cirelli was “undoubtedly subject to the adverse employment action of being fired.” As for the temporal proximity be-
tween the protected activity and adverse action necessary to raise the inference of causal connection, in the opinion of the court, it was “undisputed that Leonetti fired Plaintiff [Cirelli] within a day of the city of Wildwood receiving notice of Plaintiff ’s EEOC filing.” While Leonetti contended that he was personally unaware of the EEOC filing, the court noted that “Leonetti was at least aware of Plaintiff ’s verbal complaint to HR just two months prior to his termination.” As a result, the federal district court found Cirelli had raised “genuine issues of material fact” on his retaliation claim which were sufficient to overcome the city’s motion for summary judgment. Hostile Work Environment Cirelli had also alleged a “hostile work environment” claim against the city. As defined by the federal district court, a hostile work environment claim would require a plaintiff, like Cirelli, to “prove that the workplace was permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule and insult that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of employment and create an abusive working environment.” In this particular instance, the court acknowledged that specific comments were made by Leonetti and Stocks urging Cirelli to retire. In addition, the court noted Leonetti had “downgraded” Cirelli’s duties, “phasing him out of his previous responsibilities, and ultimately, terminated his position, without minimal effort to resolve the issues raised.” Moreover, along with a “series of negative personal interactions,” the court found Leonetti had “demanded and turned over for police investigation financial documents related to the WBPLA account” that Cirelli maintained. In his deposition, Leonetti had claimed Cirelli was the only individual who
signed the checks related to this WBPLA account, “in violation of a city rule that requires that the city of Wildwood CFO sign them as well.” The court, however, found no evidence that Leonetti believed Cirelli was “diverting funds to his own, personal purposes, or otherwise engaging in criminal conduct.” Further, in the
stage of the proceedings, the federal district court denied the city’s request for summary judgment on Cirelli’s hostile work environment claims. Conclusion As a result, the federal district court denied the city of Wildwood’s motion for
Under the ADEA, it is unlawful to retaliate against an individual for opposing employment practices that discriminate based on age or for filing an age discrimination charge... opinion of the court, in “recommending a police investigation” under these circumstances, Leonetti had “inexplicably attempted to criminalize conduct that he believed, at worst, may violate a civil municipal regulation.” Moreover, the court found it “particularly difficult” to infer from these facts that Leonetti had “actually suspected criminal activity.” In so doing, the court took particular note of the fact that “the police department (which Leonetti also supervised) lost the records Plaintiff [Cirelli] submitted, did a minimal investigation, and never brought charges.” Accordingly, based on these facts at this preliminary
summary judgment on Cirelli’s “age discrimination, retaliation and hostile work environment claims brought pursuant to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.” Cirelli would, therefore, have an opportunity to proceed to trial to prove his claims against the city. In the alternative, the parties could certainly come to an agreement to settle these claims and avoid the cost of further litigation.
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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Empowering Volunteers to Take the Lead By Lori Robertson
O
rganizing community volunteers is hardly a new idea. Friends groups, nonprofit partners and dedicated park staff have been harnessing the goodwill of their nearby neighbors for generations through one-day and ongoing volunteer service opportunities often focused on land management activities. Most park professionals understand the value of engaging and educating community members through hands-on service and are dedicated to cultivating stewards within their communities. But organizing volunteers can be time consuming and resource heavy, even when dedicated volunteer and outreach staff exist within a department. Often volunteers are tasked with a limited scope of responsibilities — trash cleanup, mulching playgrounds, landscape plantings — that allow a park agency to accomplish in one day work that would otherwise take staff weeks to complete. While these efforts can be vital in keeping up with overflowing and ongoing maintenance needs, volunteer activities are often disconnected from longer-term management strategies or restoration efforts. When volunteer activities do fit into a larger scope of work for the park agency, volunteers themselves are often unaware of the long-term goals or context of their efforts. Several park agencies across the country have begun to challenge the volunteer status quo and ask themselves, how can the energy of volunteers be leveraged to accomplish our long-term restoration goals while taking into consideration the limited capacity of park staff ? Essential-
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ly, how can park and recreation leaders empower community members to take the lead in revitalizing their parks? The idea of relying on volunteers to implement involved and ongoing restoration work is often met with a slew of skeptical questions: How can we find volunteers
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that possess the expertise or skills needed for this type of work? Where will we find motivated and reliable members of the community willing to invest their time? Once we do, what is the incentive to keep these volunteers long term? Who is going to manage these volunteers and how will we accurately track their efforts? Seattle Parks and Recreation managed to find answers to these questions through the creation of its Green Seattle Partnership (GSP), a 20-year effort to restore 2,500 acres of forested parkland in the city of Seattle. Realizing that Seattle’s parklands faced a critical threat and, without serious intervention, parks would lose 70 percent of their trees by 2042, Seattle Parks and Recreation launched GSP, the largest urban forest restoration program in the nation. A collaborative effort between the city of Seattle, the Forterra Land Conservancy and thousands of community part-
ners, the program relies heavily on a locally recruited volunteer workforce to restore parks. Ten years in, volunteers have logged more than 781,000 volunteer hours valued at an astounding $18 million and have helped the city impact more than 1,040 acres of urban parkland. Volunteer efforts account for more than 70 percent of the restoration work completed to date as part of GSP’s 20year plan. So how did they do it? By creating a program that empowers citizens to take ownership of their local park spaces. Forest Stewards GSP’s Forest Stewards program recruits and trains volunteer leaders who are charged with “bringing together the resources needed to make on-the-ground forest restoration a reality.” Forests Stewards work together in small teams on an assigned close-to-home plot of parkland. In return for ongoing training and support from GSP staff, the Forest Stewards are asked to organize regular volunteer activities that engage diverse members of the surrounding neighborhood, work with GSP staff to manage associated materials requests, track accomplishments and volunteer hours, and assist GSP staff in creating ongoing restoration plans based on their accomplishments. The position is advertised as a two-year commitment. Parklands are broken into management zones, each with unique characteristics and needs. Restoration efforts are broken up into four phases — invasive removal, planting, maintenance and longterm stewardship/monitoring. Forest Stewards use a data collection tool called CEDAR (Central Data Repository) to log their hours and activities, register volunteers and request materials. These strategies take the onus off GSP staff and put the organizing, management and tracking responsibility in the hands of the volunteers themselves.
The program has not only accomplished important work for parks, but has also galvanized an informed and active community of volunteers within parks. In 2015, Seattle reported having 163 active Forest Stewards working in 80 parks citywide. While the volunteers in Seattle are highly motivated, that alone is not enough to form a successful volunteer workforce. Promoting volunteer events as social gatherings, where neighbors can meet and new friendships can be made, increases cohesion in communities. By providing high-value educational resources and indepth training, volunteers feel empowered to make lasting impacts in their communities. By giving volunteers the autonomy to make important decisions, they feel a genuine sense of ownership over projects. For many homeowners, improving local green spaces is also seen as an avenue to increase property value and desirability of their neighborhood — another avenue to attract and build groups of invested volunteers. Diversity and Equity Programs like Seattle’s Forest Stewards also help address issues of equity and diversity by prioritizing underserved neighborhoods for revitalization efforts and having volunteer leaders from within the community lead outreach efforts to engage diverse neighborhood groups and individuals. By relying on those from within the community to lead the efforts, community voices are sure to be represented in each step of the process. Partnership for Parks, a publicprivate partnership between NYC Parks Department and the City Park Foundation is another example of a park agency empowering its citizens to take the lead while intentionally focusing on issues of equity. Partnership for Parks’ Catalyst Program builds the capacity of local leaders in historically disinvested communities by providing free training and grant and networking opportunities.
Growing community leaders allows park professionals to take a backseat as residents drive the change they want to see in their local park spaces. Engaging Youth Volunteer programs such as these also are ripe opportunities for engaging youth in stewardship and environmental education. Today, many students are required to complete community service hours in order to graduate and are seeking out closeto-home, free opportunities to meet this requirement. Direct outreach to schools and youth groups can often attract these young stewards and help in connecting a new generation to the natural world. Rethinking Volunteerism By loosening the reins of control on volunteer programs and refocusing efforts on providing training, tools and frameworks, parks can leverage volunteers to accomplish meaningful and valuable restoration work. Taking risks and trusting the local community can yield impressive results and create solutions for daunting management challenges. Parks need to invest in both community spaces and community members in order to realize thriving parks for the future. Lori Robertson is NRPA’s Director of Conservation (lrobertson@nrpa.org).
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HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Troops for Fitness programs provide a platform for military veterans to share their skills with eager community members, while also supporting local park and recreation agencies.
Troops for Fitness Engages Military Veterans in Community Health and Wellness Programming By Marla Collum
S
ince 2013, a unique collaboration between NRPA and the Coca-Cola Foundation has supported employing veterans as fitness instructors within community recreation facilities. Park and recreation agencies have utilized the skills and fitness expertise of United States military veterans to help improve the health and well-being in 12 communities across the nation. Veterans have been recruited by these agencies to instruct programs ranging from martial arts to yoga that are free or low-cost for participants. The Coca-Cola Foundation’s support is enabling participating veterans to develop their leadership skills while providing community members with opportunities to improve their health. Response to the Troops for Fitness program has been extremely positive from both veteran instructors and participants. A grandmother and caregiver in Newark described the program and the positive impact it has had on her family, saying, “The program taught my grandkids discipline, the importance of being active and introduced new alternatives to keep them motivated.� To date, 96 veterans have acquired new skills and experience through local
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Troops for Fitness programming and more than 75,000 participants have been reached, with many reporting an improvement in their overall health. Park and recreation agencies are a perfect host for programming that offers flexibility for veteran instructors and provides the experience and training that a veteran might need to begin a new career in the health and wellness field. When designing and building a similar program, consider the following five tips from park and rec-
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reation agencies that have successfully implemented Troops for Fitness programs: Connect with Military Veterans in your Community Why military veterans? Time and time again, we have heard from Troops for Fitness program participants that they are inspired and motivated by their veteran instructors. In return, military veterans bring a new perspective to an activity and put their leadership and teambuilding skills to good use. Increased morale, the discovery of meaningful work and a connection to the community are reasons cited by many veterans as to why they value their work as a Troops for Fitness instructor. Design and Implement a Successful Program Veterans often serve as Troops for Fit-
ness instructors because they’re eager to share their knowledge, and most cities shape their classes based on the veterans’ expertise and match classes to the skills and passion of the veteran instructors. From Boston to Honolulu, Troops for Fitness programs drive attendance by incorporating new, popular activities such as Zumba and stand-up paddle boarding. A Sampling of Classes Offered: Water Aerobics, Yoga, Stretching, Meditation LaBlast, Boot Camp, Dancercise, Strength Training, Zumba, Nutrition, Senior Fit, Ballet, Walk and Talk, Tai Chi, Boot Camp, Golf, Gardening, Snowshoeing, Walking and Running Groups, Weight Training, Martial Arts, Roller Blading, Hip Hop Aerobics, Resistance Band Training, Swimming, Stand-up Paddle Boarding, Self Defense
Reaching your Audience — Promoting Troops for Fitness Many Troops for Fitness programs use cost-efficient marketing tools. Colorful, patriotic flyers distributed at recreation centers and other public facilities will get the word out to patrons who already frequent the facility. In Los Angeles, flyers promoting classes include a photo of the instructor and their name and rank to recognize and celebrate their military service. The Detroit recreation department shares class information through social media and all promotional literature includes a call to action to “like” the program on Facebook and follow it on Twitter and Instagram. Also, a staff member updates and monitors social media accounts and websites to ensure information is fresh and accurate. Evaluate and Assess the Program Regular communication with instructors is important to not only track and collect participation numbers, but also evaluate the overall program offerings and determine which classes are popular and most in-demand. Instructors who are en
gaged with participants and collect direct feedback can also be incredibly helpful. Some park and recreation agencies have administered very short surveys to participants to seek their input on which aspects were positive, what challenges they faced and any recommendations on how to improve each particular class. Funding and Sustaining Troops for Fitness When funding is in place, developing a sustainability plan to continue the program beyond the secured financial support is critical. Successful plans have included involving stakeholders from the community who can help identify potential donors or available grants and perform fundraising activities for the program. Other agencies have found the Troops for Fitness program to be so valuable to the community that
they are taking measures to integrate the program into their existing department budget and creating positions specifically for veteran instructors. Some park and recreation agencies are exploring revenue-sharing programs, wherein instructors would charge relatively low fees for classes and receive a percentage of the revenue, while the park and recreation agency would also retain a percentage. Park and recreation agencies are a driving force at the center of improving health and wellness in communities. Through the Troops for Fitness program, new opportunities for physical activity and wellness are being created in unique ways that inspire people to be engaged. To learn more about Troops for Fitness, visit www.nrpa.org/troopsforfitness. Marla Collum is NRPA’s Senior Manager of Programs (mcollum@nrpa.org).
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SOCIAL EQUITY
Buddy Club member Heather starts to work on her art project.
Creating a Special Space for Their Buddies By Maria Bosack
W
hen you look up the Manassas Park Buddy Club in the Manassas Park Community Center’s (MPCC) program directory, the description reads: “The Buddy Club is a special program that is self-facilitated and designed to meet the needs of individuals with developmental/cognitive disabilities. Daily activities include arts and crafts, fitness classes, movies, computers, puzzles and memory games. Buddies also have access to the wellness center and to the pool. There’s a $2.00 drop-in rate for nonmembers, and members pay $20.00 per month.” The Buddies at MPCC are young men and women, 21 years of age and older, with cognitive and developmental challenges, including autism, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injury (TBI), schizophrenia and fetal alcohol syndrome. Each Buddy has graduated from high school and most members are high-functioning. However, because of a lack of resources in the area, many see themselves as a lost population, largely ignored by mainstream society. So, the Buddies created their own niche. A Place to Socialize It all began in 2011, when a local moth-
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er named Linda Posten sought a place where her daughter with Down syndrome could socialize with other intellectually disabled (ID) or developmentally disabled (DD) adults. For a while, Posten opened her home to the community but soon found it too small to accommodate the group. In time, Posten met with Tony Thomas, recreation services supervisor at MPCC, who agreed to provide a space for Posten, her daughter and her daughter’s friends to meet. “This population needed a social outlet to keep them mentally stimulated and we were more than happy
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to provide the space for this to happen,” explains Thomas. He includes the program in the annual budget because the Buddies are a vital part of the community center. “In addition to me, we have two part-time employees and many volunteers who make it all work,” he adds. Outside of the Buddy Club, many Buddies also participate in the Take One Drama Troupe, a drama program designed for individuals with special needs. The participants practice weekly and perform in front of an audience twice a year. “There are 11 people in the troupe,” Thomas explains, and “of that, there are five people from the Buddy Club. We encourage the Buddies to take any and all classes and programs available here. Take One Drama is just one activity available that provides structure and socialization opportunities beyond the Buddy Club.”
Having created their own niche, Buddy Club members have found a community of friendship and support.
Getting There Since driving themselves is not an option, one of the biggest obstacles for the Buddies is securing transportation to the community center on days when the Buddy Club meets. Some members, like Michael Williamson, live close enough to ride a bike, however, participants can come from as far as 15 miles away — a distance much further than the average community center patron travels. “I pay a driver to bring me here,” says Buddy Club member Becca Rudolph. “I have been coming to the community center for a long time. At first I was only a general member, but then I heard about the Buddy Club, so I starting coming to that. Now, I work as a part-time employee for the program, and I wouldn’t know what to do without these guys.” Theresa Swival, a part-time recreation leader for the Buddy Club, says she sees the impact the Buddy Club has on the participants. Many of the Buddies stay at home all day when the Buddy Club does not meet. “I often hear them complain about doing nothing all day on their days off,” says Swival. Collette Davis, an attendant for one of the Buddy Club members, agrees. Davis shared that they have been coming to the community center for three years and she sees firsthand the impact when the Buddy Club is closed. “My client’s routine is out of sync on those days and those are the times he acts out,” she says. “When the Buddies are here, they always have something to do and they feel needed,” explains Swival. On Mondays, they have yoga; Tuesdays, athletics in the gymnasium or supervised swimming in the pool; and Thursdays, they work on science or art activities that are based around seasons and holidays. Socializing for some of the Buddies isn’t limited to planned Buddy Club projects. They celebrate Buddy Club members’ birthdays and many meet outside
of the Buddy Club. What started out as a meeting space has turned into a thriving community of friendship and support. Buddy Club member Mary Harvey works parttime for a local doctor’s office, but never works on days when the Buddy Club meets. “I feel happy when I am here because all of my friends are here,” she says. “I really love playing Buddy Bingo and I love sharing our artwork on the Buddy Club bulletin board so that everyone here can see what we are doing.” Sharon Jasper, another Buddy Club member, chimes in: “I really like the arts and crafts projects because I like to draw and to color. I like my friends and this place really gives me peace.” Jasper also participates in Take One Drama and has been involved in the program since she started attending the Buddy Club. Filling a Vital Need One of Swival’s concerns is the ever-present waitlist for the Buddy Club. To her, the long waitlist symbolizes the high demand for more therapeutic program opportunities in the area. At the same time, she knows that the waitlist is a testament to the success of the program.
Michael Williamson lives close enough to ride his bike to get to Buddy Club activities, while other participants may face challenges finding transportation.
“In addition to staffing requirements, we are also bound by the limitations set by our local fire code for the room the Buddy Club uses for the majority of its activities,” Thomas explains before adding, “The success of our program proves we are filling a vital need for this population with our socially stimulating programs. We’d love to see other agencies in our area offer programs similar to the Buddy Club. The demand is there, you just need dedicated people and a welcoming space.” Maria Bosack is the Writer/Content Specialist for the Department of Parks and Recreation, city of Manassas Park (m.bosack@manassasparkva.gov).
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Inspired, Recharged and Raring to Go
M
ore than 7,100 people heeded the call to meet NRPA in St. Louis for the 2016 Annual Conference, and the atmosphere was electric. There was a palpable feeling of pride in what it means to be a park and recreation professional during the four-day event, and an eagerness to share and soak up the most knowledge and fun as humanly possible. From preparing to take the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) exam to participating in accreditation and leadership training, various hands-on workshops or Off-Site Institutes that explored the host city, attendees who came a few days early got right down to the business of learning from and networking with each other. As one attendee explained, “This is the conference to go to if you are looking to invest not only into your organization, but also yourself as a recreation professional.” Several new features kept things exciting even for the most experienced conference-goer. In addition to the lecture-style format, education was offered in a variety of ways to suit every learning style: speed sessions, mobile and creativity workshops, a Learning Playground and Glass Room sessions that dealt with cutting-edge issues facing agencies nation-
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wide. Attendees got their steps in and workout on with opportunities to participate in golf, yoga, a 5K run/walk and traversing the large exhibit hall, filled with a wide variety of the latest in industry-related products and services. The annual Student Challenge Bowl was reimagined as an Amazing Racestyle challenge. Several teams of three were tested both mentally, on their knowledge of parks, recreation and tourism, and physically as they navigated their way around St. Louis’ renowned Forest Park. The south entrance of the St. Louis Zoo, housed within the park, was the finish line, and the Texas A&M “Aggie’s Rep 2” team was the first across. They were followed closely by the “Recsperts,” a mixed team of students from Texas State University and the University of Illinois, and “Team Hotty” from the University of Mississippi. The culmi-
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nation of this challenge was the kickoff to the NRPA Opening Reception where, on a beautiful fall evening, attendees took a walk on the wild side. On Thursday, October 6, during the General Session, outgoing NRPA Chair, Susan Trautman, CPRP, director of Great Rivers Greenway District and this year’s Conference host, passed the leadership reins to Stephen Eckelberry, director of Illinois’s Bartlett Park District, who she described as the biggest “Park and Rec Kid” of all. Just a few moments earlier, she shared a Park and Rec Kid video, showcasing the various ways parks and recreation impacts the lives of community members. The video, produced by the North Miami Beach Department of Parks and Recreation, can be viewed at https://youtu.be/DSTtA_KrKXk. That theme resonated in the remarks of NRPA President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, who challenged all in attendance to act as leaders and to work together to change communities for the better. Doing so, she added, requires us to meet people where they are by “reaching out and getting to know the pulse and needs of each community member. Don’t make your residents fit into what you’re doing,” she enjoined. “Fit into their lives.” Following an inspiring presentation from Dr. Scott Sampson, dinosaur pale-
ontologist, author and host of the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS series “Dinosaur Train,” Rebecca Benná, president of the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, took to the stage as emcee for the eagerly awaited Gold Medal Award Ceremony. And, it was time to recognize and celebrate those agencies that, during the course of the past year, had done outstanding work. With the conclusion of the formal program, attendees quickly turned their attention to what lay behind the exhibit hall doors. As the doors opened, they surged forward, eager to experience and learn about the latest technology, equipment and services the more than 400 vendors had to offer. “I was excited to see the expanse of products and services represented in the exhibit hall,” said Bonnie Richardson, architect/urban planner for the city of Tempe, Arizona. Sue Rich, citizen/commissioner for the city of Olivette Parks and Recreation in Missouri agreed: “The opportunity to see a vast array of products in the exhibit hall was fantastic! Well worth the time and money to talk directly to vendors and compare products.” Here, in the NRPA booth, attendees could also get information about the new Park Path — Park Finder App, offered by NRPA. This completely free app is currently under development and is designed to help users easily discover and access the activities, programs, events and amenities at their local park and recreation centers. Volunteers are needed serve as app testers, share their feedback and provide park data to test. If you’d like to learn more about the app and help with its development, visit www.nrpa.org/Park-Path. Other activity on the show floor included extreme sports demos, interactive sessions in the Learning Lab, Glass Room and Learning Playground, prizes and cash giveaways and the ever-popular Exhibitor Hosted Happy Hour. One of the hottest items this year was the limited-edi
tion NRPA Build-A-Bear, which seemed to awaken the kid in everyone. The bears were a great Conference memento since the first Build-A-Bear store opened at the Saint Louis Galleria in 1997. With so much learning, networking and fun to be had, the time flew by, and soon, attendees were gathering for the Closing General Session, where they’d learn what the closely guarded surprise ending entailed. Energized by a presentation from Charlie Todd, founder of Improv Everywhere and author of Causing a Scene, attendees headed to a nearby park for a silent dance party, with music provided by Headphone Disco — the Silent Party People. You can get a glimpse of that fun-filled event at http://tinyurl. com/zdopzn2. It was, as Madeline Torrez noted, a “great way to end the Conference.” But, it wasn’t the end. That would come the next day, Saturday, October 8, with the opening of the Parks Build Community Trojan Park in Wellston. Each year, in an underserved community in the Conference host city, NRPA partners with a number of sponsors to either build or renovate a playground. Thanks to the support of Great Rivers Greenway, the city of Wellston, and generous spon-
sors, a vacant lot was transformed into a vibrant community park. It’s called Trojan Park in honor of the mascot of the community’s only high school that closed several years ago. But, Trojan pride runs deep in this community, and a large number of community members, the young and young at heart, turned out to celebrate this state-of-the-art playground. You can read more about Trojan Park in next month’s Parks & Recreation issue, but this event was the best possible way to end the 2016 Conference. Against a backdrop of blue skies and sunshine, punctuated with the sounds of community members’ laughing and catching up with each other, and kids having fun on the playground and basketball court, the reasons you, park and recreation professionals, do what you do were evident. Planning is already underway for next year’s Conference, so if you have a great idea for an education session you’d like to present, submit it online at www. nrpa.org/proposals. You have until November 18 to submit session proposals. And, before you forget, mark these dates on your calendar — September 26-28, 2017 — and make plans to join us in New Orleans!
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Urban Rewilding “Close your eyes for a moment and picture a place from childhood that’s extremely meaningful,” directed Opening Session keynote speaker Dr. Scott Sampson. “Imagine what it looks like, feels like, who you’re there with, what the smells are.” By an almost unanimous show of hands, Dr. Scott, host and science advisor of the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS television series “Dinosaur Train” and author of How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature, illustrated how, for a large number in the audience, that extremely meaningful childhood place involves the outdoors. The audience largely consisted of Baby Boomers/Generation Xers who remember enjoying abundant, unstructured outdoor playtime as kids. For many of today’s youth, those childhood places will look much different. We all know the importance of con40 Parks & Recreation
necting children with nature and the outdoors. But, we hear it so often that, like “global warming” or “climate change,” the reference begins to lose its urgency. With that simple opening exercise, Dr. Scott deftly laid out the “crisis” that the world is headed toward if we don’t get kids and communities connected to nature. Imagine 25 years from now, he posits, how many hands would be raised in response to the same question about a meaningful childhood place involving the outdoors. “If people don’t spend any time outside, why are they going to care about their local places let alone the national
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parks in the distance,” he asked. Dr. Scott suggests that “urban rewilding” in our cities and town is what’s needed to head off this crisis. Rewilding is a term usually used in connection with reintroducing an apex predator into an ecosystem in an attempt to restore balance. A familiar example of this top-down approach to restoring balance would be the efforts to return wolves to Yellowstone Park. Urban rewilding is a bottom up approach that starts with the simple act of planting mostly native plants. They are critical to attracting native insects, which in turn attract birds and various animals back to the local ecosystem. And, if we do urban rewilding right, cities could become places where nature is welcome. And once that happens, we need to help children develop NEW eyes to see nature: to notice it, engage with it — play is an important way for kids to engage with nature and it also allows them to gain some experience with risk-taking, while developing a sense of wonder about it. This movement to “rewild” or “wild” children touches on all three NRPA Pillars — Conservation, Health and Wellness and Social Equity. However, it’s a movement that requires big thinking about what we want the future to look like and for each community that future will look different. It also will require deep collaboration among multiple organizations that bring their various areas of expertise, each doing their part to achieve the end goal of successful, thriving communities. “We’re at a juncture where the decisions we and the next generation make will determine the course of this planet for thousands of years to come,” Dr. Scott noted. He then challenged us to go out into our communities and think about what those collaborations could be, look like and grow into, and to think big because “that’s where success resides.” Note: To listen to Dr. Scott’s presentation in its entirety, visit http://parks.nrpa.org/conference2016/about/resources-handouts.
Nonstop Learning
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rom the time you arrive at Conference, even before attending the first education session, learning begins in the casual conversations with new colleagues or old friends. No matter where you are in your career — a college student looking for that first park and rec internship, young professional just starting out or a seasoned veteran — or your learning style, there’s something for everyone who attends. Repeat attendee, John Koehler, director of community recreation for the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Community Recreation Department, describes his Conference experience this way: “Every time, I come back (this is his third Conference) I have to buy new socks because they are knocked off over and over by the locations, accommodations, socials, exhibit hall and education sessions!” Learning through play was the theme running through this year’s education offerings, and the Program Committee went to great lengths to ensure there were a number of fun, unique options. For example, attendees of the “Partners in Play: Exploring Creve Coeur Park” Off-Site Institute, learned about public-private partnerships while experiencing the amenities of the park. “We didn’t just talk about going outside to a park,” explained Heidi Miller, center supervisor for the city of Allen, Texas, “but, instead, we actually went and played at a park!” Many of the traditional lecture-style sessions were also interactive, with the pre-
senters allowing time for Q&A from participants and/or small, peer-to-peer group discussions. New this year was the Creativity Lab where attendees could participate in individual, small and large group activities, games and exercises to help spark innovation, guide creative problem solving and provide engaging discussions. Additional interactive education could be found in three separate areas on the show floor — the Learning Playground, Glass Room Sessions, and the Learning Labs. And, there was a Technology Solutions Center that offered 20-minute sessions on the latest and greatest technology or software product solutions to help integrate agency operations. Often, with so many interesting sessions happening at the same time, choosing which to attend was difficult. The NRPA Conference App was a great tool for such a situation, because, as one attendee noted, “It allowed me to see PowerPoints from the other great sessions that I was not able to attend.” For those unable to make it to St.
Learning Playground
Louis, NRPA Live provided virtual access to a selection of sessions each day. Now that Conference 2016 in the books, online access to the handouts from many of the educational sessions are available and the time spent reviewing them may be applicable toward CEU requirements for renewal of Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) credentials. If you didn’t make it to St. Louis this year or just want to refresh your memory post-event, check out www.nrpa. org/conference2016. Planning is already underway for next year’s Conference in New Orleans and proposals for education sessions are being accepted now through November 18, 2016, at www. nrpa.org/proposals. Proposals for Speed Sessions will be accepted in early spring of 2017. Visit www.nrpa.org to keep abreast of developments leading up to New Orleans, and we look forward to seeing you in The Big Easy!
Glass Room Session
Creativity Lab
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In Recognition of Excellence
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uring the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference, the following park and recreation professionals and agencies were formally recognized with awards for their outstanding work, which elevates our entire field:
National Awards
Park Champions of the Year
Robert M. Artz Citizen Advocacy David Nigel, City of San Bruno Parks and Recreation
The Park Champion of the Year Award is given to the NRPA member who advocated for parks and recreation and organized or facilitated an event showcasing his or her agency to a member of Congress and/or that member’s staff. Following are this year’s recipients:
NRPA’s National Awards recognize the people and programs that best highlight the phenomenal work being done in our field.
Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Tiffany M. Johnson, Seattle Parks and Recreation Excellence in Inclusion Award Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation, Carmel, Indiana Excellence in Innovative Programming City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department, Florida Facility or Park Design Bend Park and Recreation District, Oregon Barb King Environmental Stewardship Fairfax County Park Authority, Virginia RWJF-NRPA Award for Health Equity Steven Elliott Marcus
Deb Smith, Executive Director Maine Recreation and Park Association Tracy Willette, Director Bangor Parks and Recreation
Journal of Leisure Research Best Paper Award The 2015 Journal of Leisure Research Best Paper award goes to Jinhee Jun, Hallym University, South Korea, and Gerard Kyle, Texas A&M, for “An Alternate Conceptualization of the Leisure Constraints Measurement Model: Formative Structure?” This paper was selected by a sub-group of associate editors and the editor for its combined theoretical and methodological strength.
Kudos Marketing County of San Diego, California National Distinguished Professional Award Carolyn F. McKnight, East Baton Rouge Recreation and Park Administration, Baton Rouge, Louisiana National Partnership CityArchRiver Alliance, St. Louis, Missouri Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt Award for Excellence in Recreation and Park Research Kristi M. Fondren Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia
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Robert W. Crawford Hall of Fame Established in 1987, the Robert W. Crawford Hall of Fame recognizes individual pioneers and leaders who have made extraordinary and lasting contributions to the advancement of parks and recreation in the United States, as well as to the mission of NRPA. Following is the 2016 inductee: Stewart G. Case Colorado State University Extension Service
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Gold Medal Awards
Recipients of the 2016 Gold Medal Award Grand Plaque have demonstrated excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, programming and professional development, and innovation. The agencies receiving this honor include: Class I (pop. 400,001 and over): Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland, Ohio Class II (pop. 150,001 – 400,000): Town of Cary Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources, North Carolina Class III (pop. 75,001 – 150,000): City of Allen Parks and Recreation Department, Texas Class IV (pop. 30,001 – 75,000): Willamalane Park and Recreation District, Oregon Class V (pop. 30,000 or fewer): Frankfort Square Park District, Illinois Armed Forces Recreation: U.S. Coast Guard Base Kodiak Morale, WellBeing and Recreation Division, Alaska
Pugsley Awards
The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration announced two winners of its Honorable Cornelius Amory Pugsley Medals, which recognize lasting and outstanding contributions to the advancement of public parks, recreation and conservation in the United States. The 2016 winners are Richard L. Ash, Jr., and John Sutter.
THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS OF THE 2016 PARKS BUILD COMMUNITY PROJECT
The Green By Eric Moreno
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he city of San Antonio has a long, storied and proud shared history with the United States military. At its peak, it was home to no less than seven installations, located within the city limits. Few had a more important place in its history than the now-closed Brooks Air Force Base. Shuttered during the military sequester of the early 2000s, Brooks began at the dawn of World War I and was the site of some of the most important moments in the country’s military aviation history. Now, a unique partnership has arisen that looks to create a direct link between Brooks’ hallowed past and its promising future.
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line
Connecting San Antonio’s Past to Its Future
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THE GREENLINE
A new linear park, known as The Greenline, will connect the mixed-use facilities that now comprise Brooks with the San Antonio River and give the city’s often-underrepresented South Side a park that is sure to be a destination spot for years to come. The Dawn of Military Aviation The history of Brooks Air Force Base very closely parallels the history of military aviation in the United States. When the nation entered World War I in the spring of 1917, and after recognizing the need for flying instructors, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce set aside 873 acres in the southeast area of town for a new aviation field. Originally called Gosport Field (taken from the system of flight instructions used at the time), the site was chosen because of its climate and available water supply. With the arrival of the military, it became known as Kelly Field No. 5. On November 13, 1917, while preparing for his final training flight at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Cadet Sidney Johnson Brooks, Jr., was killed when the nose of his Curtiss JN-4 dipped down-
ward as he was landing. It was speculated that Brooks passed out due to inoculations he had received earlier in the day. Having been one of the first to volunteer for the American Flying Corps, he was awarded his wings and commission posthumously. Because of his sacrifice, the Army decided to name Brooks Field (later Brooks Air Force Base and Brooks City-Base) in his honor. Brooks would become a separate post in February 1918, and the first planes began to fly in March 1918. In its first year of operation, 16 hangars were constructed, including Hangar 9, which is now a national historic landmark and one of the keystones of the new Greenline. After the war, the pilot instructor school was closed and a Balloon and Airship School was opened for pilots and ground crew members. “There is so much history here,” says Brooks City-Base Chief Executive Officer, Leo Gomez. “Being able to capture and connect to that history is really important. Brooks is important not just to the city overall, but to this community in particular. I’m excited that the new project will bring revitalization to Hangar 9.
Government and city officials ushered in construction of The Greenline with a ceremonial tree planting. Following the ceremony, guests “adopted” and took home 40 trees courtesy of the city of San Antonio Parks and Recreation. 46 Parks & Recreation
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It’s being developed into a place to hold events such as galas and quinceañeras and things like that. Providing the public with access to that building is an important piece to this project.” In between the first and second World Wars, the military’s aviation medicine school was moved to Brooks and a who’s who of flight history literally came through the facilities for training: Generals Claire L. Chennault, Thomas D. White, Nathan F. Twining and Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh. From World War II through Vietnam, pilots continued to train at Brooks. It was the backup site for NASA’s Project Mercury and, in 1963, was dedicated as the home of the School for Aerospace Medicine by President John F. Kennedy during his illfated trip through Texas, exactly one day before his assassination. Brooks City-Base and The Greenline In 2002, Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base. That same year, the Brooks Development Authority assumed control of the base and, nine years later, Air Force operations ceased. Following the cessation of Air Force operations, the grounds at Brooks were converted into a mixed-use, residential and commercial property that brought new life to the city’s southeast side. Earlier this year, the final piece of the puzzle that would complete the revitalization of the former air base was beginning to be put into place. “When we did the original land use plan for City-Base a little over three years ago, we had clearly carved out space for a public park,” Gomez explains. “We wanted to make sure that in the middle of the residential space, the light industrial space and the hospital and education space, we had green space to connect it all together. What we came up with was The Greenline.” The Greenline, when completed, will be a $10.6 million, 43-acre linear park that will not only provide recreational
and fitness opportunities for the area’s residents, but will also become a destination location. The first phase of the project, for which ground was broken in August of this year, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017. Brooks City-Base will be solely in charge of the park when it opens. According to Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, “The Greenline leverages Bexar County’s more than $200 million investment in the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River by further connecting the South Side community to the river, recreation and hike-and-bike trails. This incredible investment by Brooks CityBase, the city of San Antonio and Bexar County furthers the ‘Golden Age’ of development for the southern sector of the city — an area that had been neglected for far too long.” Funded with $3 million in city bonds and $7.6 million from a Brooks Infrastructure Bond, The Greenline promises to be a state-of-the-art green space that will feature a mile of illuminated hiking and biking trails and 1.5 miles of jogging trails. Fitness stations, play structures, outdoor pavilions, terracing lakes and 10 acres each of grasslands and native vegetation will combine to make this a truly unique San Antonio park. “The best feature of the park is that it will connect all the residences and businesses at City-Base with the Mission Reach of the River Walk,” Gomez says. “Everything from free Wi-Fi and public art, to the trails, pavilions and lakes will all give this community something that it has never had, and it will all tie together with the history of the base and with the history of San Antonio [through the river].” Where History, Family and the Culture of Health Meet Mission Reach, which extends from the tourist hub of downtown to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, was completed slightly less than
them recruit a great workforce? Time and again, we hear that companies want to be able to offer amenities such as parks, eateries, entertainment venues and attractive housing near the workplace. This is the kind of community we are building at Brooks. We could not be more thrilled about the opportunities [The Greenline] will offer.”
The Greenline trails and amenities will ultimately connect to the very popular Mission Reach Trails.
five years ago and connects the historic San Antonio River virtually its entire length by the famed River Walk. Under the auspices of the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), The Greenline will now connect this portion of the city to its icons of culture and entertainment. The project also has very real-world, economic implications for the city and the area as it will help Brooks City-Base attract employers and fuel job creation on the South Side. More and more businesses are flocking to the area, including the first full-service hotel south of downtown San Antonio. “The River Authority is excited by the addition of The Greenline trails and amenities and its plans to ultimately connect to the very popular Mission Reach Trails that SARA manages,” says Steve Graham, SARA assistant general manager. “We see this sort of trail connection as a way to improve and extend recreation and quality-of-life options right into neighborhoods and communities along the San Antonio River.” “Major employers aren’t just looking for tax breaks, they are looking for quality of life,” Gomez said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “What will help
Something Special What is a park? Is it simply the open area where people gather in nature for fun and frolic? Is it a reminder of a time or an event from the distant past? Is it indeed a commercial generator? Can it be all of that? Ultimately, the vision for The Greenline does ask for it to be all of that and more. “For our community here at Brooks and on the South Side, The Greenline is a dream come true,” said Manuel Villa, chairman of the Brooks Board of Directors, who was also at the groundbreaking. “It will be the new weekend hotspot, an essential part of the community, as we build the live, work, learn and play atmosphere. We can’t wait for this beautiful park.” The Greenline promises to be more than a place for people to come and ride their bikes, barbecue with friends and family, or just enjoy the pleasant weather of the city. It will also be more than a way to remember the glorious past where this part of the world was the funnel for the country’s burgeoning Air Force or to bring new businesses to the area. The possibilities for The Greenline are limited only by imagination. “I think ultimately, it will be another destination park for our community, building on the miles and miles of linear parks we have in San Antonio,” Gomez says. “It will also add to the quality of life that the people in this part of the city have. Parks like this are something special.” Eric Moreno is a freelance writer based in San Antonio, Texas (ericmoreno6477@gmail.com).
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! s r e t s Disa ? d e r a p e r P u o Y e r A By Richard J. Dolesh
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trong rains began to fall heavily throughout central and southern Louisiana in the heat of August 2016. Not unusual for hot, humid Louisiana at this time of year, but the rains increased as time went on, and it just kept raining. “It started on a Friday,” says Carolyn McKnight, superintendent of BREC, the park and recreation agency of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, “and it rained day and night. We began to hear from our employees that rivers were rapidly rising and our parks were becoming flooded. It was a rain like we had never seen before.” In fact, it rained more than 30 inches in some localities in Louisiana in less than a week, causing a flood of biblical proportions. Almost 100,000 homes and businesses in the greater Baton Rouge area were damaged or destroyed. Thirteen people lost their lives and it’s been estimated that property damage will exceed $8 billion. The Louisiana flood has been classified as the worst natural disaster in the United States since Superstorm Sandy. The Louisiana flood has been termed “a 1,000-year flood,” meaning that the proba-
bility of such a storm is estimated to have a .1 of 1 percent chance of occurring in a given year, or once every thousand years. However, the historic Louisiana flood was not the only 1,000-year flood in the United States in recent years. The state of West Virginia was ravaged by torrential rains on June 23, 2016, and South Carolina suffered enormous damage from extreme flooding in October 2015. According to insurance industry data, there have been six 1,000-year floods in the past five years preceding the Louisiana flood, and instead
of abating, it appears that such events are growing in intensity and frequency. Park and Recreation Agencies on the Frontlines Increasingly, across the United States, states and localities are facing more frequent and unanticipated impacts from extreme weather, such as flooding, drought, hurricanes and other events that cause widespread property damage, dislocation of people, extended loss of power, health emergencies and overall disruptions to commerce and daily life. Most scientific observers attribute the conditions that create extreme weather events to the effects of climate change; others assert they are just part of a cyclical pattern of events that is occurring with greater frequency and the causes are not yet known. No matter the root caus-
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DISASTER
es and explanations, the fact is that more and more park and recreation agencies across the nation are having to deal with the impacts of extreme events that cause immense property damage and affect the health and livelihood of communities. What Is Your Plan? When the Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, declared a state of emergency during the flood of 2016, the impact of the disaster was still unfolding. The flooding came so quickly and was so widespread that the staff of BREC had little time to take proactive measures. When the governor issued a statewide declaration of emergency, Superintendent McKnight immediately followed with a similar announcement to declare the system closed and for only those staff deemed emergency personnel to report. The agency invoked its emergency response plan, originally prepared in 2014 as a part of its NRPA Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) requirements. BREC previously did not have a plan that identified emergency actions and responsibilities of staff — Superintendent McKnight noted that CAPRA standards require agencies to have an emergency response plan and since she had never been through the process of creating one, she worked with BREC’s risk manager and senior leadership team to forge a plan.
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BREC’s plan identified individuals and their responsibilities during emergencies, but when the floods hit, they came to learn that up to 25 percent of the staff of the agency, including members of its emergency response team, was flooded out, complicating their response. Superintendent McKnight’s military background and experience served her well. She followed the basics of early training she received from the Air Force, and it helped her to organize and prioritize their response. One of their first tasks was to conduct an assessment — what was damaged, what was lost, what was threatened? BREC’s communications staff members quickly began to document the scope of the damage to their parks and communities, and their social media posts and other messaging became a vital place for news and updates. With daily messaging and on-scene photos, they were able to keep the media up-to-date as well as keep residents informed about damages to facilities, services offered to flood victims and the status of repairs and reopening. Employees felt connected and many came to work to help others, even though their own lives had been uprooted. When the worst of the flood waters had passed, BREC staff quickly brought mobile recreation units and mobile art teams to shelters to give children healthy recreation activities and a place to play. As business-
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es began to reopen and adults struggled with putting lives and homes back in order, schools remained closed. BREC was able to reinstitute 13 day camps at its facilities across Baton Rouge Parish, providing care and activities for children and youth. Working with other local, state and federal agencies was critical to return the park system and the community to a semblance of order. By prior agreement, BREC gave the National Guard and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development permission to stage operations at parks, to store and distribute relief supplies, and to temporarily stockpile storm debris in parks. “When the community needed us, I am proud to say that BREC responded immediately, and our experience with severe weather allowed us to move quickly on multiple fronts,” says Superintendent McKnight. “We know recovery will be a long-term effort and our staff is continuing to find ways to help our community rebuild and recover.” Not All Disasters Happen All at Once The images that come to mind when one thinks of natural disasters that affect communities are usually of violent and fast-moving events — torrential rains and winds, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes. But, other types of disasters can occur over longer periods and can even take years or decades to manifest. The coming “megadroughts” in the West appear to be that kind of disaster, even as we witness it happening. Extreme drought has gripped the Southwest and Western United States for the past four to six years causing rivers and aquifers to run dry. Massive tree-death due to drought has struck a number of Southwest cities, notably Houston. But, a new study by NASA and Cornell and Columbia Universities points to evidence that the current droughts could last not just for another year or two, but for 20-30 years. The impacts of such a drought are almost inconceivable, especially given the rapid pace of development in the South-
west and West. Water shortages, parched soils and massive, uncontrollable wildfires are only the beginning of the likely long-term consequences if such megadroughts occur. Joel McKnight, assistant director of parks and recreation for the city of El Paso, says that this region of Texas has worked hard for the last 15-20 years to be prepared. They work closely with their water utility to ensure there is public green space in the city, a vital resource that is highly valued by people in their community. Of course, if there is to be any green space in parks, it requires irrigation, and virtually every park has a highly controlled system to monitor and control every bit of water that is used. El Paso has gone to evapotranspiration (ET) irrigation systems; that is, centrally controlled computerized irrigation systems that measure the amount of evaporation of water from the soil and the transpiration of water by plants. They hope to install such systems in every park. While El Paso is able to keep its 1,200 acres of turf and sports fields in good shape, the agency works from a plan and adapts as needed, sometimes on a daily basis. But, if they go into Stage 3 or 4 drought conditions, Assistant Director McKnight says, they will be required to make some hard choices. “This is not just about resiliency,” he adds, “it is about long-term sustainability.” In addition, he notes that it also is not just about preparing for long-term impacts of drought but is equally about preparing for floods. Dramatic increases in impervious surfaces combined with severely damaged soils and impeded natural infiltration has meant that the impacts of storms have become much greater, and they must plan for them as well. Learning the Lessons These long-term drought cycles have changed the way the agency designs and manages parks. Xeriscaping, once an interesting way to design desert landscapes, has become the standard for how parks are now designed. Instead of large expanses of
turf, park designs now include buffer zones with native plant landscaping. “And, we no longer fertilize with agricultural-grade fertilizers,” Asst. Dir. McKnight says. “We fertilize only when plants need it and carefully water with the absolute minimum needed for uptake of nutrients.” In Bakersfield, California, one of the top 10 cities in the United States projected to be affected by the coming megadroughts, Park and Recreation Director Dianne Hoover says that in an average year, they receive about 6 inches of rain. In the past five years, annual rainfall has been 2 inches or less. The drought has been so profound in Bakersfield that their park system has lost thousands of full-size trees, and due to mandatory water conservation measures, they closed all of their spray parks in 2015 to the dismay of children and adults alike. “Our city has grown and will continue to grow,” says Hoover, “and the demands to manage water conservation will be even greater in the future. It is a real challenge.” Everyone of Bakersfield’s 59 parks is controlled by an ET irrigation system that is centralized, constantly monitored and finely tuned. The agency conducted a proactive campaign to educate the public and gain their support, and developed an app that allows the public to report problems or overspray of automated irrigation systems. “We asked the public for help,” says Hoover, “and the public has enthusiastically pitched in by taking pictures and identifying locations by GPS.” The agency got instant, real-time information and the complaint calls about wasted water have dropped dramatically. Several common threads run through the stories of how park and recreation agencies handle emergency preparedness and disaster response. Almost without exception, those agencies that best weather disasters have emergency response plans in place and the staff is knowledgeable about what their roles are when disaster strikes. Disasters, by their very nature, cause disruptions and dislocations and no response plan meets the needs of every emergency. However, those agen-
cies that can adapt as events unfold and maximize the lessons learned in the moment are those that are able to recover. Superintendent McKnight of BREC says that the after-incident reports of damages are vitally important if an agency is to recover and gain state and federal reimbursement. She recommends documenting losses extensively by word and photo and keeping detailed records that will be invaluable when attempting to gain insurance reimbursement or disaster recovery funds. The importance of parks and recreation to communities cannot be overstated. Carolyn Kousky, a Fellow at the widely respected, Washington, D.C.-based research organization, Resources for the Future (RFF), says that RFF is studying the economic aspects of disaster recovery. She noted that FEMA has looked at the benefits of involving the “whole community” in a proactive manner. At the heart of this new approach is the importance of creating a culture of preparedness for the whole community through training and education. The co-benefits, especially to low-income and non-English speaking communities, have enabled other kinds of outreach, needs assessment and education opportunities. “The post-disaster environment is extremely chaotic,” Kousky says. “Communities that are most able to respond effectively and develop a sustainable recovery are those that had plans in place and were able to follow a plan of action.” Residents want to see green benefits after disasters, too, and the field of parks and recreation is uniquely equipped to make this vision come alive. For more information about what to do before, during and after a variety of emergency situations, visit www.ready.gov/prepare-for-emergencies. The Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge contributed to this article. Richard J. Dolesh is NRPA’s Vice-President for Conservation and Parks (rdolesh@nrpa.org).
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NRPA Update Park and R.E.C.-reativity
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uring the NRPA General Session at the NRPA Annual Conference in St. Louis, we profiled our Park and Rec Kid initiative — a social media campaign to drive awareness that we have all been influenced by our local parks and recreation centers. This year, we showcased a video created by the city of North Miami Beach Parks and R.E.C. Department. To say that the video was met with rave reviews is an understatement. Given the popularity of the video (you can view it here: tiny.cc/ParkRecKidVid), we did a little Q&A with the Parks and R.E.C. Department’s marketing coordinator, Aja Dorsainvil. Parks & Recreation magazine: Why did you create this video? Aja Dorsainvil: We created the video to
bring more awareness to parks and recreation and all the activities and programs we provide to the community, while targeting
millennials. Videos are extremely popular on social media and users prefer videos over photos now, so that’s why we created a video. We’ve actually started making videos as a way to promote our events. P&R: The video covers a lot. How long did it take you to film? Dorsainvil: We filmed “I’m A Parks & R.E.C. Kid” throughout the day over several days at each of our community centers; we also used photos and footage from past events. The video debuted at our Youth Symposium back in April, and we immediately shared it on Facebook — it was an instant hit. P&R: Tell us about the rapper and producer. Dorsainvil: The rapper is Jahmir Tolliver (aka Kid R.E.C.). He is actually a lifeguard. The videographer is Jason Hope (aka Jason Sax), a recreation leader. Both grew up in Parks & R.E.C. programs in North Miami Beach. We filmed the video using Jahmir’s Samsung S6 Edge phone. This video isn’t just a great marketing piece from North Miami Beach, it’s also a great example of what can be done with creative staff, a smartphone and a mission. Your department can also use the Park and Rec Kid initiative to promote the great work you do. Learn more about how to get involved at www.nrpa.org/park-rec-kid.
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YOUR IDEAS ARE WORTH SHARING Submit your education session proposals for the 2017 NRPA Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana
BONUS: WIN FREE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION Submit your session proposals by Friday, November 18, 2016 for a chance to win a free full-package registration to the conference.
For more information, visit www.nrpa.org/Proposals or contact education@nrpa.org
NRPA Update
Member Spotlight: Kristina K. Adams
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or the past five years, Kristina K. Adams, NAF USARMY IMCOM FMWRC (US), has been the Fitness Director/Special Events at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia. Adams hails from Texas and after graduating from San Angelo State University with a degree in Kinesiology and a background in sports, she decided she wanted to work at a fitness center. “I played basketball the first half of my college career,” she shared, “so I knew I wanted to do something in the fitness/sports field. I was so fortunate to get on with the Navy, and it has opened up so many opportunities for me in the field.” Before taking the position in Georgia, Adams spent the first 14 years of her career in Texas: as the gym/pool manager at Naval Station Ingleside and then as its Intramural Sports Coordinator, before taking a position as the fitness director at Naval Air Station Kingsville. Last May, Adams received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service for her performance as action officer for a duathlon hosted by Hunter Army Airfield in honor of the installation’s 75th Diamond Anniversary celebration. Parks & Recreation magazine recently had a chance to catch up with Adams — following is a portion of our conversation: Parks & Recreation magazine: What’s different about providing recreation for enlisted military members and their families? Kristina K. Adams: We have the distinct privilege of providing activities and services that affect the quality of life of the men and women who serve this great country as well as their families who, through their sacrifice, serve right alongside their spouse or parent. Morale, Well-Being and Recreation (MWR) goes beyond recreation in that we provide added services, such as child care and library services. We also have some unique facilities that really allow us to provide services to literally everyone in the family. Know-
ing that what we do within the MWR directorate makes a difference in the lives of our soldiers and, I hope, makes things a little more bearable for the families while their loved ones are away in service of our country, gets me excited about my work. P&R: You mentioned that you are one garrison but two separate installations: Fort Stewart in Hinesville, Georgia, and Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah. What kind of challenge does that present? Adams: I think it is the ability to continue to provide quality services with the lack of resources due to the fiscal challenges we are facing. Hunter Army Airfield is much smaller than Fort Stewart, but we still have
a community to support. Because of our size, I try to find activities that are unique and fun, but do not require a lot of staff or resources to conduct. So, along with some of our larger events, such as Christmas tree lighting and Fourth of July, I like to include some smaller events with the goal of getting families out of the house and moving. Army MWR is a big family, so we reach out to each other on a regular basis to get ideas and to see what is working and not working on other installations. We were fortunate enough to have a session at NRPA this year in which the presenters just gave us a plethora of programming ideas that other installations are doing that face the same challenges. We are figuring out how to do more with less to give our community something to be involved in. P&R: What is one of your favorite events? Adams: My favorite event has to be the cardboard boat regatta. Participants have to construct a boat using only cardboard and duct tape. They bring their vessel the day of the race and have to row it with a two-man crew the length of the pool. I have broken down the event into categories to make it fairer for the younger participants and the fastest time in each category receives a trophy. I also have a trophy for the best-decorated boat. Some of our participants really get into it. — Sonia Myrick, Managing Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine
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Go Green on a Budget
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.S. Communities is the leading national local government purchasing cooperative that offers contracts competitively solicited by and on behalf of public agencies nationwide. Cooperative purchasing combines the collective buying power of multiple agencies in order to provide a contract that can be utilized by other public agencies. A cooperative contract can improve the overall effectiveness of the purchasing process by providing volume discounts, administrative savings and other benefits. NRPA Premier Members can register with U.S. Communities to gain access to the thousands of quality products from multiple suppliers available through its contracts!
U.S. Communities has made environmental purchasing easier with its Go Green Program. Now NRPA Premier Members can make budget-friendly purchases using competitively solicited contracts with suppliers offering a broad line of green solutions! Not only will you be able to shop a wide variety of green suppliers, but you will also find a wealth of information and resources that will help lower your community’s carbon footprint. When purchasing through U.S. Communities, you can be confident you are making educated decisions about the products you purchase.
Premier members can register with U.S. Communities today to have access to the thousands of quality products from multiple suppliers available through its contracts. By registering for the program, you are neither committing to participate nor binding your agency in any manner. Your agency will still have the ability to make choices outside of U.S. Communities. Compare the U.S. Communities contracts with the contracts your agency currently has in place. We believe you will be impressed with their offerings! Visit www.nrpa.org/Membership/ Endorsed-Business-Provider/U-S-Communities to get started today! Have questions? Contact Hayley Herzing at hherzing@nrpa.org.
Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge The following question is a sample Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) examination question: Which of the following is the best option to assess the areas and facilities of a public park and recreation agency? A. Benchmark against national norms B. Seek opinions of the professional staff C. Hire a professional planner D. Compare against community expectations Calling all beginning to midlevel 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, visit www.nrpa.org/cprp. Answer: D
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NRPA Update
Hot Topics NRPA Connect is the place to network with your fellow park and recreation professionals! Need a little inspiration? Visit Connect at www.nrpaconnect.org/home and see what the latest hot topics are in your profession. It’s easy to join the discussion today: Resident vs. Nonresident — Many agencies have created different pricing structures for residents versus nonresidents to use their facilities. The problem for some professionals becomes defining who is considered a resident. Members share their policies in this thread. Split for contractual services — Are you in the process of updating your contractual services agreements? Read this discussion to see how your colleagues are splitting the rate between the facility and the instructor. Lifeguards at coach-supervised practices — This hot topic has members discussing their practices with regard to requiring lifeguards to be present at all coach-supervised swim practices. Questions include, if guards are not required, do you have specific requirements for coaches’ certifications to conduct swim practices independently? Activity guides/marketing — Looking for inspiration to improve marketing your programming at your recreation centers? Visit this post for budget-friendly ideas to cut printing costs by using social media and increasing your online presence. Visit Connect at www.nrpaconnect. org/home and let the networking begin! Need help accessing your profile? Contact us by email at customerservice@ nrpa.org or by phone at 800.626.6772.
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Will You Go Out With Us?
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ast year, REI did something different on Black Friday — the outdoor recreational cooperative closed its doors and invited the nation to leave the bigbox stores behind and “opt outside.” And, more than a million people did just that by hiking, biking and visiting their local parks. This year on Black Friday, NRPA is joining REI outside again, and we’d like you to opt outside with us. It’s a perfect opportunity to promote your parks as the place to get outside after Thanksgiving. It’s even a great opportunity to hold a special event for your community. Let’s skip the malls and celebrate life outdoors. To learn more, visit the REI OptOutside site: www.bit.ly/2dyNvMH. If you’re hosting an event to get people outside on Black Friday, let us know about it! Email NRPA Communications Manager Roxanne Sutton at rsutton@ nrpa.org.
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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 CONFERENCE RECORDINGS Coming soon for those who missed it‌ The 2016 NRPA Annual Conference in St. Louis was full of great education sessions! Luckily, we had the opportunity to record 22 of these sessions and will be offering them for viewing soon. They will be available to purchase individually or in discounted topic bundles covering programming, advocacy, leadership, customer service, marketing and more. This will be a great opportunity to brush up on the latest from the field and earn CEUs. To learn more, visit www.nrpa. org/Conference-Sessions.
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.
January 15-20, 2017
January 29 - February 3, 2017
March 12-17, 2017
August 27-September 1, 2017
AFO PROGRAM
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CPSI PROGRAM 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.
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Operations Modern Aquatic Therapy and a New Clientele By Stacy Lynch, PTA, CLT, CPT, Aq, GAq and Teresa Sawyer, ATRIC, AEA, RYT
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ooking back to the earliest civilizations, our ancestors used baths for more than simply washing and recreation. Even in the time of Hippocrates, immersion in various water temperatures was deemed valuable in the medical treatment of most illnesses — this practice continued into the rule of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, once Rome’s influence in the world dissipated, so too did the use of water immersion in the medical mindset. However, Europe continued to hold a remnant of adherence to the principles of immersion, and medical spas continue to play an important role in health and wellness there to this day. It was Father Sebastian Kneipp (one of the founders of the Naturopathic Medicine Movement) who revitalized the world’s recognition of the medical benefits of water in the late 1800s. Around this time, many American medical colleges and aquatic establishments had a strong focus on this aspect of healing with what was called “the water cure.”
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Aquatic Therapy in America: A Brief History The American acceptance of aquatics as a medical modality has ebbed and flowed over time. Even though cold-water treatments were known to be beneficial to patients with cerebral palsy and spastic conditions in the early 1900s, most medical applications involved topical use rather than immersion, and pools were mostly used for recreation during that time. Poliomyelitis in America emerged through a series of epidemics beginning in the 1920s, and became more prevalent
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in the 1930s and 1940s. After contracting polio in 1921, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt discovered the near-miraculous effects of warm-water immersion, became a huge advocate of aquatic therapy and, eventually, purchased a spa in Warm Springs, Georgia. His active advocacy resulted in government assistance and organizations that developed programming for corrective swimming pools and therapeutic tanks. In the 1940s following World War II, aquatic therapy served a useful need for injured soldiers. Aquatic rehab was so effective that the government intervened to appropriate many American pools and spas for military rehab use. However, with the development of the polio vaccine and advances in medicine and technology, pool use was again largely relegated to recreation, and professionals were no longer trained in aquatic therapy. Hospitals filled in their pools and American medical use of aquatics reentered the Dark Ages. The tide turned once again as the space race of the 1960s caused an overwhelming interest in formal research into the physiological effects of immersion, which was the only Earth-bound equivalent of weightlessness. Not only were medical changes noted with the effects of buoyancy and weightlessness, but the physical properties of water also produced significant physiologic changes in the renal, cardiac, respiratory and neuromuscular systems of the human body, many with potential medical benefit. Today, this study of the physiological effects of simple immersion on the human body is called medical hydrology.
Integrating Aquatics Into Healthcare Despite its aquatic history, today’s American medical model appears to struggle with the integration of aquatics into the healthcare system. There are a number of specific aquatic therapy facilities and aquatic exercise classes in the United States today. However, because Western medicine since the early 20th century has prioritized disease cure over disease prevention and wellness promotion, the use of aquatics has remained deep in the background. Medical awareness of the health-promoting effects of immersion and aquatic exercise continues to remain limited at best. Despite the enormous amounts of funding put into pharmacological research for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, at this point in time, medications have failed to produce significant tangible results in prevention, reversal or even slowing of the progression of this debilitating problem. Conversely, since the 1950s, physical exercise has proven helpful in preventing, slowing and even reversing cognitive decline. For many seniors, however, land-based exercise can often present a challenge due to pain and restricted mobility. Aquatic activity can minimize these obstacles and provide an avenue for exercise that is often impossible (or impractical) on land. Recent research recognizing the benefits of aquatic therapy in Alzheimer’s disease has become the impetus for more research into the potential cognitive benefits associated with aquatic activity for individuals with dementia. It has been discovered that chest-level immersion alone results in statistically significant increases in cerebral blood flow, which may lead to improvements in cognitive function. When the body is immersed in water, our brains release a steady stream of natural hormones like endorphins, oxytocin and dopamine. Chemicals called neurotrophins are re
leased, facilitating nerve regeneration and reconnection. Long-term care facilities that have initiated aquatic programs for their residents with dementia have noted reports of smiles, laughter, conversation, playfulness and a sense of physical independence and freedom that participating individuals did not experience on land. Family members come to sit on the deck or even get into the pool as well as to watch their loved ones enjoy the pool with the wellness staff. For the time in the pool and a couple of hours following, many participants seem to come alive and become themselves again. Teaching people to tune into the sensory experiences of the water and learn to access for themselves this natural medicine chest can be incredibly empowering. As the emerging trend of long-term care communities getting residents into pools grows, family members are becoming more and more interested in using fewer medications and more holistic approaches to wellness for their loved ones who suffer with dementia. Bringing people with cognitive impairments into the pool is one way to improve their quality of life as well as that of their family members. As aquatic professionals, we should encourage our community partners to get the elderly and those with cognitive
impairments into the pool, and partner with aquatics therapists, long-term care facilities and medical professionals to ensure citizens with cognitive impairments, both young and old, are being served. Due to a lack of pools available in many long-term care settings, it is probable that new aquatic program needs will create an influx of seniors, caregivers and therapists to America’s public pools and recreation centers. A number of park agencies and public pools are already beginning to increase their offerings of aquatics programming for senior citizens. It is also essential that more aquatic therapists have a far deeper understanding of pool chemistry so as to better and more safely serve their patient populations, and the Aquatic Facility Operator (AFO) certification serves that purpose. Working together, aquatic professionals, therapists and community partners can form the leading edge of this movement and overcome the prevailing view of the pool as solely a recreational environment. Stacy Lynch, PTA, CLT, CPT, Aq, GAq, is Owner/ Director of Programming-Inertia Therapy Services (www.inertiatherapy.com). Teresa Sawyer, ATRIC, AEA, RYT, is the Wellness Director at Woodland Terrace, a Kisco Senior Living Community (teresa.sawyer@kiscosl.com).
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YES! I would like free product information!
Check the product(s)/company(ies) that you would like information from:
ATHLETIC/EXERCISE EQUIPMENT Go Ape................................................ 62 415.553.0769 www.goape.com Greenfields Outdoor Fitness.............. 3 888.315.9037 www.greenfieldsfitness.com BLEACHERS/SEATING Century Industries............................ 15 812.246.3371 www.centuryindustries.com BUILDINGS/TENTS/SHELTERS Easi-Set Buildings............................. 61 866.252.8210 www.easisetbuildings.com Shade Systems™ Inc............................ 1 800.609.6066 www.shadesystemsinc.com Stageline®.......................................... 21 800.267.8243 www.stageline.com COMMUNICATIONS Basinger Audio Systems................... 61 877.638.5816 www.portablesound.com GOLFING PRODUCTS/SERVICES Disc Golf Association........................ 62 831.722.6037 www.discgolf.com GROUNDS MAINTENANCE K·M International.............................. 23 800.492.1757 www.kminternational.com
ICE RINKS
Landscape Structures®..................... C3
Nice Rink............................................ 31 888.642.3746 www.nicerink.com PARK PRODUCTS/SERVICES Bright Idea Shops.............................. 61 800.886.8990 www.brightideashops.com Dogipot.............................................. 19 800.364.7681 www.dogipot.com Jayhawk Plastics Inc.......................... 62 913.764.8181 www.jayhawk.com Most Dependable Fountains............ C2 800.552.6331 www.mostdependable.com Pilot Rock®......................................... 29 800.762.5002 www.pilotrock.com Victor Stanley®.................................... 7 800.368.2573 www.victorstanley.com Willoughby Industries...................... 21 800.428.4065 www.willoughby-ind.com PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT Cemer® Playground & Fitness............ 5 +90.232.853.87.04 www.cemer.com.tr Playcore®............................................ C4 877.762.7563 www.playcore.com/inclusive play
888.438.6574 www.playlsi.com Themed Concepts®............................ 15 855.724.3270 www.themedconcepts.com RESTROOMS/LOCKER ROOMS Easi-Set Buildings............................. 61 866.252.8210 www.easisetbuildings.com SPORTS EQUIPMENT Scoremaster Goals............................ 62 888.726.7627 www.scoremaster.com Soccer5®USA...................................... 35 305.393.5230 www.soccer5usa.com SURFACING Accella Polyurethane Systems.... 10,11 888.899.9665 www.accellapolyurethane.com Sof Surfaces......................................... 9 800.263.2363 www.sofsurfaces.com TURF PRODUCTS Superthrive®...................................... 25 800.441.8482 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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Parks & Recreation
63
Park Bench
Movable Chairs In U.S. parks, most benches and other forms of seating are usually affixed to something — whether it be by bolts, chains or concrete — to reduce the risk of theft, making their arrangement very static. So, when retired General Mills executive Mark Addicks witnessed how being able to literally pull up a chair and have face-to-face interactions created a social atmosphere on the quad at St. Olaf College campus in Northfield, Minnesota, he was inspired to start the Minneapolis Good Chair Project. He decided, based on the premise that you can make life better and build community simply by adding some comfortable, movable seating to outdoor spaces, to be the primary funder of what he called “Good Chairs” to be added to his Lake of the Isles neighborhood park. Giving people the opportunity to move a chair closer to watch a game or into the shade just might lead them to slow down, enjoy the park and have more of the social interactions he witnessed at St. Olaf College. So, this summer, Addicks sought out and got approval from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) to launch this project. Addicks approached Anita Tabb, a MPRB member, with his idea, and because the board is working to create equity in its park system, she asked him if he’d be willing to also place the chairs in an underserved community’s park. “He happily agreed to fund chairs in two parks and away we went! Good Chairs were placed in Curry Park, a heavily used park in a predominantly Somali immigrant neighborhood that desperately needed the additional seating,” she explained. Addicks enlisted Minneapolis furniture maker Willie Willette Works to custom design 33 Good Chairs out of white oak. They’re large enough for two people and into each is carved four imperatives that encourage passersby to either “Sit. Share. Debate. Engage.” “Sit. Read. Think. Imagine.” “Sit. Breathe. Contemplate. Meditate.” or “Sit. Laugh. Cry. Kiss.” “I would be lying if I said we weren’t concerned about having them stolen, but we figured that this was an experiment, and we were going to see if it worked,” Tabb confesses. And, the chairs have been very well received by the communities in which they were placed. In fact, in Curry Park, a group of Somali women have taken responsibility for the Good Chairs. “They have taken such ownership of the chairs and have taken such good care of them,” Addicks adds. He’s been so inspired by what he calls the first phase of the project, that he’s launched a $100,000 Kickstarter campaign to help pay to expand it to other parks. You can learn more about the Good Chair project on its Facebook page www.facebook.com/GoodChairProject. — Sonia Myrick, Managing Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine.
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PARKS&RECREATION NOVEMBER 2016 ◆ THE MILITARY ISSUE ◆ 2016 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE WRAP