Parks & Recreation December 2017

DECEMBER 2017 W W W. N R PA . O R G

EVENTS AND CELEBRATIONS

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contents december 2017

Photo By Marc Averette

volume 52 | number 12 | www.parksandrecreation.org

56 Urban Music Festivals, Considered Outdoor music festivals have long been a focus of enjoyment, nationally and internationally, and their number has expanded to dozens of major festivals and hundreds of smaller ones. While festivalgoers come and go, festivals have a pronounced, albeit largely temporary, impact on our public parks, in social, economic, environmental and cultural terms.

64 Open Streets ICT Brings Wichitans Together!

What happens when you close a major street and open it for biking, walking, running and a host of other activities? Hear what Wichita, Kansas, discovered this past fall when it did just that for its inaugural “Open Streets ICT,” a free, communitybuilding event.

Troy Houtman, CPRE

Eric Tamulonis

61 The 10-Minute Walk Campaign On October 10, more than 130 mayors from across the country helped The Trust for Public Land (TPL), the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and NRPA launch the 10-minute walk campaign with the goal of ensuring that all Americans live within a 10-minute walk of a park. Parks & Recreation sat down with TPL President and CEO Will Rogers to learn more about the campaign.

Sonia Myrick

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68 Parks Build Community: Helping to

Revitalize Lafitte Greenway This year’s Parks Build Community project culminated in the creation of Lemann Playground, a 15-acre park along the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans that’s part of the city’s greenway revitalization efforts. Learn about the amenities this playground adds for the community.

Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

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contents december

columns 8 Perspectives

departments 12 Research The 2017 Year in Research 12 Park Pulse: Americans Turn to Parks and Recreation When Advised to Increase Physical Activity 14

16 Community Center First Day Hikes: A Natural Way to Start the New Year

18 Member to Member Thinking Strategically About Your Agency’s Recreation Programming Michael Mulvaney

72 NRPA Update Family Volunteer Day Participants Help Spruce Up Local Parks 72 NRPA’s Jayni Rasmussen Receives Professional Women in Advocacy Award 73 NRPA’s New Conservation Resource Guide Now Available 73 NRPA Connect Hot Topics 74 Member Benefits: Choosing the Right Insurance for Your Sports Program 74 Member Spotlight: Calandra Barnes 75 Parks & Recreation Crossword 76 Professional Development Calendar 77

Reflections on a Historic 2017 Leon T. Andrews, Jr.

10 Editor’s Letter A Time for Celebration Gina Mullins-Cohen

22 Advocacy How NRPA Envisions a STEM Approach to Our Three Pillars Kate Sims

24 Law Review Adverse Possession Claims in Parkland James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

30 Future Leaders You Are Awesome – NRPA Can Help You Stay That Way Gerry Logan, CPRE

32 Conservation Zero-Waste Events Sarah Stanley

34 Health and Wellness The Culture of Health Matthew Clarke

36 Social Equity Protect People, Wildlife, Places and Values, Stop the Border Wall Marta A. Segura and Robert García

78 Operations How to Build a Culture of Guest Service Excellence

82 Products 84 Marketplace 87 Advertiser Index 88 Park Bench The ‘Wow’ Factor Betty Brennan

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38 Imagination Guide Features The Sense Tour 38 Horicon Marsh: Leaving a Memorable Impression 42 Company Profiles: Bobcat 44 Bona US 46 CORCL 51 Greenfields 48 Hayward 53 Hustler Turf Equipment 49 Jayhawk Plastics 55 Landscape Structures, Inc. 50

Most Dependable Fountains 53 National Joint Powers Alliance 40 Pentair 51 Playcore 52 Safe Soccer Goals 53 Shade Systems 54 Vortex 55

It’s Time to Fill that Trophy Case

Parks and recreation make a huge impact on the lives of people in nearly every community. It’s time for you to be recognized for all you do.

This January, NRPA is accepting submissions for the Gold Medal Awards and NRPA Awards.

www.nrpa.org/Awards

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

Reflections on a Historic 2017 2017 has been a year full of memorable events. It began with the incredibly historic inauguration of U.S. President Donald J. Trump. The election was not without its controversy or objections — the day after the Presidential Inauguration, the country witnessed a powerful moment, the Women’s March…but who knew how significant that moment would be. Reflecting on the events of 2017, I wonder what does it all mean as we identify opportunities for parks and recreation to demonstrate its value and leadership?

Regardless of your politics, it is hard to deny that our communities have been forced to confront some critical issues that impact our neighbors and friends. From the “Muslim Ban” to “Sanctuary Cities,” I cannot remember a time that we’ve faced so many challenging issues simultaneously — issues that we need to process and understand. What does it mean for people around us who may be impacted by major decisions that could seriously influence how we understand our future interactions with them?

And, while all of that was happening, we were experiencing man-made disasters (i.e., violent protests, increased incidences of hate/bigotry, a resurgence of white supremacists, gun violence) from Charlottesville to Portland, Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas. These moments require us to also examine our understanding of who we are and what our values are as a country.

We also witnessed the impact of natural disasters on our cities and our country. From Hurricane Harvey and its impact in Houston, to Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the devastation in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, our fellow Americans continue to suffer and struggle to recover from these historic and incredible events.

As we wrap up this year, it feels like we’ve come full-circle from where we started with the Women’s March. The #MeToo hastag is allowing women across this country to share their truth and the country to hear them and to acknowledge their truth and experiences.

So, what role can parks and recreation play in the face of these realities? Parks should be a space where neighbors and friends feel safe, connected and empowered. I think the man-made disasters are a chance for parks and recreation to demonstrate bold and courageous leadership. I also believe that natural disasters allow cities to see that parks and recreation is an anchor in the rebuilding of our communities.

I am looking forward to 2018 and to working with you to strengthen our knowledge and capacity to ensure parks and recreation is recognized for the significant role it plays in our cities and communities across this country.

LEO N T. AN D R E WS, J R .

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

Roslyn Johnson

Chair of the Board of Directors Leon T. Andrews, Jr.

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Greenbelt, Maryland

National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Chair-Elect Jack Kardys Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida

Past Chair Stephen Eckelberry Bartlett Park District Bartlett, Illinois

Treasurer Michael Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Jack Kardys Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department Miami, Florida

Michael Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Karen Bates Kress

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

Ian Proud PlayPower Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

Molly Stevens

National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Abbaté, FASLA City of Portland Parks and Recreation Portland, Oregon

Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center Austin, Texas

Nonet T. Sykes The Annie E. Casey Foundation Baltimore, Maryland

Xavier Urrutia City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation San Antonio, Texas Alliance for a Healthier Generation New York, New York

Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation Seattle, Washington

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman

National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Neelay Bhatt PROS Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana

Hayden Brooks

Anne S. Close Fort Mill, South Carolina

James H. Evans New York, New York

Rosemary Hall Evans Sugar Hill, New Hampshire

Earl T. Groves

Kong Chang

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D.

Kevin Coyle

Gastonia, North Carolina Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

National Wildlife Federation Washington, D.C.

Kathryn A. Porter

Stephen Eckelberry

Perry J. Segura

Bartlett Park District Carol Stream, Illinois

New Iberia, Louisiana

Richard Gulley

Round Hill, Virginia

Balboa Park Conservancy San Diego, California

Eugene A. Young, CPRP

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Lexington, South Carolina

American Realty Corporation Austin, Texas City of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Saint Paul, Minnesota

Are you looking for a way to demonstrate your commitment to the field, lead your employees by example, gain greater respect and advance the profession? The Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) program is your answer.

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Leon T. Andrews, Jr.

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Park Advocate Emigrant, Montana

Secretary Jesús Aguirre

President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE

Invest in Your Career

Mendham, New Jersey

R. Dean Tice

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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EDITOR’S LET TER

A Time for Celebration It’s the time of the year when communities around the world are in a festive, celebratory mood. From decked out neighborhoods and city streets, to parks aglow with holiday lights, there are plenty of opportunities for people to come together to ring out the old and ring in the new year.

When it comes to community celebration, music, particularly outdoor music, is a great harmonizer. In “Urban Music Festivals, Considered,” this month’s cover story on page 56, author Eric Tamulonis looks at the spectacle behind the popularity of music festivals and the pros and cons of producing concerts in a park setting. He addresses the security risks involved with music festivals, but points out that park and rec agencies shouldn’t be deterred from hosting such events: “…it is a tribute to the ideals of our society that we continue to define major urban gatherings as a public good, one that is worthy of protection to prevent harm,” he writes.

Communities coming together to celebrate the outdoors and being connected should be the norm rather than the exception. And, in “Open Streets: ICT Brings Wichitans Together!” on page 64, Troy Houtman of the City of Wichita, Park and Recreation Department, shares how his community has embraced Open Streets, a growing movement across the United States that entails closing a city street to vehicular traffic and paving the way for bicyclists, walkers, runners and other culture-related activities.

Grand openings are another time for celebration, and our annual conference a few months ago in New Orleans began on a celebratory note with the opening of Lemann Park, the 2017 Parks Build Community project, along a portion of the Lafitte Greenway. Learn more about that project and its opening in Paula Jacoby-Garrett’s article on page 68, and be on the lookout in upcoming issues of Parks & Recreation for details about the 2018 Parks Build Community project — Sandorf Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Finally, in “The 10-Minute Walk Campaign,” on page 61, Parks & Recreation Executive Editor Sonia Myrick goes one-on-one with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) President and CEO Will Rogers. During this exclusive interview, Rogers discusses how the partnership between TPL, the Urban Land Institute and NRPA formed, as well as the rationale behind the 10-minute walk campaign. According to Rogers, “This campaign is based on two key concepts that are directly connected — park access and park quality.”

It’s been an exciting year for NRPA and Parks and Recreation magazine. Our goal with each issue is to address the topics that matter most to you and your park and rec agency, so we welcome your feedback and suggestions for articles. We wish you and your family a joyous holiday season and a very successful 2018!

GINA MULLINS-COHEN Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing Editorial Director 10 Parks & Recreation

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

Everyone Deserves a Park Within a 10-Minute Walk Parks are essential to the physical, social, environmental, and economic health of a community. That’s why The Trust for Public Land, National Recreation and Park Association, and Urban Land Institute are leading a nationwide movement to ensure there’s a great park within a 10-minute walk of every person, in every neighborhood, in every city across America.

How Can You Get Involved?

• Sign-on or encourage your Mayor to support the campaign • Share this opportunity in your region • Stayed tuned for funding opportunities and how to become part of the network

Contact Rachel Banner at rbanner@nrpa.org for more information

www.10MinuteWalk.org

Research The 2017 Year in Research A look back at the past year’s Park Pulse findings

By Kevin Roth, Ph.D.

I

n May 2016, we launched a new monthly poll of Americans focused on park and recreation issues. Each month, NRPA Park Pulse collects responses from approximately 1,000 adults that mirror the diverse demographic profile of our nation.

Our goal with Park Pulse is to broaden Americans’ understanding of what parks and recreation means. Some months the questions are serious, focusing on issues of immediate concern that directly or indirectly affect parks and recreation, while others are more lighthearted, looking at how Americans have fun and interact with their neighbors at park and recreation facilities and events sponsored by agencies like yours.

NRPA has used these poll results to educate policymakers, the media and the public about the many ways your agency positively impacts the community. In turn, we see many park and recreation agencies sharing NRPA Park Pulse results and infographics on their own social media channels and through their media relations efforts to help spread the word.

So, what have we learned with NRPA Park Pulse during 2017?

We started the year learning that 80 percent of Americans work hard to stay physically fit during the cold winter months. The January Park Pulse poll found that the most popular winter physical activities are tied to local parks and recreation. Top winter physical activities include walking, jogging, running or hiking outdoors (46 percent), working out at a local gym or recreation center (25 percent), visiting a local park (21 percent) and exercise classes (15 percent).

The February poll found strong support among Americans for their local government to set aside land for the sheer purpose of preserving the natural landscape. Eighty-two percent of Americans agree it is important that their local government set aside land to preserve the region’s natural landscape. The support for the protection of open space holds firmly across nearly every demographic group surveyed, with millennials most likely to be either “very” or “extremely” passionate for land set-asides. Permanently authorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund is just one way to make this happen.

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Our goal with Park Pulse The March poll also had political implications for Washington. It showed that most Americans support proposals that would allow them to use pre-tax money from a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) to pay for fitness programs or recreation. Potential eligible expenses could be fitness club fees, sports equipment, youth sports league fees and class registration costs.

Support for the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act crosses all generations, especially among parents.

The April poll celebrated Earth Day by finding an overwhelming majority (83 percent) of Americans agreeing that it is important their local government — including the local park and recreation agency — prioritize environmental initiatives. These initiatives can include sustainable or green practices, such as water quality monitoring, green space assessment, environmentally friendly buildings and lawn upkeep.

May’s poll looked at the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation. More than 30 percent of poll respondents indicated that either they have personally experienced, know someone who has experienced or both parties have experienced food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined as not having regular access to enough food because of financial difficulties. Millennials and Americans with children in the household were at greatest risk.

In June, we learned how parks and recreation plays a key role in what is likely Americans’ favorite outdoor activity: walking. Nine in 10 adults report walking for leisure or pleasure, with favorite places to walk being local parks (49 percent), a beach or along a river (49 percent) and a local trail (39 percent). Millennials and parents with children in the household walk for leisure or pleasure at their local park more than any other group.

However, walking is not the only way adults stay active outdoors. The July poll highlighted that the typical American

is to broaden Americans’ understanding of what parks and recreation means. spends five hours per week — approximately 45 minutes a day — on outdoor play (e.g., exercising, participating in organized sports, playing with kids at a playground, walking around the neighborhood or local park, or taking a swim).

More than two in five survey respondents who are either a parent or baby boomer report spending over an hour a day being active in the outdoors.

August is a prime vacation month for many families and that month’s poll took a closer look at how park and recreation opportunities are a major determinant on where people choose to vacation. Key drivers for vacation destination choices include the availability of beaches/ waterfront, nature/scenery, areas that are secluded and relaxing, museums/ aquariums/zoos, and trails for walking, running and biking.

Violent protests at public spaces, including those in Charlottesville, Virginia, necessitated the need to emphasize that parks play a positive role in being a safe place where people can gather and express themselves openly and freely. This includes many types of events where people gather and voice their support or opposition to issues. The September poll found that 9 in 10 Americans believe the right to assemble peacefully in a constructive, respectful and safe manner in public spaces, like parks and town squares, is important.

The October poll broadened the role that most Americans have for their local recreation centers beyond their traditional offerings of fitness centers, out-of-school time programming and

aquatic facilities. Among requested nontraditional recreation center services are healthy living classes, programming for older adults, nature-based activities and access to computers and the internet.

With the support of the public, these nontraditional offerings will continue to grow as park and recreation agencies look to fill the gaps of needed services in their local communities.

Doctors often advise their patients to increase their level of physical activity to improve one’s health and to manage chronic conditions. The November poll found that Americans turn to parks and recreation when they receive this advice.

This includes 3 in 5 poll respondents who indicate they would take up walking, jogging or biking through local parks or trails. Other ways Americans would increase physical activity with parks and recreation include working out, taking an exercise class or swimming.

As this column was going to press, we were polling Americans on winter and holiday season events they were planning to attend. The December poll results will show that the local park and recreation agency sponsors many of these favorite winter and holiday events, including holiday commemorations and parades, New Year’s Eve celebrations, holiday-themed races and walkathons.

We publish NRPA Park Pulse poll results at www.nrpa.org/park-pulse, where we include an infographic, interactive charts and key bullet points of the poll’s key findings. You can also find the infographic right here in Parks & Recreation magazine and in periodic postings on NRPA’s Open Space blog. Moreover, we want to hear your feedback and your ideas for future poll questions. Please send your poll question suggestions to me at kroth@nrpa.org. I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

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

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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 ask Americans where they’d turn to when advised to be more physically active by a doctor or other healthcare provider.

Americans Turn to Parks and Recreation When Advised to Increase Physical Activity 3 in 5 Americans say they would take up walking or jogging through local parks, trails or around the neighborhood if they were advised to be more physically active by a doctor or other healthcare provider.

Other ways Americans are increasing their physical activity through local parks and recreation include:

Working Out

Riding a Bicycle

29%

27%

Taking an Exercise Class

20%

Swimming

20%

Baby boomers are more likely than Gen Xers and millennials to walk or jog at a local park to improve their fitness levels.

Baby Boomers

68% 61%

Gen Xers

55%

Millennials

Millennials are more likely than baby boomers to work out at a local gym/recreation center, ride a bicycle, take an exercise class or swim at a local pool.

www.nrpa.org/Park-Pulse This Park Pulse survey was conducted on behalf of NRPA by Wakefield Research among 1,020 nationally representative Americans, ages 18+, between September 28 and October 5.

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Community Center First Day Hikes: A Natural Way to Start the New Year

By Lincoln R. Larson, Ph.D., Sarah R. Wilcer and Jeffrey C. Hallo, Ph.D.

W

hen most people think of New Year’s Day, things like family, friends, food and festivities come to mind. However, thanks to a rapidly expanding initiative, designed to get more people active and outdoors, a new activity has been added to that traditional mix. This year, on January 1, record numbers of “First Day Hikers” are expected to flock to parks around the country. New research suggests that park managers who capitalize on this phenomenon could build connections with visitors and generate positive recreation and stewardship outcomes that last well beyond New Year’s Day. What are First Day Hikes?

Initiated in Massachusetts in 1992, the First Day Hikes concept emerged as a way to get more people in parks and enjoying nature during a season (winter) not typically associated with outdoor recreation. The hikes quickly grew in scope and popularity. In 2012, when the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD) began administering the program, all 50 state park systems held at least one First Day Hike for the first time, and participation in the pro-

gram has continued to grow. By 2017, the First Day Hike program offered more than 1,300 guided hikes that attracted more than 62,000 hikers (see Figure 1), making it one of the most popular recreation events in the country.

Although typically hosted within state parks, First Day Hikes are made possible by the work of many individuals at the local, state and national levels. The hikes are typically free, with many sites only requiring a park entrance fee (if applicable). Partnerships with local en-

First Day Hike Trends 1500

60

1200

50 40

900

30

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20

Hikers

10

Hikes

0

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# of Hikes

# of Hikers (thousands)

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tities (e.g., friends groups, hiking clubs), national organizations (e.g., American Hiking Society) and governmental agencies (e.g., National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service) help to support the event and programming in certain areas.

Who are the First Day Hikers?

Despite the popularity of First Day Hikes, little is known about the hikers themselves.

To learn more about them, our team studied participants across three of the most popular First Day Hike states: Georgia, Massachusetts and South Carolina. On January 1, 2016, we asked 1,934 adults attending the state park hikes to complete a brief questionnaire. We then followed up with a smaller group of those hikers via a web survey about six months later. Most participants (60 percent) were first-time First Day Hikers, and many (36 percent) were visiting a park they had never visited previously. For 4 percent of participants, this represented their first hiking experience of any kind.

Almost half of the participants (49 percent) were hiking with their family and many were hiking with friends (16 percent). Children accounted for about one-third of the makeup of the hiking groups.

What are the benefits of the First Day Hike experience?

According to hikers, the most important benefits associated with the experience were exploring the natural world, spending time with family, exercising and improving physical health, and relaxing and reducing stress — all benefits commonly associated with other forms of park-based recreation. First Day Hike participation

was also a predictor of future recreation participation, with more than 90 percent of participants interested in attending future organized hikes. In the sixth months following their First Day Hike, 82 percent of participants visited at least one state park. Park visitation increased for 37 percent of respondents, and hiking frequency increased for 41 percent.

The hikes appeared to impact the outdoor recreation patterns of youth as well.

Hikers with children reported that nature-based activities increased for 35 percent of youth participants and hiking frequency increased for 40 percent. First Day Hikers were also likely to support parks and recreation in other ways. For example, 78 percent of hikers said they talked to others about park-related issues and 60 percent said they had donated money to support parks. This collective evidence suggests that park managers could use First Day Hikes to strengthen bonds with their existing visitor base and create connections with new audiences, ultimately building a stronger community of outdoor recreation enthusiasts and park advocates.

What are the next steps for First Day Hikes?

As the program continues to expand, new challenges have emerged. Management recommendations derived from our data highlight the need for a more targeted emphasis on marketing and recruiting efforts focusing on specific subgroups of hikers, such as first-time hikers, families with children and racial/ethnic minorities. Because many hikes had more than 100 attendees, there is also a need to improve crowd control with visitor-use management and creative interpretation strategies that enhance visitor experiences. Responses also suggest that some parks could do more to emphasize posthike engagement and future recreation and volunteer opportunities, helping to foster more enduring connections be

First Day Hike participants in Georgia.

First Day Hike participants in Nevada.

tween First Day Hike participants and the parks they are visiting. By addressing these challenges, managers could increase the broader impacts of the already rewarding First Day Hike experience.

How do I get involved?

If you resolve to join the movement this New Year’s Day, please visit http://www. stateparks.org/initiatives-special-programs/ first-day-hikes/ for more information about First Day Hikes and how to get involved. You can also contact your state or

national coordinator to receive a toolkit with directions and suggestions for successfully planning, marketing and implementing First Day Hikes at your site.

Lincoln R. Larson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at North Carolina State University (lrlarson@ncsu.edu). Sarah R. Wilcer is an Interpretive Park Ranger at Grand Teton National Park (sarah_wilcer@nps.gov). Jeffrey C. Hallo, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management at Clemson University (jhallo@clemson.edu).

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Member to Member Thinking Strategically About Your Agency’s Recreation Programming Completing a comprehensive programming performance evaluation

By Michael Mulvaney

W

hat do residents think about your recreation programs and services?

How does your sports programming compare to your day camps?

How do you know if, or when, a program has peaked in popularity, when it needs to be revitalized or when is it time to consider retiring a program? The answers to these questions are important to agencies as they evaluate current practices and provide direction for the future provision of programs and resources to best meet the interests of their constituencies. In response to this need, following are some steps, associated with a comprehensive programming performance evaluation study, conducted for Illinois’s Decatur Park District, to illustrate the strategic role of programming in an agency’s operations.

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Thinking Strategically Despite its importance, the programming arm of a park and recreation agency is often underrepresented within an agency’s strategic plan. The strategic plan commonly has a heavier focus on actionable strategies to install, build, replace, purchase, acquire and develop facilities and/or parks. These capital development projects require careful planning, but what can often be an afterthought in the strategic visioning process is the programming arm as a driver of an agency’s operations. Many agencies tend to focus on the physical spaces rather than the activities that will take place within them.

So, how can agencies ensure their programming operations have a “voice” in strategic planning discussions? In a chapter, titled “Program and Services Management,” authored by Edginton and O’Neill in Management of Park and Recreation Agencies, a recommended approach is the development of a multiyear programming plan. This plan should include objectives and statistics for each program and a framework for determining the most feasible (cost recovery) level and mix of programs that reflect the mission of the agency.

At the core of the programming plan is data. From scheduling and design to marketing budgets and revenue figures, data is needed to determine strengths, weaknesses and possible deficits in an agency’s programming. A common challenge facing agencies is the consistent implementation of programming

evaluations, from wide-ranging evaluation criteria and formats to the varied methods and analyses. One promising option for gathering data is using a comprehensive programming performance evaluation. This type of evaluation can assist the agency in the organization of relevant data to ensure the programming is aligned with the community’s needs, while also assessing programmatic effectiveness, impact and/or cost-benefit, and providing consistent programmatic evaluation across departments. It creates a more standardized set of criteria that is consistently used across the agency to measure program performance.

Recognizing it had a finite number of resources, the Decatur Park District decided to undertake a comprehensive programming performance evaluation. Established in 1924 in portions of Macon County, Illinois, the district consists of approximately 2,000 acres, multiple indoor and outdoor sport complexes, three golf courses, a zoo, cultural arts center, high ropes/adventure course, mini-golf complex and a regional airport. It serves a community of approximately 74,000 people, is governed by five publicly elected commissioners and employs approximately 100 full-time and 400 part-time employees.

From scheduling and design to marketing budgets and revenue figures, data is needed to determine strengths, weaknesses and possible deficits in an agency’s programming.

Table 1. Abbreviated Cost Recovery Categories & Descriptions Basic Public (0% Cost Recovery Level) Total subsidization of program; user does not contribute to cost of providing the service.

Funding obtained through taxes/other funds. Program examples include festivals and celebrations.

Community 1 (1% to 49% Cost Recovery Level) Partial subsidization of program; an enhancement of a Basic Public service with the user contributing partial costs of providing the service. Funding obtained through taxes with users paying 100% of direct costs and some indirect costs. Program examples include swimming lessons, senior programming, and SRA programming.

Community 2 (50% to 99% Cost Recovery Level) User contributes the full cost of providing the service. Funding obtained from participant with no tax dollars used to support the service. Program examples include youth fitness, youth sport programs/leagues, tumbling, and sport camps.

Specialized (+100% Cost Recovery Level) User contributes in excess of actual costs for providing the program. Provides surplus funds to subsidize other programs. User pays all operational (direct and indirect) & some capital costs. Program examples include day camps, adult leagues, dance classes, adult programs, personal training, advanced skill classes, and travel/club soccer.

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Member to Member

Figure 1. Programming Performance Evaluation Matrix Program Overview Information: • Department Affiliation • Participant Age • Program Type • Season of Program • Length of Program • Program Schedule • Individual Session Length • Number of Sessions • Number of Sections • Total Programming Hours Program Effort Data: • Participant Fees (Resident/NonResident) • Number of Staff • Staff Direct Facilitation (hours) • Total Staff Direct Facilitation Cost (hours x rate of pay) • Indirect Personnel Cost (Chargebacks & Administrative/Supervisory Costs) • Marketing Information Utilized • Marketing Costs • Facilities/Areas Used Program Cost/Recovery Data: • Expenditures – Direct Charges Only • Expenditures – All Charges • Program Revenue – Fees/Charges • Program Revenue – Sponsors/ Donations • Surplus/Loss – Direct Charges Only • Surplus/Loss – All Charges • Targeted Cost Recovery Level (percentage) • Actual Cost Recovery Level (percentage) Program Assessment Procedures & Outcomes: • Program Capacity • Number of Program Participants • Percent of Program Capacity Filled (percentage) • Current Program Evaluation Method

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Decatur Park District Programming Performance Evaluation To initiate the study, the Decatur Park District worked to develop a cost-recovery philosophy that could guide current and future programming. It developed a framework to improve efficiency and ascertain whether a program was operating at an intended (cost recovery) level.

Through discussions and reviewing Recreation Programming: Designing and Staging Leisure Experiences by J. R. Rossman and B. E. Schlatter, four cost recovery levels were identified to ensure that subsidized and low-cost recovery programs were balanced by programs with high levels of cost recovery (see Table 1).

To identify the desired evaluation criteria, the district’s 11 programming managers/supervisors completed a workshop, which identified the following evaluation criteria: general program overview information, effort data, cost/ value data and current program assessment processes. Once the four criteria were established, a list of specific data within each criterion were identified and organized into an agency-wide program-

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ming performance evaluation matrix (see Figure 1). The intent of the matrix was to create a comprehensive dataset for each of the criteria that provided individual and aggregate-level assessments of its programs.

The matrix was then distributed to the district’s programming staff who populated it with data from the programs that were under their supervision. A combination of phone calls and site visits by the researcher were used to orientate staff on this data collection process.

Initially, the plan was to have the district collect the data over a five-year period.

However, because of recent personnel changes and updates in the district’s recreation management software, data was only obtained from the three previous fiscal years. That data was collected and analyzed, using Microsoft Excel, for a total of 1,634 programming areas. A variety of descriptive statistics and visuals were created, leading to a comprehensive programming performance evaluation report.

In addition to being integrated into the district’s master plan, the data guided

short- and long-term goals of its programming plan. For example, the data provided insight into a few programs that were experiencing significant growth and that would benefit from additional resource support. It also identified programs that were plateauing and in need of revitalization, as well as those that were approaching the retirement phase. Taken collectively, this information assisted the agency in the strategic repurposing of resources, from retiring programs to areas of growth or revitalization.

As an indirect benefit, the data was also used in several promotion and marketing campaigns. For example, the district discovered that it provided an (annual) average of 6,289 hours of recreation programming per year, which equated to approximately 17 hours of programming per day; obtained more than $1.6 million from fees and charges; and had successfully managed its operational budgets, while experiencing a 21 percent decrease in sponsorship/donation revenue over a three-year period.

The comprehensive programming performance evaluation allows agencies to study their programming operations in a standardized manner, assess individual program performance over time and compare programs across the entire agency on similar criteria to promote a more strategic approach to program management. Drawing from this data, agencies can more effectively plan and deliver programs that promote a stronger sense of community identity, improve the quality of life for their residents and create a positive social impact!

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation. org/2017/December/thinking-strategically-about-your-agencys-recreation-programming.

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Tips for Implementing a Programming Performance Evaluation Work smarter not harder. Completing a comprehen-

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Michael Mulvaney is an Associate Professor at Illinois State University (mamulva@ilstu.edu).

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sive program performance evaluation is a time-intensive process. To avoid creating an overly burdensome process, consider ways to use existing infrastructure to support the process. For example, by linking data from its management software to content for its programming performance evaluation matrix, the Decatur Park District reduced the staff hours required to track down information.

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Remain committed. If the data is to be useful, the agency must remain committed to the process. One method to formalize this commitment is the establishment of a long-range work plan. For example, an agency that is performing this process for the first time might plan to complete the evaluation on an annual basis to collect five years of data. Once the five-yeartrend data has been established, the agency could consider completing the evaluation process on a two-year cycle to avoid overtaxing staff.

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Importance of staff buy-in. It is not uncommon for programming staff to be skeptical of the process, with some staff members assuming their programs are being cut. Agencies should anticipate these concerns through transparent and open communication, and provide regular updates throughout the process. They may also consider establishing a committee of staff from various levels within the organization to assist with the evaluation processes. Another recommended strategy involves developing a formal statement acknowledging the importance of the evaluation and how the data can assist the agency in successfully achieving its mission.

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Use the data — even if, or when, it is time to retire a program. Retiring a program is one of the

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most difficult tasks for a programmer. The data obtained from this process can help the agency better identify a program’s life stage (i.e., development, maturity, decline, retirement). If it is time to retire the program, consider a “final send-off” to allow those faithful participants and staff an opportunity to celebrate the program and its achievements. For the program’s authors, who have likely poured their heart and soul into its creation, this can be an equally difficult process. The agency should make sure the creators of the program are assured that program retirement is natural and does not equal personal failure.

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ADVOCACY

Spotlight on STEM How NRPA Envisions a STEM Approach to Our Three Pillars

By Kate Sims

S

TEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programming has recently received rejuvenated attention and interest from both the public and private sector as a method by which to prepare our nation’s youth for future employment.

As a result, NRPA wants to raise the profile of the great work park and recreation agencies are already doing to offer STEM programming to the communities they serve, and to structure our advocacy approach around leveraging federal resources and investments to support that work. In addition, we see this approach encompassing the work of our Three Pillars — Health and Wellness, Conservation, and Social Equity — as the new spotlight on STEM is creating a window of opportunity in all these areas.

Earlier this fall, the administration issued a presidential memorandum for the secretary of education, requesting that the department prioritize STEM education in the federal grants it issues, with an interest in computer science (CS). The secretary is directed to reallocate $200 million annually for STEM and CS programming beginning in fiscal year 2018. The day after this announcement, a $300 million com-

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mitment to STEM and CS programming, championed by Ivanka Trump, was made by several tech giants, including Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Salesforce. The exact recipients of these commitments have not yet been determined, but it has sparked a whirlwind of opportunities, both legislatively and programmatically, from which we believe park and recreation agencies are ideally positioned to benefit.

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STEM as an Equity Issue Five years ago, Digital Harbor Foundation (DHF), a nonprofit laboratory with a mission of inspiring children living in Baltimore City to “play with technology as eagerly as they do video games,” took a rundown rec center and transformed it into a community tech center, providing access for Baltimore’s youth to STEM learning opportunities that were not necessarily available to them during the school day. Andrew Coy, one of DHF’s founders, says, “Creativity is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not…I’d tell stories about startups in garages and dorm rooms. And, I realized these kids live in row homes. They don’t have a garage. So many of them don’t make it to dorm rooms. They still have ideas and passion, but they need a space, like a rec center, to go to and develop that.” (For

more, read Politico’s magazine article, “How Baltimore Is Growing Its Tech Gurus From Scratch,” at https://tinyurl. com/y9bcvs3h.)

STEM as a Health Issue NRPA’s Commit to Health Campaign supports the implementation and evaluation of Healthy Eating Physical Activity (HEPA) standards in park and recreation sites across the country. As part of this effort, NRPA is working with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to provide technical assistance and planning support to park and recreation sites as they implement the HEPA standards.

Alliance for a Healthier Generation recently released an educational brief, STEM and Wellness: A Powerful Equation for Equity (https://tinyurl.com/yazphzye), in which it frames the core of its vision as: Imagine…the potential of empowering the 10.2 million children in afterschool programs with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, while providing them with opportunities to eat healthy and stay active…Combining STEM and wellness is both a powerful equation for equity and an efficient way to implement both practices in a complementary manner….

Daniel Hatcher, director of community partnerships for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, states, “From serving summer meals to providing inclusive physical activity opportunities, recreation professionals are MVPs of community health. Your dedication to promoting outdoor activity means you’re positioned perfectly to blend STEM and citizen science with wellness goals…Recreation and park agencies are in a powerful position to not only create a culture of health, but address equity in STEM. Imagine if every recreation agency across the country blended wellness goals with STEM education and conservation!”

STEM as a Conservation Issue Not only can the work park and recreation agencies deliver on environmental education and connecting children with nature be considered STEM learning opportunities, but their efforts around environmental stewardship and encouraging youth to assume responsibility for the preservation of America’s great outdoors can also fulfill the intent of STEM programming to foster an interest in career pathways. Giving young people handson, field-based opportunities to engage with nature-based science programming is a core goal of hundreds of park and recreation agencies across the country.

NRPA supports the 21st Century Conservation Service Corps (21CSC), a national effort to put 100,000 young people and veterans to work protecting, restoring and enhancing America’s great outdoors. This program prepares a diverse group of youth to be the next generation of natural resource employees.

Delivering STEM Programming at Parks Currently, 32 percent of park and recreation agencies around the country offer STEM programming. One in three park

and recreation agencies provides students with the chance to have hands-on experiences in the careers of tomorrow. Park and recreation agencies provide flexible learning environments for their students and are increasingly focused on coding, physical science and innovative STEM programming not typically available to disadvantaged, rural and low-income children during the school day or at home. Park and recreation agencies can offer students the space to explore interest and improve competencies, such as team work, communication and problem-solving, while inspiring technological curiosity, improving creativity and promoting deeper critical thinking.

As we develop an advocacy strategy to advance federal policies related to STEM, we want to showcase the park and recreation agencies that are already at the forefront of this work, and open new opportunities for a greater number of agencies to be at the table.

Do you have a STEM story to share?

Contact NRPA’s government affairs manager, Kate Sims (ksims@nrpa.org).

To learn more, visit nrpa.org/stem.

Kate Sims is NRPA’s Government Affairs Manager (ksims@nrpa.org).

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Adverse Possession Claims in Parkland

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

I

n many instances, the boundaries between public parkland and surrounding private property are not clearly delineated. Over time, some private landowners have had a tendency to encroach on an adjacent public park through seemingly innocuous landscaping activities, like mowing the grass or planting a garden.

Whether innocent or intentional, such encroachments on public parkland constitute a trespass to land and are subject to immediate removal at the expense of the neighboring private landowner.

As governed by statute in a given jurisdiction, an open, notorious and hostile trespass to land over a specified period could give rise to a claim of adverse possession by a private landowner against a neighboring property. However, as a majority rule, adverse possession does not apply to the state and its political subdivisions, including public parklands. In the cases described herein, private landowners argued unsuccessfully that their continued and ongoing encroachment into adjacent parkland over a long period somehow gave rise to a claim of legal ownership via adverse possession.

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Private Landscaping in Public Parks In the case of Band v. Audubon Park Commission, 936 So.2d 841 (La.App. 7/12/2006), private homeowners, the Bands, claimed ownership through adverse possession of property within a public park. When the Bands purchased the property in 1981, they recognized that there were visible encroachments on the property that intruded into Audubon Park. These intrusions into the public park included a brick patio and a light metal fence within a 10-foot by 30-foot area.

In 2003, Audubon Park Commis-

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sion (Audubon) began correspondence with the Bands and other residents, informing them that their property was encroaching onto Audubon Park property. Audubon presented the homeowners with alternatives, including allowing them to sign a lease for the property or to remove the encroachment. Ten of the affected homeowners agreed to one or the other of the alternatives.

The Bands, however, declined either alternative or instituted proceedings against Audubon, alleging ownership of the property under various theories, including acquisitive prescription, i.e., adverse possession.

The trial court granted Audubon’s motion for summary judgment. In the opinion of the trial court, Audubon Park was a “public thing� and not susceptible to being acquired through prescription, specifically adverse possession. The Bands appealed.

Parks as “Public Things” The issue before the appeals court was, therefore, whether the Bands had “essentially acquired public property by acquisitive prescription.” In the opinion of the appeals court, there was no judicial precedent nor state law that would “allow landowners encroaching upon public property to acquire ownership rights over the property owned by a municipality and dedicated for public use.”

As cited by the court, Louisiana state law categorized property as “common, public, and private things.” The law defined “public things” as those “owned by the state or its political subdivisions in their capacity as public persons.” Accordingly, the appeals court found: “The very definition of a ‘public thing’ prohibits a private person from owning a public thing.” Moreover, the court found “public things” included “public parks owned by a political subdivision in its public capacity.” Further, as a political subdivision of the state, the appeals court found the city of New Orleans owned public parks in its public capacity, including Audubon Park.

In this instance, the court found the city of New Orleans owned Audubon Park in its public capacity. In so doing, the appeals court noted: “Audubon Park was purchased in 1871, specifically pursuant to a Louisiana legislative act for a specific purpose to establish a public park for the city of New Orleans.”

Moreover, “after the act of sale, and for the last 134 years,” the court found, “the entirety of the area in question [in Audubon Park] has been dedicated and used as a public park for the benefit of all.”

Further, since the inception of Audubon Park, the appeals court noted the city of New Orleans has “never abandoned this property nor has it ever revoked its dedication as a public park.” Having found Audubon Park was a “public thing” belonging to the city of New Orleans in its

public capacity, the appeals court would assure “the public has a right to unfettered use of the park.”

In so doing, the appeals court took particular note of the fact that the Bands “purchased their property, with knowledge that it was encroaching onto Audu-

not apply to the Bands because their encroachments into Audubon Park did indeed prevent public use. As noted by the appeals court, the “fence and patio ostensibly allows two people to enjoy the use of a public thing to the exclusion of all other members of the public to enjoy

Over time, some private landowners have had a tendency to encroach on an adjacent public park through seemingly innocuous landscaping activities, like mowing the grass or planting a garden. bon Park property with constructions, such as a lightweight metal fence and a single layer brick patio.” In the opinion of the appeals court, these private constructions did “not change a public park to private property.” Further, state law (Art. 458) regarding “works obstructing the public use,” expressly authorized the removal of such encroachments: Works built without lawful permit on public things, including the sea, the seashore, and the bottom of natural navigable waters, or on the banks of navigable rivers, that obstruct the public use may be removed at the expense of the persons who built or own them at the instance of the public authorities, or of any person residing in the state.

The owner of the works may not prevent their removal by alleging prescription or possession.

State law, however, provided an exception that would permit a “building” to remain if it “merely encroaches on a public way without preventing its use, and which cannot be removed without causing substantial damage to its owner.” However, in this situation, the appeals court found this exception did

the park.” Since these encroachments precluded public use, the appeals court held “Audubon Park Commission has the right and the authority to demand the removal of the encroachments” at the Bands’ expense.

On appeal, the Bands had also argued that removal of the “encroachments would create a security or hazardous living situation, as well as affect their property aesthetically, causing a potential decrease in property value.” The appeals court found this argument to be “totally without merit.” In so doing, the appeals court noted the Bands were “well aware that their property was encroaching onto public property when they purchased the property on Walnut Street.”

The appeals court, therefore, held it was “not possible to acquire by acquisitive prescription those things which are owned by a political subdivision in its public capacity,” including the disputed parcel claimed by the Bands in Audubon Park.

Acquisitive Prescription On appeal, the Bands had further argued that they had “acquired property rights in ownership of the encroaching prop-

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erty through a theory of acquisitive prescription or adverse possession” because “Audubon had effectively abandoned the park’s public use” in the disputed area containing the encroachments.

As described by the appeals court, applicable state law would allow for “acquisitive prescription” or adverse possession as “a mode of acquiring ownership of immovable property or real rights by possession” under the following circumstances: Property may be acquired by ten-years possession, with just title and good faith, or by thirty-years possession, without the requirement of just title or good faith. The party alleging acquisitive prescription must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, the intent to possess as owner and that his possession has been continuous and uninterrupted, peaceable, public, and unequivocal.

Every presumption is in favor of the titleholder rather than the party alleging adverse possession...

the owner some notice that his property is in jeopardy.

However, under the circumstances of this case, the appeals court reiterated acquisitive prescription or adverse possession would not apply because Audubon Park was a “public thing” and, as such, this “public property was insusceptible to prescription.” In so doing, the appeals court rejected the Band’s argument that the property occupied by their patio and fence for more than 30 years was subject to adverse possession because the city had effectively abandoned the public use and purpose of Audubon Park on that 10-foot by 30-foot parcel.

Given the fact that public things, such as Audubon Park, can only be owned by the State or its political subdivision, it is clear that these adjacent property owners cannot acquire any portion of Audubon Park by the mere passage of time through claims of adverse possession or acquisitive prescription.

State law, however, provided an exception that would permit a “building” to remain if it “merely encroaches on a public way without preventing its use...”

Acquisitive prescription does not run in favor of a precarious possessor, that is, one who possesses with the permission of the owner or on behalf of the owner. The intent to possess as owner must be express rather than covert. Although the intent may be implied from possession that is open, notorious, public, continuous and uninterrupted, to the exclusion of the owner, there must be strong evidence that gives 26 Parks & Recreation

The appeals court, therefore, affirmed the judgment of the trial court, which had concluded the Bands were “encroaching onto this public property and were, therefore, required to remove the encroachment at their own expense.”

Rails to Trails Farming Similarly, in the case of Houck v. Board of Park Commissioners of the Huron County Park District. 2007 Ohio 5586 (Ohio 10/25/2007), the issue before the Su-

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preme Court of Ohio was whether real property owned by a park district could be acquired by adverse possession. Richard Houck and others (Houcks) owned property near a corridor of property that was once owned by a railroad and accommodated railroad tracks. Sometime prior to 1979, the railroad ceased its operations and removed the track, ties, ballast and other fixtures from its property (“railroad property”). Houcks alleged that they entered the railroad property in 1979 and constructed a road, installed a cable to limit access to the road, planted crops and otherwise used a drainage ditch in cultivating their farm land.

In 1997, the Northwest Ohio Rails to Trails Association, Inc. (NORTA), purchased the railroad property. A year later, NORTA sold the railroad property to six park districts, as tenants in common for the purpose of constructing a segment of a recreational trail that will run through several northern Ohio counties. In February 2001, the Huron County Park Department sent a letter to the Houcks, explaining that the railroad property would be used for a recreational trail when finances permitted, but until then, the Houcks were welcome to use the property.

In October 2003, the Houcks filed suit asking the court to quiet title (i.e., establish legal ownership) to the railroad property in their favor. The Houcks contended they had acquired title to the railroad property by adverse possession, i.e., they had engaged in at least 21 years of continuous, exclusive, open and notorious possession adverse to the owners.

The Houcks alleged that the adverse possession of approximately one-third of the railroad property began in 1949 by a prior property owner. By “tacking” or combining that prior period of possession onto the Houcks’ possession of the property since 1979, the Houcks claimed the required 21-year period of

continuous possession for adverse possession was satisfied.

The trial court, however, found that the prior owner’s claimed possession of the one-third part of the property entailed cultivating the railroad property up to the tracks was not hostile for purposes of adverse possession. Thus, the trial court found that the Houcks’ possession of the entire railroad property did not begin until 1979 when they entered the property.

As a result, the trial court held the park district’s purchase of the railroad property in 1998 terminated the Houcks’ continuous possession of the property at 19 years, two years short of the 21 years required

whether park districts are immune from a claim of adverse possession. If so, the court would find “NORTA’s sale of the railroad property to the park districts in 1998 effectively terminated Houcks’ con-

tinuous possession of the railroad property approximately two years short of the required 21 years.”

Conversely, if park districts were not immune from a claim of adverse posses-

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public property and were, therefore, required to remove the encroachment at their own expense.” by adverse possession. Moreover, the trial court held that a park district was immune from a claim of adverse possession.

The court of appeals affirmed. The Ohio Supreme Court agreed to review these decisions by the lower courts.

Adverse Possession Immunity?

As described by the state Supreme Court, for purposes of adverse possession, “[t]he critical issue in this case is whether the Houcks continuously possessed the railroad property for 21 years from the time they first entered the property in 1979.” To resolve this issue, the Supreme Court would first determine

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...the appeals court rejected the Houcks’ argument that adverse possession can be used to acquire property owned by park districts. sion, the court would find the Houcks had continuously possessed the railroad property for more than the required 21 years, from 1979 until 2001 (the date of the letter from the Huron County Park District notifying Houcks of the park district’s intended use of the property). If so, and park districts were not immune from a claim of adverse possession, the court indicated the Houcks could be successful in their adverse possession claim.

Under the doctrine of adverse possession, the state Supreme Court noted: “A plaintiff can acquire legal title to another’s real property if he or she proves exclusive possession and open, notorious, continuous, and adverse use for a period 28 Parks & Recreation

of 21 years.” In this instance, however, the appeals court had recognized the general rule that “adverse possession cannot be invoked against the state and its political subdivisions.” Moreover, the appeals court acknowledged “the law disfavors adverse possession.” Accordingly, the appeals court rejected the Houcks’ argument that adverse possession can be used to acquire property owned by park districts.

Adverse Possession in Park Districts?

In determining whether adverse possession could be applied against a park district, the state Supreme Court noted this issue was one of “first impression”;

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i.e., this particular issue had never been addressed in previous decisions by the Supreme Court of Ohio. As a result, the state Supreme Court indicated it would be guided by the following general rule regarding the applicability of adverse possession to various government entities: The general rule is that adverse possession does not apply against the state. No adverse occupation and user of land belonging to the state of Ohio, however long continued, can divest the title of the state in and to such lands. Early cases recognized that the state, as a sovereign, was not subject to adverse possession; but they declined to extend that immunity to other subdivisions of the state.

Because a park district had “the authority to acquire, hold, and possess property,” the Houcks had claimed the park district should also be subject to a claim of adverse possession. The state Supreme Court rejected this argument. In so doing, the court noted that several state appellate courts had previously held “adverse possession cannot be applied against the state or its political subdivisions”: [T]he nature of the property in question is not critical to our analysis. Rather, it is the general policies underpinning these decisions that we find persuasive to our analysis and that justify continued support of the rule that adverse possession does not apply against park-district property.

The very purpose of a park district is the “preservation of good order within and adjacent to the parks and reservations of land, and for the preservation of the parks, parkways, and other reservations of land under its jurisdiction and control and of property and natural life therein.” R.C. 1545.09 Accordingly, the state Supreme Court

found adverse possession to be incompatible with legislation that recognized a park district’s “conservation of natural resources” serves the “health and general welfare of the community.”

To permit adverse possession of park-district property would interfere with the public’s enjoyment and use of parklands as well as with a park district’s obligation to conserve and protect park property.

Duty to Monitor Park Property?

The state Supreme Court also considered whether governmental entities, like private property owners, should be “vigilant in monitoring its property for trespassers” over time to avoid a potential claim of adverse possession. In the opinion of the state Supreme Court, it would be contrary to public policy and impose an unfair burden on governmental entities to require park property to continually monitor its lands for trespass and encroachments by private parties: The setting aside of land for future public use in order to provide for orderly development is, in and of itself, a valuable use of land resources. That the public might later be deprived of the use of such land by operation of the statute of limitation [i.e., 21 years for adverse possession] imposes upon municipalities the burden of continual inspection of all public lands. Such a burden would be prohibitive and contrary to the public interest.

Further, the state Supreme Court noted several public park agencies in Ohio had filed “amicus curiae” (friend of the court) briefs, indicating “park-district property boundaries are difficult to monitor” for potential adverse possession due to the following: (1) the large amount of property owned by park districts, (2) the remote nature of some of the property,

(3) the lack of resources to adequately monitor property boundaries, (4) the lack of boundary markers, and (5) environmental covenants with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency that prevent fencing of some park property.

Adverse Possession represents the forced infringement of a landowner’s rights, a decrease in value of the servient estate [i.e., the land being encroached upon], the encouraged exploitation and development of land, the generation of animosi-

...the difficulty of monitoring park property boundaries was underscored by the substantial amounts of park district properties spread across great distances.

Further, as noted by the state Supreme Court, the difficulty of monitoring park property boundaries was underscored by the substantial amounts of park district properties spread across great distances.

For example, as noted by the Supreme Court, an inventory of the properties within parks administered by Board of Park Commissioners of the Lorain County Metro Parks listed 22 different park-district-owned properties that contain more than 5,170 acres of woods, wetlands, ponds and fields, as well as a section of a 65-mile recreational trail within 500 square miles of Lorain County. Moreover, many of these acres in park district properties were left in their natural state.

Accordingly, in the opinion of the state Supreme Court, “government entities cannot be expected to be as vigilant as private property owners in monitoring their property,” particularly park districts. Further, the court found: “The public should not suffer for a government’s negligence or inattention to its property boundaries because undeveloped land is a precious commodity in today’s crowded world.”

In so doing, the state Supreme Court recognized that “adverse possession is disfavored” by courts:

ty between neighbors, a source of damages to land or loss of landownership, the creation of forced, involuntary legal battles, and uncertainty and perhaps the loss of property rights to landowner.

In particular, the state Supreme Court found “such disfavor especially acute” for park district land because “adverse possession of park property deprives the public of the enjoyment of park property and imposes a burdensome obligation on park districts to monitor their property.”

Having found “adverse possession of park-district property is against public policy and the legal principles underlying adverse possession,” the state Supreme Court held park district property is “not subject to adverse possession.”

As a result, the state Supreme Court concluded the park districts had “valid legal title to the railroad property.” The state Supreme Court, therefore, affirmed the judgment of the lower courts in favor of the defendant park districts.

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

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FUTURE LEADERS

You Are Awesome – NRPA Can Help You Stay That Way

By Gerry Logan, CPRE

Y

ou are awesome! You work crazy hours and handle crazy situations. Your job improves citizens’ health, knowledge about the outdoors and social equity. Parents depend on your programs to help teach their children important values and to give them an activity to do instead of being on the streets. You save lives. What you do every day is incredibly important for this field and nation. And, here’s how NRPA can help you prepare to handle those challenges.

tenance Management School and Directors School are week-long, intensive trainings that give you an opportunity to share information and improve yourself so you can go back and improve your communities. Go to nrpa.org/education to learn more.

Expand Your Knowledge NRPA Connect is an easily accessible, free tool that you can use an unlimited number of times. Topics and documents go back years and cover a wide range of issues in the field. Need park inspection document examples? Find it on Connect.

Want to know about how other communities have handled a similar problem?

Find it on Connect. Go to nrpaconnect. org to learn more.

Online learning is another great option to expand knowledge. NRPA frequently offers webinars and other continuing education opportunities. Also,

Get Certified The Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) is the national standard for all park and recreation professionals who want to be at the forefront of their profession, and the Certified Parks and Recreation Executive (CPRE) establishes a national standard for managerial, administrative and executive parks and recreation professionals. According to a sample of NRPA’s job board, 45 percent of open positions list one or more of the CPRP/CPRE competencies as a skill necessary for the position. But there are other certifications that can help your

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the Leadership Certificate program was recently unveiled. This certificate is flexible, as you can go at your own pace, and it covers various leadership principles that will help take you and your organization to new heights. Whether you are a veteran leader or want to learn principles you can build on, this certificate may be right for you. Go to learning.nrpa.org for more information.

More traditional classroom learning is available through NRPA’s Schools.

Supervisors Management School, Event Management School, Revenue Development and Management School, Main-

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career, as well. The Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and Aquatic Facility Operator (AFO) are also viable options, with more than 7,500 CPSI-certified professionals, more than 8,000 who are AFO-certified, more than 5,000 who are CPRP-certified and approximately 200 who are CPRE-certified.

Get Involved Volunteering with an NRPA Network or at conference are additional ways to develop yourself for free. Volunteering at conference can assist in getting your registration fee covered. Involvement with NRPA networks allows you to hear from like-minded professionals in areas of interest that you choose. The Young Professional Network has several ways you can contribute: via professional development topics, video logs and publications, to name a few. Go to nrpa.org/volunteer to find out more.

Presenting at conference is another way to gain valuable experience, and share your knowledge with your peers.

Speed session proposals will open in early spring 2018, so be on the lookout for the opportunity to showcase your talent!

Presenting a speed session is good practice for submitting a full education session: those applications are due in late 2018 for the 2019 conference.

Apply for Awards Who doesn’t like free stuff ? How about a trip to conference? A very important opportunity to take advantage of is to apply for NRPA’s Awards, Scholarships and Fellowships, as well as the American Academy of Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) Externship Program. Not only do these opportunities highlight your successes, but they come with travel reimbursement so that you can attend the national conference and accept your award in person. These awards, scholarships, fellowships and

externships are very competitive, so brush up on that résumé (here’s an article just for that: http://www.nrpa.org/ blog/10-commandments-of-resumes) and plan for recommendation letters, as you will need both for the application process. Go to nrpa.org/awards to learn more about the NRPA Awards, Scholarships and Fellowships, and aapra.org for information on the AAPRA the Externship Program.

Utilize Mentors Networking is one of the biggest benefits to being involved with NRPA. Making connections is vital to staying up-to-date on current trends, and it is very rewarding to hear from other professionals who are experiencing similar problems. Mentors are a very important aspect of networking. Whether you participate in official mentorship programs offered by NRPA or AAPRA, or you seek out your own

mentor outside of those programs, having individuals you can count on for advice is incredibly beneficial, both individually and for your communities. Mentors can be within your own organization, a neighboring city, or in a city across the country, and there’s no reason to limit yourself to only one. The more perspectives you hear from the better you will be prepared for this field’s challenges.

Being awesome carries a price, but do not let the weight of it all put out your fire. Help one more person than yesterday, hold that smile for a few minutes longer, and remember, the only source of happiness you need is yourself. We are the next generation, and sustaining this field’s success is up to us. You are awesome, and NRPA can help you stay that way.

Gerry Logan, CPRE, is the Director of Recreation and Sports for Starkville Parks and Recreation Department (glogan@starkvilleparks.com).

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U.S. Green Building Council

Zero-Waste Events Making a big splash with a small footprint

By Sarah Stanley

L

“

eave no trace” is the motto for entering the great outdoors. Blue skies, open air and the view of mountains, a lapping lake or a babbling brook make the perfect setting for birthday parties, family reunions and celebrations. However, many of these events can harm those very resources we enjoy. Yet, with some advanced planning and commitment, we can help to restore our environment. From where to host to who is invited and all the logistics in between, critical decisions must be made to ensure a positive experience and successful event.

The same goes for the type of products used and how they are disposed of afterward.

What Is Zero Waste?

The Zero Waste International Alliance states: “Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.”

There are straightforward steps planners and hosts can take to move toward a zero-waste event. Stephanie Barger, U.S.

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Green Building Council director of market transformation and development for the TRUE Zero Waste program, offers some advice: Know the waste diversion services available in the area. Consult the local parks administrator, government recycling coordinator and/or waste and recycling hauler. If the park only has trash bins, work with the local waste hauler to provide recycling and composting bins. Many provide cardboard

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bins that easily can be set up and taken down. If the event is large enough, the waste hauler will set up and tear down bins for the event.

Determine your zero-waste goal for the event. Although 100 percent diversion is the goal, even diverting 90 percent, 70 percent or 50 percent can have a significant impact on the environment.

Cities across the United States have started including waste management plans as part of the approval process for events.

Developing a zero-waste plan can help expedite the process along with saving money. Reach out to the local government agency’s events department and see if it has sample zero-waste plans.

Build a zero-waste team! For a larger event, notify all your vendors of your zero-waste goal and provide guidelines for them to participate in the process. Ven-

dors might also have ideas if they have participated in other zero-waste events.

Invite local nonprofits, including food banks and environmental organizations, that are more than willing to provide their expertise and resources for promotion and a donation. For smaller events, encourage your friends and family to provide ideas and assistance.

Just REDUCE! The zero-waste hierarchy is reduce, reuse and recycle. Reduction has the largest impact on the environment and on our budget. From mailing out invitations, printing out programs and giving out prizes to decorations, think of creative ways to keep the fun but reduce the impact. Electronic invitations not only save trees, but also help with managing RSVPs and sending reminders, and the natural environment — pinecones, leaves and twigs — make great table decorations.

Buy reusable or bring your own. Bring reusables from home or rent tablecloths, napkins and dishware from a local catering company. Use plastic bins to take dirty dishes and linens home to wash.

For prizes or giveaways, provide guests with reusable drink bottles, silverware, etc., or have them bring their own. It will class up your event! Remember those red solo cups can easily be taken home and thrown in

Did you know?

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three hours and reduces the energy needed to make a new can by 95 percent, compared to a can made from raw materials. Source: Recycle Across America (http://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/ recycling-facts)

the dishwasher to be used repeatedly.

Go green when purchasing. Buy products made from recycled material and that are easily recyclable and compostable. Avoid items that are dangerous to wildlife. Balloons not only can escape and cause damage, but, even when popped, the ribbon can cause harm through strangulation. Polystyrene (styrofoam) products are toxic to both humans and animals and break down into little pieces that mimic food for wildlife (fish eggs, seeds, etc.). Plastic wrappers and cigarette butts can also be ingested or cause injury.

It’s all about the food. Most of the waste is around the type and amount of food provided. Encourage finger food and a menu that requires one plate. Review the type of food packaging and choose items in reusable, recyclable and compostable materials. Work with your caterers to limit the amount of packaging. Buy in bulk to reduce the amount of trash but, more importantly, small pieces of plastic that can escape into the environment. Make sure you plan for taking leftovers home by bringing extra containers for you and your guests. Work with your local food banks and shelters to donate any excess food. Wastenotoc. org provides detailed resources on the Good Samaritan food donation law and helpful tips. Remember to buy local and organic: many local farmers would be more than happy to take your compost.

Zero Waste in Action: Make sure all your guests know what goes in which bin through signage, and, for larger events, have volunteers at each zero-waste station. Make brief announcements or include instructions for the event at tables.

Have fun!

Cleanup is the most important step.

This provides an opportunity to make sure there is no contamination in your recycling and composting bins, all the litter is picked up, excess food is donated or

Ditch the plastic bottle!

An easy way to reduce waste at the source is to eliminate single-use, disposable water bottles at events. Plastic water bottles are an unnecessary addition to the waste stream and add cost. Depending on the event, the caterer may be able to provide tap or filtered water.

For larger events, consider hiring a water distributor to supply water.

taken home and calculate your diversion.

Don’t forget to celebrate your success of diverting waste from landfills, incinerations (waste to energy) and the environment with your volunteers and follow-up communication with your guests.

Teams interested in bringing a zero-waste event strategy to life can also learn more from the U.S. Green Building Council’s work at the Greenbuild International Conference and Exposition. Each year, the organization brings to life the world’s largest green building and business conference and implements plans to support seven sustainability objectives for the event, including waste.

The 2016 conference set a record-breaking waste diversion rate of 90 percent.

The full Greenbuild International Conference & Expo 2016 Sustainability Report can be viewed at https://tinyurl.com/ ydxpkfge. More information on zero waste can be found at http://true.gbci. org/.

Sarah Stanley is the Media and Communications Manager for the U.S. Green Building Council (sstanley@usgbc.org).

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The Trust for Public Land, Stephanie Bower

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The Culture of Health

Illustration of Kiwanis Methow Park in Wenatchee, Washington.

Creative placemaking in parks for healthy communities

By Matthew Clarke

T

he town of Wenatchee, Washington, hugs the western confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers, in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range.

This favorable geographic position, with 300 days of sun and plentiful irrigation, has led the region to become the self-described “apple capital of the world,” producing millions of boxes of Piñata, Honeycrisp, Gala and Pink Lady apples, not to mention sweet cherries, pears and stone fruit.

This legacy of large-scale fruit-growing has attracted Latino — particularly Mexican — agricultural workers and established a strong, multigenerational Latino community that represents nearly a third of Wenatchee’s population.

It’s a community, largely centered in the southern half of the city, that has cultivated fruit, along with a tradition of cultural practices, including a nationally respected Mariachi scene.

A central hub of this community is Kiwanis Methow Park, a 1.26-acre park that welcomes music performances, festivals,

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holiday celebrations and other community gatherings. The park, however, shows the wear of this use (and love): aging play equipment, dirt instead of grass and a crumbling asphalt basketball court. In 2015, The Trust for Public Land (TPL), acting with a broad coalition of partners, set out to explore the redesign and renovation of this important asset. What happened along this exploration led to a remarkable and unexpected discovery that speaks to a growing appreciation for what health means — individually and collectively — and how parks can address

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population health by acting as a cultural asset, not just an active recreational one, in meeting a community’s health needs.

Initial attempts by the park project team, working with two local community organizers, to garner feedback from the Latino’s community about the park through a series of community meetings failed because of the community’s unease with official events and the specter of immigration enforcement. The project team then decided to go to where people congregated, which happened to be a regional music and dance festival that took place in downtown Wenatchee. The event was brimming with people eager to learn about a new idea for the park and how they could voice their ideas for its future.

Many residents shared their desire to keep the park as a gathering space but were also excited about the opportunity

to improve other aspects of the community, such as relations with neighboring communities or local health concerns. A 2013 community health needs assessment found that South Wenatchee’s Latino population suffers most acutely from impaired mental health and the city’s mental health service was overtaxed. In 2016, 13.8 percent of patients discharged from Central Washington Hospital had mental health or substance abuse diagnoses.

Drawing on the success of that music and dance event, the park project team decided to hold a similar event at Methow Park that, as the major draw, would highlight local culture and include health-focused nonprofits and for-profit service providers, focused on improving health outcomes in South Wenatchee. Following the new health festival, which drew nearly 400 people to Methow Park, the coalition realized two important things: cultural events at the park were a way to reach broad swaths of the population in meaningful engagement of important issues, and these cultural events and the park itself were ways to address the mental health challenges endemic to the area.

What began around an impulse to renovate a key community park resulted in building tools to address issues around public space, health, economic development and education, demonstrating the multiple benefits that parks and open spaces provide. The coalition is developing long-term plans to host future cultural events as ways to meet community health needs, build strong social relationships and continue to reimagine the park as a conduit for health-building programs and activities.

While home to programs like ParkRx — which promotes park use as a prescription for many chronic health conditions — parks also address other health needs and health disparities that might exist between communities. The Project for Public Spaces Healthy Spaces report shows that

The Trust for Public Land, Craig David

The Kiwanis Methow Park Health Fair in Wenatchee, Washington, focused on improving health in South Wenatchee.

placemaking in green spaces can not only increase physical activity, but can also target mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety; improve attention and memory function; build social capital and reduce violent crime; and reduce risks of coastal and storm-related flooding. These capacities improve our collective health.

TPL has connected the idea of creative placemaking — incorporating arts-based practices into our park creation and land conservation — with public health, and has developed programs to support this connection. The organization recognizes that an individual’s health outcomes are only partially driven by health choices and access to care. Our environment, social connections and economic opportunity drive health in profound ways. Park and open-space solutions that are culturally focused are having powerful impacts on communities across the country.

In the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, for example, with its endemic homelessness and drug use, TPL is working with the Tenderloin Community Benefit District’s Safe Passage program to build healthy, connected pathways between an important network of public spaces and parks. The ability for families to have a safe passage between these environments, and the condition of these experiences, can impact a broad array of health concerns. Similarly, in Denver’s Westwood neighborhood, TPL is

working with a community development corporation, BuCu West, to measure air quality (Denver’s air quality is among the worst in the United States and represents a significant public health challenge) on a block level. This is being done with sensors mounted on Paleta carts — ice cream carts that are traditional in Mexican communities. This cultural connection, resonant with the Westwood community, provides a conversation point for discussing air quality in public spaces and builds climate resilience and social empowerment.

The connection between culture and health in our public spaces and parks is strong, and the case for expanding this work is clear. Research on the power of art to improve health outcomes and on the ability of parks and open space to build healthy communities has reached critical mass. To expand on this work, this research needs to be translated into policy recommendations and toolkits — resources that can make collaborations between cultural, parks and health organizations possible.

Our communities understand health and intuitively feel the connection between the arts and well-being. No place undergirds this connection better than the gardens, parks and plazas that people rely on in every neighborhood in the country.

Matthew Clarke is Director of Creative Placemaking for the Trust for Public Land (matthew.clarke@tpl.org).

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Photography by Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity

SOCIAL EQUITY

The Huachuca Mountains in southeastern Arizona, where the jaguar, ocelot and other endangered species roam.

Protect People, Wildlife, Places and Values, Stop the Border Wall

By Marta A. Segura and Robert García

F

rom the Pacific Ocean to Texas, spectacular swaths of U.S.-Mexico borderlands are protected by state, national and international laws. The border wall threatens marginalized communities and endangered species, and embodies hate and divisiveness.

The border region is sacred to indigenous people, such as the Tohono O’odham, whose ancestral lands straddle it. Families routinely cross for cultural and religious practices and gatherings. It’s also home to Hohokam, Apache, Yaqui and Quechan peoples, among others. People along the border are disproportionately of color and low income, and children.

More than 90 endangered and threatened species cross the 2,000-mile border to feed, breed and thrive, including jaguars, ocelots, snowy plovers, pygmy owls and the rare Mexican gray wolf. Many species are found nowhere else.

The borderlands include river canyons, estuaries, cliffs and sand dunes. There’s Big Bend National Park in Texas, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Coronado National Forest in Arizona, seven national 36 Parks & Recreation

wildlife refuges, dozens of state parks and wilderness areas. On the Mexican side of the border, El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, spans nearly 2,800 square miles of Sonoran Desert. Santa Elena Canyon National Park picks up where Big Bend National Park leaves off, and the Laguna Madre State Park, which hugs the Gulf Coast, is protected by both countries as one of the world’s most important bird habitats.

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Research shows benefits of parks and recreation include fun, health and wellness, and alternatives to gangs and crime.

Consumers spend $887 billion annually on outdoor recreation, creating 7.6 million U.S. jobs. Border businesses and cities also enjoy cross-border commerce. Parks bring people together and encourage environmental stewardship. The lack of parks and open spaces challenge people in many areas, especially children of color and those living in poverty. Border wall expansion would impair cross-cultural community building, commerce, recreation and fun, and harm wildlife and the landscape.

Border Wall History and Legal Actions The U.S. government’s strategy to militarize the border began in the mid-1990s. El Paso, San Diego, Nogales and other places were fortified with walls, forcing undoc-

umented migrants to cross through more remote areas. This failed to stem immigration, and served to increase environmental damage as migrants and law enforcement moved into formerly wild sites. Officials knew the death count would rise and, over the past 20 years, more than 6,000 people have died crossing the border.

In 2005, Congress gave the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to waive laws for border walls. More than three-dozen environmental, American Indian and historical-protection laws were waived in the next few years under the REAL ID Act, and hundreds of miles of border barriers were constructed with little or no review.

Thousands of miles of roads were created.

New border infrastructure was often constructed in ill-advised locations with poor engineering, resulting in flooding, erosion and damage to private property and public lands. This infrastructure blocked wildlife movement on a vast scale.

Today, 650 miles of barriers block onethird of the 2,000-mile border. Roughly 300 miles is border wall, with the rest composed of vehicle barriers that allow most wildlife to come and go freely. Under current plans for the proposed wall, at a cost of as much as $70 billion, this would change and would bring with it roads, lights and even more human activity.

In 2017, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit seeking a thorough analysis of border policies under the National Environmental Policy Act. Rep. Grijalva, who represents part of Arizona’s border region, bridges equal justice and environmental communities. Another suit challenges prototype walls constructed near San Diego in critical habitat for endangered species, and plans to replace 14 miles of wall nearby.

Border Wall Communities: Who Lives Along the Border?

Undocumented immigration has been steadily declining since peaking in 2007.

Most people now in the United States without papers came here legally and overstayed their visas. Even as border crossings have declined, migrant fatalities are skyrocketing. Studies show the proposed wall expansion isn’t likely to stem undocumented immigration, human smuggling or drug smuggling. It will hurt people living in the borderlands.

People who live along the border are primarily low-income people of color with limited political power. The 32 border counties are home to 6.5 million people, 1.8 million of them children. They bear the brunt of construction, environmental and health degradation, and other problems that stem from waiving laws under the REAL ID Act. Border Wall Opposition Growing coalitions led by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), GreenLatinos and the Center for Biological Diversity (the Center), representing hundreds of civil rights, faith, environmental, health, indigenous, LGBT and border communities, are working together to protect people, as well as the cultural and environmental well-being of the border region.

Grassroots movements encourage elected officials to stand with border communities against further militarization of the U.S. borderlands. The Center’s campaign helps states, cities and counties with these resolutions. More than 25 cities and counties — from Berkeley, California, to McAllen, Texas — have recently passed resolutions against the wall.

The wall is an affront to people, wildlife, places and values. The wall scars spectacular public lands that belong to everyone and must be preserved for our children, and it slams the door shut on equal justice and human dignity.

Detailed references for this article are available at www.parksandrecreation.org/2017/ December/protect-people-wildlife-placesand-values-stop-the-border-wall.

The City Project

GreenLatinos Summit 2017, Niria Alicia Garcia, Honor the Earth.

A snapshot of life along the border: 52 percent of the population is Latino, compared to the 15 percent in the United States.

37 percent of children live in poverty — more than twice the national average of 17 percent.

84 percent of those living within one mile of the border are people of color.

Three of the 10 poorest U.S. counties are in the borderlands.

21 percent of border counties are economically distressed.

41 percent of native people in the borderlands live at or below the poverty level.

The unemployment rate along the U.S. side of the border is two to three times higher than the U.S. average.

Marta A. Segura is the Southern California Engagement Director for the Center for Biological Diversity (msegura@biologicaldiversity.org).

Robert García is founding Director-Counsel of The City Project/Proyecto del Pueblo and Assistant Professor, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (rgarcia@cityprojectca.org).

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

The Sense Tour

A plant education program for memory care patients and the partially sighted

By Allison M. Palmer

O

ur parks are treasures of civic life, filled with history, culture and a great proliferation of plants and animals. More than anything, however, they are places to explore and experience. From rustic landscapes to the color and fragrance of botanical gardens, parks engage our senses. As a park ranger, I wondered how I could make our resources not only more accessible to special needs patrons, but also more richly experiential to them.

The “Sense Tour,” an interactive journey through plant life, where fragrance, texture and color engage memory care patients and the partially sighted, was the result of my reflection.

With a bit of easy planning, it is a program that can be presented either in the park or at the facilities where participants re-

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ceive care and services, making the beauty of the environment a wonderful experience for all.

A Brief Overview I began by reaching out to care facilities close to the park, contacting their program coordinators who schedule activities, such as art lessons, music performances, lectures and other forms of therapeutic services. They offered suggestions about how to develop a specialized plant program presentation, centered around their clients’ remaining senses and abilities. For each presentation, I transported plants from our nursery to the client’s activity room, arranging scented geraniums, lavender and rosemary on folding tables. Additional specimens of

Summary For blind community centers, as well as memory care facilities, the Sense Tour creates an opportunity for patrons to experience the park in a familiar and reassuring environment, where they are surrounded by companions and caregivers. It provides an opportunity for people with limited mobility to interact and share. In the best-case scenario, the program can provide caregivers with material for future therapeutic services and a chance to incorporate natural elements into the participants’ daily routines.

IMAGINATION GUIDE

coastal sage, laurel sumac, flattop buckwheat and other plants native to the coastal chaparral helped to create a more authentic representation of the park.

Patrons generally were seated in a semicircle and received the pots and cuttings directly in their hands. Each patron was invited to touch the plants, enjoy their fragrance and describe the impressions that came to mind. When caregivers were present, participants could be led to each specimen, one by one. On a few occasions, we could transport everyone to the park’s botanical building for a guided tour of the exhibits. The emphasis, regardless of the setting, was on creating an experience and inviting patrons to tell their own stories about the feel and fragrance of plants.

At the blind center, where most clients had remnants of vision, we focused on storytelling, creating narrative descriptions of plants that emphasized the color, fragrance, texture and shape of each specimen. Some of the older participants recalled childhood memories and shared stories with us, while others created their own word paintings, describing the richness and beauty of the plants, from a deeply experiential level.

Program planning in this area tends to be more individualized and involves gauging the cognitive abilities and interest level of each person as the presentation unfolds. For this reason, it is helpful to work closely with caregivers, inviting them to assist and use their specialized knowledge of each patient to keep things moving harmoniously. Without a doubt, the Sense Tour is a team effort, with caregivers and staff members playing a central role, especially when patrons have diminished cognitive abilities.

With slight modifications, the Sense Tour also works well for memory care patients. In this setting, I try to solicit input from the audience but most responses initially come from staff members, who then prompt patients to share their own stories.

From there, I invite each participant to handle and smell the various plants, encouraging everyone to share their impressions, either verbally or through drawing exercises. Overall, the goal is simple: interaction, sensory input and diversion from the daily routine. The event always proves to be enjoyable for patients as well as for staff members.

Tips for Conducting a Sense Tour

1

Contact program coordinators from local blind community centers and memory care facilities to inquire about the kinds of services they offer; ask how a plant program can be incorporated into their schedule.

2

Compile a list of potted plants you can acquire from your nursery or arboretum and gather cuttings from the park. Scented geraniums, herbs, succulents and pine branches are excellent resources for the program.

3

Work with the center’s staff members to arrange the plants on tables so participants can enjoy being in a park-like environment. You can also use art supplies to incorporate drawing activities into the program. Higher-functioning patrons will enjoy creating scrapbooks and nature collages.

4 5 6

If possible, play soft classical music in the background to help create a soothing, therapeutic atmosphere for participants.

Remember that caregivers and staff members will greatly appreciate your efforts and enjoy participating in the activities.

Don’t be afraid to improvise. The joy of the Sense Tour involves spontaneity, presenting the material in a way that encourages dialogue and creativity. Quite simply, the goal is to bring the park to those who have limited access to its beauty and to have fun in the process.

Allison M. Palmer is a Park Ranger for Balboa Park in San Diego, California (apalmer@sandiego.gov).

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O’Fallon Family Sports Park Scores Big

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he O’Fallon Family Sports Park scored big over the summer with seven new soccer fields in less than 90 days, while saving $1 million on the project. The fields were installed and match-ready by August 31, just in time for the fall season.

The seven new fields bring the park’s total to eight, making it an attractive tournament venue for soccer, lacrosse and more.

Turning O’Fallon into a competition destination means more people coming to the area and increased spending at area hotels and restaurants.

City administrators could not be more pleased with how the project came together.

“We wanted to ensure taxpayer money on the sports complex renovations was spent wisely,” says Mary Jeanne Hutchison, director of O’Fallon Parks and Recreation in an article for Construction Forum STL. To do so, the city worked with the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) to procure the products and services needed for the project. NJPA is a cooperative purchasing entity that partners with education, government and nonprofit entities to

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boost student and community success.

“NJPA gave us a complete package that had been thoroughly researched and priced,” says Hutchinson. “In the end, we got the product we wanted for the right price and were able to streamline the construction process to get all seven fields built in 89 calendar days.”

Hutchison says the process entailed going to NJPA’s awarded contract database to find the right synthetic soccer turf and installation package.

“The quality of the turf is only going to be as good as the subsurface conditions,” Hutchinson explains. “That requires a certified builder proficient in site preparation, including amending soil conditions and improving drainage. All of that was built into our Shaw Sports Turf package.”

The new fields are part of renovations to the O’Fallon Family Sports Park that include new restrooms and parking lot improvements to accommodate 700 vehicles. The new fields were ready in August, and have already hosted team practices and league play as well as five tournaments this fall.

“The cooperative purchasing process allowed us no loss of field time,” Hutchinson says.

As budgets become tighter, public entities are turning to cooperative purchasing agreements to save costs and streamline construction.

O’Fallon turned to NJPA, which had already conducted the RFP and thoroughly vetted vendors, their products and services.

Find what you need at njpa.co/vendor-list.

888.894.1930 info@njpacoop.org www.njpacoop.org

You exist to enrich lives

We exist to serve you and make your visions reality NJPAcoop.org Competitively solicited cooperative purchasing solutions, such as these park and recreational vendors:

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Nothing else is even close

IMAGINATION GUIDE

Leaving a Memorable Impression

By Betty Brennan

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wenty years ago, Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore, authors of The Experience Economy, taught us the importance of “staging experiences to leave a memorable — and lucrative — impression” for customers. It is now common for retailers like Bass Pro, Disney, American Girl and even Starbucks to think of the experience when designing their stores. Creating iconic pieces or a signature piece is an important part of creating that experience. Often the signature piece at a museum is worth the admission price alone. For example, the star attraction at Chicago’s The Field Museum of Natural History is Sue, the T-Rex. Other museums have blue whales or a Frank Gehry-designed building.

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Big iconic elements can amplify the visitor experience, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR) Horicon Marsh understood this when it decided to have 3 miles of rebar, 7,000 pounds of metal, 300 pounds of wire and 16,000 individual small pieces welded together to create a life-size Woolly Mammoth and Paleo hunter as an entry experience to its Explorium learning center. Its goals were to: • Reinforce the central theme of the exhibits — “Horicon, the Great Hunting Grounds.”

• Tie the present to the past.

• Attract traffic from the road and draw it to the entrance.

• Increase visitation and repeat visitation.

• Increase the average visit time on-site.

• Create a gateway for all to go outside and enjoy Horicon.

• Generate awareness and recognition.

Bret Owsley, wildlife management district supervisor of WI DNR, says, “The mammoth is the most photographed thing in the state of Wisconsin. It generates awareness when people see similar exhibits elsewhere in the world. If they see a story on mammoths in Russia, it brings them back to Horicon. It’s like reading a good book that pops into your mind unexpectedly when you see something that relates.”

The mammoth functions as both an anchor and entry point for the rest of the Horicon Marsh story. Other iconic pieces include a larger-than-life children’s room with equally large sculpted animal models, an immersive ice cave that literally cools you off as you walk through and an airboat simulator ride. There has always been hunting at Horicon, and it comes in many different forms. Visitors can still hunt the traditional way, or they can hunt for memorable pictures to be captured with their camera.

The Horicon story also highlights the importance of managing the marshland and cautions against the mistakes that were made when it was used for other purposes. Horicon Marsh is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States, and once it was returned to its natural state, hunting, wildlife and people returned. The Explorium’s oversized pieces generate recognition and help to reinforce the Horicon story, just like the mammoth and Paleo hunter. These experiences can spark memory for visitors outside of the park and reconnect them to the land and history at Horicon.

Today’s experience economy is fueled by millennials, who outnumber baby boomers and overwhelmingly prefer experiences over things. Creating experiences will help draw them to your park, but they’ll need to know that these larger-than-life experiences exist! Millennials and other visitors use the internet to search for experiences to add to their lives. They look for photographs and reviews through social media, and they’ll want to share their experience on those same platforms. Having the most photographed piece in Wisconsin helps Horicon tap into modern day destination marketing.

These iconic pieces trigger visitors to share their experiences with the world, further multiplying the experience. Horicon aids in the sharing — the airboat ride automatically takes a picture, which can prompt a visitor to share the experience. It is one of the most popular exhibits at the Explorium! In online reviews, many visitors write about the exhibit where they experience the smell of a mammoth. Visitors rely heavily on social media before and after visiting sites, and the iconic pieces at Horicon encourage social sharing.

Oliver Wendell Holmes says, “A mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimension.” The ex

hibits at Horicon create a sense of wonder, excitement and lasting memories. Horicon understands that each visitor will experience the park differently and that perceptions are formed by the opportunities offered, and the experience and knowledge gained. It has created an experience outside of the usual environment that creates positive emotions and word-of-mouth, increases visitor satisfaction and leads to repeat visitation. In creating these inspiring experiences, Horicon has not only achieved its goals but has also stretched the minds of its visitors.

Betty Brennan is President of Taylor Studios, Inc. (bbrennan@taylorstudios.com).

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The Ultimate in Versatility Get more done in Toolcat utility work machines

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ny day. Any job. That’s the powerful approach to the Toolcat™ utility work machines from Bobcat, which combine the best features of a pickup truck, compact tractor, utility vehicle and attachment carrier — all in one heavy-duty machine. Why waste time and money on several machines, each dedicated to only one task? A Toolcat utility work machine offers most of the capabilities you’d have with a small fleet of compact equipment.

Two Unique Toolcat Models Each of the two Toolcat™ models can use more than 40 different front-mounted attachments. Changes take less than a minute — so it’s simple to mow in the morning, remove downed trees in the afternoon, and sweep paths and sidewalks at the end of the day. It’s an investment you can leverage a different way every day, all year round. Choose from numerous attachments, including the angle broom, auger, Brushcat™ rotary cutter, chipper, landscape rake, mower, snowblower, salt/sand spreader and more.

The Toolcat 5600 includes a cargo box in back that can carry up to 2,000 pounds of cargo, while the Toolcat 5610 has a rear three-point hitch and power take-off (PTO), which open up a wide variety of Category 1 implements in the back. With the ability to use front-mounted attachments and rear-mounted implements, operators can reduce the time spent stopping to

change attachments. This helps you maximize every minute you spend in the cab.

Heads or Tails, You Win Like our easy-to-change front-mounted attachments, implement changes in the Toolcat 5610 are quick and simple. Adjustable three-point hitch lift rods and sway linkage allow you to quickly attach and position the implement to improve performance.

The three-point hitch depth indicator helps you easily position the implement for the best possible performance. If uneven terrain threatens to slow down your work, the mechanical float feature maintains constant contact with the ground for reliable implement performance when traveling over bumps and contours.

Use powered implements with hydraulic PTO. The 5610’s hydraulic PTO powers your rear-mounted, PTO-powered implements: mowers, snowblowers, augers, tillers, sprayers and more. Designed only for Toolcat 5610 models equipped with high-flow hydraulics, the 540 rpm hydraulic PTO motor delivers the power you need to save time and achieve professional results when mowing, removing snow, clearing brush or tilling.

With optional rear-remote hydraulics, you gain accuracy and control for mowing, moving snow, dumping materials and more. Control up to two hydraulic implement functions. Automatically adjust a snowblower chute, lift and lower mower decks, adjust blades, tine rakes and box blades, or unload cargo from a trailer with a hydraulic dump.

Want to learn more about the Toolcat utility work machines?

Explore the Toolcat lineup and its vast range of capabilities at www.bobcat.com/utility-products/toolcat/features Certain specification(s) are based on engineering calculations and are not actual measurements. Specification(s) are provided for comparison purposes only and are subject to change without notice. Specification(s) for your individual Bobcat equipment will vary based on normal variations in design, manufacturing, operating conditions, and other factors.

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EVERY SEASON. ANY JOB.

Seasons change. So do Toolcat™ utility work machines. With more than 40 front-mounted attachments, plus limitless combinations of complementary Category 1 PTO attachments on the Toolcat 5610, you can transition to spring, summer, winter or fall in minutes.

Contact our Government Sales team: Bobcat.com/GovernmentNational 1.800.965.4232, Opt. 2 Certain specification(s) are based on engineering calculations and are not actual measurements. Specification(s) are provided for comparison purposes only and are subject to change without notice. Specification(s) for your individual Bobcat equipment will vary based on normal variations in design, manufacturing, operating conditions, and other factors.

Bobcat is a Doosan company. Doosan is a global leader in construction equipment, power and water solutions, engines, and engineering, proudly serving customers and communities for more than a century.

Bobcat ®, the Bobcat logo and the colors of the Bobcat machine are registered trademarks of Bobcat Company in the United States and various other countries. ©2017 Bobcat Company. All rights reserved. | 1302

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

Hardwood Floor Care Extend the Life of Your Hardwood Gym Floors

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rom basketball games to community events, recreation hardwood gym floors are no stranger to high levels of foot traffic. Built to be beautiful and durable, hardwood gym floors are often the central gathering point for many facilities. A properly installed and finished floor will withstand maximum foot traffic, yet care and maintenance is a critical component in getting the most life from your floor.

Typically, hardwood gym floors receive a yearly maintenance recoat to the finish; however, time is needed between recoating. In addition, a facility can save hours of labor and thousands of dollars. Here are a few considerations to ensure a long-lasting hardwood floor from the experts at Bona.

The Right Treatment for the Right Floor Tap an expert to understand exactly the treatment your floor might need. Some floors might be best served with a recoat.

The Bona System™ can cut down on time and dust by using the Bona Dust Containment System® during abrasion. Additionally, using a one-component waterborne finish makes the process easy and fast.

Keep It Healthy Bona’s premium waterborne finishes offer superior durability and shine with the added benefits of low VOCs and quick dry times. Not only are waterborne finishes beautiful, but the entire process also offers a healthier foundation for the facility and the people in it.

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Be Consistent A regular, ongoing cleaning routine will go far. The simple act of using a microfiber dry dusting pad on your hardwood gym floors prevents slip hazards and keeps dirt and dust off the floor. A professional-strength, no-residue cleaning solution, formulated for hardwood floors, the Green Seal Certified Bona SuperCourt® Athletic Floor Care Cleaner will give the floor more life between recoats and keep floors and users safe.

Use the Right Tools Investing in the right tools makes a night-and-day difference in the entire floor maintenance process. A well-maintained auto scrubber, as well as the proper microfiber pads, microfiber mop and dusting pads, are key to keeping a hardwood floor beautiful and durable. Clean the dusting and microfiber pads before every use — using dirty pads and multipurpose cleaners can damage the floor.

A few simple steps are the difference between high maintenance and easy maintenance. Let experts, like the team at Bona, guide you to the best solutions for your hardwood gym floors.

877.289.2662 https://us.bona.com/contact-us.html www.bona.com

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

Greenfields’ Trail Package 1: Designed for Maximum Community Benefit

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ne of the most popular and widely appealing park amenities, trails are enjoyed in virtually every climate and every setting — from urban and suburban areas to wild, remote locales. A great way to bring nature to dense communities without requiring large blocks of real estate, trails are widely used by those of all ages. However, beyond the cardio benefits, trails can offer enhanced opportunities for communities with the addition of fitness equipment.

Greenfields’ Trail Package 1 was carefully designed not only to enhance the fitness benefits of trails, but also to promote socialization within diverse communities. Whereas many past trail equipment installations have featured exercise units isolated from each other, Greenfields’ Trail Package 1 features six “pods” with two units per pod. Because each unit can accommodate multiple users, the pods each serve four to seven people simultaneously.

The idea behind the multiple-user pods is simple: those walking or running on the trail by themselves who encounter a single station in use will most likely not wait for that station to be unoccupied, but will instead continue on their way. However, if a pod offers multiple events and exercise stations, the need to wait is eliminated, and the second user doesn’t need to halt their momentum in order to use a particular station.

To ensure that every user has activities available to them that are appropriate for their fitness level, one unit per pod offers exercises for the entry-level user, and one unit incorporates advanced activities, such as dips or pull-ups. Two of the pods also incorporate units from Greenfields’ Signature Accessible line, specially designed to give wheelchair users the opportunity to exercise without transferring. In total, the package allows

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for 32 users to exercise at one time. And in contrast to indoor gyms, the open, casual atmosphere creates an environment in which individuals feel comfortable and can easily initiate conversation with each other.

One community that installed the Greenfields’ Trail Package 1 went above and beyond to create a fitness guide for trail users of varying abilities. For each pod at the Bixby Park trail in Long Beach, California, the guide offers suggestions for exercises and reps using that pod’s equipment selection. Separate exercise plans for users at novice, intermediate and advanced levels ensure that all trail users have activities adapted to their individual needs.

The trail has the added benefit of a great view — less than a quarter mile away is the Pacific Ocean, with the retired Queen Mary ocean liner resting at the entrance to the bay. Built to resist rust, the equipment has successfully weathered several years of exposure near the oceanfront.

On a typical day at the Bixby Park trail, old and young, muscle-beach types and fitness novices, can be observed enjoying the fresh air while working out. Intuitive to use, social and free for the public, the fitness trail is a tangible expression of the city’s commitment to promote healthy lifestyles in the community.

888.315.9037 info@greenfieldsfitness.com http://gfoutdoorfitness.com/

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he day-to-day tasks for many park and recreation professionals include lifting heavy and awkward items. From transporting flower pots and trees with root bulbs to plowing snow and hauling sports equipment, it can be challenging to safely and easily move these materials.

Designed for work applications, the new Maximum Duty Vehicle (MDV) from Hustler Turf Equipment features LeveLift™, a patented, labor-saving cargo box that allows the user to lift up to 750 pounds from the ground and dump material from any point in its arc of motion.

A true workhorse, the MDV is ideal for park and recreation employees who must lift and transport. The base vehicle is more durable, more comfortable and easier to maintain than others in its class. With steel-frame construction and a front end made with polyethylene, the Hustler MDV will withstand

even the toughest abuse. It saves time, by turning a two- or three-person job into a one-person job, freeing up people to focus on other tasks.

When Ryan Couture, hatchery coordinator at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, needed a new UTV, he opted for the Hustler MDV with LeveLift™ technology. He says staff members and volunteers enjoy using the MDV as it eases the job of hauling 80–100 pound bottles of compressed oxygen.

With a simple flip of a switch, the LeveLift™ brings the cargo box up, back and down, enabling loading at ground level or at any point. Once loaded, the LeveLift™ brings the cargo box back up and into position on the MDV. With minimum time and effort, the cargo is loaded and on its way.

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Parks & Recreation

IMAGINATION GUIDE

The Hustler® Maximum Duty Vehicle™

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

Play Creates a Whole Child

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n a poll conducted by Landscape Structures Inc., a Delano, Minnesota-based commercial playground equipment manufacturer, more than half of parents responded that they think children today have fewer opportunities for play than children 20 years ago. Parents reported that their children get one hour or less of unstructured playtime each day: 55 percent of parents with children ages 10 to 12, 42 percent of parents with children ages 3 to 9 and 34 percent of parents with children up to age 3. Almost two-thirds of those polled think the ideal amount of daily playtime is between one and two hours.

Parents advocate for playtime, too. Even in today’s 24/7 world, more than three-quarters of parents polled agreed that children with adequate free playtime grow up to be better contributors to society. Educators and child development experts agree that play is vital to children’s cognitive, social/emotional and physical development and growth.

While they may be stressed and over-scheduled themselves, today’s parents recognize the value of free, unstructured time for their children’s overall health and well-being. “Modern life takes a toll on children too,” says Lynn Pinoniemi, director of marketing at Landscape Structures.

“More kids are being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and obesity — and many live with disabilities,” she says. “But giving kids the freedom to play — to gain confidence through mastery and self-discovery — can really nurture small psyches and instill lifelong skills.”

Landscape Structures surveyed parents of children 12 years and younger to understand their attitudes on the value of unstructured play. Topics ranged from opportunities for free play to important life skills gained on the playground.

When asked about important life skills, the parents surveyed

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considered play and creativity of similar importance as academics and critical thinking. Most mothers (92 percent) rated play and creativity as moderately or very important, compared to 84 percent of fathers.

Persistence was considered a top skill for children of all ages to learn. Creativity was more likely to be chosen for younger children, while leadership was likeliest for older children. Parents reported that sharing, imagination and creativity were the skills most often exhibited by their own children on the playground.

A recent meta-study conducted by the University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development and commissioned by Landscape Structures, titled “Shaped by Play: The Formative Role of Play and Playgrounds,” confirms our culture’s growing infringement on children’s play opportunities.

According to the study, a long list of daily distractions competes for children’s free time: hectic family lifestyles, organized activities, TV and electronic devices, and academically packed school schedules that cut into recess. Request a copy of the full research whitepaper at shapedbyplay.com.

The survey and meta-study are part of Landscape Structures’ Shaped by Play campaign. Learn more about the campaign, and watch the company’s inspirational video, For a Better Tomorrow, We Play Today, by visiting playlsi.com/shapedbyplay.

888.438.6574 info@playlsi.com playlsi.com

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

Heating Up Pool Efficiency

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t Pentair Commercial, we are committed to providing innovative products that save energy and reduce costs for commercial recreational aquatic facilities. From innovative high performance variable speed pool pumps and variable frequency drives to LED lighting, sanitizers, filters and automatic controllers, we supply products designed for efficiency and cost savings.

New ETi™ 400 High Efficiency Heater The new ETi™ 400 High Efficiency heater uses Titan Tough™ pure titanium with a direct fire heat exchanger design that makes the heater highly corrosion resistant. This 400,000 BTU heater has a 96% thermal efficiency rating—the highest in its class. Built with ASME certified construction, the unit offers ultra-quiet operation and is easy to install both indoors and out.

Fast heat-up times and easy category IV venting with PVC pipe. Plus 3-year Warranty!

800.831.7133 www.pentaircommercial.com.

CORCL Boats’ Story

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n a family trip to Vietnam, Carter and Harry Brigham had so much fun paddling circular bamboo basket boats, they wondered why round boats weren’t everywhere. On the spot, they hired a craftsman to weave them a boat and ship it to the Port of Baltimore. Once the boat arrived, they took it to an art school and found a product designer, who quickly began prototyping a rugged American version of the ancient vessel. After the first boats were produced at a Midwest factory, the Brighams and their two sons drove cross-country, letting people try them. At a camp, teenagers paddled, while from the beach, dozens more hoping to try one chanted, “CORCL! CORCL! CORCL!” The Brighams were stunned at the enthusiastic response and immediately began redesigning the boats specifically for kids. Within two years, the patented CORCLS are in more than 235 summer camps, campgrounds and parks across the United States and Canada.

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The Center for Outreach, Research and Education

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he Center for Outreach, Research and Education is the CORE of PlayCore. Our commitment is to be a trusted resource to help communities turn research into practice in order to positively impact play and recreation outcomes across every community.

Our mission and purpose is building communities through play and recreation. Our passion is learning and collaborating with leaders and scholars to study play and recreation, and to share knowledge that positively advances diverse community needs. We concentrate our work around four pillars that form the foundation of our impact and advocacy efforts: Research Partnering with an unequalled network of world- renowned scholars, we develop research that validates the value of play and recreation across a variety of disciplines and topics. This commitment to data-driven knowledge informs all of our outreach resources and services.

Evidence-Based Resources Utilizing research findings, we provide a robust library of resources to help communities implement best practices for

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planning and design, curriculum and programming, advocacy, and community impact initiatives.

Professional Development Combining research and resources, we provide tailored learning opportunities and continuing education units through seminars, interactive conferences, lunch & learn events, and online webinars.

Advocacy & Impact From assisting with master planning to recognizing communities for projects of excellence that adhere to scholarly best practices, we act as community advocates to connect stakeholders, propel innovative projects, and impact community outcomes.

Please log on to www.playcore.com to learn more about our research and services, and to request copies of our evidence-based resources.

877.762.7563 info@playcore.com www.playcore.com

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

New Kayak/Surfboard/Paddle Board Rack

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ost Dependable Fountains, Inc., introduces the first of its kind — stainless steel kayak/surfboard/ paddle board rack (available in 17 different colors). This new design, Model 1010 SMSS, comes standard with a metered hose bib. Perfect for rinsing off your sporting equipment before storing it! Need more storage? No problem — we can make it dual sided! Truly a must-have accessory for beaches, lakes and rivers!

800.552.6331 www.mostdependable.com/

HCP 3000 Series Pumps SafeSoccer Goals

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he HCP 3000 Series pumps offer best-inclass performance and versatility for the Class B commercial pool market. The series was engineered to deliver a full package of solutions to our customers — whose needs were assessed through many interviews, inspiring the development of a pump with a unique set of heavy-duty features. Designed to be the most efficient pump in its class, the 7HP model achieves 250 GPM at 60 feet of head.

With 3-inch union connections, it accommodates higher flow rates and improves hydraulic efficiency while reducing flow velocity. Its superior durability, catering to the longevity of the pump, includes a TEFC motor and a Viton® seal for added protection against wearing environments, especially in salt applications. The oversized strainer housing is remote-mountable, adding a layer of protection to the pump and allowing for easy access to the basket in confined pump rooms and below-grade flooded suction applications. The HCP 3000 — inspired by the “voice of customer” — has proven to be a revolutionary commercial pool pump.

800.657.2287 www.haywardcommercial pool.com

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STM Standard F295014 states that “soccer goals should be securely anchored at all times.” Unfortunately, the stakes, pegs, augers and sand bags recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and adopted by all the soccer governing bodies are part of the problem and not part of the solution. The solution is to attach SafeSoccer Goals’ Patented SSG-14R rear-bar roller assembly to the rear bar and make every soccer goal in America 100 percent safe — 100 percent of the time. We all know that soccer goals must be totally safe and movable 24/7. Goals will continue to blow over in the wind and kids will move goals and hang on the goals despite the warning labels. The SSG14-R securely and easily attaches to any rear bar on the market and the patented attachment mechanism creates a semi-permanent part of the goal. Fill the indestructible polyethylene rollers with sand and the rollers and stainless steel frame will provide a lifetime of safety and portability. When the soccer goal wears out, remove the stainless steel roller assembly and attach it to a new goal for another lifetime of safety.

SafeSoccer Goals LLC 877.311.8399 www.safesoccergoals.com W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 |

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

Stunning Shade Systems Canopies Highlight New Waterfront Park

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hade Systems is proud to have provided the shade structures at Sullivan Park for the city of Deerfield Beach, Florida. Once an isolated and underutilized 3-acre waterfront site, Sullivan Park was recently revitalized into a vibrant Intracoastal recreational area that’s accessible by car or boat.

To attract attention to the exciting new park, Shade Systems, Inc. (Ocala, Florida) worked with landscape architects Kirk Olney and Randy Hollingsworth of Bermello Ajamil & Partners, to produce a network of multifunctional canopy systems, creating a dramatic visual focal point on the waterfront.

The monumental Rivergum Green and Desert Sand shade structures above the playgrounds and picnic area contribute to the impressive view, framing spectacular viewpoints of the park from the water as well as the roadways, while also providing visitors with much needed shade shelter from the heat and protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Parents and children alike love the presence of colorful shade canopies above the playgrounds and seating areas that provide cooling comfort and shade, allowing them to enjoy more time in the park in the summer sun.

The visual appeal and smart functionality of Shade Systems structures share dual importance. The shade canopies

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keep playground and seating areas cool. Playground equipment exposed to direct sun can reach 160 degrees and children’s skin can burn at a temperature of 140 degrees in a matter of seconds. During a metered temperature reading while under shade canopies, the temperature was a comfortable 82 degrees, which was in contrast to a reading of playground equipment exposed to the sun at a scorching 143 degrees.

Park officials also greatly appreciate Shade Systems’ innovative fastening systems for efficient canopy removal and re-attachment, a feature that recently proved invaluable during Hurricane Irma preparation and recovery.

All Shade Systems fabric shade structures feature CoolNet™ shade fabrics available in a variety of durable colors. ‘Sail’ and Multi-Level ‘Sail’ shade designs can be customized in an endless configuration of shapes and sizes. Shade Systems also offers electrical accommodations for night lighting for more dramatic evening appeal, adding focus to the area, while also reinforcing environmental safety.

Shade Systems carries an extensive line of fabric shade structures and components, umbrellas, canopies and sun shelters to cover playgrounds, bleachers, dugouts, sports fields, pool areas, waterplay and waterpark areas, concessions, parking areas and other outdoor spaces where protection is needed from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Visit Shade Systems on the web at www.shadesystemsinc. com to explore quality sun protection products and see how environments can be transformed during the day and into evening hours.

In All Aspects: Beauty, Functionality, Safety and Efficiency...

Shade Systems Has You Covered!

800.609.6066 info@shadesystemsinc.com www.shadesystemsinc.com/

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IMAGINATION GUIDE

Frog Furnishings

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ayhawk Plastics Inc. has been manufacturing plastic and steel machine parts for many industries since 1973. In 2000, Jayhawk introduced its first line of recycled plastic outdoor furniture. Known now as Frog Furnishings, these recycled plastic outdoor products lead the industry in quality, longevity, comfort and sustainability. On top of that, all stock products ship in 2 days or less! Call today 913.764.8181 for more information!

Visit Our Website! www.FrogFurnishings.com Newport Bench

Hex Table

• Stock products ship in 2 days or less • Seeking new quality dealers • We back our dealers, no direct-selling • Industry leading recycled plastic • USA Made, in business 44 years

913-764-8181

www.FrogFurnishings.com | sales@jayhawk.com

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Music A

Urban

ttending the outdoor performance of music, regardless of one’s preference, is one of the great pleasures of life. Since the advent of the Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, and the iconic counter-culture-defining Woodstock in 1969, outdoor music festivals have been a focus of enjoyment nationally and internationally, and their number has expanded to dozens of major festivals and hundreds of smaller ones.

Rather than losing these events to football stadiums — like the “arena rock” era of the 1970s and ‘80s — or more rural locations — like Tennessee’s Bonnaroo or Indio, California’s Coachella — cities are offering up their urban parkland to meet the rising interest in summer music. Some of these include the Governor’s Ball on Randall’s Island in New York, Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park, the CMA Country Music

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Festival in Riverfront Park in Nashville, the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park in Austin and Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Many festivals are on non-parkland, such as the Electric Daisy Carnival held in Las Vegas, or are rural, such as the Bonnaroo, Arts and Music Festival in Tennessee, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, and others.

Festivals, Considered Examining the outdoor music festival and its role as the bellwether of public security in parks

By Eric Tamulonis

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M U S I C F E S T I VA L S

Music festivals are a significant urban phenomenon unto themselves. They represent a confluence of popular music industry and urban dynamics trends.

Music festivals in our public and private landscapes, urban and rural, have largely escaped systematic consideration perhaps because they are temporary and sometimes inconsistent in location.

They are easily overlooked due to their reputation as a voluntary indulgence by those privileged to be able to travel and to spend time and money for the concentrated pleasure of hearing music in a crowd, sometimes referred to as “peak experience.” Yet, they are worthy of our attention. Researchers, including Dr. John Crompton of Texas A&M, festival promotion analysts and associated interests have examined the motivations of festivalgoers, both from the academic point of view of the leisure tourism impulse and as a commercial market research subject.

Factors in the Growth of Music Festivals Several factors have contributed to the growth of music festivals, including the expansion of audiences, their sheer pleasure of attending and the profitability of the

venture. At the core of this growth, however, is a sea change in the music industry, with the decline of the traditional recording industry, the evolution of digital media, sharing, outright piracy and dozens of streaming services from major outlets, such as YouTube and Spotify, and smaller ones.

With the decline of once more-lucrative recording contracts, touring is now accepted as a major and reasonably sustaining way for musicians of all profiles to make ends meet. In 2002, David Bowie proclaimed: “You better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s the only unique situation that’s going to be left.” Because of these trends, 32 million people attended festivals in 2015.

The numbers are worthy of note. A report by IBISWorld places the value of the live music industry (which includes live venues other than festivals) at $28 billion.

Although some believe that the trend may have peaked, it remains a major phenomenon. The popularity of music festivals has clearly not escaped the notice of sponsors, who invested $1.34 billion in sponsorships in 2014 and who help make the financial equation work for promoters, bands and festivalgoers. Festivals have grown, diversified, stratified and responded to feedback, such as the need to be more sustainable.

From the point of view of public parks management, if planned well, festivals can bring in money, improve the park in which the festival is located or other parks as well, and please year-round park users.

Some Drawbacks and Benefits While festivalgoers come and go, festivals have a pronounced, albeit largely temporary, impact on our public parks, in social, economic, environmental and, of course, cultural terms. Negative impacts include direct physical wear and tear or outright damage, temporary exclusion of nonpaying members of the public, the general aura of mass consumption and the generation of waste, carbon footprint and other environmental factors.

Some are critical that parks do not gain, or gain enough, from these events; they simply get put back together. This, sometimes, takes weeks or months, and even in the best of circumstances does not necessarily materially improve the host park commensurate with the sacrifice of its temporary public closure. For instance, the site of Voodoo Fest in New Orleans’ City Park was closed to access for months following the 2015 festival, due to the damage sustained by foot and vehicle traffic during a major rainstorm.

Most festivals result in satisfactory restoration, though, with Nevada’s Burning Man being perhaps the most fastidiously restored site (per agreement with the Bureau of Land Management).

Music festivals have long had a general connection with the well-being associated with nature. As the industry has matured, signature issues, such as waste generation and disposal, energy, healthy lifestyles and other trends, have been the subject of claims and actions by festival promoters, most of whom profess some adherence to a green policy. At the far end of the activist environmental spectrum are festiThe Lollapalooza music festival, held in historic Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, is an annual music festival, featuring popular rock, hip-hop and electronic music.

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A report by IBISWorld places the value of the live music industry, including live venues other than festivals, at $28 billion.

vals with a deep devotion to low-impact operations. The pressure to reduce impact yields some interesting techniques that, beta tested at the festival, could be applied elsewhere in large crowd events and even humanitarian applications.

Positive impacts include enjoyment of the space itself, the associated valuation of parks as desirable venues and the economic return to cities, based on negotiated fees for use of the park. A base condition of major events is typically the restoration agreement, which grants the right to access the park in exchange for a guarantee of restoration and some other negotiated terms. In the case of for-profit events, there is a clear financial pro forma as the subject of the agreement. For instance, Austin’s agreement for the Austin City Limits music festival dedicates a share of the festival’s revenue to the Austin Parks Foundation.

Tools of Urban Vitality In 2017, festival organizer C3 Presents gave $6.3 million to the Austin Parks Foundation, part of the $26 million C3 Presents has given the foundation over the past 12 years. The funds go partially to Zilker Park, where the festival is held, and to other parks throughout the city. In addition to these direct benefits, Brendan Daley, director of strategy & sustainability for the Chicago Park District, notes that, oftentimes, a larger and deeper economic impact is from the activities, such as hotel stays, bar and restaurant tabs, and transportation that eventgoers partake in when in a city. In addition to the event fee, there are often amusement taxes on tickets or hotel stays that further contribute to the economic impact. Not to mention the jobs that are created by the event (security, ticket takers and vendors).

Dr. Jonathan Wynn, author and associate professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts, has examined the music festival as a social phenomenon in his book Music/City. Dr. Wynn uses the term “festivalization” to describe how cities like Nashville, Austin and Newport have experienced the success of such events and made further

use of them as tools of urban vitality. He points out the key factors that contribute to the success of festivals — one of which is their temporary, low-infrastructure nature — and notes that the concept provides an alternative to reliance on enormous capital and operating funds for bricks-and-mortar venues. In a world seeking authenticity and the vitality of urban spaces that is deemed to be a barometer of success, festivalization could be a nimbler strategy.

Even as the industry matures and is subject to such analysis of the merits of festivals as urban regeneration tools, among those who watch such trends, there is concern that commercialization, commoditization, over-exposure and other industry-insider concerns may be reducing festival popularity. But, there may be a bigger threat to their success.

The Canary in the Coal Mine Music festivals are but one of the types of major civic gatherings that have drawn attention lately due to acts of terrorism, most recently in New York City. Since 9-11, iconic events, such as New Year’s Eve in Times Square, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the New York Marathon, have received intense attention to assure their security, with a wide array of security strategies put in place. Even preceding the recent acts of terror, there has historically been a commitment to security for entertain-

ment (music, fireworks and parades) and purposeful occasions (political rallies and advocacy or protest marches). While many purposes for gathering are more important and meaningful to civic life, music festivals in public spaces are, in a way, the canary in the coal mine: these discretionary events would likely be among the first to be discontinued if the measures taken fail to ensure security.

On September 25, 2015, hundreds of park professionals checked into the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for that year’s NRPA Annual Conference venue and left, uneventfully, several days later. This year, also on September 25, the Las Vegas shooter checked in to the same hotel, five days prior to his deadly rampage directed at attendees at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival. The coincidence of common dates and places is more than just grim irony — the Las Vegas and other acts of terrorism threaten the public trust and challenge the simple pleasure of gathering safely in public to listen to music, whether in the United States or abroad.

Harvest was held in Las Vegas Village, a 15-acre plot near the Luxor and Mandalay Bay hotels and one of two open-air venues owned by MGM Resorts International on the Strip. “Before it became the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the Route 91 Harvest festival was one of a handful of concert blowouts aiming to burnish the Las

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M U S I C F E S T I VA L S

Marc Averette

The Ultra Music Festival, an annual electronic music festival held in Downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park, drew some 165,000 people from 60 countries in 2017.

Vegas Strip’s reputation as a live-music destination,” writes Gerrick D. Kenned in the Los Angeles Times, reinforcing Dr. Wynn’s remarks about festivalization.

While the Las Vegas Village is not a public park, or even publicly owned, the incident has ramifications for the security of large-scale open spaces, whether public or private. The gunman had staked out two other locations first: one elsewhere in Las Vegas and another from a Chicago hotel overlooking the city’s signature Lollapalooza festival.

The tragedy highlighted the vulnerability of music festivals as a soft target. In a world concerned with copycat crime, these events should drive a more coordinated official response to these kinds of threats at public gatherings in general, and music festivals in parks, in particular.

The perversion of terrorist acts being carried out at public parks, other gathering places and streets is even more disturbing because of the generally held perception about why public spaces exist: to be places where we can gather in a carefree way. Writing for the journal Pacific Standard, Hanif Abdurraqiboct says, “The very things that make outdoor concerts so special — freedom, escape, intimacy with strangers — are the first things that the 60 Parks & Recreation

terrorist tries to take away.”

Major music festivals are our society’s places of extraordinary community and personal self-actualization, yet they have also become the locus of the most devastating attacks of domestic and international terrorism. Cities are responding by describing the extent of their preparations to address the risk, and the overall approach has similar characteristics. First, there is acknowledgment of the need for safety, and that responsibility resides with the local police department. The city’s response must be a partnership based on multi-departmental and interagency cooperation: there are several layers of security types.

In the wake of the October 31 Hudson River Park vehicle assault, New York City’s chief and commissioner of police described a comprehensive security program for major events that includes counterterrorism snipers, heavy weapons teams, rooftop and aerial observation, uniformed and plain clothes police presence, off-duty officers, trained civilian event staff, use of sand and barrier trucks, integrated communications and other measures that may not be so visible.

The magnitude of investment of both public and private sector time and expense for this type of effort is clearly a costly one.

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It makes the decision to stage a major event another significant civic ethical decision, balancing freedom to gather, safety and municipal fiscal responsibility. This places an additional hurdle before what might be called discretionary private entertainment events, such as music festivals (as well as sporting and other events), and raises questions about financial as well as other responsibilities.

How much of the burden of security cost should be borne by the public sector, for private sector events, especially those that charge admission? Will the burden of security preparation response create pressure that eventually drives major urban music festivals out of cities and into more rural areas where many others are held? Will the festivals be any safer in rural contexts? And, what is the effect on society of giving up certain simple urban pleasures, such as the convenience of enjoying music in our cities?

The New York Times’ David Montgomery quotes Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, “The department had reevaluated security plans after the Las Vegas shooting to include additional resources and brought in state troopers to work alongside Austin officers. I think Las Vegas will make every city and every agency re-evaluate security plans around large events that draw large crowds.”

Fortunately, it is a tribute to the ideals of our society that we continue to define major urban gatherings as a public good, one that is worthy of protection to prevent harm. The use of public parks for music festivals and other major events remains viable at this point. This is an expression of our collective determination to weather external threats to our well-being, adapt and continue to enjoy our public spaces.

Eric Tamulonis is a Landscape Architect and Partner at OLIN, and a board member of the City Parks Alliance (etamulonis@theolinpartnership.com).

The 10-Minute Walk Campaign

A conversation with TPL President and CEO Will Rogers

By Sonia Myrick

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he 10-minute walk campaign launched on October 10 and is already gaining speed in cities across the country. So, what exactly is the thinking behind this partnership between The Trust for Public Land (TPL), the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and NRPA? Parks & Recreation sat down with TPL President and CEO Will Rogers to find out more about how this idea came to be, what it means for parks and public space, and what the future holds for the 10-minute walk.

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ment, ULI was a clear partner. Its quality education and research supports land use and development professionals — developers, planners, financiers, economists and architects — to create and sustain thriving communities through the responsible use of land.

Parks & Recreation magazine: What inspired TPL to start the 10-minute walk campaign, and why was NRPA a natural fit as a core partner in this effort?

Will Rogers: The 10-minute walk vision — the idea that everyone, no matter where they live, deserves to be within a 10-minute walk to a high-quality park or public space — has long been a part of TPL’s DNA. It is the reason we have taken on park projects like Newark Riverfront Park in New Jersey, The 606 in Chicago, Watts Serenity Park in Los Angeles and almost 200 neighborhood playgrounds in New York City.

But a while back, we understood that to really make a difference at scale and to encourage sweeping change in not only park access, but park quality, we couldn’t go it alone. We needed to partner with like-minded, high-impact organizations that could help us deliver on this vision and develop a roadmap for cities to address park access and quality in a meaningful, sustainable way. That is the power of the 10minute walk campaign — its ability to help drive change in cities large and small, across the country. So, we immediately thought of both NRPA and Urban Land Institute, two of the best in the industry.

There is clearly strong alignment between TPL and NRPA — we both be62 Parks & Recreation

lieve that having access to high-quality parks is a right for all, and I think we have a similar understanding of the incredible benefits that parks and green space offer people. But, beyond that, NRPA knows parks. The organization has an incredible reach — to park directors and park departments across the country — as well as the on-the-ground experience to help implement this campaign. When we started to examine what this campaign might look like, NRPA was a natural fit for a core partner.

And, we know that not only do mayors and park departments drive change in communities, but also that the private sector has a huge influence on the development and financing of parks and open space. As a leader in the field of responsible land use and develop-

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P&R: So, what is the campaign all about and what has been most exciting since it launched in October?

Rogers: This campaign is based on two key concepts that are directly connected — park access and park quality. Yes, we believe that everyone should be able to reach a park within a 10-minute walk of home. But what does that park look like?

Is it a well-loved, adequately resourced park? Does it deliver all the incredible benefits that parks can provide? Does it absorb excess stormwater or does it promote exercise? We believe that parks can do all those things and more.

Thus far, the 10-minute walk campaign has focused on championing mayors (and their park directors!) who are advocates for parks and has asked them to sign on to our vision — that everyone, in every neighborhood, in every city deserves a park within a 10-minute walk of home. We believe strongly in that vison, not simply because spaces for relaxation and recreation are important — though they are — but also because parks and public green spaces can help deliver im-

provements in a host of areas, from public health to climate resilience to safety.

And, I’m happy to say that 145 mayors and counting — Democrats and Republicans — from cities large and small across the country, have already signed on to that vison. We have seen extraordinary momentum since the campaign launched on October 10, and what has become clear is the potential for us to have a major impact on parks and open space at a national scale. Mayors, partner organizations, individuals — they all see the opportunity to shape how parks and public spaces can be viewed as anchors of healthy, equitable communities nationwide.

P&R: You mentioned signing on to a “vision.” Will cities do anything else to advance the 10-minute walk?

Rogers: We are starting with the vision — but there is much more to the campaign than that. We’ve developed a list of commitments organized by action area that cities that sign on to this effort can take to prioritize parks and public space. These action areas include leadership and planning, funding and park creation and activation, all of which can help increase park access and improve quality. Not all cities will necessarily make these commitments, and some cities that have signed on have already set ambitious targets for themselves in some of these areas.

In 2018, we’ll be announcing a technical assistance competition for cities to compete for planning grants. TPL, NRPA and ULI will work with selected cities to help them develop commitments that are feasible, impactful and measurable. We hope these cities will embrace the commitments they develop and pledge to take concrete steps to make the 10-minute walk vision a reality on the ground.

Beyond this process, we are developing a host of exciting resources that all cities that sign on to the 10-minute walk can

take advantage of. One is called ParkServe® — the first-ever effort to map all parks in every city and town across the country. TPL’s Geographic Information Systems team has been working for years to create a publicly accessible baseline for measuring 10-minute walk access,

This campaign is based on two key concepts that are directly connected — park access and park quality.

and we just launched phase one along with the 10-minute walk campaign.

We’re also creating Parkology, which TPL is working on with NRPA and other partners. Parkology will be a website and community that provide access to countless resources on parks, as well as create a dedicated space for 10-minute walk cities to communicate and learn from each other. And, we’ll be working with both NRPA and ULI to develop best-practice guides, reports and other professional resources that can eventually be posted there. So, even if cities aren’t

ready to make a public commitment, we are confident that these resources will allow cities to embrace the 10-minute walk in a lot of the work that they do.

P&R: So, what is next for the 10-minute walk campaign?

Rogers: We’ll be debuting the commitments, along with the technical assistance competition, in the months ahead. And we’re working closely with additional partners to expand our reach and bring the expertise of other national organizations to bear on the campaign. But, this is just the beginning of a multiyear undertaking to work indepth with cities across the country. We want cities to personalize and embrace this campaign on a local level; for cities that make public commitments, that will mean developing city-specific plans and accountability measures tailored to their unique contexts. Other cities may choose to embrace a facet of the campaign, such as health or resilience, and use that as a lens to view how they’re addressing the 10-minute walk. Ultimately, we view the campaign as a large-scale effort to jumpstart and reshape the national dialogue around what parks and public spaces can do for cities, and why they’re so important.

Sonia Myrick is the Executive Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine (smyrick@nrpa.org).

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Open Streets ICT T

By Troy Houtman, CPRE

Brings Wichitans Together!

his past fall, Wichita, Kansas, experienced its inaugural open streets event: “Open Streets ICT.” Open Streets, a movement that is prevalent in cities across the United States, is a free community-building event that calls for closing a street to traffic and opening it for biking, walking, running, dancing, arts, culture-related activities and more! The “more” is the most important ingredient: people interacting and socializing. What is ICT, you may ask? Well, Wichitans are very proud of their aviation history and airport, hence our airport code, ICT, is used in many local events as a great branding tool for our city.

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OPEN STREETS

September 24, 2017, saw an estimated 18,000 individuals participate in this over-the-top event. At a time of national division and a lack of acceptance, Open Streets ICT broke through the divide to unite the community. Stronger bonds were created by the residents of Wichita; the business community had a changed perception of street closures, transportation and bicycle usage; and those that have a vision for Wichita got a glimpse of what our city could be. This event also reenergized the desire to exercise more and use alternative transportation, which resulted in an economic impact for downtown and brought history lessons to life, along with a new appreciation and exploration of downtown Wichita.

The Inspiration The idea of hosting an Open Streets event in Wichita was inspired by the keynote speaker of the 2015 NRPA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Gil Penalosa, executive director of 8-80 Cities. This

quote from Penalosa helps explain the motivation and the heart in the event: “People traffic replaces car traffic, and streets become ‘paved parks’ where people of all ages, abilities and social economic, ethnic backgrounds can come out and improve their mental, physical and emotional health.” Additional inspiration and support came from trips to Open Streets conferences in Atlanta and Portland, where we participated in their events and pondered the possibilities for Wichita.

Coming Together After the inspiration came a call to action. It took a bit of doing to convince the police that using the streets for bicycles and people is a good thing. But, eventually, the Wichita Police Department, along with Wichita Park & Recreation, Wichita Festivals, ICT Health, Visual Fusion, Bike Walk Wichita and others, a coalition of community partners formed an energized and determined commit-

tee. That committee spearheaded efforts to promote and educate the community about the event and raise awareness of the benefits of Open Streets. It was also responsible for recruiting volunteers and for operations during the day of the event.

Sponsorships were established, and a grant from the Wichita Community Foundation, which funneled funding from the Knight Foundation, was the spark to begin planning efforts. Humana Health provided the much-needed cash to help with execution, and other sponsors, such as KAKE-TV, KMUW radio, Dr. Justin Moore and Wichita Screen Printing, also joined in with promotional support and funding.

Selling the idea of an event that nobody had tried before in Wichita was a challenge. The city has a very car-centric culture and the thought of using a street for people and not cars was counterintuitive. For two years, the committee and sponsors worked together to put in place the needed logistics and support — an accomplishment, in and of itself, as committee members came from different backgrounds and experiences, and with differing talents and visions. Many of them had never met prior to this endeavor and had to develop relationships while tackling a huge event. Another unexpected outcome of this event was the friendships that grew out of this partnership. During the many hours of meetings to plan the event and create a stronger Wichita, this coalition of volunteers, community leaders, activists and visionaries became unified around the philosophy of Open Streets ICT, expressed in the following mission statement: Open Streets ICT is designed to elevate the quality of life and health of the Greater Wichita community. It will become a public safe space to promote the interaction of local

A mural on a business in Wichita pays tribute to the city’s aviation history.

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Streets in Wichita were closed to automobile traffic and opened for other activities, such as biking, for Open Streets ICT.

businesses and organizations with the community to help strengthen Wichita. Streets belong to everyone, they connect us to each other and the places where we live, learn, work and play across neighborhoods, cultures and economic status.

Without the support of each member and partnering organizations, the event would not have been successful.

The Day of the Event Wichita Vice Mayor Janet Miller and City Council Member Lavonta Williams shared the stage and gave an energetic kickoff that highlighted the togetherness Open Streets ICT created. The presidents from each of the local universities — Wichita State University, Newman University and Friends University — were invited to speak, and this marked the first time they all had come together for a community event and the first time they partnered with the city of Wichita’s elected officials. The coalition of community partners wanted the universities to support its goal of fostering an appreciation among community members, leaders, businesses and key decision makers for streets as multifunctional — places where the community could congregate, socialize and be free — and not just for motor vehicles.

The atmosphere along the approximately 4 miles of closed streets was relaxed and joyful. The inclusiveness and diversity was the vibe felt by many, and the 18,000 residents who attended were more interested in engaging than just being entertained. A man in a wheelchair being pushed by his wife down the double yellow line in the middle of the street shared that he had never felt so much freedom as he did that day, rolling down the middle of the street greeting and meeting people. Another family that was taking in all the historic and interesting monuments and murals said: “Most days you are traveling down Douglas Avenue at 35 miles-per-hour. Today, I have the time to learn and enjoy the art that is in

downtown.” They also spent time viewing the 15 large murals that were created for the weekend as the result of the partnership with Avenue Art Days in the Douglas Design District.

Some attendees were using a smartphone app, created for this event, to track fitness during the event and provide information about the route. The app also included information about historic downtown events and historical markers, such as the Dockum Drug Store where a civil rights sit-in occurred in 1958. Led by the Wichita NAACP youth council, that event was a moving force for equality in the city of Wichita. “This event feels different than most,” adds another family. “People want to use the streets as a gathering place. I feel this event can bring people together.”

The Debrief Following Open Streets ICT, participants were asked to complete an exit survey that collected some amazing responses.

The event made some people want to be more active, others learned more about their city, met new and connected with old friends, and some now want to pur-

chase bikes! As predicted, the event had an economic impact. The feedback from many of the stores and restaurants was that they recorded fantastic sales, and several of the stores that were closed during the event this year have stated they will be open during the next Open Streets ICT event.

Open Streets ICT allowed Wichitans to see what their community has to offer and what it could be. They came together, putting aside biases and concerns to enjoy the freedom of the streets and create a more caring and unified community. The smiles told the story and the Wichita Park & Recreation team, along with the other coalition members have begun planning the Open Streets ICT as an annual or more frequently held event.

In a small way, Wichita was changed for the better. The power of parks and recreation has an impact every day, in every community, working on social equity, health and wellness and making our work indispensable!

Troy Houtman, CPRE, is Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Wichita, Park and Recreation Department (thoutman@wichita.gov).

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Parks Build

Community: Helping to Revitalize Lafitte Greenway

The grand opening of the 15-acre Lemann Playground

By Paula M. Jacoby-Garrett

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his year’s NRPA Parks Build Community project is located along the Lafitte Greenway in New Orleans, Louisiana. Connecting the French Quarter to City Park, the greenway had been an essential travel and shipping corridor from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain for more than two centuries. Since the mid-2000s, local community members and elected officials have focused their efforts on reinvigorating the area after years of decline and the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.

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PA R K S B U I L D CO M M U N I T Y

Troubled Times Along the Greenway When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the area was decimated and the greenway was left in ruins. The local community raised concerns about the future of the greenway and advocated for its revitalization. Since the mid-2000s, the city of New Orleans and local community groups have worked to create amenities along the greenway, enhance economic development, connect communities and create much-needed public space.

“The Lafitte Greenway is an exemplary redevelopment — creating more than 3 miles of multiuse urban space and bike path infrastructure, providing access to recreational facilities and public open spaces for residents of all ages,” says Graham Hill, senior project manager for Concordia, the architectural firm assisting in planning the park. “The Greenway has become a catalyst for the development of nearby properties, with the city, private developers, and various nonprofits and neighborhood groups are all working to establish a connection to this vital public asset for the city of New Orleans.”

“New Orleans’ Lafitte Greenway is one of the most powerful public-private achievements in the city’s rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina,” says Jeffrey J. Thomas, chair of Friends of Lafitte Greenway’s Board of Directors. “The new recreational complex brings to life one more dream envisioned by the citizen master plan that gave life to the greenway. Seeing a diverse array of families gathered together at its unveiling from the more than a dozen neighborhoods that are connected by the greenway further reinforces why New Orleans’ newest park is so important and special.”

Moving Forward For Sam Mendelsohn, president and CEO of Greenfields, being a part of the Parks Build Community in an area ravished by a natural disaster was significant. “The importance of Greenfields’ mission — Promoting Wellness and Fighting Obesity One Community at a Time — has never been as clear as when we visited the areas affected by Katrina. In helping the people of New Orleans as

part of the NRPA’s Parks Build Community initiative, we hope to help bring all neighbors together to create a positive and harmonious community.”

The Lafitte Greenway connects several neighborhoods in the heart of New Orleans, with more 10,000 people living within a quarter mile of the greenway.

Private lands have been acquired to connect the full length of the greenway and a 2.6-mile asphalt trail for pedestrians and bicyclists has been created and is extensively used. Improvements in landscaping and fields for recreation have added to the appeal to the public, and lighting, coupled with ADA-compliant curbs and crosswalks, was added at each road crossing to ensure a safe environment.

Redevelopment along the greenway is in full swing with a multitude of new projects planned for the future or have been recently completed. Old warehouses are being converted into multi-use buildings including residential units. A new apartment complex will be located at the northwest end of the greenway.

The New Orleans Redevelopment Fund recently broke ground on a warehouse along the south edge of the greenway that will house its offices, as well as offices for medical professionals and food establishments. This fall, the Michel Varisco art installation, called Prayer Wheels for the Mississippi River, opened along the greenway. In January, an outdoor wine garden will open along the northwest end of the greenway, catering to those coming from the adjacent trail by bike. The garden will have bike parking and an air station to pump up bikes tires.

The Grand Opening As part of the Lafitte Greenway revitalization effort, the NRPA Parks Build Community program created a 15-acre park, called Lemann Play-

Local children test out the state-of-the-art fitness equipment at Lemann Playground.

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New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landreau (at center in white shirt) prepares to cut the ribbon to officially open Lemann Playground.

ground, along the greenway. On Sunday, September 24, to the strains of Cajun music accompanying a traditional New Orleans second line, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landreau, NORD CEO Victor Richards, NRPA President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, along with several local elected officials, NRPA conference attendees and local community members either joined in second line or gathered along the greenway for the grand opening of the Lemann Playground. “The beautiful recreation area at Lafitte Greenway is a reminder of why we are all so passionate about parks, and will be a treasured gathering place for children and families for many years to come,” says AnneMarie Spencer, corporate vice president of marketing for PlayCore.

Park amenities include outdoor basketball courts, LED high-mast field lights, athletic fields (baseball, softball, football, soccer) with bleachers, a lawn/ meadow area for events, festivals and outdoor films, accessible walkways and benches, play equipment for ages 2–12, state-of-the-art fitness equipment and bike racks. “We love that the Lafitte Greenway connects communities and gives people a place to relax, play and travel,” explains Bri Whitcraft, director of marketing for Dero.

“The Lafitte Greenway is bursting with life, thanks to the investments of NRPA and the city of New Orleans.

Today, there is something for everyone on the Lafitte Greenway — from small children to seniors, basketball players to emerging musicians. This space brings the community together, and this energy will keep spreading out along the trail.

We are grateful to NRPA and the city of New Orleans for the Parks Build Community project,” adds Sophie Harris Vorhoff, executive director of Friends of Lafitte Greenway.

This project would not have been possible without the generous support of the Parks Build Community partners

and sponsors. “We are excited to partner with NRPA once again, this time to contribute in the revitalization of Lafitte Greenway. We strongly believe in the role that parks and recreation plays in building communities. Our lighting system will allow Lafitte Greenway to continue to promote night-time recreational activities,” says Jeff Rogers, Musco’s vice president of sales.

“The Lafitte Greenway is truly a great transformation of space, and it will be fun to see the amount of people it draws to the space,” states Andrew Peterson, recreation and field sports manager for Gared. “We are play advocates, and we are always thrilled to be involved in the Parks Build Community project.

Converting a space that has little use, to something that will attract people of all ages is always an exciting project to be involved with, and the impact on the surrounding community is always positive and lasting.”

Being a Part of Something Bigger “The core of our mission is to bring Play That Moves You to all communities around the world and the Lafitte Greenway project embodies that mis-

sion,” says Brian Johnson, chief marketing officer for BCI Burke. Providing an interactive, fun space for children to develop is an opportunity for us to give back and engage in a community in need of a gathering space for people to play, socialize, exercise and get to know each other.”

As with all Parks Build Community projects, the renovations and transformation are made possible through the donation of materials, equipment, manpower and funds from our NRPA community. “Working with other manufacturers in our industry, we were able to make a tangible difference in the lives of many and create a destination park that will serve the community for years to come,” Johnson adds.

Plans are already underway for the 2018 Parks Build Community project, called Sandorf Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Look for more details in upcoming editions of Parks & Recreation magazine or contact Gina Mullins-Cohen at 703.858.2184 or gcohen@nrpa.org for more information.

Paula Jacoby-Garrett is a Freelance Writer based in Las Vegas, Nevada (paula.jacoby. garrett@gmail.com).

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NRPA Update Family Volunteer Day Participants Help Spruce Up Local Parks

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or the past 22 years, The Walt Disney Company has organized Family Volunteer Day, a global day of service that celebrates the power of families who volunteer together, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. This year, a few NRPA Meet Me at the Park healthy living grantees decided to use Family Volunteer Day to get families in their communities involved in their Meet Me at the Park projects.

NRPA and The Walt Disney Company already collaborate on the Meet Me at the Park initiative, which is their joint program aimed at improving access to outdoor play, including trails, mobile play, play spaces and sports. Twenty-five park and recreation agencies and cities nationwide are participating in the Meet Me at the Park healthy living program. And, as part of the program, all 25 participants received grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to support projects that increase access to play spaces in local parks for children and families. This investment

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supports NRPA and Disney’s combined goal of providing 1 million kids and families with greater access to play.

From 9 a.m. to around noon on Saturday, November 18, volunteers gathered at Sterchi Farm Park, a Meet Me at the Park grantee in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to help with the removal of trash, graffiti and invasive plants, as well as fence staining. These activities are part of the park’s new nature-based Sterchi Farm Adventure Trail that will provide exercise, play and adventure for everyone. Following the morning’s activities, everyone was invited to stay for

lunch and learn more about the trail and the various partners that also helped to make it possible: Chattanooga Park Stewards, Trust for Public Land, WildOnes, GreenSteps, GreenTrips and the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway Alliance.

Meanwhile, at Cacapon State Park, another Meet Me at the Park grantee in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, plans to spread mulch and put the finishing touches on a new nature-themed playground on November 18 were canceled due to inclement weather. The playground, which features a variety of inclusive play equipment with many safe options for sliding, crouching, climbing and fun, is the first of its kind in the park.

To see the scope of the Meet Me at the Park projects nationwide, visit www. nrpa.org/disney.

Family Volunteer Day participants help to stain a fence along the Sterchi Farm Adventure Trail in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

These volunteers scope out the meadow through which the Sterchi Farm Adventure Trail will run, cleaning up as they go.

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NRPA’s Jayni Rasmussen Receives Professional Women in Advocacy Award

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ayni Rasmussen, NRPA’s advocacy and outreach manager, was recently awarded the Professional Women in Advocacy Award for Excellence in Advocacy by an Up and Coming Advocate for her work on our Park Champion initiative. The Excellence in Advocacy Awards was begun five years ago to recognize women advocates who represent worthy causes and organizations.

Jayni’s interest in advocacy began during high school near Cleveland, Ohio, when her English teacher suggested she channel her passion for crusading against the perceived injustices facing suburban high schoolers into political activism. Following her teacher’s advice, she joined the youth civic engagement organization, Junior Statesmen of America, and then went on to Kent State to pursue a bachelor’s in political science. She participated in Kent State’s Columbus program, interning in the office of the Ohio Secretary of State, and it was there she would learn an important political lesson when the Ohio General Assembly decided to use

its remaining legislative calendar time that could have been used to pass a bill to protect victims of domestic violence to, instead, pass a bill establishing the bullfrog as Ohio’s state frog.

During her final semester of college, she moved to Washington, D.C., to intern at the environmental nonprofit, Ocean Conservancy — an internship that would result in Jayni being hired by the conservancy to assist with its advocacy efforts. Today, she manages the NRPA Park Champion initiative, which empowers members to advocate for the future of parks and recreation by inviting their federally elected officials to participate in events, such as ribbon-

cuttings, groundbreakings and more.

Her love for meeting new people, hearing their stories and helping them have their voices heard by elected officials serves her well in her role at NRPA. She thanks all the Park Champion advocates who have worked so hard to make the Park Champion initiative a success and invites everyone to join the award-winning Park Champion network by visiting www.nrpa.org/park-champions.

NRPA’s New Conservation Resource Guide Now Available

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uilding on the success of its Great Urban Park Campaign, which aims to improve environmental and social outcomes in underserved communities by promoting and advancing green infrastructure stormwater management projects within parks, NRPA is pleased to announce the release of A Resource Guide for Planning, Designing and Implementing Green Infrastructure in Parks.

This guide, created in partnership with the American Planning Association (APA) and Low Impact Development Center, draws on lessons learned from the Great Urban Park Campaign pilot projects and provides basic principles, inspiration and ideas that can help planners, de

signers and decision makers equitably integrate green stormwater infrastructure into parks and park systems across the country. It is designed to provide a chronological approach to developing and installing green stormwater infrastructure projects and includes a list of additional resources,

such as technical guides and webinars, and a completion checklist that walks the reader through the project process, from planning to maintenance. To complement the guide, NRPA and the APA also developed briefing papers and case studies that dive into issues related to financing, park system planning, community engagement and equity.

We hope the guide will inspire park professionals and their communities to adopt and increase green stormwater infrastructure practices into park planning and design efforts to create more equitable, vibrant and resilient communities.

Go to www.nrpa.org/greeninfrastructure to download a copy.

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NRPA Update

Choosing the Right Insurance for Your Sports Program

Hot Topics NRPA Connect is the only networking platform that provides you with direct access to professionals in your field. You can ask 60,000 of your colleagues questions about parks and recreation and for professional advice! Below are some of the hottest topics this month:

1

Activity ideas for an outside, cold, night event — Looking for an outside winter event to add to your

calendar? If so, check out this post to find program examples, like the Decembrrr Dazzle and the Snowman Parade.

2

SCUBA classes in pools — Interested in hosting, or contracting, SCUBA classes at one of your pools?

Several park and recreation professionals have already provided feedback relating to their successes and challenges. Check out this post on NRPA Connect.

3

Parks Master Plans — Looking for sample Master Plan RFPs? Your colleagues have already stepped up

to provide you with RFPs they have used in the past, save yourself some time and check out these examples today. Do you have an RFP to add? Share with fellow professionals on NRPA Connect.

4

Economic impact from running tournaments — Check out this post for resources that have been

provided by your fellow park and recreation professionals.

Visit www.nrpaconnect.org to join the conversation today!

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reparing for any sports program or activity comes with a long to-do list, and purchasing insurance can sometimes fall off the radar. However, choosing the right coverage requires careful consideration and should never be a last-minute decision. A lawsuit is most likely the greatest risk of financial loss to any operation, so being prepared is essential. Your sports leagues and associated camps and clinics should always be protected with proper insurance coverage.

What kind of insurance should I buy?

Commercial general liability insurance, often called liability coverage, protects the insured against lawsuits or claims from a third party for bodily injury and property damage arising from the insured’s premises and operations, and for personal and advertising injury. Defending your organization against and paying for a liability claim is expensive. Liability insurance not only pays for damages for which you are held legally liable, but should also cover the cost of investigation and defense of claims, even if they are groundless.

Other specific coverage to look for in the liability policy for a sports organization insurance program includes: Legal Liability to Participants — Protects the insured organization against bodily injury claims brought by persons participating in covered sports activities.

Professional Liability — Provides protection for claims arising from the rendering or failure to render instruction, demonstration, direction or advice relating to the sports activity.

Medical Payments for Participants (also called accident medical) — Pays medical and dental expenses incurred by a participant when accidental injury occurs while participating in covered sports activities. It’s usually offered on an “excess basis”; that is, responding after all other medical coverage available to the participant has been exhausted.

Inland Marine Coverage, sometimes called equipment and contents coverage,

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provides coverage for direct loss or damage to sports equipment, field maintenance equipment, concession stand equipment and portable storage sheds.

Sports organizations may also be able to purchase other optional coverages, such as hosted tournament liability coverage, and directors’ and officers’ liability coverage.

What does it mean to have an additional insured added to my policy?

An additional insured is an entity added to the liability policy thereby becoming protected by your policy — you are basically sharing the limits of the policy with that additional insured. Therefore, it is important to make sure it’s necessary to include the additional insured (usually a venue or landowner) to your policy.

This is a very common request and, unfortunately, can sometimes be a source of added costs from insurance providers who charge an extra fee for certificates of insurance, sometimes as much as $25 to $50 for each certificate requested. This is an important financial consideration for sports organizations when choosing an insurance provider.

Consider taking advantage of NRPA’s many insurance programs, ranging from blanket recreational activities/medical insurance plans, instructors and interns liability, team sports, football, equipment and not-for-profit organization liability insurance provided by K&K. Visit http://www. nrpainsurance.com for more information

Member Spotlight: Calandra Barnes

By Cort Jones

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t takes a special person to coordinate and execute everything that goes into putting on special events in parks, recreation centers and public spaces.

Calandra Barnes has been the special events coordinator for Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department in North Carolina for 11 years and in her current role for 4 years. She has been in the parks and recreation industry for more than 20 years and plays a vital role in making sure the events that take place in Mecklenburg County’s parks and public spaces — whether they are weddings, multiday events, walks/runs or a dog event — are indeed special for everyone involved.

Parks & Recreation magazine recently caught up with Barnes to learn more about her role as special events coordinator, and the challenges and benefits of putting on special events in parks.

Parks & Recreation: What is your role as special events coordinator for your department?

Calandra Barnes: I’m the recreation supervisor for the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department that specializes in coordinating special events. I handle the external special events and work with event planners who are interested in conducting special events in our parks. I assist with coordinating the event from start to finish.

Internally, I plan and manage our “Bark in the Park” event, which is a festival for dogs and their owners, at Historic Rural Hill. During the event we reveal the Top Dog, provide entertainment, vendors and exhibitions, and showcase our six dog parks. I also manage the 125-yearold Historic Saint Mary’s Chapel, a wedding venue.

P&R: What is the process and what goes into coordinating an event for an external entity in one of your parks?

Barnes: Well, we receive applications from event planners for events ranging from weddings to large, multiday

events. We schedule an on-site meeting with the planner to discuss the details of their application and talk through the logistics of the event, availability of the venue, requirements of the department and the amenities of the park.

We also share resources with the event planner, such as other county and city agencies, rental companies and service providers. Then, we enter into a contractual agreement and proceed with a review and approval process. Once the contract has been approved, the event planner is welcome to conduct his or her event.

P&R: Is there an event that you’ve helped put on that has a special place in your heart, or is it hard to pick a favorite?

Barnes: I think they’re all special — each event is unique. They all have some component that sets them apart. I enjoy making a couple feel at ease when talking through the logistics of their wedding — one the most important days of their lives.

I also enjoy working with event planners to bring their event vision to light. It’s nice to be able to help with that process. Working with more than 200 events each year, it’s hard to choose one “special” event. I will say, I do love the thrill of planning, coordinating and implementing events. It’s an adrenaline rush.

P&R: What are some of the challenges of putting on special events at your parks?

Barnes: Sometimes people have grand ideas about what they want to do, but the space/park may not accommodate their needs. So, we try to do what we can to find an area or venue that would be more appropriate for their event.

Property damage is also a challenge for load-in/load-out of events.

P&R: What are some of the benefits to holding special events in your parks and facilities?

Barnes: A definite benefit is showcasing and bringing awareness to what our parks and outdoor venues have to offer. If you are searching for an urban park with a beautiful skyline, a mature park with tall trees and open spaces, a beach, a dog park or a small, quiet, intimate park, there is a special place for everyone. Holding an event in our parks not only gives you access to great views, local businesses and sports venues, but introduces you to great people who just love parks.

— Cort Jones, Associate Editor for Parks & Recreation magazine

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©Myles Mellor

Parks & Recreation Crossword

Across 1 Location of the DOD 2017 Warrior Games 5 Word used with duty or pride 8 Miss. neighbor 9 Current chair of the NRPA board Leon T. ____, Jr. 10 Sticky substance from a tree 11 Name ___ (at a conference) 12 Head sculptures 13 Connection 15 Unit of pressure 16 Golden state 17 Buy in a hurry (2 words) 20 Pastor’s title 22 National initiative showing the value of parks on the health and wellness of communities, ____ Community, 2 words 23 Computer dept.

25 “Xanadu” rock band 26 Camera brand 27 Dove sound 28 Japanese dish 29 Pours out

Down 1 Seashore 2 Deep blue 3 It’s often tree-lined, abbr.

4 Haven 5 Golfer’s transports 6 Park users 7 Subject of vital concern for the Next 100 Coalition — and all of us 12 Riversides 14 Anger 16 Louisiana’s state tree — it’s a fir 18 Cutting back a plant or tree 19 Health and Wellness, Social Equity and Conservation are NRPA’s Three _____ 21 Structures in some parks 24 Land area 26 Hawaiian greeting

Check the answers to the crossword at www.nrpa.org/crossword. As an added bonus for completing the crossword, you can enter a drawing to receive some fun NRPA swag. The winner will be randomly selected and notified December 29, 2017.

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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 2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE SPEED SESSION PROPOSALS The 2018 NRPA Annual Conference call for proposals has ended. However, if you missed the opportunity to submit your session ideas, there is another option.

Starting February 26, 2018, we will be collecting speed session proposals. These highly engaging 20-minute sessions are always a popular attraction at the conference. Speed sessions are also a great way for new speakers to get involved in conference speaking. Start preparing your NRPA Annual Conference speed sessions ideas now!

March 11-16, 2018

November 4-8, 2018

August 2018

September 25-27, 2018, Indiana Convention Center

www.nrpa.org/education

New Orleans, Louisiana Punta Gorda, Florida

13-14

Sacramento, California

www.nrpa.org/AFO

Enola, Pennsylvania

10-12

Landover, Maryland

7-9 7-9 21-23

Hulbert, Oklahoma TBD, Indiana Shelbyville, Tennessee

1-3 6-8 6-8 7-9 13-15 13-15 27-29 27-29

Louisville, Kentucky Phoenix, Arizona Shawnee, Kansas Newport News, Virginia Bismarck, North Dakota Long Beach, California TBD, Illinois St. Charles, Missouri

DEC

3-5 18-19

4-6

JAN

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Temecula, California Sterling, Virginia St. Louis Park, Minnesota Nashville, Tennessee North Miami, Florida Las Vegas, Nevada

FEB

2-3 5-6 5-6 6-7 6-7 7-8 21-22

MAR

DEC JAN

January 28February 1, 2018

CPSI PROGRAM

AFO PROGRAM

FEB

January 14-19, 2018

www.nrpa.org/CPSI

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Operations How to Build a Culture of Guest Service Excellence

By Neelay Bhatt

In a world of unlimited voices and choices, those who can bring people together and tell a good story have power. — Shonda Rhimes

This quote resonates because it is precisely what park and recreation agencies do: Bring people together. And yet, despite our efforts to build stronger communities, park and recreation agencies are facing more challenges to their existence than ever before. Listening to feedback from agencies around the country, three common refrains consistently rise to the top: low budgets to serve a great number of people; competition from other public, private and nonprofit providers; and the growing number of choices available to customers — real, digital, virtual and augmented.

As every agency leadership grapples with these challenges, they continue to ask: How can we survive, yet alone thrive, with limited resources, everincreasing competition and greater demands on users’ time?

Today, the only sustainable advantage an agency has is its people. There will always be a newer park, a swankier facility, a cooler event or a cheaper program, but there will never be a replacement for a positive and memorable customer experience.

So, how can agencies build a better customer experience? Following are some ways an agency can build a culture of guest service excellence, attract and retain talented employees, build loyal customers and, thus, ensure longterm sustainability:

1

Center Organizational Focus on Customer Service and Staff Training All agencies recognize the importance of serving and helping external

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customers (i.e., the users, community members) and almost all agencies invest some resources accordingly.

However, fewer provide the same impetus to nurturing and serving their internal customers: their staff.

I have always believed the most important person is the customer, but the most important customer is your staff.

Disney offers the perfect example: In Orlando, there is a myriad of theme parks that offer similar rides, entertainment, characters and food, yet there is only one Disney. Disney Parks consistently have the highest visitation numbers and guest satisfaction ratings, even though its average ticket price is higher than other parks.

The secret to the consistently “magi-

training and staff development processes. Starting with onboarding processes followed by ongoing training for all full-time, part-time and seasonal staff, measuring performance and iterating based on those, these agencies have realized that surviving and thriving is not about the parks, programs or place, but rather about the people.

San Diego County implemented a countywide initiative, called HEART (helpfulness, expertise, attentiveness, respect and timeliness), that’s focused on providing exceptional customer service. This is embedded throughout the organization with visible signs that every employee has bought into it, and it is reinforced throughout the facility (as seen in the picture at right).

Moment of Zen: Build a culture that trains and values your internal customer: your staff. As they say at Disney: “Your frontline is your bottom line.” cal” guest experience that differentiates Disney from the others is a culture that prides itself on training and celebrating its people. Starting with the initial onboarding process, called Traditions, Disney’s Cast Members (staff) are trained with a consistent philosophy focused on guest service excellence and values-based leadership.

How does the magic of Disney translate to park and recreation agencies?

Gold Medal agencies, such as Carmel-Clay Parks and Recreation in Indiana, Chicago Park District in Illinois and Westerville Parks and Recreation in Ohio, are examples of agencies that are looking to emulate the Disney-like culture of guest service focus by embarking on multiyear customer service

2

Use Data and Technology to Enhance the Customer Experience As much as customer service is perceived as a feel-good soft skill, sustained excellence in customer service is as much about excellent service as it is about measuring and tracking performance and constantly improving behaviors based on that.

By merging data and technology, agencies are better able to improve the customer experience and feedback, as well as improve engagement among community members who might otherwise not be heard.

The city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, another CAPRA-Accredited, Gold Medal-winning agency, has focused on data and metrics to better understand

the customer experience. The key performance indicator (KPI) that has been most tracked in all internal and external customer feedback is the net promoter score (NPS), which simply assesses customer loyalty by asking their “likelihood to recommend a program, place or facility to a friend.” There seems to be a correlation between high NPS and customer retention: NPS leaders experienced an increase of 5.3 percent in retention rates compared to the others.

Data can go beyond customer experience as a tool for addressing safety and security concerns. Best-in-class agencies in Indiana, Idaho, Michigan and Florida — such as Carmel-Clay, Idaho Falls, Kalamazoo and Miami — are among a growing list of agencies using technology to monitor and respond to customers in real time. HAPPiFEETtm (www. keephappifeet.com) is an app that allows customers to share positive feedback or

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Operations

report issues at live events or programs, a facility, arena, park or trail in real time based on their GPS location.

Because it isn’t financially sustainable to have park rangers and or other paid staff monitoring all parks and trails, mobile-based apps like HAPPiFEETtm or 311 Systems such as SeeClickFix can allow for increased eyes and ears throughout the system at no costs.

development and ongoing improvement of its park system. Knowing that not everyone can attend community meetings or simply doesn’t feel comfortable in large group settings, HAPPiFEETtm will provide a voice to many who would have otherwise not been heard,” says Michael Clark, director of parks and recreation for the city of Roanoke.

Moment of Zen: Excellent customer service is equal parts art and science. Hire for attitude and use data to shape behaviors.

In addition, apps are increasingly becoming part of the planning process to ensure maximum user engagement.

The city of Pleasant Hill, California, is the pioneer in its state, while the city of Roanoke, Virginia, which is embarking on its most ambitious master planning effort in more than 30 years, is another agency that is investing heavily in technology to improve its customers’ ability to provide feedback.

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3

Plan and Operate with an Equity Mindset The communities we serve are increasingly changing and diversifying.

Policy Link and the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity’s research indicates that a majority of the population growth in the country between 2010 to 2040 will be driven by people of color.

As communities become culturally and ethnically diverse, park and recreation agencies become critical players

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for creating common ground and promoting inclusion. However, true inclusion cannot be accomplished without a sustained and systemwide effort to do so. People like to go where they see people like themselves, and if agencies wish to maximize community participation and build trust, it is important to ensure their staff and the marketing collateral reflect the community they serve.

To create a culture that celebrates inclusion and social equity, consider doing the following: • Developing a social equity task force that isn’t just comprised of minorities.

• Providing ongoing diversity and implicit bias trainings.

• Creating safe spaces for difficult conversations.

• Holding monthly meetings to solicit feedback on programs and resource allocation from a diverse group of employees.

• Being intentional about hiring for diversity of backgrounds and of perspectives.

All these would help, over time, to create a culture like Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation that not only celebrates inclusion and social equity, but also necessitates it.

“A social equity lens ensures that agencies manage resources with the purpose of inclusion while providing for park spaces and recreation services that meet the quality-of-life needs of people at whatever place and stage they are in life,” says Mercy Santoro, deputy director for Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation and one of the project managers for leading the county’s most ambitious business and strategic planning endeavor in years.

A broader philosophical approach to planning should mandate “going where people are.” Ensuring bilingual or multilingual outreach across communications, organizing community meetings

Moment of Zen: What gets measured gets done; what gets rewarded gets repeated. in parks/spaces where people frequently visit (with translators, if needed) and even building ADA-accessible and multilingual planning websites are some ways to be truly inclusive in every planning process. Agencies such as North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation (www.eastwayrec.com), Indiana’s Indianapolis Parks and Recreation (www.planindyparks.com) and California’s Carlsbad Parks and Recreation (www.carlsbadparksplan.com) are examples of agencies that have successfully integrated these elements into their park or systems planning ventures.

4

Reward and Recognize Simon Sinek, TED Talker and International Thought Leader, talks about the key ingredients of a world-class agency by stating that these agencies recognize right and reward right. Most agencies focus on telling people what’s wrong and what NOT to do, while world-class agencies focus on what to do, and they recognize, incentivize and reward positive behavior.

At the end of the day, people chose to work in parks and recreation because they truly love serving their communities. Their greatest gift is seeing the difference they make in people’s lives and a little recognition and reward will go a long way in ensuring they stay motivated and applauded for all they do.

Research affirms that a positive customer experience increases customer loyalty and is critical to the bottom

Moment of Zen: Promoting equity, diversity and inclusion is not optional. It' s the only way forward, so plan for it. line. Nine out of 10 customers will even pay more for a better customer experience, and research by global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. demonstrates that 70 percent of all buying experiences are based on how customers believe they are treated. For customers of park and recreation agencies, the willingness to pay more doesn’t just apply to membership sales or program fees — they will give more of their time and loyalty to advocate for agencies where they experience a positive customer experience.

Michael Klitzing, chief operating officer for Carmel-Clay Parks and Rec-

reation, sums up the importance of customer service this way: “If we want people to choose to visit our parks and use our services, we must pay as much attention to customer service as we do to the design and construction of our parks and facilities. Exceptional customer service not only requires significant planning and investment, but also must be fully engrained within your agency’s culture.”

Neelay Bhatt is Vice President of PROS Consulting Inc. (neelay.bhatt@prosconsulting. com).

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Products Reliable Irrigation Control Over the years, battery-operated irrigation controllers have proven themselves as solid alternatives at sites where AC power simply isn’t a viable option. However, because these devices are installed inside valve boxes, they’re subject to dirt, flooding and extreme temperatures that can threaten their reliability. Now, Rain Bird is introducing a new, more durable battery-operated controller that can even tolerate the harshest conditions — the new ESP-9V. RAIN BIRD, 800.724.6247, WWW.RAINBIRD.COM

CO2 Leak Detection

As the use of CO2 gas increases in popularity as a natural refrigerant because of its low environmental impact and increasing HFC (Hydrofluorocarbon) regulations, Bacharach, a leading manufacturer of refrigerant and gas leak detection — from monitoring instruments and data solutions, to combustion and emissions analyzers — is offering an effective CO2 leak-detection monitor for industrial and retail refrigeration applications. This instrument is selective, taking into consideration both response times and operating temperatures in these applications.

BACHARACH, 800.736.4666, WWW.MYBACHARACH.COM

Lightweight Air Cases Pelican Products, Inc. (Pelican), the global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance cases, today set another benchmark with the launch of three new deeper cases in the re-engineered, up to 40 percent lighter, Pelican™ Air Case line. Since 1976, the classic Pelican™ Protector Case™ has been the go-to protective case solution for millions of professionals and consumers worldwide. As part of the innovative and lighter Pelican™ Air case line, the three new cases, 1557, 1607 and 1637, continue Pelican’s relentless quest to offer users more versatility, portability and durability.

PELICAN PRODUCTS, 800.473.5422, WWW.PELICAN.COM

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Custom Site Furnishings Paris Site Furnishings designs and manufactures custom site furnishings that are as unique as the spaces they occupy. It works with customers to design products that suit their particular environment, using a variety of materials, including steel, wood, concrete, composites and more. Site furnishings can be designed and built from scratch, or manufactured to clients designs, with prototypes developed to prove out concepts, materials, functionality and comfort. Paris’ custom site furnishings are ideal for park and recreation departments and wherever unique, durable site furnishings are desired. PARIS SITE FURNISHINGS, 800.387.6318, WWW.PEML.COM

Protect Landscape from Burrowing Pets

Pool Vacuum

Burrowing animals, such as rats, chipmunks, gophers, groundhogs and nutria, can dig beneath the ground and ruin landscaping, chew through cables and destroy dikes and levees. In order to prevent these animals from wreaking havoc beneath the ground, you need Xcluder GEO. Xcluder GEO uses coarse stainless steel fibers bound to a porous geotextile to form an impenetrable barrier against burrowing pests.

Xcluder GEO installs under landscaping and allows grass and small plants to grow through, thus being an invisible force against pests.

XCLUDER, 847.495.4700, WWW.GETXCLUDER.COM

The new Volt FX4Li offers aquatic facility managers and pool personnel an easy-to-use, cordless, lightweight and rechargeable vacuum to clean all types of debris, including leaves, sand and algae, from pools. Featuring a 7.50-inch vacuum head, push-button ON/OFF switch and two reusable filter bags, the Volt FX-4Li attaches to any standard telescopic pool pole and will run up to 45 minutes when fully charged. The Volt FX-4Li is now covered under a two-year limited warranty. Ideal for recreational facilities to keep near the pool for spot-cleaning pools all day long. WATER TECH, 800.298.8800, WWW.WATERTECHCORP.COM

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marketplace

es ric t P rvice rs s e e we Lo eat S stom Gr c Cu rrifi Te

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Recycled site furnishings • park signs

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

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

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Online Quote Form

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Perfect for play areas, high traffic pathways, bridges and steps. Comply with both ASTM F1952 and ASTM F1292 and have a CFH of 10’ Call or visit web site for full information/tests.

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www.grassmats-usa.com | grassmatsusa@gmail.com

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marketplace

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duraSAFETM rubber playground tiles are the safest rubber tiles in the world, enabling you to build safety from the ground up. For more than a quarter century we have pioneered the standard for safety, durability, and ease of maintenance. We exceed industry standards and offer a best-in-industry Limited Lifetime Warranty.

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Nasty, dangerous, prop-busting stumps around your dock or access channel?

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706-255-6131 Mark Johnson WWW.STUMPBOAT.COM 86 Parks & Recreation

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Landscape Structures, Inc. .................................................. 5

Bobcat Company...................................................................45

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

Bona...........................................................................................47

National Joint Powers Alliance.........................................41

Bright Ideas Shops, LLC.......................................................84 CORCL........................................................................................51 Easi-Set Buildings..................................................................84 Go Ape.......................................................................................85 Gothic Arch..............................................................................85 Grassmats USA.......................................................................85 Greenfields Outdoor Fitness ..........................................2, 3

Pilot Rock/RJ Thomas Mfg. Co...........................................27 PlayCore....................................................................................C4 WT Group, LLC........................................................................85 Scoremaster Goals ...............................................................86

advertiser index

Amish Country Gazebos.....................................................84

Shade System........................................................................... 1 SofSURFACE.............................................................................86

Hustler Turf Equipment.......................................................49

Stumpboat...............................................................................86

Hydrorider USA......................................................................83

Vortex USA...............................................................................55

Jayhawk Plastics, Inc. ...........................................................55

WoodCarver/Golden Teak..................................................86

(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions. Copyright Š2017 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $46 a year in the U.S.; $56 elsewhere. Single copy price: $7. Library rate: $58 a year in the U.S.; $68 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Park Bench

The ‘Wow’ Factor Lake County Forest Preserve at Fort Sheridan is a magical place, just a short drive north of Chicago. Encompassing its mission to provide historic preservation, year-round nature exploration and relaxation, its attractions include pebble stone beaches, a historic fort, an open expanse of prairie and a splendid forest. Even with these many attractions, the staff members at the Preserve wanted to up their game by seeking new attractions to enthrall visitors. Ten years ago, after receiving a grant that required them to create a learning environment, they set out to offer visitors immersive experiences in both cultural and natural history.

Their focus was to craft memorable interpretation representing nature and the history of the park that would draw people back to the site.

The Preserve reached out to Taylor Studios, a Midwest exhibit design and fabrication firm, to help create its big “wow.” With the need for educational exhibits as the focus, the collaborative effort between the firm and the Preserve resulted in the design, fabrication and installation of a classroom-size Red-tailed Hawk’s nest and a refurbished anti-aircraft bunker. Years later, Nan Buckardt, director of environmental education and public affairs, says of the addition: “It’s an anchor. “It sparks people’s memories. Families interact in a fun, playful way at the nest and in a contemplative way at the bunker.” Mark Hurley, environmental educator, says the exhibits are highly visited and that people recognize the place he works as “the place with the big nest and bunker.”

With the addition of these landmarks, the Preserve has clearly realized its goal. People are drawn to the park and pictures of the nest and bunker have made the rounds on social media and in newspapers. They are truly impactful to visitors and have provided the Lake County Forest Preserve with the big “WOW” it was seeking!

— Betty Brennan, Owner & President of Taylor Studios, Inc. (bbrennan@taylorstudios.com).

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RESEARCH EVIDENCE-BASED RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY & IMPACT

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PARKS & RECREATION DECEMBER 2017 ◆ EVENTS AND CELEBRATIONS ◆ IMAGINATION GUIDE – INSPIRED CREATIVITY ◆ OPEN STREETS