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Innovation in Parks and Recreation
The NRPA Innovation Awards recognize and honor the latest advancements in the field of parks and recreation. The 2021 Innovation Award winners highlighted below exemplify the inspiring work park and recreation professionals are doing in their communities.
Innovation in Health — Port St. Lucie (Florida) Parks and Recreation
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Healthy U: A Series of Conversations
Not only did the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic present
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PORT ST. LUCIE PARKS AND RECREATION physical health concerns, but also it took a toll on many people’s mental health. Knowing this, staff at the Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Department (PSLPRD) worked diligently to create a program that addresses the mental health service needs in their community. The program — Healthy U: A Series of Conversations (Healthy U) — is comprised of a series of six sessions on a variety of mental health topics, such as anxiety and depression. Launched in November 2020 and held monthly at the Port St. Lucie Community Center, these sessions are offered free to the public and are available to attend both virtually and in person.
Innovation
The mission of Healthy U is to create a dialogue and let participants know they are not alone in their journey toward improved mental health; that their experiences are real and validated; and that there are resources they can access to help them on their journey toward improved well-being.
“Having conversations on sensitive mental health topics is the most innovative aspect of our Healthy U program,” says Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Director Sherman Conrad. “Healthy U’s impact is seen in data we’ve collected between 2020 and 2021, which shows an improvement in the overall mental health of our guests.”
Community Engagement and Partnerships
During August 2020, PSLPRD conducted a public engagement survey, the results of which helped to identify what community needs should be met
Part of the mission of Healthy U is to create a dialogue and let participants know they are not alone in their journey toward improved mental health.
by the Healthy U programming. PSLPRD staff partnered with mental healthcare providers to create programming that fulfilled the needs identified by the survey. Additionally, PSLPRD partnered with a number of local groups and organizations — including the Treasure Coast Opioid Task Force, Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, Tykes & Teens, Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, Port St. Lucie Police Department, New Horizons of the Treasure Coast, The Inner Truth Project, Kane Center and Suncoast Mental Health — to provide programming presented by subject matter experts on various health-related topics.
Looking Ahead
PSLPRD is continuously expanding the Healthy U program by reaching out to new community partners in the health and wellness field to craft additional health-focused programs and discussions led by health and wellness leaders in the community. Additionally, PSLPRD staff continue to conduct outreach via social media, gateway banners, park banners, website postings and more to promote the Healthy U program.
Re-Connecting Cleveland: Pathways to Opportunity TIGER Grant Project
Re-Connecting Cleveland: Pathways to Opportunity (ReConnecting Cleveland) is a transformative project consisting of five distinct trail projects in Cleveland, Ohio, where a
Re-Connecting Cleveland: Pathways to Opportunity is a transformative project consisting of five distinct trail projects in Cleveland, Ohio.
sixth of the city’s residents had been physically cut off from employment centers, each other and amenities by railroads, freeways and industrial development, resulting in economic, social and racial segregation.
The accessibly-designed trail system now links more than 66,000 Cleveland residents to centers of employment, schools, shopping districts, and parks and recreation facilities, addressing decades of isolation, reduced property values and disparity in project-area neighborhoods while positively contributing to well-being by providing access to high-quality parks and green spaces. “The Re-Connecting Cleveland project helped to break down transportation barriers and improve access to parks and green space,” says Brian M. Zimmerman, CEO of Cleveland Metroparks. “Through strategic collaboration and support across public and private sectors, 66,000 residents are now connected to centers of employment, schools and parks, including a new link between downtown Cleveland and its lakefront.”
Community Engagement and Partnerships
In 2013, the Connecting Cleveland partnership was established to guide the work of Cleveland Metroparks and two nonprofit partners — The Trust for Public Land and LAND studio — in promoting and developing an integrated set of parks, greenways and water access points along the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie in Cleveland. This partnership was memorialized in a project development agreement in 2015, which covered development of the north and south sections of the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail, a new Wendy Park Bridge to the lakefront, and green-space enhancements.
Shortly after acquiring the Lakefront Reservation from City of Cleveland in 2013, Cleveland Metroparks began a year-long master planning process for the new lakefront parks that included iterative rounds of public and stakeholder engagement with heavy emphasis on the role of trails and connections to neighborhoods as part of the community vision for the park. This included close collaboration with Community Development Corporations to utilize its networks of committees and block clubs to garner feedback from the diverse residents of each neighborhood. Special emphasis was made to reach more than the typical public meeting regulars by working with dozens of stakeholder organizations, as well as advocacy and affinity groups. Online comment forms,
PHOTO COURTESY OF CLEVELAND METROPARKS
meetings with communities surrounding the parks and groups with special interests all provided valuable feedback about the parks and the ways people travel to them.
Innovation
In early 2016, the Connecting Cleveland partnership team applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program with the Re-Connecting Cleveland project to develop and build remaining elements of the Connecting Cleveland agreement, along with several other critical pieces of trail infrastructure. In July 2016, the application was selected and the partnership team was awarded $7.95 million. At the time, only one other park district has received a TIGER grant out of the 421 funded projects and more than 7,300 applications received since the grant program’s inception in 2009. This innovative bundling of projects also leveraged another $8.4 million in funding from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, Ohio’s Clean Ohio Trails Fund and State Capital programs, the Wendy Park Foundation, and several other philanthropic sources.
Looking Ahead
Re-Connecting Cleveland trails and greenway corridors have been constructed following all relevant design guidelines and specifications to ensure they will last long into the future. Cleveland Metroparks’ natural resources and management personnel will maintain the trails. Additionally, Cleveland Metroparks’ police department will provide regular safety patrols to ensure the well-being of all users. They will be supplemented by the nearly 300 volunteer Trails Ambassadors that assist users with questions and first aid and report any maintenance issues.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF OCALA
Innovation in Conservation — City of Ocala (Florida)
Ocala Wetland Recharge Park
The Ocala Wetland Recharge Park was established to address three main goals: recharge, reduction of nutrients and recreation. Treated wastewater and local stormwater are sent to the park — an engineered wetland — where aquatic vegetation and the microorganisms that live on the plants consume and trap pollutants that are found in both water sources.
In Ocala, most drinking water is pulled from the Upper Floridan Aquifer, which also is the source of water for one of the few first magnitude springs (large springs that discharge at least 64.6 million gallons of water per day), Silver Springs, in Marion County, where Ocala is the county seat. Silver Springs is classified as an impaired water body due to nutrient pollution, primarily from Nitrogen. Nitrogen is carried into Silver Springs from a number of sources, including by stormwater containing animal waste (both domestic and wild) and fertilizer applied to lawns and used in agriculture. The stormwater and wastewater that flow into Silver Springs also
The Ocala Wetland Recharge Park was established to address three main goals: recharge, reduction of nutrients and recreation.
Best in Innovation
Congratulations to the City of Ocala, Florida, for winning the overall 2021 Best in Innovation Award for its project, Ocala Wetland Recharge Park.
contain other contaminants, such as heavy metals and oils.
The wetland prevents toxins from making it to the aquifer by trapping them in the detritus (decomposing matter) layer of the wetland. The wetland then sends the clean water down into the aquifer. The park also features education exhibits, educational kiosks and 2.5 miles of fully accessible walking trails.
Innovation
Engineered treatment wetlands are increasing in popularity as a resource to reduce nutrient and pollution levels in wastewater and stormwater. What sets Ocala Wetland Recharge Park apart is the “recharge” component. The park wetland provides up to 3 million gallons of clean and polished water to the aquifer daily.
What’s more, the park is an inclusive educational facility, providing easy-to-understand educational signs throughout. The purpose of integrating education is to promote behavioral changes to reduce pollution and water consumption.
“This is an innovative project due to the rapid recharge of nutrient-reduced water into the Floridan Aquifer,” says Rachel Slocumb, conservation coordinator for City of Ocala. “However, what truly makes that project stand out is the educational component. Park guests are exposed to educational opportunities that focus on preserving our precious natural resources, and our hope is that this incites a desire to protect the environment.”
Community Engagement and Partnerships
Prior to and during construction of the park, more than 100 community presentations were given, reaching more than 4,000 individuals. Multiple community groups were consulted for their expertise, including the Marion Chapter of the Audubon Society and the Big Scrub Native Plant Society. City of Ocala staff also established relationships with Marion County public schools, local rotary chapters, Friends of Silver Springs and other local civic groups, all of which were influential in determining many of the public components of the park.
Ocala Wetland Recharge Park features education exhibits, educational kiosks and 2.5 miles of walking trails.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF OCALA
Looking Ahead
During the planning stages of Ocala Wetland Recharge Park, park staff ensured that all features of the park were selected as investments to the community and to the park. For example, the boardwalks — which are a mainstay feature of the park and are constructed from aluminum and fiberglass — were selected primarily for their low maintenance needs and long warranty. Additionally, integrating education into the park helps to ensure long-term success of the project by helping people understand the importance of the wetland. The signage is made of high-pressure laminate and features National Park Service-style frames that allow signs to be updated as needed.
Innovation in Park Design — City of St. Louis Park (Minnesota) Operations and Recreation
Westwood Hills Nature Center
The City of St. Louis Park has adopted a Climate Action Plan, which sets an ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040. This plan guided the decision to commit to the sustainable, net-zero energy design of City of St. Louis Park Operations and Recreation’s new Westwood Hills Nature Center. The building project was to design a new building that produces as much energy as it uses, working toward a zero-energy certification — one of the first commercial buildings in Minnesota to do so.
Innovation
To meet this goal, the interpretive center incorporates many sustainable and energy-efficient technologies and features, such as 32 geothermal wells that pipe heat from the earth to the building; large windows made of high-performance bird-safe glass to make use of natural daylight, with sensors that control lighting to properly balance daylight with artificial light; an array of rooftop solar panels; permeable pavers; rain gardens and more.
The zero-energy design of the building helps meet the community’s climate action goals, while the layout of the building improves accessibility and boasts an inclusive and welcoming environment. The space includes an inviting front patio featuring public art, designated animal and raptor-care spaces, large community gathering spaces, spacious patios sheltered by a roof overhang, interpretive exhibit space separate from the rental and programming areas, and more.
“We built this new interpretive center building as a teaching tool,” says Cindy Walsh, director of St. Louis Park Operations and Recreation. “We wanted people to come and actually be able to use the facility and see that you can use different sustainable materials and do things differently than things have been done in the past.” Education opportunities within the building include a glass viewing area in the floor that showcases the radiant floor system, large windows into the mechanical and raptor-care rooms, 13 interpretive signs showcasing sustainable and low-impact design features, and ample space for environmental education programming.
Community Engagement and Partnerships
More than 50 presentations were held to educate community members about and build support for the project, reaching more than 700 people. Through these meetings, St. Louis Park Operations and Recreation staff received feedback that community members were supportive of the new building. Additionally, staff gained valuable insights regard-
PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF ST. LOUIS PARK OPERATIONS AND RECREATION The Westwood Hill Nature Center design project was to create a building that produces as much energy as it uses.
The zero-energy design of the Westwood Hills Nature Center helps meet the community’s climate action goals, while the layout of the building boasts an inclusive and welcoming environment.
ing design features that enhanced the project’s design, including the need for a vestibule with a restroom and drinking fountain open year-round, from sunrise to sunset; easy wayfinding; and a place for residents to be in community with one another.
St. Louis Park Operations and Recreation contracted with Captivate Media, which created a marketing campaign that included distribution of information via television, social media, city publications and newspapers, surveys, email communications, and the city’s website.
The department also worked with HGA Architects on the zero-energy design, Split Rock Studios on exhibit designs, RJM Construction on construction management, St. Louis Park Friends of the Arts on bringing public art to the building, the Raptor Center on best practices for care and management of the raptor facilities, and Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission on an educational waterscape.
Looking Ahead
In the face of a changing climate, the city and design team sought to understand how future climate may impact zeroenergy performance. HGA Architects led city staff and team members through an extensive, multi-faceted resiliency exercise to prepare and plan for adverse events. Risks were forecasted and assessed, and resilient strategies implemented to ensure the building and site continue to meet energy goals and future community needs.
The building itself features durable materials, such as polished concrete floors and a geothermal system with few moving parts, minimizing the need for maintenance. The building site includes wide use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials and systems, reducing its negative impact on natural resources. Native plants were used in the landscaping to reduce maintenance needs over time. What’s more, the zeroenergy designation requires annual certification, which encourages maintaining current systems and evolving processes over time to maintain the certification.
“This is a perfect opportunity for City of St. Louis Park to really plant the seed in the youth for tomorrow to know what we can do and how we can live in harmony with the environment,” says Brian Hoffman, director of buildings and energy for City of St. Louis Park Operations and Recreation.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF ST. LOUIS PARK OPERATIONS AND RECREATION
