The Friday Letter | October 24, 2014

The

Romare Bearden Park 300 S. Church Street Saturday, October 25

11am-3pm FREE pumpkin carving & face painting (One pumpkin per family or group) Pumpkin Pooch Parade starting at 1:30 (Parade registration starts at 1pm) Crafts for kids & family activities.

Thank You!

Special thank you to all Park and Recreation staff and volunteers. You all did an excellent job on the 2014 NRPA Conference.

NRPA Conference Week in Review NRPA Congress 2014 Local Host Committee

Local Host Committee Co-Chair Michael Kirschman Deputy Director

Off-Site Institute Team Captain James Rainey Fiscal Analyst, Park Operations

Local Host Committee Co-Chair Lola Massad Division Director, Community & Recreation Center Services

5K Fun Run Team Captain Preston Buckman Athletic Coordinator/Supervisor

LHI Events Chair/Golf Tournament Team Captain James Alsop Division Director, Enterprise Services LHI Events Co-Chair Jeff Robinson Division Director, Park Operations Leisure Park Team Captain Tim Turton Horticulture Maintenance & Operations Supervisor

LH Accessibility Team Committee Karla Gray Therapeutic Recreation Senior Manager LH Volunteer Committee Chair, LH Hospitality & Info Booth Committee, LH Volunteer Management Chair Lori Saylor Volunteer Coordinator/Supervisor

NRPA Conference Week in Review

NRPA Conference Week in Review

NRPA Conference Week in Review

NRPA Conference Week in Review

Best of the Best Off Site Tour. Full tour of 55 P&R professionals and directors from across the county.

Picture taken at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve. Other highlights/stops included Jetton Park, Freedom Park, Romare Bearden Park, and Revolution Sports Academy.

NRPA Conference Week in Review

NRPA Conference Week in Review

NRPA Conference Week in Review

Mecklenburg County News

County Limits Tobacco Use in Parks and Government Property The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Tuesday night approved both a Board of Health Rule for Smoke-Free Government Grounds and a County Ordinance for Tobacco-Free Parks for County -owned parks.

The Board of Health Rule prohibits smoking in all County-owned buildings in Mecklenburg County, the City of Charlotte, and surrounding Mecklenburg County towns, as well as any City, County or Town vehicles, grounds, parks, greenways, or parklands. A separate County ordinance passed makes Mecklenburg County parks and buildings on Park property tobacco-free, with the exception of 18 regional parks and County-owned/run golf courses. The tobacco-free designation includes e-cigarettes, smokeless tobaccos, water pipes, etc., as well as cigarettes.

The Board of Health Rule and County Ordinance will go into effect March 18, 2015. Until then, the Health Department will work with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation, County Human Resources, the City of Charlotte, and the surrounding six townships to share specifics on the new policies, identify the number and type of necessary signs, and find resources to help current users quit.

To read the complete Board of Health Rule and County Ordinance, and find links to the NC Quitline, please check out the Tobacco Free Mecklenburg webpage: http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/HealthDepartment/CommunityHealthServices/ TobaccoUse/Pages/TobaccoFreeMeck.aspx

Learning and Development Services Launches ‘Supervising 4 Success’ MeckEDU, Mecklenburg County's online learning system, will upgrade to a new vendor beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Our new vendor, Cornerstone ONDEMAND, is an industry leader in delivering online learning, and we are excited to bring our online learning to the next level of performance.

This upgrade will bring a brief transition period. Beginning Dec. 1, MeckEDU will be unavailable.

Therefore, it is imperative that you complete any needed or mandatory training in your MeckEDU account by Wednesday, Nov. 26. Any training modules that remain in an "In Progress" or “Not Started” status will not be migrated to the new system. This means that you will need to take the entire module again in January. All “completed” modules will be saved in your training record. For instructions on how to check the status of your existing training in MeckEDU, click here.

Watch for additional information regarding how to navigate the new system and FAQs that will be placed on MeckWeb.

Mecklenburg County News Coming Soon! Open Enrollment for 2015 Benefits This year’s Open Enrollment will be Nov. 10-21. You must enroll or waive coverage in the medical, dental and vision plans and the Flexible Spending Accounts(FSA) or you will not have insurance coverage in 2015.

What’s new this year?

We are excited to add coverage of tobacco cessation prescribed medications and gastro bypass surgery. In addition, the vision plan premium will decrease. These medical plan changes are effective Jan. 1, 2015.

What’s staying the same?

Premiums for medical and dental plans will stay the same and there will be no change in the medical, dental, vision and FSA providers.

During this time, you also have the option of enrolling in voluntary benefits offered by the County through Pierce Group Benefits. These optional, supplementary plans include a Cancer Policy, Accident Policy and Medical Bridge Plan. You can enroll in any of these plans here or with a Pierce Group Enroller.

To find out more (including information about voluntary benefits), clickhere.

Please review the information online and if you still have questions, contact the Employee Services Center (704-432-6947).

Charitable Giving Campaign Starts on Monday The 2014 Mecklenburg County Charitable Giving Campaign will get underway on Monday, Oct. 27. This is our opportunity to show local charities serving local residents how much Mecklenburg County employees care for them by giving to these important community partners.

Be on the lookout for the email coming on Monday announcing how you can make a difference in the lives of those in your community.

Nature Preserves & Natural Resources Historic Latta Plantation Ghost Walk Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, 2014 (7 - 10 pm) Travel through the old Latta plantation grounds at night! You will venture past an explosive Civil War battlefield, survive a soldiers cemetery, escape a ghostly prison camp and enjoy being frightened all in the spirit of Halloween. This Haunted-Trail type of attraction is not for young children, admission is $10 per person.

McDowell Nature Center On Friday, October 25th, the McDowell Nature Center will host our annual Nature at Night festival. The event, which allows visitors to experience what happens in nature after the sun goes down, will run from 5-9pm. Participants will participate in activities such as a: Hayride through the woods Create whimsical nature-inspired crafts Glow-in-the dark face-painting Guided night hikes Learn about nocturnal animals such as bats and owls Test their nighttime senses Listen to stories around the campfire Meet live animals Roast marshmallows over the campfire and much more!

This year will also include special features such as vendor booths, nighttime insect exploration, free gift bags (limited), and door prizes! Come and enjoy and evening under the stars, listening to the sounds of nature with your friends and family! For more information or to purchase a ticket, please call 704-5885224 or visit www.parkandrec.com.

Community and Recreation Center Services Teen Carowinds Trip On Saturday October 18th, a group of teens from the Therapeutic Recreation Section traveled to Carowinds for an afternoon of fun! The weather was beautiful and the crowds were small, which made for the PERFECT day. The teens tackled as many rides as they could squeeze in and everyone took home a pumpkin! For more information contact Stacey Thomas at Stacey.Thomas@mecklenburgcountync.gov or Shannon.Maxwell@mecklenburgcountync.gov .

Community and Recreation Center Services Karate at Berwick Recreation Center Young Champions Karate program is a big hit at the Berewick Recreation Center. Children of various ages participate every Saturday and work on their self-defense skills. For more information on Young Champions and other programs, contact Berwick Recreation Center at 704432-4934.

Soccer at Berwick Recreation Center Berewick/Winget 10 and under soccer team completed a successful soccer season with an awards program. It was exciting for all, for many this was their first soccer experience. For more information on youth sports please contact Berewick Recreation Center at 704-4324934. Basketball season is just ahead, registration is going on now and we still have some coaching positions available if you would like to help mold some young people’s lives.

Community and Recreation Center Services Charlotte Ballet at Naomi Drenan, “Parent Observation” On Tuesday, families of these amazing young athletes participating in the Charlotte Ballet Outreach program had the opportunity to observe the hard work and dedication that their children put into becoming outstanding dancers. All of the participants showed great poise as they took direction from the dance instructor. Parents were impressed at how much the children had learned so far and are over excited for what’s to come. Some of these little dancers will be displaying their skills in the upcoming ballet performance, “The Nutcracker.” We would like to thank Charlotte Ballet for choosing our location to house such an amazing program and we look forward to seeing all of the children’s dance skills improve. For more information, contact NaomiDrenanRecreationCenter@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov or call 704.432.5231.

Aquatics The Charlotte Swimmasters is hosting a 25 Meter Swim Meet on Saturday October 25 from 12 - 4pm and on Sunday, October 26th from 8am - 12pm. 90 Master swimmers from around the region will take part in this unique swim meet. This is one of the only short course meter meets held in the country each year.

Deadline extended until October 31!!!

5841 Brookshire Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28216 (704) 336-8840

Recreate All Year!

Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to learn of new and exciting way sto continue recreating during the spring and summer months. Subscribe to the Park and Recreation E-Newsletter to stay up to date on activities that may be available to you.

www.parkandrec.com Please submit all news for the Friday Letter to your Division Director for review and routing.

Park Partners may contact The Friday Letter Team at Kier. Harrison @MecklenburgCountyNC.gov for publication assistance.

The Friday Letter Volume 3 • Issue 41 • October 24, 2014

Welcome New Employees James Williams, Korey Townsend Nikole Rampersad Harold Rayford, Christine Flessland Melissa Johnson Tasha Owens,

Planner Recreation Specialist Recreation Specialist Recreation Specialist Therapeutic Rec Therapeutic Rec Recreation Specialist

Capital Planning Southview Bette Rae Thomas Mallard Creek

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Senior Leadership Team Jim Garges, Director

Tom Sykes

Michael Kirschman, Deputy Director James Alsop, Enterprise Services

Welcome!!

Renea Barber, Human Resources Mario Chang, Budget Administration Lee Jones, Capital Planning Lola Massad, Community and Recreation Center Services Jeff Robinson, Park Operations Chris Matthews, Nature Preserves and Natural Resources