|
Best Practices Forum
Got an issue you need advice on? Or a best practice you want to share? Send us the details and we will publish it in the next NACPRO News.
Member News
Dr. Samose Mays Leads in Development of Minority Recreational Leadership Academy
Courtesy of Savannah CEO
Dr. Samose Mays, Bryan County's Parks and Recreation Department director, recently teamed with several other parks and recreation leaders from around the nation to form the Minority Recreational Leadership Academy. The new organization was formed to provide support to minority recreational professionals in regard to career advancement, academic empowerment, internships and mentoring within the parks and recreation industry which, typically, does not have substantial levels of minority representation.
Scholars with diverse academic backgrounds lead the organization, coordinating and organizing forums that address current industry topics, education sessions, programming, professional development, networking opportunities, and the advancement of academic subject matter. In addition, the academy’s membership includes administrators, maintenance personnel, athletic programmers, authors, and professors.
Read more:
http://savannahceo.com/news/2020/10/bryan-county-recreation-department-director-dr-samose-mays-leads-development-minority-recreational-leadership-academy/
Research and Resources
Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business
By Leon Younger, Tom O’Rourke, and Mickey Fern
The events in recent months reveal there needs to be real change in this country. The system best equipped to be the catalyst for this change is the parks and recreation profession. It is important that agencies position themselves to collaborate with organizations whose visions and mission intersect with ours. We have to understand that the solutions to some of the most complex and costly challenges exist in the spaces between disciplines, not in the disciplines themselves. We can’t do it all, but we certainly need to take our place at the table of change.
As three individuals who have worked as parks and recreation directors and now are integrally involved with the industry as consultants and teachers, we have seen all of the trends and changes occurring in the profession over the last 40 years, and the long-term negative effects that bad business decisions can have on an agency. There is important work to be done as a profession. Many will not be able to do this work if agencies are decimated by cuts, layoffs, and furloughs. Properly established business policies and procedures will be the foundation of the future.
To assist with creating an agency that can financially sustain itself into the future, here is a 20-step approach toward adopting essential business-management practices. Success will require a change in the way we think about parks and recreation services and the way we manage for the future.
Read more:
https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/nothing-changes-if-nothing-changes
NACo Virtual Federal Policy Summit
Join us for the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2020 Virtual Federal Policy Summit October 21-22, and connect with fellow county officials, members of Congress, federal agency partners and other key decision makers and thought leaders.
Featuring informative speakers and practical advice on pressing policy issues, the two-day summit is a free opportunity to learn how your county can access federal resources and navigate federal programs to support your priorities, including sessions on...
For more information:
https://www.naco.org/events/naco-virtual-federal-policy-summit
How Parks and Recreation Agencies Can Rebound & Thrive
Courtesy of GreenPlay
Edited by John Rainey
In these difficult times, we are presented with opportunities to make critical decisions that can move agencies forward. During this crisis, people have turned to their parks like never before—for fresh air, exercise, meditation, a sense of peace, and a multitude of public health services. But with the twin crises of a pandemic and a depressed economy which has profoundly affected millions of people, our parks and public land now face extraordinary pressures. With the sharp drop in all forms of tax revenue, communities have already begun targeting park systems for budget cuts.
In response to the pandemic, many park and recreation agencies have ramped up daycare for the children of first responders and healthcare workers, provided shelter for people experiencing homelessness, maintained meal programs for disadvantaged children, and offered health services at community centers. In an article in the August 2020 issue of Parks and Recreation magazine, Richard Dolesh, NRPA Editor at Large says, “The pandemic is showing how the mission of parks and recreation is evolving to include serving as a provider of social and health services in the effort to rebuild and reconnect communities.”
Read more:
https://greenplayllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bouncing-Back-Article-F.pdf
City of LA Playgrounds Reopening After Coronavirus Closures
Courtesy of laist.com
CALIFORNIA - The California Department of Public Health last week announced playgrounds could reopen throughout the state, but local jurisdictions have the final say. L.A. County playgrounds remained closed as of Monday, while Orange County playgrounds welcomed kids and families back last Thursday.
Here are the state’s guidelines for playing safe:
- Everyone 2 years and older should wear a mask.
- Stay six feet apart from people from other households.
- No eating or drinking, so face masks stay on.
- Wash your hands.
- Plan ahead and visit when you can avoid crowds.
- Stay home if you’re elderly or have an underlying medical condition.
- Share: To prevent crowding limit your visit to 30 minutes when other people are waiting to play.
Read more:
https://laist.com/latest/post/20201005/Los-Angeles-Playgrounds-Reopening-coronavirus
Community Wellness Hubs
Courtesy of GreenPlay
Edited by John Rainey
Parks and recreation agencies are ideally suited to promote healthy communities. Recently, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) initiated a new concept to do just that: Community Wellness Hubs. “With the support of the Walmart Foundation, NRPA is funding 15 local park and recreation agencies to develop and implement community wellness hub models that connect marginalized community members to comprehensive health and nutrition services.” These hubs build on Parks and Recreation’s expanding role to connect members of the community to essential programs, services, and spaces that advance health equity, improve health outcomes, and enhance quality of life.
What does a community wellness hub look like in action? A local agency may focus on food access points like farmers markets and community gardens. Or it may establish a resource center in their Community Center or Recreation Center to help community members find enrollment assistance for programs like SNAP* and WIC.* Some may offer chronic disease management, health literacy programming, or serve as a resource for mental and behavioral health services, and link to diverse health care and social service providers throughout the community. Some agencies will meet the needs of their communities by offering access to healthy foods (nutrition education), physical activities including youth sports, fitness classes, out-of-school programs, social connections, and connection to nature. NRPA will be analyzing these models and sharing best practices and toolkits so others can learn from their experiences in the coming years.
Read more:
https://greenplayllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Community-Well-Hubs-Article-F.pdf
The Cost Recovery Conundrum
Courtesy of GreenPlay
By Chris Dropinski
In the face of the current pandemic, recovering costs seems like a strategy that will be more heavily relied on for the future. However, it is only one strategy as we get our feet back on the ground. We are taking social equity very seriously as we have seen the need to serve our socially, economically, and racially diverse communities in a different framework. We must both serve those in need with little resource to pay for it, and also enhance our revenue generating programming, in the presence of social distancing and other factors. With this in mind, let’s make sure we really understand “cost recovery.”
For decades, cost recovery has been a common technique in public parks and recreation finance, however, it is also often misunderstood. The term itself has become corrupted; to some, it is interpreted as intending to promote a “pay for play” philosophy. At its very basic, cost recovery is simply a measurement of revenues divided by associated expenditures for a service, represented as a percentage. Depending on what is counted in the cost, this percentage can range from 0% to 100% and higher. In its rightful place, generating cost recovery is a technique in the much larger context of the allocation of financial and other resources that allows us to maximize services to our communities. In and of itself, it does not promote a philosophy of any kind, but provide a mechanism for measuring and setting targets. Thus, the conundrum, and good reason to flip the conversation.
Read more:
https://greenplayllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Cost-Recovery-Article-2-F1.pdf
In the News
Denver Wants to Fix a Legacy of Environmental Racism
Courtesy of the New York Times
By Veronica Penney
COLORADO - In most American cities, white residents live near parks, trees and baseball fields, while communities of color are left with concrete and the heat that comes with it. Now, in a push that could provide a road map for other cities, officials in Denver are working to rectify that historical inequity.
The effort, one of a handful around the country, has been bolstered by an environmental tax that added tens of millions of dollars to the city budget. It involves purchasing land for new parks, repairing derelict playgrounds, adding recreation centers and planting trees in areas where shade is sparse.
Correcting decades of discriminatory municipal planning is especially important as climate change heats up American cities. Adding green space, researchers have found, can help residents cope with rising heat and brings all sorts of side benefits, like filtering air pollution or boosting residents’ mental health.
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/climate/city-parks.html
Huron-Clinton Metroparks boasts big economic impact with attendance spike
Courtesy of Crain’s Detroit Business
By Kurt Nagl
MICHIGAN - Huron-Clinton Metroparks has had a good year. Across the system's 13 public parks in Southeast Michigan, attendance was the highest in recent memory with 3.03 million cars passing through the gates, up around 670,000 from last year, according to park data.
Metroparks, like others throughout the state, can point to the COVID-19 pandemic for rekindling Michigan residents' love for the outdoors.
But before all of this, Director Amy McMillan and her team worried people had fallen out of love with the parks, which are propped up by local property taxes through a millage of perpetuity. Attendance had been on the decline for a decade and there were concerns about whether the tax dollars were worth it, McMillan said.
Read more:
https://www.crainsdetroit.com/recreation/huron-clinton-metroparks-boasts-big-economic-impact-attendance-spike
Park Planning in a Pandemic
Courtesy of Parks and Recreation Business
By Clement Lau
Coronavirus. COVID-19. Social distancing. Face coverings. Contact tracing. By now, these are words that all of us are probably sick and tired of hearing and saying. Due to the pandemic, our lives have changed. We have been forced to adapt and come to terms with how much we have taken for granted—family, friends, co-workers, daily and recreational activities, and just the simple things around us. And, regrettably, some people have had to endure the loss of a loved one, a job, and/or a home over the past few months.
While it would be easy to just focus on the negatives, there have been a few positives. Teleworking takes some getting used to, but I have adjusted and found myself to be as effective and productive if not more so than when I was working from the office.
Read more:
https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/reflections-of-a-park-planner
NRPA and Niagara Cares Award $535,000 in Grants to Support Healthy and Sustainable Parks
Courtesy of NRPA
Ashburn, Va. (Oct. 5, 2020) — The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) proudly announces grants for four parks to increase access to play and physical activity, as well as support sustainable solutions through park improvements. This work is made possible through support from Niagara Cares, the philanthropic arm of Niagara Bottling, who is providing $535,000 in funding.
These projects will directly benefit four communities that are home to Niagara Bottling plants: Allentown, Pennsylvania; Mesa, Arizona; Temple, Texas; and Puyallup, Washington.
Read more:
https://www.nrpa.org/about-national-recreation-and-park-association/press-room/nrpa-and-niagara-cares-award-$535000-in-grants-to-support-healthy-and-sustainable-parks/
Training
NRPA Virtual Schedule of Education Sessions Now Available
This Oct. 27-29, thousands of people who are passionate about parks and recreation and making their communities great places to live will converge for inspirational education sessions, energetic networking activities and an inside look at the latest products for the field at the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience (NRPA Virtual). NRPA Virtual will not only bring us all together as a park and recreation community, but also will serve as a platform for networking and exchanging ideas in new and imaginative ways.
We're excited to release the schedule for this year's education sessions -- with more than 60 sessions and 12 education tracks, you're guaranteed to learn something new and leave inspired. You also will have the opportunity to earn up to 1.4 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
For more information:
https://www.nrpa.org/conference/program-schedule/conference-schedule-2020/
Why Conversations about Racial Equity Matter for Parks and Recreation
Courtesy of NRPA
On this month’s episode of Open Space Radio, we’re diving deeper into the cover story of the October issue of Parks & Recreation magazine, “Glenn Harris: An Advocate for Racial Equity and Social Justice.” In the article, NRPA’s executive editor, Vitisia Paynich, interviewed our keynote speaker for the 2020 NRPA Annual Conference: A Virtual Experience, Glenn Harris. Glenn is the president of Race Forward, a national nonprofit racial justice organization based in New York and Oakland, California, and publisher of Colorlines, a daily news site where race matters.
Race Forward works to bring a systemic analysis and innovative approach to complex race issues that help people take action toward racial justice and true equity. We’re thrilled to be joined by Glenn on the show today to talk about his extensive experience working on racial and social justice issues, and how these issues relate to parks and recreation.
For more information:
https://www.nrpa.org/blog/why-conversations-about-racial-equity-matter-for-parks-and-recreation-october-bonus-episode/
Webinar: Make it Count - Collecting and Applying Trail Count Data
Courtesy of the Federal Lands Transportation Institute Training Newsletter
Date: October 22, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm ET
Cost: Free
Organization: American Trails
Learn from industry experts, advocates, and practitioners about how to collect and apply trail count data, and how to leverage that data in order to achieve meaningful, tangible changes in your community.
For more information: https://www.americantrails.org/training/make-it-count-collecting-and-applying-trail-count-data
Webinar: Perceptions of Conflict Surrounding Future E-Bike Use on the Arizona Trail
Courtesy of the Federal Lands Transportation Institute Training Newsletter
Date: October 29, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET
Cost: Free
Organization: American Trails
This analysis aimed to better understand how survey respondents’ most frequent method of travel, exposure to e-bikes and other factors shape their opinion of this new user group and where there may be potential for user conflict.
For more information: https://www.americantrails.org/training/perceptions-of-conflict-of-e-bikes-on-the-arizona-trail
Webinar: Technology in Trail Building and Planning: Drones and LiDAR
Courtesy of American Trails
Date: November 05, 2020
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm ET
Cost: Free
Organization: American Trails
The use of emerging and evolving technologies such as drones, photogrammetry, RTK GPS, 3D modeling, and LiDAR technology to inventory and analyze existing trail conditions.
For more information: https://www.americantrails.org/training/technology-in-trail-building-and-planning-drones-and-lidar
|
