Parks & Recreation August 2016

AUGUST 2016 W W W. N R PA . O R G

America’s National Parks:

100 Years in the Making Page 44

Recreation and the ADA

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Pokémon and Parks

|

Interview with Dr. Scott

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contents august 2016 volume 51 | number 8 | www.parksandrecreation.org

NPS

A group of hikers navigate The Narrows in Utah’s Zion National Park, one of more than 400 parks, memorials and historic sites managed by the National Park Service (NPS). NPS celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

COVER STORY

2016 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE SECTION

44 The National Parks: America’s Best Idea?

56 The World According to Dr. Scott

During its 100-year history, the National Park Service has kept watch over hundreds of thousands of acres of protected lands — at the celebration of its centennial, reflection of its importance is illuminating Daniel L. Dustin, Ph.D., Kelly S. Bricker, Ph.D., Matthew T. Brownlee, Ph.D., and Keri A. Schwab, Ph.D.

FEATURE

50 Recreation and the Americans with Disabilities Act To better understand the significance of the ADA, it is necessary to look back at its regulatory predecessors and consider current challenges of implementation Mark Trieglaff and Larry Labiak

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Scott Sampson, renowned paleontologist, author and children’s television star, shares his prescription for connecting kids, families and communities to nature Samantha Bartram

59 Innovative Education at the

2016 NRPA Annual Conference

contents august

departments 11 Research

columns 8 Perspectives Thinking Strategically Susan Trautman, CPRP

10 Editor’s Letter

NRPA Research Has Its Finger on the ‘Pulse’ of the Nation 11 By the Numbers: Happy 100th Anniversary, National Park Service 14

15 Community Center Pokémon Go and What It Means for Parks 15 VirtuREAL Connections 17 From the Director’s Chair 19

20 People for Parks Love for Leo Dan and Barbara Kohorst

22 Member to Member Minnesota’s Historic Firemen’s Park Provides New Play Opportunities Tom Redman

60 NRPA Update

History in the Making Gina Mullins-Cohen

24 Advocacy Summertime and OST Programming Is Hot! Oliver Spurgeon III

26 Law Review Rectal Syringe Procedure Unreasonable ADA Accommodation James C. Kozlowski, J.D., Ph.D.

32 Future Leaders Who, What, When, Why? Your Official Invite to the YPN Karen Lussier, CPRP

34 Conservation Everyone in a National Park Robert García and Cesar De La Vega

A Vision for the Future: NRPA’s New Strategic Plan 60 Barry E. Weiss: His Passion Was ‘Parks Make Life Better!’ 64 Supervisors’ Management School Melds Real-World Experience with Classroom Learning 66

36 Social Equity Universal Accessibility Infuses Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Park Scott Roller

NRPA Connect Hot Topics 68 Notable News 68 Member Spotlight: Selandria Jackson 69 Member Benefit: Embracing Access and Inclusion to Succeed 70

40 Health and Wellness Serving Participants with Medical Needs Kathy Capps, CPRE, ARM-P

Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge 70 Professional Development Calendar 71

72 Operations Water Polo: A Revenue Generating Opportunity 72 Park and Rec’s Software Conundrum 74

75 Products 76 Marketplace 79 Reader Service and Advertiser Index 80 Park Bench Urban Agriculture Nick Amselle

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Corrections

Our 2016 Playground Guide contained an error in reference to the work of Dr. Dwight Curtis. Curtis was misidentified in an Editor’s Note as a master’s degree student at the University of Utah. In fact, Curtis conducted his graduate research at the University of Idaho, where he successfully earned his Ph.D. Curtis has served as as Parks and Recreation Director for the city of Moscow, Idaho, since 2003.

Also in the 2016 Playground Guide, author Lief Fitzpatrick’s piece, “Increasing Playability and Encouraging Movement,” neglected to note the role of playground equipment designer/manufacturer Cre8Play. Cre8Play Director Todd Lehman worked with the company’s representative, Cunningham Recreation, in concert with Mecklenberg County Parks and Recreation Director Jim Garges, Superintendent of Park Operations Greg Clemmer and the Carolina Panthers, on the layout and fabrication of Freedom Park’s NFL Play 60 space. More information about Cre8Play’s work at Freedom Park is available at www.cre8play.com/custom_play/ nfl-play-60-freedom-park-charlotte-nc.

Parks & Recreation magazine regrets the errors.

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Thinking Strategically

I am a planner and goal-setter by nature — it helps me get things done. So, last year, when development of NRPA’s three-year strategic plan began, I was excited to see that the focus would be on outcomes.

It’s hard to believe a year has already passed — it’s August, and here in St. Louis we are preparing for your visit to the NRPA Annual Conference in October. As the sun sets on my time at the helm of NRPA’s Board of Directors, I’m compelled to think not of endings, but of new beginnings. The 2017-2019 strategic plan represents the beginning of a new chapter in NRPA’s storied history — one that looks and feels differently than its predecessors. Building off the great successes of our past, NRPA will focus on impacting communities by providing the tools, data, grants and access needed to develop healthy, sustainable and equitable communities. Through expanded efforts in education, advocacy, research and communications, you, our members, will be poised to positively affect countless lives in the communities you serve.

A plan this ambitious doesn’t come cheaply. It will take concentrated efforts to raise the $28 million needed to implement this three-year strategic plan, but, we’re confident the laudable goals for which we’re striving will compel funders to get involved.

We know NRPA’s Three Pillars — Conservation, Health and Wellness, and Social Equity — resonate with members as clear conceptualizations of all the areas of public life touched by parks and recreation. Through research and feedback, we also know the park and recreation professionals’ most important goal is to best serve their constituents. To that end, the 2017-2019 strategic plan is about helping our members meet the needs of their patrons, whether that’s feeding hungry children, championing green, sustainable practices, or making sure every person can easily access a park or green space.

We are accountable to you, as you are to your communities. We want to work, hand in hand, with NRPA membership to connect 1 million kids to nature, increase access to physical activity for 1.5 million people and provide 3 million people with improved nutrition.

These seem like big goals, but there’s one thing of which I am certain: As an individual dedicated to making a difference in our field, I can only make a real impact one neighborhood at a time. A united NRPA membership, working in concert with NRPA leadership and aligned with our new strategic plan, however, can touch millions of lives and help craft national policies that champion the goals for which we strive.

United we stand — let’s get to work.

SUSAN K . T R AU TM AN, CPR P Chair of the Board of Directors

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Make Your Parks More

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NRPA’S MISSION: To advance parks, recreation and environmental conservation efforts that enhance the quality of life for all people.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jack Kardys

Chair of the Board of Directors Susan Trautman, CPRP

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

Great Rivers Greenway District St. Louis, Missouri

Chair-Elect Stephen Eckelberry Bartlett Park District Bartlett, Illinois

Past Chair Detrick L. Stanford, CPRP Clayton County Parks and Recreation Jonesboro, Georgia

Treasurer Neelay Bhatt

Michael Kelly Chicago Park District Chicago, Illinois

Brian Knapp NOVA Parks Fairfax, Virginia

Detrick L. Stanford, CPRP Clayton County Parks and Recreation Jonesboro, Georgia

Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center Austin, Texas

Secretary Roslyn Johnson

William “Joe” Turner

President and CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE

Houston Parks and Recreation Houston, Texas

LIFE TRUSTEES Beverly D. Chrisman Lexington, South Carolina

National Recreation and Park Association Ashburn, Virginia

Anne S. Close

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James H. Evans

Leon T. Andrews

New York, New York

National League of Cities Washington, D.C.

Rosemary Hall Evans

Rebecca Benná, CPRP Five River Metro Parks Dayton, Ohio

Neelay Bhatt PROS Consulting Indianapolis, Indiana

Kevin Coyle

Earl T. Groves Gastonia, North Carolina

Charles E. Hartsoe, Ph.D. Richmond, Virginia

Harry G. Haskell Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Jennifer Harnish

Perry J. Segura

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Greenbelt, Maryland

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EDITOR’S LET TER

History in the Making One year ago, NRPA celebrated its 50th anniversary. We recognized this milestone with specific programing and acknowledgements at our 2015 Annual Conference, a special 50th anniversary issue of Parks & Recreation magazine and through the production of a 50th anniversary video that showcased several of our park and recreation centers across the country. The story that unfolded in both the August issue of the magazine and the video was one of dedication and passion. It was also a story of making a difference.

As NRPA steps into the future with our 51st year, the National Park Service (NPS) steps into year 100. August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the “Organic Act” creating NPS, a federal bureau housed within the Department of the Interior.

The act avowed the NPS would “promote and regulate” national parks, monuments and historic sites, including those established at the time and any to be founded in the future.

One hundred years later, despite the ups and downs of political agendas and financial struggles, the NPS is still going strong and what started with Yellowstone, the first designated national park, now includes more than 400 national parks, monuments, recreation areas and historic sites. This issue of Parks & Recreation delivers a grand nod to NPS and its centennial with the article, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” by authors Daniel L. Dustin, Kelly S. Bricker, Matthew T. Brownlee and Keri A. Schwab. This piece, starting on page 44, brings to light the history of NPS and openly discusses the challenges it is facing today.

2015 marked the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and authors Mark Trieglaff and Larry Labiak review the history and significance of the Act with their piece, “Recreation and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” starting on page 50. This fascinating tale is not to be missed.

The 2016 NRPA Annual Conference is fast-approaching — turn to page 56 for a Q&A with this year’s keynote speaker, paleontologist, author and children’s television star, Scott Sampson.

I write this note on the heels of the nomination of Donald J. Trump as the official Republican candidate for president and on the first night of the Democratic National Convention, where Hillary Clinton is to be nominated as the Democratic candidate. We are living through ambitious and emotional times. We have a lot of work in front of us. This world is (still) a violent place and our country is (still) a country divided by the color of one’s skin, but hour by hour and day by day, park and recreation professional are still making a difference — a big one.

GINA MULLINS-COHEN Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Publishing Editorial Director

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PRESIDENT AND CEO Barbara Tulipane, CAE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLISHING, AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Gina Mullins-Cohen gcohen@nrpa.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Samantha Bartram sbartram@nrpa.org MANAGING EDITOR Sonia Myrick smyrick@nrpa.org EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Nick Amselle Catrina Belt cbelt@nrpa.org PUBLICATION DESIGN Creative By Design www.creativebydesign.net SENIOR SALES MANAGER EASTERN REGION AND EUROPE Dana Storm 703.858.2174 dstorm@nrpa.org SALES MANAGER WESTERN REGION AND ASIA Michelle Dellner 949.248.1057 mdellner@nrpa.org MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Mike Abbaté Keith Anderson Gerald Brown Ernest Burkeen Gwendolyn Chambers Brendan Daley Anthony-Paul Diaz Ryan Eaker Mariela Fernandez Robert García Kathleen Gibi Paul Gilbert Sandra Gonzalez Greg Harrison Tim Herd Mareya Ibrahim Edward Krafcik Todd Lehman Sam Mendelsohn Maria Nardi Gil Peñalosa Dr. Kevin Riley Matthew Rudnick Paula Sliefert Anne-Marie Spencer Stephen Springs Randy Wiger

Research NRPA Research Has Its Finger on the ‘Pulse’ of the Nation

By Kevin Roth

E

arlier this year, NRPA released a report titled, “Americans’ Broad-Based Support for Local Recreation and Park Services.” This study, commissioned

by NRPA and conducted by a team of Penn State University researchers led

by Dr. Andrew Mowen, found that the general public cherishes their local public park and recreation services.

The study’s findings underscore how the general public is passionate about parks and outdoor activities. In many ways, they may be the best, untapped advocate for the park and recreation mission. The

report noted that seven in 10 Americans use their local park areas, more than eight in 10 believe that they personally benefit from local parks, and more than nine in 10 Americans agree that their communi-

1 in 4 Amercians will alter their outdoor palns this summer because of Zika

ties benefit from local parks. That means supporters of public parks are not only park users themselves, they also include many non-users.

If the general public loves their parks, why not use them to further spread the word that park and recreation agencies offer essential quality-of-life services to communities?

This is the genesis of a new survey series that NRPA is launching.

NRPA Park Pulse (www.nrpa.org/ Park-Pulse) is a new monthly poll of Americans focused on park and recreation issues. We are collecting these insights by adding questions to omnibus surveys conducted by Wakefield Research. Each survey will collect responses from approximately 1,000 Americans that mirror the diverse demographic profile of our nation. We will publish the results each month through a press release, on NRPA’s Open Space blog (www.nrpa. org/blog), and in the pages of Parks & Recreation magazine.

Some of the questions will focus on issues of immediate concern that directly or indirectly affect parks and recreation, such as public policy, health and wellness, social equity and conservation.

Other poll questions will be more lighthearted, looking at how Americans have fun and interact with their neighbors at facilities and at events sponsored by NRPA agencies.

The first Park Pulse poll, published in May, took on a serious tone. The poll asked the public what impact the Zika virus might have on their outdoor plans this year. One in four of the 1,000 survey

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Research

respondents said that they would likely alter their outdoor plans this summer because of concerns about Zika. Specifically, 6 percent of surveyed Americans said that they “definitely will” change their summer plans, 7 percent say that they “very likely” will alter plans and 12 percent indicate they are “somewhat likely” to adjust plans this summer. At the same time, two-thirds of Americans do not anticipate a significant change in their summer outdoor activities as a result of the Zika virus. Perhaps more shocking is that 10 percent of survey respondents indicated that they are not familiar with Zika and its potential health effects.

The percentage of respondents indicating a likelihood of altering their summer plans because of Zika concerns rises among certain segments of

the population. For example, 40 percent of Millennials were altering their outdoor plans versus just 16 percent of Baby Boomers. Similarly, 76 percent of Boomers do not plan to change their summer plans this year compared to just 46 percent of Millennials. People with children also are more likely to alter summer plans than those without (36 percent versus 21 percent).

In June, we turned our attention to the warm weather and the beginning of summer. The poll focused on Americans’ favorite outdoor activities. Almost every activity cited happens at local parks. Specifically, the top five favorite outdoor activities are:Having a picnic/barbeque (55 percent of survey respondents) 1. Going for a walk/hike (49 percent) 2. Going to the beach (40 percent)

Most Popular Community-Based, Summertime Events in America A recent survey conducted by the National Recreation and Park Association asked 1,017 Americans ages 18+ to weigh in on the types of community-based events they plan to attend this summer.

Many of the events listed are offered by local park and recreation departments nationwide.

56%

46%

34%

4th of July

Farmers Markets

Outdoor Concerts and Movies

or Other Holiday Celebration

Carnival/Fair

Food Festival

Arts/Crafts Fair

33%

31%

25%

Cultural Festival

Running/Bike Race

16%

8%

www.nrpa.org ©2016 National Recreation and Park Association Based upon a survey conducted for the National Recreation and Park Association by Wakefield Research among 1,017 nationally representative Americans, ages 18+, between June 16th and June 23rd, 2016, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population ages 18+. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

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3. Exploring nature (36 percent) 4. Attending festivals (30 percent) Favorite activities differ by generation.

For example, the summer outdoor plans of Millennials are more likely than Baby Boomers to include going to the pool, going camping, working out (e.g., running) and playing sports. On the other hand, Boomers are more likely to make outdoor summer plans that include having a picnic/barbeque, going for a walk/ hike and exploring nature.

Similarly, adults living with children are more likely than those without children to plan trips to the pool, schedule camping outings, get in some boating/ other water activities and participate in sports. At the same time, households without children are more likely than those with children to be looking for-

ward to picnics/barbeques, going for walks/hikes and exploring nature.

We followed up on this theme in July, inquiring about summertime events that Americans were likely to enjoy this year.

We timed this poll question to coincide with the Independence Day holiday.

Six in seven Americans have attended and/or will attend outdoor events in their community this summer, with many of these activities operated or sponsored by local park and recreation agencies.

The most widely cited outdoor activities Americans look forward to attending this summer are holiday celebrations, such as festivities surrounding the Fourth of July holiday (56 percent). Beyond holiday celebrations, survey respondents indicate that they have attended or will attend farmers markets (46 percent), outdoor movies/concerts (34 percent), carnivals/ fairs (33 percent), food festivals (31 percent) and arts/crafts fairs (25 percent) during the warm-weather season.

Boomers are most likely to attend a farmers market this summer (54 percent). The percentages of Millennials and Gen Xers planning on the same are 38 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

On the other hand, adults between the ages of 18 and 35 indicated a greater likelihood than those between the ages of 51 and 70 to attend outdoor movies/ concerts, carnivals/fairs, food festivals and cultural festivals this summer. Similarly, households with children are more likely than those that are childless to partake in a holiday celebration, catch an outdoor movie or concert, attend a carnival or fair, or discover a new culinary delight at a food fair. Women are more likely to attend farmers markets or arts/ crafts fairs than are men.

August’s poll looks at whether watching athletic competition, whether it be this month’s Summer Olympics or cheering on a favorite local sports team, motivates an individual to be more phys

ically active. The answer is a resounding “yes.” Three in five Americans say they are inspired to be more active after watching sporting events. Twenty percent of survey respondents say watching athletic competitions “highly” motivates them with another 41 percent indicating that they are “somewhat” motivated. The younger the person, the more likely they are inspired to be more physically active. Seventy-eight percent of Millennials and 60 percent of Gen Xers say they are motivated to be more physically active after watching sporting events, compared to a still-robust 51 percent of Baby Boomers. The percentage indicating the same is also higher for those with children (69 percent) versus those without (57 percent).

In all, NRPA Park Pulse gives an opportunity to reach out to the media, key stakeholders and the general public to talk about the power of park and recreation in our communities. In the case of the Zika results, NRPA was able to communicate to the media and general public about the steps park and recreation agencies are taking to educate the community about Zika and mitigate against its harmful effects. The poll results on favorite outdoor activities and summertime events provided an opportunity for NRPA to remind the public how they interact with their local park and recreation agencies in the context of Park and Recreation Month.

I encourage you to use the NRPA Park Pulse results at your agency, too. The poll results provide a chance to reach out to local media, policymakers and constituents to talk about the tremendous impact your agency has on the community. I also encourage you to share your ideas for future NRPA Park Pulse questions. If you have a suggestion for a future question, drop me a line at kroth@nrpa.org.

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

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By the Numbers

Happy 100th Anniversary, National Park Service On August 25, 1916, the National Park Service Organic Act was passed by Congress and approved by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the National Park Service. This Act was born out of a need to better manage and protect the 14 national parks and 21 national monuments that existed prior to the creation of the National Park Service. Thanks to the efforts of the explorers, artists and countless others who through the years have advocated for the protection of some of the most stunningly beautiful natural areas of our country, the National Park System now includes 412 official units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Following are some interesting facts about this agency, celebrating its 100th year, and some if the amazing features it oversees:

13.2 mil. acres Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska, the largest park site.

1872

Year in which Yellowstone National Park was established by Congress as nation’s first national park.

20,310 feet (6,190 m)

0.02 acres

Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the smallest park site.

4,600 miles

Denali (aka Mount McKinley) the highest mountain peak in North America is located in Denali National Park and Preserve.

North Country Trail, the longest point-to-point trail entirely within the National Park System.

307,247,252

$16.9 billion

The number of visitors to the national parks in 2015

The amount of money spent by visitors to the national parks in 2015

378.1 feet

The height of the world’s tallest living tree, named Hyperion, which can be found in Redwood National Forest.

Note: Redwood is also home to Helios (376.3 feet) and Icarus (371.2 feet), respectively the second and third tallest living trees in world.

$3.65 billion the FY 2015 National Park Service budget

295,000

Number of jobs supported by NPS visitor spending in 2015

Sources: www.nps.gov/aboutus/faqs.htm, www.sfgate.com/news/article/Eureka-New-tallest-living-thing-discovered-THE-2552865. php, www.npca.org/articles/1085-trivia-challenge-the-longest-trail-in-the-national-park-system 14 Parks & Recreation

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Community Center Pokémon Go and What It Means for Parks

By Nicolas Amselle

S

uddenly, tens of thousands of people can be found wandering around parks and public spaces, cellphones at arm’s length, looking intently at their screens.

Along with millions of people across the world, they are playing Pokémon Go, the latest form in the evolutionary chain of “augmented reality games.”

Augmented reality games came about in the 1990s, with the basic premise of disseminating links to real-world websites, real-world phone lines and real-world email addresses that were necessary to the play the game. A phone number or web link found in the game may lead the player to a pre-recorded message with clues or directions to follow the quest and complete the game.

San Francisco-based software developer Niantic took this technology a step further in 2012 with the creation of “Ingress,” an app-based game that required players to visit real-world locations in order to advance in the game for their “teams.” Ingress paved the way for Pokémon Go, Niantic’s latest and most advanced augmented reality game — and likely representative of the next evolution of augmented reality games — to date. Pokémon Go forces players to walk, outside the home, in parks and public spaces. Walking allows the player to capture “Pokémon,” monster-like creatures with various powers and attributes. Players must also hatch eggs, which only begin to open after walking a certain distance.

Players are encouraged to travel to areas with high volumes of “Pokéstops.”

These Pokéstops are focal points for obtaining the items necessary in the quest to catch as many Pokémon as possible. Pokéstops are real-world loca

tions that have real-world significance, such as statues, memorials, plaques, signs, historic sites or natural features — anything in the real world that you would take a picture of on a trip to that location is a Pokéstop.

This isn’t the first time video game developers have attempted to get their fans physically active. Nintendo — which co-developed Pokémon Go with Niantic and The Pokémon Company — made a pedometer that came with one of its prior games that allowed players to train Pokémon by walking. Systems within the game were developed that required users to physically travel to a location with other people in order to trade Pokémon.

Augmented reality games like Pokémon Go track a player’s progress through his or her real-world interactions. Certain features of the game, like hatching eggs, will only advance when the player is walking, but not when she is driving. Such design elements should encourage gamers to get up, go outside and start walking.

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Community Center

From left to right, Ally Amselle, author NIck Amselle, Yoseph Sarwar and Caleb Huck hunt Pokémon in a local park.

They made it so that walking with your Nintendo DS — the developer’s handheld, dual-screened game console — could net users in-game items. But, these early systems were easy to trick. Walking indoors or shaking the device was counted by the console as steps.

Pokémon Go doesn’t count steps. It counts distance. This means players must leave the house to make substantial progress in the game. Additionally, the way in-game locations are laid out, it not only becomes necessary to leave the house, but also to actually go places. Now, instead of sitting at home, shaking a small device to win the game, players must take the time to walk across the neighborhood. Pokémon Go is even designed so the game doesn’t count driving as walking. It knows if you are in the car and certain essential aspects of the game — like hatching eggs — are only possible when the player is walking.

What does this mean for parks? Sure, Pokémon Go will get kids outside, but 16 Parks & Recreation

how is that special? Simply put, parks are one of the most advantageous places to be. Game developers gave parks special status in the game, because they attract higher numbers of Pokémon as well as better quality and rarer types of Pokémon. Parks also tend to have structures like plaques, gazebos and statues that draw players in, but the No. 1 thing that makes playing Pokémon Go in parks so effective is that it is fun. Using the pedometer was boring, because you couldn’t see your progress. But now, the progress appears right in front of you.

And not only is Pokémon Go fun, but everybody plays it. People of all ages enjoy the game, from my 7-year-old little sister to adults. And no matter who plays, everyone has to walk to reap the benefits. With thousands of people looking to spend time outside walking in locations that have better and more plentiful Pokémon, there is no place better to be than the local park. Writer Mark Wilson of fastcodedesign.com remarks that Pokémon Go is even help-

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ing people to better experience local history and learn about area landmarks by attracting people to places that they would not usually visit.

The current debate regarding the best way to get kids into parks often focuses on the idea that you cannot get kids active and outdoors without first removing technology. There is only one problem with this idea — most kids really like technology. When they know that something they like is being taken away, the normal conclusion is that the reason for it being taken away is because it is bad. If the kids decide that they might lose their tech by going outdoors, then the solution to get kids excited about being outdoors seems obvious, and Nintendo knows it. Pokémon Go is the perfect example of how technology and parks can coexist. By making parks a better area to play the game, kids will be encouraged to go visit parks and spend time outdoors. And this is not just sitting outside “playing,” a video game — it’s active time spent walking around, chasing down Pokémon and having fun. Rather than pulling kids away from technology, Pokémon Go uses technology to entice them into parks.

In a manner similar to reverse psychology, kids will want to go to parks because they have almost been tricked into going. They go to the park because they really want something in a video game, not because they are being forced to go.

And, they really do want to play that video game. Now, because of Pokémon Go and likely other augmented reality games that will soon follow its success, the adventure and allure of exploring a local park will be stronger than ever.

Exploring parks and discovering nature will be great fun and it’s all augmented with ones and zeroes.

Nicolas Amselle is 15 years old and a sophomore at Rock Ridge High School in Loudoun County, Virginia (amsellenick@gmail.com).

VirtuREAL Connections

By Aaron Perri

P

okémon Go. At press time, it had been just over one week since I first heard that term. Immediately thereafter I began noticing swarms of people wandering about town being led by their phones, as if they are dog owners being pulled forward by an eager puppy on a leash. The trend is easy to spot in any park, civic center or downtown street, but even more impressive are the numbers with daily users almost instantly exceeding that of Facebook or Twitter. Early reporting on the fad contemplates health benefits, public safety concerns, business opportunities and various social blunders. I was fascinated and simply had to know what the buzz was all about. I downloaded the app, signed up and went to South Bend’s Howard Park after work where I observed the following: • I met several teenagers who were visiting South Bend’s river walk for the very first time. Many of them grew up in town, but stated they never had a reason to visit downtown.

• I met a woman who was currently battling cancer. While her kids were out chasing Drowzees, she sat on the bench to enjoy the park. Somehow she struck up a conversation with a young man on a nearby bench who happened to be a nurse at the hospital she visits.

While I don’t know the extent of their conversation, it was uplifting to see this random, intergenerational conversation.

• I encountered a single mother who said this is the first time in several years that she’s been able to go out and enjoy a walk with her teenage daughter.

• I met a guy in his late 20s who said he walked nearly 12 kilometers the previous day (the game tracks in kilometers). He thought perhaps a kilometer was longer than a mile, so he was a bit disappointed when we discovered that equaled about 7.5 miles, as opposed to the 20 miles he thought he

had walked. Nonetheless, he was still enthusiastic to share that he probably hadn’t walked more than a mile since high school, 10 years earlier.

• I met dozens of people who were excited to engage with me and teach me the game. Some of them were experts and others were still learning themselves. While most were teenagers and young adults, some were very young and some were older than me. Some of them were in groups and some were solo. Some were introverts and some were extroverts. The game did not seem to discriminate by skin color whatsoever. The diversity was impressive, and the comradery even more so.

What struck me most was the way these adolescents were willing to interact with

[Pokémon Go] did not seem to discriminate by diversity was impressive, and the comradery even more so.

USFWS/Courtney Celley

skin color whatsoever. The

The Bloomington Visitor Center at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge welcomes Pokémon Go players with fun, informative signage.

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Roger Lew

Community Center

Pokémon Go players in an Anchorage, Alaska, park congregate and share stories.

me. This experience clashed immensely with one I had about a year prior. Shortly after a new “life-sized” chess board was installed downtown, I began to notice groups of young people gathering in the area. One day after work, I approached a group of adolescents who seemed to be having a good time. I was excited to see the new activity and greeted them with, “Hey guys, what’s going on?” My greeting was not well received. Admittedly, the group of African-American teens probably was not approached too often by a white guy in business attire. What seemed routine to me may have seemed awkward or threatening to them. Needless to say, the interaction didn’t last long and I continued my walk home.

That memory has stuck with me, but I encountered a vastly different postwork situation while out searching for Pokémon along the riverfront. I can’t help but wonder: What role can technology play in bringing people together, not only virtually but also physically? What role does it have in civic engagement? In public health? Social equity?

The risk here is something I’ve considered repeatedly during the past several 18 Parks & Recreation

What role can technology play in bringing people together, not only virtually, but also physically? years. In 2009, shortly after I dove into the online social sphere, I took a trip to China as a part of my MBA studies. I decided to try, for the first time, keeping an online blog. “Aaron’s Great Wall: Tumbling through China” was an experiment for me. I wanted to see if I could be fully immersed in learning about this foreign land while also being fully engaged online by hyper-blogging my experiences.

The question I asked then is one I’m still asking today, “Does giving in to the crave to stay ‘in the loop’ via all this technology come at the expense of neglecting what is actually happening around us?”

Technology to date — whether it be a photograph, video, social media website, virtual reality experience or otherwise — has primarily served as a way to represent reality, but it’s always lacked some

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degree of authenticity. In some instances, technology has even served to compete with reality. Here is where Pokémon Go gets interesting. Users both interact with the real world around them, while also engaging with computerized animations. Some may say this is just a fad.

Pokémon Go may indeed be such, but I think we’re experiencing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to recognizing how augmented reality can transform our communities. My brief involvement with the game has already revealed a few ways in which it can bring people together, encourage an active lifestyle and highlight new experiences.

In the past few decades, we’ve seen an unhealthy shift in the balance between reality and technology. But, my Pokémon Go experience has me convinced that we may be approaching equilibrium once again. I look forward to exploring how this technology will further shape the policy, programming and design of our communities and impact the ways we relate to one another.

Aaron Perri is the Executive Director of the South Bend, Indiana, Parks and Recreation Department (aperri@southbendin.gov).

From the Director’s Chair

A

s the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference approaches, park and recreation professionals across the country are making the case to their supervisors, city councils and mayors as to why this event is worth attending. And to bolster such efforts, there’s nothing quite like guidance from colleagues who have been around the block a time or two. This month, we caught up with Jim R. Garges, CPRP, director of Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation in North Carolina; and Joe Turner, director of the Houston, Texas Parks and Recreation Department, to ask the following question: Why should today’s park and recreation professional — whether seasoned or just entering the field — advocate for attending the NRPA Annual Conference and how would you help them make the case to their supervisor? Not only do both men have decades of experience in the park and recreation industry, both have attended multiple Conferences and, in 2014 and 2013, respectively, their agencies hosted NRPA Conferences. Following is their sage advice:

Jim R. Garges, CPRP Do you want to be the best professional you can be? Do you want to learn from the best in our field? Do you want to share your knowledge with others? Well, if you find a way to attend every NRPA Conference you can!

After 41 years in parks and recreation, I can’t think of a better opportunity to help prepare you for success in your career than attending the NRPA Annual Conference. Don’t just go to a session about something you already know — branch out and learn a new skill. Step up as you mingle between sessions and introduce yourself to someone new. Stay a

few minutes after a session and talk with the speaker.

If you can take one of the facility tours, do it. I’ve never taken a tour at Conference that didn’t result in my “shamelessly borrowing” a great idea.

The Local Host Committee always does an outstanding job showing their projects and unique programs. Having been to St. Louis in the past, I know this year will be no exception.

We always encourage our staff to propose sessions for Conference. If any of their sessions are chosen, we allow them to attend. Not everyone is presenting this year, but we have eight people attending.

The Program Committee has a difficult task, but the result is always an exciting mix of sessions.

Get to the Opening Session and get fired up about the difference we make.

Cheer on the Gold Medal winners and agencies that achieved accreditation and strive to accomplish both at your agency.

Oh, one more thing: HAVE FUN! Joe Turner The park and recreation field is rapidly evolving, and the challenge for the recreation professional is to stay ahead of these changes. The NRPA Annual Conference is an excellent tool for staff development,

providing access to a variety of resources that can transform the future of any park and recreation department. Securing local participation in this Conference provides professional staff with a unique opportunity to learn about current recreational trends, meet dedicated and motivated leaders, network and mentor with other professionals, and engage staff in a powerful movement that is changing lives and the way society perceives the impact of parks. This Conference and its educational venues provide the knowledge needed to help shape the way we do business locally. It can all start with one motivated staff and a single idea.

When we hosted the Annual Conference in Houston, this was an opportunity to allow our team members to attend.

We are a large agency and struggle with budgets like all park and recreation departments — especially travel budgets.

We seized this opportunity to get many of our team members to this Conference and Exhibit Hall. It was great motivation for our entire department. I look forward to seeing many of you in St. Louis this year.

— Samantha Bartram, Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine

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People for Parks Love for Leo

By Dan and Barbara Kohorst

O

ur son Leo loved the outdoors. In 2009, he came with us on a three-week road trip adventure out west in our camper to visit our daughter, Kim, in Vancouver. He was excited to show us the national parks that he loved.

We breezed our way across North Dakota to make our first stop at Glacier National Park in Montana. The hikes were adventures with 700 miles of trails available. We were fortunate enough to drive on “Going-to-the-Sun Road” through Glacier. It was absolutely breathtaking. Leo’s words were, “It was a view no camera can capture.”

At Mount Rainier, we hiked up to the glaciers and were so close we were able to see the beautiful blue tint. It was an unbelievable sight. The landscape was a hiker’s paradise. After spending some time at Pacific Beach Shores, we traveled to Olympic National Park and soaked in the smell of the rainforest. Along the way, we stopped at North Cascades Na-

tional Park to hike the high rocky ridges and view the waterfalls.

Leo wanted to go south and visit the national parks in California and Utah.

We promised him that before his sister left Vancouver, we would go back and take the south route so he would be able to show us more of God’s beautiful creation.

Leo Kohorst smiles during a trip to Israel.

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That trip with Leo never happened. In October 2010, Leo was violently taken from us in a senseless attack. We really miss Leo’s quiet, gentle presence. He accepted everyone for who they were and never passed judgments. Leo was known for his music, composed original songs and could play just about any instrument. God blessed us with him for 22 years, and we will live out his memory until the day we are reunited.

In August 2012, we fulfilled our promise to Leo, taking our camper out for three weeks and traveling 6,600 miles westward to visit the national parks that Leo wanted to show us. We chose rocks from our rock pile and painted them with messages of “Love for Leo.” We each picked a special national park where we left our rock in loving memory of him.

We would pause and say special prayers and poems about Leo. How marvelous it was to wake up in Crater Lake, Oregon, to a view of the deepest lake in the world — the blue color of the water was stunning. We headed to Redwood National and State Parks where we drove through a large tree. The smell of the redwoods was our favorite part. After lots of mountain driving, we ended up at Lassen Volcanic National Park in northeastern California where we took a nice hike to the hot springs.

We kept driving to Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Plumas National Forest where trees were donated through the Arbor Day Foundation in Leo’s honor.

There is truth to the saying, “In nature nothing dies.” Being in the wilderness has a way of making us feel connected to Leo. It has helped us when the waves of grief become overwhelming. Spending time in God’s beautiful creation has brought

us peace and serenity in the midst of our grief journey. We feel safe, secure and energized while spending time in nature.

At Yosemite were magnificent views of the granite rock formation El Capitan, Merced River and the falls. It was exciting to arrive at Kings Canyon National Park with the steep banks — we were actually driving in a huge canyon.

Upon entering Sequoia National Park, we saw gorgeous scenery of mountains, valleys and General Sherman, the tallest tree in the world. We drove down to Death Valley where we saw the coolest colorful rocks at the lowest elevation in the United States, with a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

We drove on to Hoover Dam and then to Zion National Park. It was a wonderful surprise to see all the limestone and sandstone with many tunnels glowing in the sun. Coming into the Grand Canyon, we saw spectacular views of red rocks and mountains. We started out to Bryce Canyon, which looks like a castle with lots of pillars. The sunset was absolutely beautiful as we were driving in Capital Reef National Park. Canyonlands National Park was tremendous with hundreds of miles of wilderness and rock all around us. We took in the awesome view of Arches National Park, surrounded by lots of sandstone.

Along the way we would open presents of Leo’s favorite things. We made Leo’s favorite foods — curry, peanut butter-mustard sandwiches, Thai soup — and drank chai tea. We sang and played his favorite songs around the campfires. It was “all about Leo.” Leo loved the outdoors and would be pleased to have a rock in his memory at several different national parks. We will return to these places with our grandchildren and share our memories of Leo as we create new ones with them. We will show them the amazing national parks we visited and exactly where we left the rocks in memory of Leo.

We have been blessed to have the opportunity to visit 29 of our magnificent national parks. We have set our goal of seeing all 59 national parks in our upcoming retirement.

Barbara and Dan Kohorst live on their family’s century-old farm and operate their business, Kozy Cab, which transports elderly and handicapped individuals in wheelchairs (dbkohorst@meltel. net).

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Member to Member Minnesota’s Historic Firemen’s Park Provides New Play Opportunities

By Tom Redman

C

haska, Minnesota’s business district was sagging and in need of some revitalization. One idea to help bring some energy back to the area was to build new commercial buildings that would complement the adjacent business district and renovate two community parks, separated by a body of water called a clayhole. Up until the 1950s, the 15-acre Firemen’s Park parcel was the site of a clay mining business that annually produced millions of Chaska clay bricks which were shipped, via the railroad and the Minnesota River, for building construction primarily in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas. After the brick industry shut down, the land was donated to the city of Chaska by Charles and Christian Klein to be used as a park.

In 2013, in the initial stage of a one-year planning process, the Chaska Park and Recreation Department engaged residents in determining what would best help build community. The involvement of the Chaska Volunteer Fire Department, the Chaska Historical Society and the Chaska Downtown Business Alliance was also central to this effort. The Chaska Park Board was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to

lead the $24 million public building process and to make a recommendation to the Chaska City Council about what should be included in the public park space. Numerous Chaska residents participated in the meetings hosted by the architectural firms, 292 Design Group and LHB, to get ideas about what individuals felt were important. A significant number of residents wanted the community project to put a high value on renovating what had always been part of the park, including the playgrounds, swimming beach, archery facilities and shelters,

Chaska’s new curling, restaurant and event center has been a big hit with the community, offering a place to gather, socialize and play. The facility was achieved through a joint effort between several town agencies and the general publc, who provided input on what they’d like to see in a new recreation facility.

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while also adding new leisure opportunities, including boardwalks, bridges, a stage for performances, a concession stand, play fountain, landscaping and volunteer firemen recognition pieces.

Chaska’s city government already had an entrepreneurial reputation, a result of being instrumental in the building of one of the first, modern community centers in the state of Minnesota in 1990 followed by the Chaska Town Course in 1997. So, what would attract thousands of visitors from all age groups to the older downtown area for 12 months out of the year?

Curling was a casual suggestion made early on in the process by park and recreation staff. As the park project goals and objectives were adopted, the thought of curling became more of a possibility, and with two restaurants showing an interest in being part of the curling movement, it received even more serious consideration.

Exceeding Expectations The new six-sheet, state-of-the-art curling facility opened in Chaska in December

2015. Some viewed it as a risky venture, but, today, the curling center has almost 1,200 members after having forecasted 180 for the first year! It has received acclaim as an example that curling can be an additional and successful park and recreation department offering. Chaska’s 24,000 residents as well as the southwest metro area have embraced the new recreational activity with the majority of curling visitors being first-time players.

Learn to curl classes, junior curling and corporate team-building curling have all been well-received, as have curling leagues held every weekday evening and Sundays. Chaska is the site of the fourth curling component in the metropolitan area with another 20 curling clubs existing mostly in northern Minnesota.

The 200-seat Crooked Pint Restaurant has glass window views of all six curling sheets as well as patio seating for 70 that opens up to the park and the Chaska Clayhole water area. A 300-seat event center for large community gatherings and special events is part of the same building and is already being recognized as the best in the southwest metro area. Both the event center and the Crooked Pint Ale House have exceeded expectations.

Firemen’s Park stands today as a shining example of how an older park can embrace its historic character while also providing new play opportunities for all ages. Assistant Park and Recreation Director, Kathy Skinner, noted: “My favorite part of the park is that all ages can visit and enjoy what the park has to offer, including swimming, picnicking, walking, fishing, archery, band concerts and our play fountain all at no cost.” Skinner added that the curling, restaurant and event center do an outstanding job of complementing the park while also serving the adjacent business district. The opportunity for the Chaska community to come together to see what it helped to build, and to socialize and celebrate

what parks and recreation can contribute in helping to build community, has been an outstanding venture for all.

Tom Redman is Director of the Chaska Parks and Recreation Department (tredman@chaskamn. com).

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ADVOCACY

Summertime and OST Programming Is Hot!

By Oliver Spurgeon III

P

ark and recreation agencies around the country are entering into the busy summer season. For some agencies, the blazing heat and endless sun of July means hiring more lifeguards to monitor cannonballs into swimming pools. For others, it means packed summer-camp buses and Friday field trips, or giant games of tag, touch football and four square. However, for most NRPA members, and almost every park and recreation agency — 90 percent, according to a recent NRPA study — summer means the start of robust out-of-school time (OST) programming.

OST programs focus on improving the well-being of children and youth — usually to improve their performance in the classroom, equip them with career-based training or improve their personal development — during the afterschool hours and summer months. Kids are more likely to go hungry during these periods because they no longer have access to meals at school, lack adult supervision because family members are working, and fall behind their classmates academically or forget material from the previous year — commonly known as summer “brain drain.” Even worse, the risk of exposure

24 Parks & Recreation

to the dangers of drugs, gangs and alcohol also increases during these periods.

The opportunities for self-improvement, summer enrichment and personal development for local youth come in many shapes and sizes. They differ from place to place and allow each community that offers OST programming to customize its offerings to meet the needs of the children. While the term “OST” may be relatively new to some NRPA members, some of the park and recreation offerings for kids when they are away from school should be relatively familiar: child care (before/afterschool and sum-

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mer camps), environmental education, tutoring, healthy meals and mentoring, to name a handful.

Because OST programs touch on each of NRPA’s Three Pillars: Health and Wellness, Conservation, and Social Equity, the NRPA Public Policy Team is deeply invested in Congress’ work to shape OST programming. Earlier this year, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA emphasizes supplemental enrichment opportunities, similar to the OST programs provided by park and recreation agencies in communities around the nation. With a focus on enrichment that promotes well-rounded children, grants funded

by ESSA will help park and recreation agencies close the summer hunger gap with millions of healthy meals, create opportunities for millions of kids to learn about nature and the great out-

doors through environmental education, and provide thousands of hours of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and literacy tutoring to stop the summer brain drain.

Sadly, partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill has created a federal spending roadblock for OST programs like those run by park and recreation agencies. However, the NRPA Public Policy Team is working closely with federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Education, to ensure the needs of park and recreation agencies are met once Congress approves funding for supplemental OST programs. Right now, the U.S. Department of Education is in the midst of writing regulations that will shape the future of OST programs at park and recreation agencies around the country.

These regulations, which are the result of expanding the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, will ensure that tutoring, personal development, environmental education and hands-on STEM learning at park and recreation agencies align with each state’s educational standards.

Research has shown during the past 20 years that kids who participate in environmental education programs develop skills that are important to critical thinking and problem solving — both of which will be necessary to prepare our youth for jobs in the 21st century. Furthermore, OST programs have been shown to improve students’ ability to keep up in the classroom once they return to school in the fall. This is especially true for low-income and disadvantaged students who are more likely to fall behind their peers or drop out of school altogether.

OST programs run by park and recreation agencies are a testament to NRPA’s Social Equity Pillar. By ensuring that all kids, no matter their race, gender, class or family income, have access to quality education, nutritious meals, mentorship,

guidance and supervision, park and recreation agencies are doing the rewarding work of levelling the playing field and preparing children for jobs of the future.

OST programs run by park and recreation agencies are a testament to NRPA’s Social Equity Pillar.

As the busy summer season at park and recreation agencies winds down and Congress continues with its truncated legislative session in Washington,

D.C., because of the upcoming election cycle, rest assured that the Public Policy Team will continue to push for passage of reliable and dependable supplemental education funding that supports your OST programs. The OST work of park and recreation agencies around the county is critical to closing the achievement gap in the classroom, ending hunger during the summer months, preparing children for bright futures, and fostering kids’ interest in nature and the great outdoors.

Your quiet, yet important, work may seem benign, but it matters to the millions of children whose lives are changed from the OST programs you operate.

Oliver Spurgeon III is NRPA’s Government Affairs Manager (ospurgeon@nrpa.org).

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L AW R E V I E W

Rectal Syringe Procedure Unreasonable ADA Accommodation

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

T

he Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a comprehensive civil rights law enacted “to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities.” 42 U.S.C. § 12101(b)(1).

Title II of the ADA provides that “no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.”

42 U.S.C. § 12132.

To bring a claim under Title II of the ADA, a plaintiff must establish that (1) he or she is a qualified individual who has a disability as defined by the statute, (2) he or she was excluded from a benefit provided by the public entity, and (3) exclusion was “by reason of ” the disability.

An individual can show he or she 26 Parks & Recreation

was excluded from a benefit provided by a public entity by showing that the entity refused to provide a reasonable accommodation. Under Title II, a requested accommodation must be a reasonable one.

Title II regulations require reasonable modifications in policies when necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability unless doing so would fundamentally alter the nature of the service (see 28 C.F.R. § 35.130(b) (7)) or would create undue financial and administrative burdens. To prove an undue burden, a public entity would be required to show the costs are exces-

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sive in relation either to the benefits of the modification or to the entity’s financial survival or health.

Camp Seizure Medication In the case of United States of America v.

Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31565 (N.D. Ill. 3/2/2016), the issue before the federal district court was whether it would be a reasonable accommodation to require employees at a summer camp to administer seizure medication (Diastat) through a rectal syringe in the event of a seizure emergency.

The Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association (NISRA) is an agency that was created through an intergovernmental agreement between 13 local park districts and municipalities for the purpose of providing communi-

ty-based park and recreation programs for people of any age with disabilities.

NISRA programs include seasonal programs as well as summer camps that run six to eight weeks long, featuring arts and crafts, music and games, singing, theater, swimming and other camp activities.

NISRA staff members routinely maintain custodial supervision over all participants attending NISRA programs. Their tasks include, among other things, toileting assistance (including the use of a urinal bottle), changing diapers for both adults and children, showering participants and changing their clothes, lifting participants with physical disabilities, monitoring glucose-sugar levels with blood testing, feeding and medicating participants through gastro-feeding tubes, administering maintenance medications (such as Ritalin and Ativan), and recognizing and responding to a wide range of medical emergencies using first aid.

A majority of NISRA summer camp employees are part-time, typically high school and college-age students in their late teens or early twenties. Oftentimes, employment with NISRA is their first job. NISRA camp counselors are not required to have experience with disabled individuals to be hired by NISRA. Moreover, most camp counselors have not worked with disabled individuals prior to working at NISRA. For more than a decade, Megan Monica had attended seasonal NISRA programs and summer camps. She was prescribed Diastat because of her epilepsy.

Diastat is the only FDA-approved medication for out-of-hospital treatment of emergency seizures. Diastat is administered rectally in a pre-filled plastic applicator. Diastat is generally prescribed for convulsive seizures that have lasted five minutes or more (i.e., a “prolonged seizure”) and for cluster seizures. Ap

proximately 30 NISRA participants listed Diastat as a current medication.

Between 2001 and 2007, NISRA allowed its staff to administer Diastat in certain situations. After its 2008 summer-camp session, however, NISRA changed its policy to no longer allow its staff to administer Diastat under any circumstance. This policy applied to all NISRA participants.

A majority of NISRA summer camp employees are part-time, typically high school and collegeage students in their late teens or early twenties.

Oftentimes, employment with NISRA is their first job.

Under NISRA’s seizure policy, NISRA participants with a history of seizures submitted a seizure plan in which their doctor described the type of seizures they experience, the medications they currently take and the protocol to follow in the case of a seizure.

If a convulsive seizure occurred, NISRA’s policy required the nearest staff member to follow basic first-aid protocol and move the other participants away from the area to preserve the person’s privacy. The staff member was trained to ease the person onto the ground, turn the person on his or her side and monitor the person’s breathing. Additionally, the staff members were directed to follow the person’s seizure plan to the best of their ability and call 911 as directed.

Nowhere in the NISRA medic/first aid training materials or basic first aid response did the training discuss giving Diastat or any other medication in response to a seizure.

NISRA Accommodations NISRA evaluated requests for accommodation on a case-by-case basis. Most NISRA participants need reasonable accommodations of some sort, but if there was a request that went beyond the scope of the reasonable accommodation that was built into the program or camp or beyond the scope of simple accommodations, NISRA’s Superintendent of Recreation reviewed the request using NISRA’s Personal Medical Care Protocol.

Under NISRA’s Personal Medical Care Protocol, the Superintendent of Recreation looked at multiple factors to determine if NISRA can safely provide the requested accommodation: (1) whether the requested accommodation requires medical judgment; (2) the manufacturer’s instructions and medical training required to perform the requested accommodation safely; and (3) the risk of harm of providing the requested accommodation if it were performed improperly.

If a request was approved under this Personal Medical Care Protocol, NISRA typically required at least two of its staff to be trained regarding the accommodation. Although NISRA no longer does a case-by-case analysis of whether it will permit its staff to administer Diastat, it does do a case-by-case analysis of the other alternative accommodations NISRA would provide to an affected participant.

After deciding that it would not allow its employees to administer Diastat, NISRA began offering families other accommodations, including asking if the parent or family could

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provide a family member or personal aide at the program, who would not be charged program fees. Since Monica’s siblings were NISRA employees, she received a 75 percent discount on program fees. In addition, NISRA offered to allow Monica’s siblings “to come off the clock and provide Diastat to Megan as a family member should the need arise.” During the course of litigation, NISRA indicated it would also allow the Epilepsy Foundation to provide volunteers to attend NISRA programs and administer Diastat when needed.

Motion to Dismiss ADA Complaint In the original complaint against NISRA, the federal government, through the Department of Justice (DOJ), petitioned the federal district court to order NISRA to “administer Diastat to Megan Monica for convulsive seizures.” In response, NISRA filed a pretrial motion to dismiss, claiming DOJ had not alleged a sufficient set of facts that would support a claim under the ADA. The fed28 Parks & Recreation

eral district court rejected NISRA’s motion to dismiss and allowed the federal government’s ADA claim to proceed to trial, United States of America v. Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, No. 12 C 7613, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52100 (N.D. Ill. 4/11/2013).

Two years later, in 2015, the federal district court conducted a trial on the ADA claim against NISRA, issuing the reported opinion described herein in 2016.

Emergency Reality As noted by the federal district court, the ADA would require DOJ to show that NISRA camp staff administering Diastat was a reasonable accommodation under the circumstances. In the opinion of the federal district court, issuing an order that “forces lay people to administer an emergency rectal medication creates several problems.” In particular, the court found the “realities of administering the medicine in a real-life emergency situation” would have to be taken

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into account in determining whether it would be reasonable to require NISRA staff to administer Diastat. In so doing, the court noted that NISRA does not employ medical personnel and “the majority of NISRA’s summer camp employees are part-time high school and college-age students.”

DOJ had argued that the administration of Diastat was a reasonable accommodation under the ADA because it was similar to other medical accommodations already provided by NISRA staff. Specifically, DOJ had cited NISRA policy to allow staff to feed a participant through a gastro-feeding tube or administer other rescue medicines, such an Epi-pen or inhaler. While acknowledging some similarities, the federal district court disagreed that devices like gastro-feeding tubes and Epipens were necessarily “similar enough to prove that the administration of Diastat must also be considered a reasonable accommodation.”

While a gastro-feeding tube may be part of a daily routine, the court noted Diastat is reserved for emergency situations “that may only happen once in every five years, if at all.” Moreover, the court found “time is not of the essence” when a NISRA staff member is learning to feed a NISRA participant through a gastro-feeding tube. On the contrary, the court noted a staff member with questions would have enough time to ask for help in assisting a NISRA participant with a gastro-feeding tube.

Further, while Epi-pens and Diastat were both required in emergency situations, the court found “a stark difference between Epi-pens and Diastat lies in administration of the drugs.” Compared to Diastat, the court noted, “the operation of an Epi-pen is a much simpler task.”

Epi-pens are administered through a needle that can pierce clothing, even thick

blue jeans...To administer Diastat, the caregiver must remove a person’s clothing between their waist and knees. Instead of a needle, Diastat is administered through a plastic applicator that must be lubricated and inserted into a person’s rectum...

If possible, the caregiver should put on gloves before administering Diastat because the caregiver may be exposed to feces or urine...In a larger person, it may be difficult to get the syringe into the rectum and, depending on the physical location of the individual, it may be difficult to position the individual to insert the syringe. Improper lubrication can cause damage to the seizing individual’s rectum. There is also a danger of the medication leaking out of the rectum. If Diastat does leak, it is difficult to tell how much of it leaked out of the bottle. Lastly, Diastat can be accidentally administered into the vaginas of female patients.

Drug Instructions Contradiction Perhaps most significantly, the federal district court found “the government’s requested accommodation seems to directly contradict the manufacturer’s instructions for Diastat, which are mandated by the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] to accompany the drug.”

As characterized by the federal district court, “these instructions contemplate a system in which the caregiver and doctor interact directly and come to agreement regarding the caregiver’s role and competence and the ‘exact conditions’ when to treat with Diastat.”

According to the court, these “exact conditions” would include “what is and is not an episode appropriate for treatment and the timing of administration in relation to the onset of an episode.”

Moreover, the court found the following explicit warning and instructions would “also contemplate the caregiver having

an intimate knowledge of an individual patient’s condition sufficient to distinguish ‘ordinary’ seizures from the seizures that would require Diastat.”

WARNINGS General Diazepam rectal gel should only be administered by caregivers who in the opinion of the prescribing physician (1) are able to distinguish the different clusters of seizures (and/or the events presumed to herald their onset) from the patient’s ordinary seizure activity, (2) have been instructed and judged to be competent to administer treatment rectally, (3) understand explicitly which seizure manifestations may or may not be treated with Diazepam rectal gel, and (4) are able to monitor the clinical response and recognize when that response is such that immediate medical evaluation is required.

involves the necessary instruction of this individual...

In the opinion of the court, under the circumstances, it was not reasonable to grant the government’s request for the court to order NIRSA camp staff to “administer Diastat to Megan Monica for convulsive seizures” because NISRA would be required to “disregard these cautionary instructions.”

Moreover, under the circumstances, part-time high school and college-age employees at NISRA summer camps might not reasonably be expected to effectively implement these instructions and function as competent “caregivers” in administering Diastat in an emergency situation.

As a result, the federal district court concluded, “the government has failed to meet its initial burden of showing that its requests are considered reasonable accommodations un-

Moreover, under the circumstances, part-time high school and college-age employees at NISRA summer camps might not reasonably be expected to effectively implement these instructions and function as competent “caregivers” in administering Diastat in an emergency situation.

The successful and safe use of Diazepam rectal gel depends in large measure on the competence and performance of the caregiver...

Because a non-health professional will be obliged to identify episodes suitable for treatment, make the decision to administer treatment upon the identification, administer the drug, monitor the patient, and assess the adequacy of the response to treatment, a major component of the prescribing process

der the ADA.” In so doing, the court also acknowledged NISRA’s efforts to provide alternative accommodations for Monica.

The evidence showed that NISRA participants have quick access to 911, and I find that NISRA has gone out of its way to give financial discounts to epileptic participants, such as Megan, and other concessions that make its refusal to administer Diastat easier to bear.

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In reaching this determination, the court noted that the “decision might be different if the government had presented statistics on how a Diastat program under similar circumstances has worked and been successful.” While acknowledging the possibility that “this data does not exist,” the federal court noted “this issue may need to be reexamined at some point in the future if and when such data becomes available.”

Fundamental Alteration Defense Assuming the government had been able to “meet its initial burden of showing that its requests are considered reasonable accommodations under the ADA,” in its defense, NISRA had argued that “the accommodation requested would fundamentally alter the nature of NISRA’s services and subject NISRA to an undue amount of liability and administrative costs.”

As described by the federal district court, the “fundamental alteration

Moreover, the court found NISRA had failed to present sufficient evidnece to show that the requested accommodation would require hiring additional medical personnel. defense” would allow a public entity “to avoid making modifications to accommodate disabled individuals if it can show that adapting existing institution-based services to a community-based setting would impose unreasonable burdens or fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services.”

In the opinion of the federal district court, NISRA had failed to prove this defense because “NISRA already offers many similar health and emergen-

cy services.” Moreover, the court found NISRA had failed to present sufficient evidence to show that the requested accommodation would require hiring additional medical personnel.

NISRA had also argued “the accommodation sought by the government would subject NISRA to an undue amount of liability and administrative cost.” The federal district court rejected this argument.

The fear of a lawsuit, however, alone is not enough to constitute an undue burden under the ADA, because if it were, the defense would swallow the rule.

NISRA’s argument concerning administrative costs fails for similar reasons.

To prove these defenses, NISRA was required to present specific evidence. NISRA chose not to do so.

That being said, the court reiterated, “NISRA was not required to prove any of its affirmative defenses [fundamental alteration and/or undue financial burden] because the government failed to meet its initial burden” of proof under the ADA to show that the requested accommodation was reasonable under the circumstances.

Conclusion Having found no evidence that NISRA violated Title II of the ADA under the circumstances of this case, the federal district court entered judgment in favor of NISRA. For more on this topic, see Kozlowski’s July 2013 Parks & Recreation magazine article, “Administration of Emergency Seizure Medication Discontinued,” (www. parksandrecreation.org/2013/July/Administration-of-Emergency-Seizure-Medication-Discontinued).

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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Invest in Your Career It’s the professional thing to do

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.

Are there multiple people in your agency who want to get certified?

We offer group certification discounts.

Get CPRP Certified Today! www.nrpa.org/CPRP

FUTURE LEADERS

Who, What, When, Why? Your Official Invite to the YPN

By Karen Lussier, CPRP

A

re you one of the younger staff members at your agency and really want to get ahead in your career? Often, newer professionals feel like they are constantly a step behind their more “seasoned” colleagues. Many different challenges may present themselves at the beginning of one’s career — fortunately, they need not be faced alone. There is a large group of young professionals offering support from all over the country, and it is called NRPA’s Young Professional Network (YPN).

Who Is the YPN? The YPN is comprised of hundreds of park and recreation students and young professionals that are 35 years old or younger. This includes people from all regions of the United States and any NRPA member meeting the age requirement can join this network.

What Does the YPN Do? The YPN is a very active network and holds monthly conference calls throughout the year to discuss different agenda items, including writing articles for Parks

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& Recreation magazine or NRPA’s Open Space blog (www.nrpa.org/blog), social media, state association liaisons, other network liaisons and roundtables. Visit a Park Day is an initiative started by the YPN a few years back, with a mission to foster future enjoyment, visitation and advocacy of our park systems. Visit a Park Day presents a unique opportunity for agencies to share the many benefits of parks and recreation within their own communities. To help celebrate the big day, agencies have hosted numerous programs, from a park grand opening to an

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outdoor fitness challenge, or simply leading an interpretive walk through a park.

The main goal is to keep the communication and appreciation for public parks flowing while generating support and excitement for the great things happening in communities across the country.

One of the biggest annual events for the YPN is the NRPA Annual Conference. On the first night of Conference, the network holds a retreat. In addition to meeting fellow YPN members right at the start of the event, new positions are appointed and the upcoming year’s goals are created. The YPN hosts a breakfast for the recipients of fellowships and scholarships. It also advocates for YPN involvement in other network meetings, suggests sessions tailored to young professionals and plans activities for young professionals

at the Conference. The YPN is highly active in the NRPA Career Center, located in the exhibit hall, where YPN members help their colleagues search for jobs, critique résumés or just chat.

Everyone is welcome to join each night for social events that are a great opportunity to meet new people, share ideas, connect and have a good time.

When Do I join?

Today, obviously! While many consider the YPN the future of NRPA and the park and recreation field, the reality is the YPN is also very much the present.

Young professionals know that being involved, networking and staying on top of trends are all important.

To learn more and sign up to join the YPN, visit www.nrpa.org/youngprofessional. There you will find information on when and how to attend the conference calls, volunteer oppor-

Young professionals know that being involved, networking and staying on top of trends are all important. tunities, resources and contact info for other young professionals. Although YPN is a large and active group, it is important that it always welcomes new, fresh people to take on leadership roles.

Each person brings a unique aspect to the group and everyone is encouraged to get involved. Join the NRPA Young Professional Network Facebook group and follow YPN on Twitter @YPN_ NRPA to stay connected.

NRPA’s Young Professional Network provides career support at Conference and throughout the year through networking, mentoring, idea exchanges and other avenues.

Why Should I Get Involved?

I have always considered networking to be the most valuable career tool. A few years ago, I was honored to receive the NRPA Young Professional Fellowship. I was able to go to Conference that year, received a wonderful mentor and learned so much about NRPA. During this time, I was encouraged by the chair of the Young Professional Network to join some of their meetings and events, which became the most beneficial part of this experience. Through this connection, l met many amazing people, learned a vast amount of information and came back with an experience that I will value for my lifetime. I was really able to relate to others in the YPN because even though people were from all parts of the country, or did a completely different job than I, they still thrived and struggled with the same things I did as a young professional. Today, as the current chair of the YPN, I encourage everyone to join the network, attend Conference and stay involved.

Whether you are able to make it to St. Louis this October or not, it is important to start forming connections with your peers in order to further your career. It is very easy to join the YPN, so don’t hesitate and join today! The future is now.

Karen Lussier, CPRP, is a Recreation Manager for the city of Fairfax Parks and Recreation in Virginia (karen.lussier@fairfaxva.gov).

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Co-author Robert García (far right), his wife and sons at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, in 2014.

Everyone in a National Park

By Robert García and Cesar De La Vega

T

his year, we celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service (NPS) and its stewardship of America’s 400-plus national parks, monuments and recreation areas covering more than 84 million acres. Earlier this year, while vacationing at Yosemite with his family, President Barack Obama said, “We’ve got kids all across this country who never see a park. There are kids who live miles from here who have never seen this. We’ve got to change that, because the beauty of the national park system is it belongs to everybody.”

My co-author Cesar De La Vega writes: “I was fortunate enough to be invited by the White House to witness the president’s remarks in Yosemite. I thought to myself, ‘I was one of those kids.’ It was only the second time I visited a national park. The first was a month before, after speaking on park access as a civil rights, environmental justice and health issue.

The irony was not lost on me. The day in Yosemite marked the first time I felt a sense of ownership over a national park.”

In contrast, my (Robert García’s) lifelong love of national parks began with my first trip during my preteen years. We

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went on a family vacation to Sequoia, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe when I was 11: my dad, mom, sister, grandmother and friend Julio. I also backpacked in college. I backpacked on my first date with my now wife, who I proposed to at Point Reyes National Seashore while I was in law school. We’ve camped with our three sons since they were little.

The centennial should serve as a watershed moment to kick off increased efforts by NPS to ensure we all know firsthand that national parks belong to everyone. To achieve this, we must diversify access to and support for our nation-

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al park system now so that the makeup of park visitors and staff reflects the heritage and diversity of our country.

In 2015, 307 million people visited our national parks. The majority of visitors are non-Hispanic white (78 percent in 2008-2009) and near retirement age (54 years is the average age of a visitor to Yosemite). The Census Bureau projects that non-whites will make up the majority of the U.S. population within 25 years. National parks depend on political support, public money and community engagement for funding. In order to flourish in the next century, NPS must establish better relationships with this country’s increasingly diverse population.

NPS has a diversity problem and, to its credit, recognizes this. NPS has made significant strides at the policy level under President Obama. He has protected more public lands and waters than any other president, including 24 national monu-

ments, many of which celebrate the diversity of our country’s history. His Every Kid in a Park (EKIAP) initiative provides all fourth graders and their families with free admission to national parks, recreation areas and monuments, and includes transportation grants for schools in the most underserved communities. The NPS final plans for the San Gabriel Mountains and the Rim of the Valley Corridor are best-practice examples to transform our parks. NPS (1) recognizes disparities in green access based on race, color or national origin, (2) understands this contributes to health disparities based on those factors and (3) acknowledges that environmental justice and civil rights laws and principles require agencies to alleviate these disparities. It’s working.

To build common ground, foster effective partnerships and community engagement and cultivate the next generation of park stewards, NPS programs should address the full range of values parks offer people. These include (1) fun, health and human development; (2) climate and conservation; (3) economic values, jobs, contracts and displacement; (4) culture, history, art and spiritual values; and (5) equal justice, democracy and healthy living for all.

For example, Yosemite tells the forgotten history of the Buffalo Soldiers, African-American soldiers who served as its first “park rangers.” Manzanar National Historic Site shares the experiences of interned Japanese-Americans faithfully, completely and accurately to provoke a greater understanding of, and dialogue on, civil rights, democracy and freedom.

The Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center celebrates the heritage of the Chumash and Tongva/Gabrielino people. Women’s Rights National Historic Park tells of the struggles for civil rights, human rights and equality — global struggles that continue today. The César E. Chávez National Monument, dedicat

Co-author Cesar De La Vega (in foreground) attended a speech given by President Obama during a visit by the president and his family to Yosemite National Park in June. This marked the first time De La Vega felt a sense of ownership of a national park.

ed in 2012, is the first national monument honoring a Latino born after the 1700s.

The most recent national monument honors the Stonewall Uprising, a catalyst in the movement for LGBTQ civil rights.

NPS must also break down barriers to park access for people of color. The barriers are many: Parks are located far from where most people live, and there’s a lack of transportation, a fear of discrimination, lack of diverse park staff, lack of experience in parks, communication challenges and simply a feeling of not being welcomed. Transit to Trails programs like EKIAP are effective shortterm means to provide both transportation and education to help people feel welcome in and ownership of our parks.

NPS can do more in the long term: (1) hire more diverse staff, particularly since half the NPS leadership is retiring in 2016; (2) build relationships with communities where distrust still exists; (3) create an atmosphere that welcomes diverse groups; (4) secure budgets to meet

the needs of the people; and (5) use education and interpretive materials to tell the cultural heritage and history of NPS sites, including the role of communities in conservation efforts. It is imperative that NPS require its recipients of federal funding to comply with civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on race, color or national origin, including Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The centennial provides an opportunity to unite around a shared vision for our public lands and waters: conservation, wellness and social equity. Diversity of park users and staff upholds the democratic values that inspired the creation of NPS. The success of NPS during the next century depends on it.

Robert García is the Founding Director and Counsel at The City Project, a nonprofit environmental justice and civil rights organization based in Los Angeles (rgarcia@cityproject.org).

Cesar De La Vega is the Juanita Tate Social Justice Fellow at The City Project. (cdelavega@ cityprojectca.org).

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SOCIAL EQUITY

Universal Accessibility Infuses Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Park A reimagined space that honors a historic neighborhood’s Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright

By Scott Roller

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ittsburgh, known for its industry, culture and winning sports teams, as well as its recent reinvention as a city with abundant technology, medical and green amenities, is celebrating its 200th birthday this year. As it celebrates, its parks system is gaining national recognition as a vital part of its proud past and current upward trajectory. The latest park renovation offers striking evidence of progress in the heart of the city’s Hill District, a vibrant group of neighborhoods occupying the widening eastward triangle of the city that have been a beacon for African-American culture for more than 100 years.

Once described by Harlem poet Claude McKay as “the crossroads of America” for its rich and diverse cultural heritage, the “Hill” has launched jazz musicians, such as Billy Strayhorn, Art Blakey, Ahmad Jamal and Mary Lou Williams, and has produced some of the best baseball players, such as James “Cool Papa” Bell, Oscar Charleston and Satchel Paige.

Perhaps best known of all the Hill

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District’s creative progeny is Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright August Wilson. Born and raised in this storied Pittsburgh neighborhood overlooking the Allegheny River, Wilson wrote extensively about his beloved hometown community. And now, a beautiful park named in his honor has just been completed. August Wilson Park, which features a switchback trail that leads to a

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breathtaking view of the river and city, is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It represents modern urban park design, deliberate inclusiveness and community involvement at its best.

Putting It in Context To get a sense of what this park means to the city and this community, a geographical and historical context is needed.

Pittsburgh’s eastern portion, including downtown, is triangle-shaped, bordered by rivers that join at the apex to form the mighty Ohio River. The Hill District was a beacon destination for blacks leaving the Deep South in the Great Migration and European immigrants in the 1900s.

Its jazz scene was one of the country’s

liveliest, putting Pittsburgh on the music scene map from the 1920s through the 1960s. Some current-day residents recall seeing a young August Wilson, always impeccably dressed, strolling along the block where his namesake park now sits.

The Hill District had a rough go of it in the latter part of the 20th century, with urban renewal efforts in the city spurring redevelopment that severed the community from the rest of the city, causing dramatic economic decline. The Hill’s residents never failed to believe in the beauty and value of their neighborhood.

In the mid-1970s, they worked tirelessly to turn a narrow sliver of steeply inclined land into what, until April 20, 2016, was known as Cliffside Park. Throughout the next 30 years, the park was well used, but city funding difficulties impacted its upkeep, and by the start of the new century, the park had seriously deteriorated. The idea for a major reimagining of Cliffside Park began to take shape in 2011, led by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in partnership with Pittsburgh’s Public Works and Planning Departments and community groups, including Hill House Association and the Cliff Street Block Club. Environmental Planning and Design (EPD) provided the landscape architectural design and construction administration services.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy — which in the past 20 years has raised more than $90 million to restore, improve and preserve Pittsburgh’s parks — joined with its partners in holding public input sessions that identified community priorities for the park. “Community input is key in all of our projects,” says Parks Conservancy founder and CEO Meg Cheever. Accessibility was a main wish that surfaced in the earliest input sessions and a requirement of the state funding awarded to the Parks Conservancy. Andrew Schwartz of EPD says that accessibility “was a guiding force

The Hill’s residents never failed to believe in the beauty and value of their neighborhood. from the earliest days of the design process. Our aim in design was to capture the essence of the incredible view of the overlook, and to ensure that the finished park was universally accessible.”

A Steep Challenge Schwartz notes that the site’s precipitous topography, measured at a 17 percent grade, proved a challenge in meeting ADA guidelines. “The site drops steeply from the street entrance to the cliffside below. Our goal was to bring as many of the community ideas as possible into the plan while keeping it accessible to everyone.” To keep within ADA guidelines, the solution was a switchback trail that winds easily through the park at grades of less than 5 percent. The trail has carefully considered landings at each angled turn, with benches, plantings and resting spaces. The site’s slope, landing place-

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ments and the choice of landscaping elements ensure that sightlines are kept open and the stunning vista remains.

The Hill District’s artistic heritage is well represented in the park, including in the name change that was announced midway through the construction process. “August Wilson’s esteemed place in the history of the Hill District makes him a natural to be honored with a

park that speaks to the future of this community,” says Parks Conservancy Curator Susan Rademacher, who led the park design process. Ten quotes — one from each of Wilson’s 10 plays in the American Century Cycle — adorn a wall at the park’s lower landing. Wilson’s word installations are in very good company. The work of renowned photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris,

who chronicled life in Pittsburgh (from the mid-1930s through 1975) for one of America’s oldest black newspapers, the Pittsburgh Courier, is mounted on the fencing of the half-basketball court, also located at the park’s lower edge.

A Reimagined Space August Wilson Park’s spectacular river and downtown view have special meaning to Terri Baltimore, the director of community engagement at Hill House Association. She has been an advocate for the Hill District for close to 24 years and remembers the early days of the park’s redesign planning process.

“Planning for the park always included a promise to the neighborhood that it would have final approval of any plan,” remembers Baltimore. “We had honest discussions with the community

Ten quotes — one from each of Wilson’s 10 plays in the American Cycle — adorn a wall at the park’s lower landing.

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and used its input as the guiding force for what is now August Wilson Park.”

The importance of the park to individuals in the community was underscored by conversations Baltimore had with park neighbor Tyian Battle, whose son Amon passed away seven years ago from a heart ailment. “Tyian relayed that the park was Amon’s favorite place, and that they had many good memories of being outdoors together,” she said. “That impressed on us how important greenspaces are to those who use them, and it kept us focused on making August Wilson Park the best that it could be.”

The journey to bring the reimagined park to life mirrors the switchback trail that winds through it. The steep elevation, unrelated sewer repairs on the cliffside below the park and working a maintenance access road into the design without interfering with the entry path added additional time to the project schedule. The access road became a beautiful design element, made from checker-block pavement stones that create a green-and-white-checked swath from the upper entrance to the lower landing. Green infrastructure installations help control stormwater, including a paved and planted runnel and planting features that function as large French drains, and no-mow red fescue grass that has a high absorption ratio and low-maintenance needs.

From sitting in the old park space on dilapidated benches with neighbors and talking about what they imagined the space could be, to the public celebration of August Wilson Park’s opening in summer of 2016, all who participated in reimagining the park know they have had a hand in creating a special place. Baltimore says that

The site’s slope, landing placements and the choice of landscaping elements ensure that sightlines are kept open and the stunning hill vista remains. working with individuals and groups both inside and outside the community to make the park a reality has been positive for the Hill District. “The park brings the community pride in this thriving greenspace,” she says, “and

helps reframe perceptions of the Hill as an incredible space where love and determination can build beauty.”

Park programming builds on these hopes, with visual art, literature readings, basketball and a playground with two age levels all meshing together at the edge of one of the city’s most historic neighborhoods. Through the design’s deft use of this challenging space, all park-goers can have multiple experiences in August Wilson Park, and end the day watching the sun set from one of the city’s best viewing spots.

Scott Roller is the Senior Manager, Communications and Creative, for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (sroller@pittsburghparks.org).

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Serving Participants with Medical Needs

By Kathy Capps, CPRE, ARM-P

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hristopher is excited: He has just finished kindergarten, marked his sixth birthday and is looking forward to his first week at camp. He loves playing with his friends, swimming at the pool and anything sports-related, so he knows he is going to have fun.

Christopher’s mom is worried: He was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and this is his first experience outside of school where someone, other than family, will help manage his diabetes. He needs to have his blood sugar checked multiple times a day, calculations performed at lunch to determine the number of carbohydrates he has eaten, and an insulin injection drawn and administered.

He also has specific procedures that must be followed when his blood sugar levels get too high or too low. Christopher is registered for camp all summer with your parks and recreation agency, and his family requests your support for managing his diabetes at camp. How do you proceed?

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Legal Context The 2008 Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) broadened the definition of disability to ensure the inclusion of individuals with impairments such as cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and other conditions affecting major life functions or body systems.

The number of U.S. adults diagnosed with diabetes in the last 35 years has tripled. And, from 2000 to 2009, the number of U.S. children diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes increased by 21 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

Severe allergic reactions or anaphylaxis is also on the rise, and studies indicate a 4 percent increase of diagnosed severe allergies across all age groups. While

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the numbers of diagnoses for other medical conditions, such as epilepsy or problems with the digestive system, have not had a marked increase, advances in medicine and medical procedures are opening the possibilities of a more active lifestyle to individuals with those conditions.

State laws determine medical practice and what procedures may and may not be performed without a medical license.

There may be separate laws for what procedures can be performed that are considered routine (for example, feeding via a GI tube or testing blood sugar) or that are considered emergency (for example, administering diazepam for a seizure or a glucagon injection for extremely low blood sugar).

Managing participant medical conditions and what it means for ADA compliance is currently being argued in court or through recent decisions in many states.

Reasonable modification in the recreation programs context is fluid based on the resources of the agency, but as more court cases are decided, standardized practices for medical support will begin to emerge.

Policy and process for managing medical conditions in programs is critical to providing a safe experience and reasonable modifications, and for implementing modifications effectively and correctly by staff and volunteers. Agencies faced with providing reasonable modification while not having staff with the medical knowledge or expertise to develop policy or implement medical procedures in a program setting is a challenge that is only expected to grow.

Policy for Medical Modification The process for managing a medical modification request mirrors any other ADA modification request. Policy is a good place to start, but it can also be built as requests for medical modification are received. The policy should include a purpose statement describing why the agency gives consideration to medical modifications. The purpose statement can be a basic compliance statement or it may be centered on meeting the needs of individuals whenever reasonable. The purpose statement guides staff members as they implement the policy and helps participants understand the agency’s position on supporting medical conditions.

This may be an addition to an existing inclusion policy or a stand-alone statement focused on medical needs.

The policy should reference review of the applicable state laws regarding medical practice and what is or is not allowed in the state, and, if the agency is more restrictive, what procedures it allows or does not allow to be performed. In addition, the policy should identify who in the agency is involved in the review and decision-making regarding medical mod

ification, and from whom staff members should seek guidance if they have questions. The policy should describe the process for receiving and considering a modification request, and it should be reviewed and approved with key agency

provided with a welcome packet of extensive information about the program, including the location and site amenities; hours and nature of the programming; field trip locations and descriptions; an example schedule, including the num-

Policy and process for managing medical conditions in programs is critical to providing a safe experience and reasonable modifications, and for implementing modifications effectively and correctly by staff and volunteers.

representatives, including medical and legal counsel.

Process for Medical Modification There are a variety of ways to approach the process for medical modification and each process must be tailored to meet the resources, needs and limitations of the agency. In Raleigh, North Carolina, for example, our process begins with a request for medical modification received from a participant, followed by an information exchange. The participant is

ber of transitions and types of activities; typical behavioral, social and physical skills needed to participate; and group size, staff ratios and level of staff training. This packet also includes a letter for the participant to share with his or her physician. Information, in the form of a medical care plan, is requested back from the participant or his or her parent/ caregiver and physician.

The care plan collects all of the information staff needs to fully understand the modification request and how care is to be provided. The plan also has the physician’s signature authorizing non-medical staff to perform the procedures. Generally, care plans divide requests into five categories: • Independent care: the participant can manage all routine medical procedures independently, but may need, for example, designated space to perform the procedures, to deviate from normal schedules, or to have special access to, storage or disposal of medical supplies.

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• Supervised self-care: the participant can generally manage all routine medical procedures independently, but may need reminders to perform procedures on time or someone to double-check dosages or assist with documentation.

• Staff-supported care: the participant cannot perform some or all routine medical procedures independently, and requires assistance from staff to do so and to complete documentation.

• Care by a personal assistant: the participant cannot perform some or all routine medical procedures independently, but will have a caregiver participating with them to manage the participant’s medical needs.

• Emergency care: the participant has medical needs in emergency situations and requires assistance from staff to perform procedures and complete documentation when an emergency situation arises.

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In the case of Christopher, who you met earlier, his care plan will place his needs into two categories: staff-supported care for routine diabetes procedures and emergency care for diabetes-related

become adequately resourced with staff and supplies to provide a safe experience. If the answer is “no,” it may be because a medical condition is so profound that non-medical staff simply

Park and recreation agencies across the country provide endless recreation opportunities, and it seems only fair to make those opportunities as accessible as possible to everyone, including individuals with medical conditions. emergencies. We’ve found that most requests for staff-supported care are for younger children. Many teens and adults are competent managers of their own care with minimal modification needs in programs.

The next step is determining if the agency is adequately resourced or can

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cannot provide care in a safe manner — our local school district calls these individuals “medically fragile.” If the process has been designed correctly, with thorough information about the program and the participant’s physician signing off on the care plan, then these instances should be rare.

Once the decision to accept the modification request is made, independent care and supervised self-care plans are the most straightforward.

They usually involve documenting the modification and discussing it with the program staff, then checking in regularly with the participant or participant’s parent/guardian and the program staff to ensure the modification is working as intended.

Care provided through a personal assistant is also relatively easy to implement. Clarification of the personal assistant’s role is the most critical component: will the caregiver get to participate in the program or act only as an observer, are there transportation or paid-per-person expenses that will need to be considered as part of the program, is the caregiver considered a participant or a volunteer, will he or she need to complete a background check, etc.? Once these questions have been answered, documentation and

communication with staff, participant, the parent/guardian and caregiver are the next step.

Emergency-care modifications and staff-supported care modifications are more challenging. Specialized staff training, care documentation, decision trees and communication protocols may all be part of the process. It is preferable to have a medical professional provide training to staff in partnership with the participant or participant’s parent/guardian but that may not be feasible in all cases. Sometimes, a participant or a parent provides training to staff. However training is done, document it! The hours of the program, the number of staff members needed to perform a procedure and the turnover rate of staff will determine how many staff need to be trained initially and at what point retraining is needed to ensure trained staff is available whenever the participant is in the program.

Continuous communication is needed at first to establish that expectations with the modification are being met. Over time, communication may be less frequent, but there will be instances that are pre-determined by the agency and the participant or parent/guardian when communication is expected; for example, anytime the agency’s ability to provide care is compromised, or anytime the participant’s care plan must be updated.

Last but not least, address fears that can come in all shapes and sizes and are different based on individuals and their role in creating a medical modification. For instance, among staff there may be a fear of needles, but, more often, it’s the fear of having such a great responsibility, of performing badly or, in spite of performing well, having a bad outcome. The participant, participant’s parents and other participants in the program can also have fears. Work to address any fears through training, communication, building redundancy into how the care plan is implemented and practice.

endless recreation opportunities, and it seems only fair to make those opportunities as accessible as possible to everyone, including individuals with medical conditions. While daunting at first, a good process and dialog with key stakeholders (participants, parents, the medical community, an attorney and staff) can create very meaningful, safe and worthy outcomes.

It is wonderful to see the emotional transformation from worry to appreciation for moms like Christopher’s. It’s a relief for them to know the agency takes their children’s needs seriously and has a process in place to manage those needs.

Families are also grateful to be able to have siblings attend the same program and not have to find specialty offerings that cater only to children with medical needs like theirs.

The feeling of knowing that their child can be just like any other child: priceless.

Kathy Capps, CPRE, ARM-P, is the Manager, Learning Development and Risk Management, City of Raleigh Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department (katherine.capps@raleighnc.gov).

Plans Change Medical conditions are not static and therefore most medical modification requests will change over time. As children grow, their competency with their care management does too and a modification request may change from staff supported to supervised self-care. A participant may experience an improvement in or a worsening of a condition and need different level of support. A medical advance may change a procedure or a participant may get a new piece of equipment. In Raleigh, we check with all participants with a medical modification at minimum on an annual basis to update paperwork and communication with staff if needed.

A Worthy Cause Park and recreation agencies across the country provide

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BES The National Parks:

America’s

By Daniel L. Dustin, Ph.D., Kelly S. Bricker, Ph.D., Matthew T. Brownlee, Ph.D., and Keri A. Schwab, Ph.D.

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n an often-cited 1983 commentary, Wallace Stegner, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and environmentalist, proclaimed, “The national parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.” On this 100th anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS), it is appropriate to examine Stegner’s proclamation in the light of history, and discuss the significance of the national parks to our American way of life.

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ST

The iconic Double O Arch at Arches National Park, Utah.

NPS/Neal Herbert

Idea?

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nature to the Act creating Yellowstone National Park — our first national park — on March 1, 1872.

The campfire creation story has been repeated countless times throughout NPS’ history, and it has been warmly received by generation after generation of Americans visiting Yellowstone in the glow of their own campfires and interpretive programs. The story conveys a sense of altruism and high ideals that elevate our democratic aspirations. It also casts the national parks — again using Stegner’s words — as an important part of the “geography of hope” that helps bind us together as a nation.

The National Park Service Organic Act When the NPS was established August 25, 1916, the Organic Act defined the NPS mission thusly: “. . . to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” The charge was to protect and preserve the nation’s “crown jewels” while simultaneously making them available for public use. This dual

NPS/Kristi Rugg

Campfire Creation Story We begin by harkening back to the evening of September 19, 1870, and a campfire conversation attributed to members of the Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition. This group of Montanans had traveled south from Helena to the region we know today as Yellowstone National Park to witness for themselves what early explorers had described as a wondrous collection of thermal peculiarities bubbling up through the Earth’s crust. As Horace Albright, the second director (19291933) of the NPS tells the story, at this last evening’s encampment near the confluence of the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers, or what we know today as Madison Junction, the conversation turned to how the area might be divvied up among the expedition’s profit-minded entrepreneurs. But one member of the party, a lawyer named Cornelius Hedges, suggested a higher purpose for Yellowstone’s thermal wonders. They should be protected, he said, in the form of a national park for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. The idea caught on and, soon thereafter, President Ulysses S. Grant affixed his sig-

A view of Rocky Ocean Drive Coast in Acadia National Park, Maine.

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and somewhat conflicting mandate has been the source of ongoing discussion and debate throughout the NPS’ 100year history. Guaranteeing public access to national parks has brought with it a variety of impacts that increasingly threaten to impair what the NPS is duty bound to protect — the scenery, natural and historic objects, and the wildlife therein. There has been, is, and will likely always be managerial tension revolving around what has come to be known as this “preservation-versus-use” issue.

Systemwide Expansion and Development The first half of the 20th century was devoted largely to the expansion and development of the national park system.

Early on, NPS’ challenge was to secure public support for the national parks by encouraging access, building facilities and making the parks inviting tourist attractions. Railroads brought visitors to the parks and large hotels, like Old Faithful Lodge in Yellowstone, the Ahwahnee in Yosemite and El Tovar on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, ensured that a visit to the national parks could be both enjoyable and comfortable.

The Great Depression had little effect on the national parks because the NPS had been poorly funded since its inception. Conrad Wirth, the sixth director (1951-1964) of the NPS, described his mid-20th century strategy for securing additional park lands as a “beg, borrow and steal” philosophy, because the NPS was prohibited from using federal funds to create new parks. Despite such obstacles, a tradition of continually expanding the size and scope of the national park system continues to this day as both Democratic and Republican presidents typically add to the system at the end of their final term in office to enhance their legacies.

Although the national park system grew throughout the first half of the 20th century, visitation was modest because the American public was large-

A group of hikers navigate The Narrows in Zion National Park, Utah.

Problems in the Parks In the second half of the 20th century, national park visitation accelerated with increasing impacts on environmental quality and the quality of visitor experiences.

Managerial terms like “recreational conflict” and “recreational carrying capacity” made their way into the nomenclature, and recreation’s problematic side revealed itself. Costs, as well as benefits, flowing from the public’s enjoyment of their national parks became increasingly evident and management issues throughout the system took a variety of forms, including automobile congestion, air pollution, snowmobile controversies and overflights in the Grand Canyon, as well as avant-garde recreational activities like hang gliding, base jumping, wingsuit flying and other expressions of the “right” of citizens to enjoy their national parks in whatever manner they pleased.

Fueling managerial tensions was a dualistic view of national park stewardship that had existed since NPS’ establishment in 1916. The Organic Act’s language separated people from nature. The Act conveyed the message that people were to be visitors to the

NPS

ly immobile until after World War II. Then, equipped with more discretionary income, more discretionary time and more knowledge about available opportunities, an increasingly mobile citizenry began to grow into what historian Foster Rhea Dulles called its “recreational heritage.” An explosion of new-found interest in the national parks led Director Wirth to launch Mission 66 in 1956, a 10-year program to expand the national parks’ infrastructure to accommodate burgeoning demand, the conclusion of which was to coincide in 1966 with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the NPS. Images of Dinah Shore’s “See the USA in your Chevrolet” were ever-present on television throughout the 1950s and 60s as Americans began visiting their national parks in earnest.

national parks and that in their pristine condition the parks should be largely devoid of human influence. This view ignored a long history of human presence in places such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Everglades National Parks. In the light of history, dispossessing native peoples from their homeland to create national parks now seems unjust. Indeed, some contemporary critics of the national parks view their creation as a social construction of a dominant Western European culture

more so than a laudable expression of a universal ideal. Such criticism reminds us that the history of the national parks is more marbled than we typically care to admit and that architects of the national park system did some harm as well as good along the way.

This criticism also speaks to the increasing challenge of sustaining support for the national parks from a highly urbanized and culturally, racially and ethnically diverse citizenry that has become more and more detached from the nat-

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The Future of the National Parks As we begin the 21st century, the significance of the national parks to our way of life is an important question to ponder. Parks are “islands of hope,” William Brown proclaimed, but his words no longer resonate like they once did. First and foremost, ecology teaches us that we cannot simply draw political boundaries around national parks and look after them as if they were separate from

everything else. National parks are intimately connected to places and people beyond their borders, and park managers now understand that they can no longer manage the national parks in isolation.

The NPS’ 16th Director, Fran Mainella (2001-2006), epitomized this orientation to service. She understood that all Americans must come to see themselves as the primary stakeholders and custodians of their natural and cultural heritage.

Given the increasingly diverse makeup of the American people, the magnitude of NPS’ administrative challenge is daunting. Chris Jarvi, former associate director of partnerships and visitor experience for the NPS under Mainella, reported that when asked on a survey

A view of the Lower Falls at Yellowstone National Park.

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why they hadn’t visited their national parks, an all-too-frequent response was, “Because I don’t see anybody that looks like me.” How, then, can we make the national parks more relevant to an increasingly multicultural citizenry’s lived experience?

Part of an answer rests in expanding NPS’ presence in urban areas where 80 percent of Americans live. Devoting more attention to our human-centered, as well as nature-centered, heritage is essential, as is tying human-centered and nature-centered stories together in ways that illustrate their ongoing mutual interdependence. This requires that the NPS play a leading role in teaching us about the ecology of our lives.

NPS/Jim Peaco

ural world. If, as some social scientists contend, children who grow up separated from nature become adults who are indifferent toward nature, where will support for the national parks come from in the future?

Wildflowers bloom at Parashant National Monument, Grand Canyon National Park.

Myth and Responsibility It is perhaps best if we think of the NPS, just like our country, as a work in progress. It is in the process of becoming a better organization in the same way we are in the process of becoming a better country. The NPS will undoubtedly evolve and change with the times as we learn more about American history and as we make good-faith efforts to learn from past mistakes. The NPS’ goal should be to become the best possible public service agency, just as our country’s goal should be to become the best possible democracy. The NPS, among

NPS

Robert Stanton, the 15th director (1997-2001) of the NPS, exemplifies the possibility for making the national parks more relevant to contemporary life. An African-American born into poverty in rural Texas, Stanton attended a historically black college in Houston where he was given the opportunity to work in Grand Teton National Park under a minority recruitment program initiated by then-Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall. In the ensuing years, Stanton made the most of his opportunity, and he rose through the ranks to eventually become director of the NPS. Reflecting on his earlier tenure as deputy director of the National Capitol Parks Region in Washington, D.C., Stanton remarked that, “One activity that sets the National Capitol Region apart from other regions are the special events — in particular, citizens from all walks of life and all regions of the country exercising their right to freedom of speech.” Stanton’s life has been an individual expression of the larger society’s moral growth and development. Just as our nation moved from segregation to integration, from civil unrest to civil rights, so too has Stanton personified the expansion of our liberal democratic tradition. His life, like NPS’ life, like our nation’s life, is testimony to the possibility that imperfect people can aspire to a more perfect union.

its many duties and responsibilities, is obliged to help us get our nation’s story straight. This requires owning up to its failings, as well as the failings of others.

Treating history respectfully is its obligation, and revising and building on what history has taught us is its job. To the extent the agency carries out this responsibility conscientiously, the light of history may yet one day credit the NPS with overseeing what has truly become one of America’s most enduring and best ideas.

Daniel L. Dustin, Ph.D., is a Professor in the department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the University of Utah (daniel.dustin@health.utah. edu). Kelly S. Bricker, Ph.D., is Chair of the department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism at the University of Utah (kelly.bricker@health.utah. edu). Matthew T. Brownlee, Ph.D., is Coordinator of the Natural Resources Recreation Planning and Management emphasis area in the University of Utah’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department (matthew.brownlee@hsc.utah.edu).

Keri A. Schwab, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the department of Recreation, Park and Tourism at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (keschwab@calpoly.edu).

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Recrea and the Americans with Disabilities Act

By Mark Trieglaff and Larry Labiak

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n 2015, the United States celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This law, the civil rights act for people with disabilities, expanded rights to participate in programs, activities and services offered by state and local governmental entities (Title II) and nonprofit/for-profit entities (Title III). The country has come a long way, but to better understand the significance of the ADA, it is necessary to take a quick look back through history at the laws implemented as its precursors.

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ati n

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History of the ADA The federal government started recognizing the needs of people with disabilities when veterans returned from World War I with significant injuries and disabilities. To better care for soldiers’ needs, the Smith-Sears Veterans Rehabilitation Act of 1918 provided vocational assistance to those who had been disabled during the war, offering compensation, insurance and vocational rehabilitation programs to soldiers with disabilities. During this time, the Veterans Bureau was formed and elevated to a federal-level department. In 1930, the Veterans Administration (VA) was established to consolidate and coordinate services for war veterans, and the VA hospital system was developed shortly thereafter. On the civilian side, laws such as the Civilian Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1920 were established, and during the Franklin Roosevelt administration in the 1930s, Social Security benefits included assistance to families that cared for a person with a disability. The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill of Rights) assisted reintegrating veterans by establishing hospitals, providing

low-interest mortgages, and covering tuition and expenses for veterans attending college or trade schools.

With benefits extended to veterans with disabilities along with the expansion of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to confront the resultant 500,000 cases of disabling paralysis from the polio epidemic of the 1940s and 1950s, the need for accessibility standards was recognized and a concerted effort to address access to buildings and grounds ensued. Studies conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1946 to 1986 were the basis for The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accessibility standards titled “American Standards Specifications for Making Buildings Accessible to, and Usable by the Physically Handicapped” of 1961 and the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 required the development of accessible housing.

The civil rights movement of the 1960s was the basis for expansion of rights not only for African-Americans, but also for people with disabilities. The movement toward more program access, not just physical access, along with the philo-

Most of the Chicago Park District’s 80 indoor and outdoor swimming pools have on-site pool lifts to help patrons who may not otherwise be able to particpate in aquatic programs.

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sophical idea of mainstreaming into the community, started to formulate. The momentum of the 1960s produced significant accomplishments in the 1970s.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibited any agency receiving federal funding from discriminating against a person with a disability. That same year, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (now known as the U.S. Access Board) was formed. The mid- and late-1970s produced the ratification of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the amending of the Rehabilitation Act to include funding for independent living centers and the formation of the National Council on Disability under the U.S. Department of Education.

It took almost a decade to formulate, but in 1988, the initial draft of the ADA was introduced. Intended to provide comprehensive civil rights legislation for people with disabilities, the ADA would go beyond federally funded programs to cover state and local governments and organizations, as well as businesses that accommodate the public. On July 26, 1990, the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, signed by then-President George H.W. Bush, became law. At the signing ceremony, President Bush described the ADA in this way: “This historic act is the world’s first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities — the first.”

The ADA gave a legal mandate for park and recreation departments/districts to serve people with a disability.

The law required program access (e.g., adapted sports) through inclusive policies and procedures (e.g., provision of one-to-one aides), and through physical access to parks and facilities (i.e., elimination of architectural barriers). Agencies had to make reasonable accommodations, including alterations to regular policies, procedures and practices, and provide auxiliary aids or relocate programs to an accessible site to allow a person to participate. Today, this has

Architectural elements such as the ramp, at left, and solid-surface beach walks, at right, greatly enhance access to facilities and outdoor recreational areas for all, regardless of mobility.

become common practice for park and recreation departments.

What might not be as widely known are the revised regulations of 2010 that specifically address areas that affect parks and recreation. Chapter 10 of the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) includes nine recreation areas: amusement rides, boating facilities, exercise equipment, fishing piers, golf and mini-golf facilities, play areas, swimming pools, spas and shooting facilities. New policies are required as well, in particular, a Service Animal Policy and Other Power-Driven Mobility Devices (OPDMD) Policy, which relates to the use of devices other than motorized wheelchairs and electronic convenience vehicles (scooters) for mobility in public areas.

From barrier removal to development of parks and facilities, the inclusion of people with disabilities is paramount in all agency planning. Besides public meetings and the use of surveys, the implementation of an advisory group of stakeholders (representatives of people with various disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, professionals in the field of advocacy) is strongly encouraged as it becomes a valuable resource for parks and recreation ADA compliance.

ADA Transition Plan As the standards for access to recreation

al facilities increase, the desire to offer more recreational experiences increases. Published in the Federal Register in September 2013 for federal parks is the “Outdoor Developed Areas Guidelines,” which cover picnic areas, camping, viewing, trails and beach access.

The current requirements of the ADA and the 2010 ADAAG, and the likelihood of the proposed “Outdoor Developed Areas Guidelines” soon becoming law have put an increased burden on park and recreation departments for barrier recognition and removal. One requirement of the ADA that some have yet to accomplish is the development of an ADA Transition Plan. The Transition Plan focuses on the removal of structural barriers to provide access to programs and services offered to the public.

Since 1993, the ADA has required an accessibility audit of all public facilities.

The audit mandates identifying the accessibility barrier, a means to remove the barrier and an estimated date for removal.

A Transition Plan provides park and recreation providers not only with a detailed list of accessibility barriers, but also with a tool for budgeting, planning and accountability. Intended as a public document, the Transition Plan shows that an entity is making a “good faith” effort toward ADA compliance. Many resources to aid in barrier recognition and removal, including checklists, videos and guides, are

available online at www.ada.gov.

For some park and recreation entities, the challenges lie in the implementation of a Transition Plan they may have developed 20 or more years ago. A case in point is the Chicago Park District, which has the challenge of prioritizing and implementing barrier removal and the ongoing assessment of almost 600 parks within the city of Chicago. Post-audit challenges include the sheer volume of data collected and tracking the barrier removal process, maintaining geographic equity, developing priorities and, of course, budgeting for barrier removal.

Chicago Park District: A Case Study The Chicago Park District (CPD), widely considered the largest municipal park and recreation provider in the country, has 591 parks covering more than 8,300 acres. Within the parks are 239 field houses (recreation buildings), 144 gymnasiums, 71 fitness centers, 10 ice rinks, 77 swimming pools, 64 nature areas, 17 historic lagoons and six golf courses. Of the 591 parks, 519 have a playground.

CPD’s properties also include Chicago’s beautiful lakefront that offers 26 public beaches and 10 harbors. Of the 26 miles of lakefront, 18 miles are paved trails.

To CPD’s credit, it developed its initial ADA Transition Plan in 1992 following an extensive effort to engage the local disability community and other public

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and private stakeholders in the planning and development process. However, after a modest expenditure of several million dollars over the next few years resulted in extensive barrier removal at a number of parks across the district, ADA capital improvements funding dwindled as the new millennium approached.

In 2003, CPD renewed its commitment to increasing accessibility at its facilities.

A consultant architecture firm with extensive ADA-design experience was hired to assist CPD in developing a practical approach to barrier removal that would provide a roadmap for prioritization of additional ADA projects. It was a daunting task considering that of the more than 230 field houses across CPD, 80 percent pre-dated World War II, prior to which little thought was afforded to the access needs of people with disabilities.

An Access Audit In spite of the inherent challenges, a prioritization methodology was developed that considered volume of use within various parks across the Park District. It focused on counting the number of existing element types (e.g., playing fields, assembly areas, playgrounds) within a group of 180 high-use parks to ascertain a target number of those elements that needed to be accessible to establish a rea-

sonable level of access-based geographic equity. As an example, among CPD’s 519 playgrounds, the goal was to determine a target percentage of them that if/when made accessible would provide any park patron an accessible playground option within reasonable proximity to home.

The next planned step was to conduct ADA access audits (site surveys) of highuse parks. However, without a complete audit of all parks and facilities, the Disability Policy Office (DPO), which is charged with oversight of CPD accessibility compliance issues, would continue to lack “level of accessibility” data on too many field houses, information vital to most park patrons with a mobilityrelated or sensory disability. So, instead, the DPO undertook conducting a complete access audit of all facilities, using college interns with architecture/urban planning backgrounds to minimize the cost. Although the full audit took five summers to complete, the estimated cost savings over using an outside consultant was $750,000-$1 million. CPD did bring in the aforementioned ADA consultant firm to audit a final group of 35 destination parks and facilities (e.g. Grant Park, Lincoln Park, harbors, golf courses, nature conservatories) to ensure the highest degree of efficiency and accuracy at these high-profile properties. ADA bar-

rier removal projects were ongoing over the entire period, but in a less systemized way than desired for the long term.

The Challenges Completion of the access audit bred its own challenges. The most obvious is the sheer volume of accessibility issues that still exist, and how to maximize barrier removal in ways impactful to the most people. On one hand, CPD strives to respect the tradition of serving people in their neighborhood parks. But, with so many field houses spread across the city and continually limited resources for barrier removal, “making a splash” in multiple areas simultaneously is difficult. On the other hand, CPD knows the importance of providing access for people with disabilities at regional parks, destination parks and Chicago’s lakefront beaches.

Since 2006, CPD has installed and maintains 16 solid-surface beach walks interspersed along its public beaches. Some are as short as 15 feet, while others extend up to 500 feet. They greatly improve access to the water for beachgoers with disabilities and all other patrons but are a chore to maintain from season to season. Lake Michigan winds, seasonal storms, Chicago winters and changing lake water levels wreak havoc to the extent that sections of the semipermanent structures have been

The Chicago Park District has substantially increased accessibility to and usability of its facilities and lakefront areas for patrons with disabilities.

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Mobile beach chairs, like the one seen here, are available at no charge for use at any CPD beach location.

torn apart or even lost to the lake both in season and over the winter. Another challenge is keeping beach walks clear of sand build-up, a continuous obstacle to access during beach season. This task is shared by summer lifeguard staff and landscape crews. At some beaches, blowing sand is an almost endless challenge.

As mentioned, CPD operates almost 80 indoor and outdoor swimming pools, most of which have a pool lift on-site.

One-third of CPD pools also have portable pool stairs as a secondary means of access, and an additional six have ramped access. Pool operators should take caution to check their local and state public health laws prior to purchase and installation of portable stairs to avoid a major cost issue CPD encountered two years ago. During a routine state inspection, CPD was informed that none of its portable pool stairs met the state’s water flow safety standards and was further advised that all such units would have to be removed prior to license renewal.

Some of these units had been in use for almost a decade and had never knowingly been at issue. Bottom line, CPD was forced to discard all of its portable stair units ($85,000 original cost) and replace them with the only model at that time approved by the state. The resultant replacement cost was almost $325,000.

One often-overlooked element in Transition Plan implementation is information technology (IT). For example, if website information is not presented in a format that’s accessible to individuals with a vision-related disability who use a screen-reader, they can be excluded from having basic knowledge on program offerings (e.g., registration deadlines, posted photos and videos, special events) so readily available to any sighted person seeking the same information. A good source of information on IT accessibility is the federally funded ADA National Network at www.adata.org. Its regional offices across the United States provide information, guidance and training on

the ADA to both individuals and business entities at no charge. The ADA National Network is a valuable resource typically underused by park and recreation professionals and other programs/ services providers.

To date, successful ADA Transition Plan implementation within CPD has meant finding ways to strike a balance between neighborhood parks and lakefront barrier removal projects, keeping an ongoing focus on readily achievable access improvements and an ongoing effort to monitor progress across the board. In retrospect, field houses, fitness centers, playgrounds, pools and beaches are substantially more accessible to and usable by people with disabilities than they were 20 years ago, but there is still much work ahead.

On a personal note, being a wheelchair user and lifelong Chicagoan, today, I can cross many Chicago beaches via a beach walk. As a child and well into adulthood, the only way I could get to the water was if my dad, my older brothers or a couple of friends were around to carry me across hundreds of feet of sand. CPD is making steady progress, and as Disability Policy Officer, I’m proud to be in the midst of it.

There is no end to the unexpected issues that can arise from implementation of the ADA Transition Plan. Thus, it is prudent to coordinate all aspects of implementation with capital construction and facili-

ties management personnel to ensure that ADA capital improvements are aligned with general capital improvements planning as much as possible. Furthermore, comingling mainstream capital funds with ADA funding allocations whenever appropriate helps to ensure that cost efficiencies are maximized and that Transition Plan implementation keeps making progress toward accessibility goals.

So, what will the world be like when the ADA celebrates its 35th anniversary or its 50th? Technology is rapidly transforming our world: autonomous (driverless) vehicles, 3-D printing and robotics are bringing new opportunities to people with limb loss, mobility limitations and sensory challenges. Biotechnology has fostered some amazing advances for people who have lost their vision or hearing and those who have experienced a traumatic brain injury or stroke. As technological breakthroughs continue to positively impact the quality of life for individuals with varying disabilities, we can also expect their demand for access to recreational and leisure opportunities to increase. Removal of remaining barriers and other obstacles to participation is the smart way to meet this demand, and it is the right thing to do.

Mark Trieglaff is the President/CEO of ACTServices, Inc. (mark@actservicesconsulting. com). Larry Labiak is the Disability Policy Officer for the Chicago Park District (larry.labiak@ chicagoparkdistrict.com).

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The World According to Dr. Scott

Scott Sampson, renowned paleontologist, author and children’s television star, shares his prescription for connecting kids, families and communities to nature

By Samantha Bartram

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urs are complicated times, to say the least. The dialogue about how to solve the serious challenges facing our nation — homelessness, income inequality, poverty, hunger, obesity and still others — is often charged with cutting, divisive rhetoric. Meanwhile, technological advances have allowed people across the globe, who may otherwise never have interacted, to connect and collaborate in meaningful ways. Scientists and researchers are building great collections of data that will help humanity adjust to climate change, emerging diseases and potential food or water shortages.

Amid such ups and downs, voices of nature and science advocates like Scott Sampson are a welcome check against the tendency to despair. The paleontologist, educator and children’s television star,

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while acknowledging that many aspects of American society have changed since the 1960s and 1970s, is careful to point out that it’s never too late to reevaluate how adults, families and children can forge

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deeper connections to nature and reap the resulting mental and physical health benefits. He reminds us that children are innately curious and are hardwired to respond, emotionally and physically, to the natural world, and the development of such reactions is an essential component of healthy development.

In his role as “Dr. Scott” on the Emmy-nominated and Jim Henson Company-produced PBS KIDS series “Dinosaur Train,” and through his work as chief curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Sampson has seen the

me to understand the “power of place” and fueled my desire to understand more about how that place came to be and how it might change in the future.

faces of countless children light up when presented with cool facts about nature.

Having recently taken the helm as president and CEO of Vancouver, British Colombia-based Science World, Sampson is excited to continue his work connecting children and families to the natural world and championing the science and technology that can help people better understand their wilder surroundings.

This October, Sampson will bring his exciting message of discovery and curiosity to the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Leading up to the event, we asked Sampson to share some of his insights and experiences working with nature, as well as his thoughts on contemporary trends that both encourage and discourage interaction with the outdoors. Following is a portion of our conversation.

Parks & Recreation magazine: Your professional biography is well-known — can you give us some personal insights about how/where you grew up and what impact the natural world had on you as a young man?

Scott Sampson: I was fortunate to grow up in Vancouver, British Columbia, cocooned amidst snow-capped mountains and the Pacific Ocean. So, wild nature was the backdrop for my life. My parents also took us camping multiple times a year, exploring the lushness and beauty of the Pacific Northwest, including its many provincial and national parks.

But, it was the nature close to home that was perhaps most important in helping me forge a lasting bond with the natural world.

Like other children of the 1960s and 1970s, evenings and weekends and long summer days were spent playing and exploring in the neighborhood, the local city park and further afield. My home was less than two blocks from a large, protected forest. Then it was called the “Endowment Lands.” Today it’s known as “Pacific Spirit Regional Park.” For me and my friends, it was “the

woods.” During my teens and early twenties, we spent countless hours in the woods at all times of year, bushwhacking our way to exhausted bliss, often accompanied by dogs. That place left a deep imprint on me about the nature of wildness.

P&R: Again, thinking back to your own childhood, who were some mentors/ role models that encouraged your fascination with the natural world?

Sampson: Without doubt, my mother was the strongest nature mentor for me.

She valued nature herself and displayed this bias all the time. She took me to libraries to learn about nature (including dinosaurs!) through books. She made sure I had plenty of unstructured play time outdoors (though this was the norm at that time). And she made the effort to take me to inspiring natural places, both nearby and more distant. Thanks to my mother, I was a member of a mountaineering club at the age of nine!

I also had the fortune of enjoying a couple of elementary school teachers with a bent toward nature and placebased learning. These educators helped

P&R: Can you recall a specific moment or experience in your life that really solidified your love of nature and the outdoors?

Sampson: For me, this moment happened at the tender age of about four years old, when my mother took me to the local “frog pond” in the woods, a few blocks from our home on the west side of Vancouver. We went there on this spring day because she’d heard that there were tadpoles in the pond. Wearing my big black rubber boots, I ventured to the edge of the pond and then stepped into it. It took a minute for me to be able to see the bounty of “pollywogs.” As soon as I did, I began picking up handfuls of them, stepping out further into the water. First one boot flooded and then the other, but my mother just smiled so I kept going.

Eventually the water was coming close to my chest while I watched the tadpoles swimming all around me. I still recall that moment, feeling as if there was no separation between me and the pond, or the rest of the world. I was blown away!

P&R: What is your reaction when you see parents/caregivers being punished for allowing their “unsupervised” children to walk to school or the park and/ or play in a nearby park alone? Are we criminalizing a natural component of childhood, that is, the need for autonomy and exploration?

Sampson: In a single generation, we’ve gone from a culture that embraces unsupervised outdoor play for kids to one that has criminalized it. As a result, our children spend the great bulk of their lives living indoors, under a form of “house arrest.” The reasons for this indoor migration are many, but fear of strangers likely tops the list. This fear exists in spite of the

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excluded discoveries made in parks, our understanding of Earth’s evolving ecosystems over deep time would be a tiny fraction of what it is today!

fact that the chances of a child being abducted by a stranger are no greater than they were in 1950 or 1960. We’ve reached a moment in time where we almost have to think in terms of “taking back the streets” — that is, making a point of getting our children outside and talking about why it’s important. Kids have a right to play outdoors, and, particularly during middle childhood, they need autonomy from grown-ups, at least some of the time.

P&R: Some of your work in paleontology has taken place in parks, such as the Grand Staircase — Escalante National Monument in Utah. Talk about the impact preservation of open space has had on your field of study and why it’s important to continue to protect our open spaces.

Sampson: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a perfect example of the need to protect wild places.

President Clinton established the monument, countering efforts to exploit coal and other resources in this vast chunk of southern Utah. In the wake of that 58 Parks & Recreation

decision, a huge amount of scientific research has been undertaken, spanning disciplines from archaeology to zoology.

In 2000, while working at the University of Utah, I launched a collaborative research project focused on the fossils from the Late Cretaceous, then end of the Age of Dinosaurs. In the intervening years, joint teams from University of Utah, the monument, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and other institutions have discovered a previously unknown ancient world, including more than a dozen new species of dinosaurs alongside insects, fishes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, pterosaurs (flying reptiles), mammals and a diverse variety of plants. This window into ancient Utah — one of the most detailed from anyplace and any time in the Mesozoic Era — is helping us investigate and understand how ecology and evolution work in a greenhouse world, the kind of world we are heading toward right now.

The Grand Staircase paleontology project is one of many that have taken place, and are currently under way, in protected parks and open spaces. If we

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P&R: Many children live in areas where access to nature is not readily available — what can we (parks and recreation, nature play advocates, etc.) do for children in urban areas, or those without access to transportation to nearby natural spaces, to offer them greater opportunities to connect to nature?

Sampson: We know that a deep connection to the natural world comes first and foremost from abundant exposure to nearby nature. And yet, many kids do not have much nature close to home. We can help by fostering nature in backyards, schoolyards, courtyards and churchyards. That nature can range from vegetable gardens to patches of native ecosystem. Every major city, and most small ones, have multiple organizations doing this kind of work. The big challenge now is scaling. How do we boost the impacts so that the majority of children receive the benefits of nature rather than a small minority? With this grand aim in mind, I am particularly inspired by large collaborative efforts — for example, the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee [Wisconsin] — that are working to connect kids in underserved communities with nature.

P&R: What’s your favorite activity to do in your local park?

Sampson: Hike. I love to hike, mostly on my own so that I can think and breathe and take in the surroundings. Hiking in parks is what recharges me and lets me root myself in the things that are most important. Having said that, I plan to take on a new outdoor hobby now that I’m back in Vancouver — sea kayaking.

Should be an adventure!

Samantha Bartram is the Executive Editor of Parks & Recreation magazine (sbartram@nrpa.org).

Innovative Education at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference

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e have 269 education sessions, Off-Site Institutes, workshops and Speed Sessions planned for the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference to be held this October in St. Louis, Missouri. Meh, you say? Well, a prestigious assortment of more than 500 experts, evangelists, inspirational practitioners and thought leaders are hard at work preparing their dynamic presentations. Still not impressed? For those of you who have “been there and done that,” trust that there’s much, much more in store for 2016.

We’ll feature cutting-edge content in our Glass Room and re-tooled Learning Lab (both located on the exhibit hall floor), and, for the first time, two mobile workshops that combine classroom and time outside in the field. Here are three examples of ways to enjoy your learning experience at the 2016 NRPA Annual Conference, outside the traditional classroom.

Urban Monarch Conservation Mobile Workshop 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Wednesday, October 5 Cities and urban metropolitan areas are vital in the fight to save the monarch butterfly. St. Louis and the surrounding region have led the way for cities nationally with an inspired all-hands-on-deck effort to save the monarch. This special mobile workshop brings together some of the top experts in the country, including Dr. Chip Taylor, head of Monarch

Watch at the University of Kansas, and Dr. Karen Oberhauser, head of the monarch lab at the University of Minnesota, to talk about the status of the monarch today and how urban areas can implement wide-ranging conservation, education and public engagement strategies to contribute to effective conservation. Participants will tour innovative examples of how to create new habitat for monarchs. The workshop will begin with an education session, followed by a visit to a pollinator-friendly nursery, a monarch tagging-and-release demonstration and more. Lunch and all program materials are provided. Registration is strictly limited to space available, so sign up early.

From Reimagining the Civic Commons to Rebuilding Civic Infrastructure One of seven Glass Room Sessions — Exhibit Hall floor, Thursday, October 6 Shawn McCaney, director of creative communities and national initiatives at the William Penn Foundation, helps participants understand how an innovative public/ private partnership between the William Penn Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation

Department spearheaded an effort to reimagine civic assets and triggered a $500 million citywide effort to reinvest in parks and recreation infrastructure.

Learning Labs that Support NRPA’s Conservation Pillar Exhibit Hall Floor, Friday, October 7 Pollinate Your Park 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Pollinator species are in decline across the country. In this session, participants will engage in the conceptual planning of a new pollinator garden from start to finish. Learn how to select an appropriate site, choose the right pollinator plants for your region and engage volunteers of all ages in planning, installation and citizen science.

Green Infrastructure Think Tank 1 p.m.-2 p.m.

What is green infrastructure and why does it matter to your community? Spend this session discussing how to incorporate green infrastructure practices into your park landscapes and how these practices will benefit your community.

Fun and Games with Wildlife Explorers 2:30p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Get a hands-on look at Wildlife Explorers, NRPA’s easy-to-implement curriculum that aims to connect elementary-aged students to nature. Session participants will explore the curriculum and learn creative ways to incorporate play into the nature discovery program by learning (and playing!) a variety of environmental education-themed games to complement individual lessons from the Wildlife Explorer program.

A full schedule of all education opportunities is available at www.nrpa.org/ conference2016.

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NRPA Update A Vision for the Future: NRPA’s New Strategic Plan A Message from the NRPA Board of Directors

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or more than a decade, NRPA’s future direction has been guided by a strategic planning process in which the leadership and staff of the association, with member input, set priorities, allocate resources and chart the course of how we will achieve our goals in response to a changing landscape. Fundamentally, the process of strategic planning for NRPA is about who we are, who we serve and why we do what we do.

Fundamentally, the process of strategic planning for NRPA is about who we are, who we serve and why we do what we do.

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A Timeline of Success In prior years, more often than not, NRPA’s strategic planning process looked inward. It was primarily focused on outputs from staff — how many programs we were going to develop, how many grants we were going to make to member agencies, how much training and professional development we would offer, and

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other objectives outlined in NRPA’s annual business plan.

We are proud to say that the association has been very successful in meeting both its strategic plan goals and its business goals during the past three years.

NRPA membership has grown dramatically and now tops 52,000 members with more than 1,000 Premier Agency members. Our budget tops a record-high $19 million per year, and NRPA is bringing in more than $7 million per year in grants, corporate sponsorships and foundation funding, most of which goes directly to the field.

High-quality NRPA research has raised our national visibility and credibility.

The 2016 NRPA Field Report (www.nrpa. org/2016-Field-Report), widely considered the industry’s most comprehensive set of park and recreation agency performance metrics, and NRPA Facility Market Reports (www.nrpa.org/FMR), which combine U.S. Census Bureau data and market research, are allowing agencies to examine detailed information about the communities they serve and benchmark and measure their performance. The Economic Impact of Local Parks report (www.nrpa.org/ parkeconreport) drew national attention in its findings that local parks generate $140 billion in economic activity and support almost 1 million jobs annually.

NRPA’s reach has also grown as proven by the numbers. In FY16 — July

1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 — NRPA’s communications, marketing and public relations efforts had the following impacts: 10,000 NRPA Connect posts; 255,000 total clicks on NRPA newsletters and emails; 73,000 Open Space blog views; 4.3 million Twitter impressions; 2.4 million Facebook impressions; and 1,700 media stories mentioning NRPA with a potential media reach of 3 billion.

Infused throughout our goals for health and wellness and conservation is a deep commitment to social equity.

Preparing for the Future As the association has grown, so too has NRPA’s vision for the future. The goals of fully serving the membership are vitally important to NRPA’s success and will continue to be important priorities. However, our new strategic plan for FY17-19 has a decidedly new focus: To maximize the impact of parks and recreation within the communities our members serve and across our nation as a whole.

The goals of this plan are about impact, rather than processes or services.

We will not just be about measuring services to members, as we have in the past and will continue to do, but we also intend to measure and quantify the power and impact of parks and recreation in the communities we serve, and provide you, our members, the resources needed to

make the greatest impact in your vital work.

Infused throughout our goals for health and wellness and conservation is a deep commitment to social equity. We realize this lattermost of NRPA’s Three Pillars has significant influence over the success of its counterparts. Public parks and recreation serve all people and should do so equitably, but we recognize that there are disparities in how parks and recreation provides services, programs, parks and recreational facilities to communities. We understand the need and responsibility to forthrightly address these disparities and correct them to the extent we are able.

In brief summary, we intend to contribute to more healthy, sustainable and equitable communities during the next three years. Collectively, we will provide 1.5 million people with access to physical activity. We will provide 3 million people with improved nutrition. We will connect 1 million kids to nature and the outdoors, and we will work to help communities implement sustainable practices through parks and recreation. Throughout this effort, we will maintain a focus on reaching underserved people in communities across America.

This year, we laid the groundwork for an individual giving campaign, a new initiative designed to contribute to funding our FY 17-19 strategic plan. You will hear more about this campaign in the coming months and you will begin to see the results as individ-

In brief summary, we intend to contribute to more healthy, sustainable and equitable communities during the next three years. ual and institutional contributions to NRPA make an impact. We intend to strengthen NRPA’s longstanding charitable mission while also benefiting the park and recreation professional.

So, what will be the best outcomes if we are successful? Simply put, you, our members, will have the tools and resources you need to expand the impact of parks and recreation in your community. There will be a greater nationwide awareness of the power of parks in all our lives. Millions of people will become healthier as a result of better nutrition, increased physical activity and better access to park and recreation programs and facilities. One million kids, who otherwise might not have the chance, will connect to nature and the outdoors and our communities will become more sustainable and livable because of parks and recreation.

These are ambitious goals for all of us.

They will only be reached with your help and participation. Every NRPA member has a stake in achieving these goals, and if we are successful, we will be able to take pride in having made our communities and our country a better and more healthful place. Let’s start now.

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NRPA’S 2017-2019

NRPA Update

THE ULTIMATE GOAL Create healthy, sustainable and equitable communities

SOCIAL EQUITY People in underserved communities should have access to programs, facilities, places and spaces that make their lives and communities great. NRPA defines underserved communities as individuals of color and/or those living in poverty or near poverty.

Three-Year Outcomes:

• 4.5 million people in underserved communities will have improved park spaces and programs

CONSERVATION

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Parks and recreation improves the health of communities by increasing access to physical activity opportunities and improving access to healthy foods.

Parks and recreation creates sustainable communities, protects natural resources and open space, and connects people to the benefits of nature and the outdoors.

Three-Year Outcomes:

Three-Year Outcomes:

• 1.5 million people will have increased access to physical activity

• 1 million people with greater connection to nature and the outdoors

• 3 million people will have improved nutrition

• 1,000 communities implementing sustainable practices through parks

DIRECT BENEFITS TO NRPA MEMBERS The programs and funds raised from this three year strategic plan will help support NRPA members in the following key areas:

EDUCATION

GRANT FUNDING

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ADVOCACY

RESEARCH

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COMMUNITY

CASE STUDIES AND BEST PRACTICES

NATIONAL PROMOTION

STRATEGIC PLAN Programs Supporting the Plan Access to Sports: Projects that improve and expand youth sports programs in underserved communities.

Commit to Health: A national campaign to support the implementation of Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards in 2,000 park and recreation sites.

Fighting Childhood Hunger: An initiative that increases the number of healthy meals served through USDA meal programs.

Great Urban Parks Campaign: A national initiative to maximize the social and environmental benefits of green infrastructure in parks in underserved communities.

Grow Your Park: Projects that build or enhance community gardens in underserved communities.

Parks Build Community/Park Improvements: NRPA partners with donors to make improvements to activity spaces (i.e. natural playgrounds, soccer fields, basketball courts).

Parks for Monarchs: An initiative that educates the public, promotes citizen science, and increases habitat conservation for the monarch butterfly.

Park Prescriptions: A national initiative that links the healthcare system and local parks to improve individual health behavior.

Safe Routes to Parks: The national initiative to facilitate safe access to parks for all people.

Wildlife Explorers: A fun nature program for kids who do not have much experience with nature and the outdoors that is operated through recreation centers in urban areas.

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NRPA Update

Barry E. Weiss: His Passion Was ‘Parks Make Life Better!’

Barry E. Weiss

By Jane H. Adams

No profession impacts as many people as parks and recreation. We are the only profession that increases property values and decreases juvenile crime. — Barry E. Weiss Dedicated. Cheerleader. Educator. Mentor. Enthusiastic. Compelling. Passionate. Vibrant. Inspirational. Add to those words cherished, abundant, a gentleman, kind, gracious and an over-achiever and you get a glimpse of the character of Barry E. Weiss, retired parks and recreation director for the city of San Carlos, California, who passed away unexpectedly July 2, 2016. He died in the environment he loved, surrounded by family while on a walk at a Russian River campground his family frequented. Weiss leaves his wife of 45 years, Ann Keltner Weiss; two sons, Michael and Matthew and their families; brothers Steve and Bryan; nieces and nephews; and hundreds of personal and professional friends.

A member of the California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS), Weiss held many positions at the district, section and committee levels before being elected to the state board of directors and serving as Region 2 representative and vice president, president-elect, and president (2004-2005). He was also a member of NRPA, was elected to the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in 2005, and was an active instructor at NRPA’s Director School, serving as a founding trustee. In 2009, Weiss received CPRS’ highest accolade, the Fellowship/Hall of Fame Award.

Born August 30, 1948, in Clarion, Iowa, Weiss entered the park and recreation profession after spending nine years 64 Parks & Recreation

as a high school history and government teacher. His 25-year park and recreation career included stints in agencies in the California cities of Alameda, Oakland, Palo Alto and San Carlos. He led San Carlos to 13 statewide CPRS awards and 14 district awards, including for facility design, park planning, economic development and innovative programming. The Alternative Fund Development Program he implemented in San Carlos, including a new foundation, cutting-edge naming policy and enhanced sponsorships securing private sector funds, was instrumental in the development of several facilities that would not have been possible without that program.

Weiss served as interim director in communities in Northern California after retiring as director at San Carlos in December 2008. Just one month later, he established Barry Weiss and Associates, a park and recreation leadership and funding consultancy. On his LinkedIn profile he stated: “I am clearly still flunking retirement J I recently finished as interim parks and recreation director for Brentwood, California, and continue consulting on private sector funding and other leadership issues for parks and recreation departments.” Weiss was a passionate baseball fan and served as a high school and college baseball coach for more than 30 years.

A highly sought-after spokesperson for parks and recreation, Weiss used CPRS’ VIP Action Plan to positively propel the

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elected officials and general public’s perspective toward parks and recreation. He integrated the plan’s vision, values and mission into the department’s total operation, which resulted in a 20 percent increase in the department’s budget in one year and a 1 percent increase in another when the city reduced the department’s total budget by 12 percent. His enthusiasm and passion for parks and recreation knew no bounds — all you had to do was spend a minute with him and you were “hooked.”

When he received the CPRS Fellowship Award, he was described as “a visionary, a leader and passionate advocate for parks and recreation. Weiss is a reputed leader in the profession, both statewide and nationally, and has campaigned endlessly promoting parks and recreation.”

Funeral services were held July 8 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Pleasanton, California, where the life of this consummate park and recreation professional, who lived by the motto “Creating Community Through People, Parks and Programs,” was celebrated. The Barry Weiss Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established in his honor. If you’d like to make a contribution to this scholarship, contact the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation at 510.465.1850 for information.

Jane H. Adams is the Retired Executive Director of the California Park and Recreation Society.

register now october 5-8, 2016 st. louis, missouri

THE INDUSTRY’S LARGEST TRADE SHOW

NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKER DR. SCOTT SAMPSON

HUNDREDS OF EDUCATION SESSIONS

www.nrpa.org/conference2016

NRPA Update

Supervisors’ Management School Melds Real-World Experience with Classroom Learning

By Charlynne T. Smith, GISP

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n 1991, I was a few years out of school and working my first full-time job in parks.

As a park ranger, I led environmental education programs and served as a law enforcement officer. This range of job duties interfacing with the public, co-workers and seasonal staff, led to experiences I had not previously encountered. Your first job was probably dotted with similar challenges of taking raw knowledge and putting it into action. Developing wisdom. I can’t help but think, “If I knew then, what I know now.” But, upon reflection, our profession constantly responds to changing societal trends that impact our workplace and influence the product we deliver. Such change requires that we, as individuals, examine our approach to challenges, recognize opportunities for innovation and understand our role when navigating the workplace.

Twenty-five years ago a professional development opportunity for aspiring leaders in the field of parks, recreation and leisure services began with the start of the Supervisors’ Management School (SMS).

Sondra Kirsch, faculty member at North Carolina State University, developed the core curriculum with input from practitioners in our field. Prior to that time, she co-authored a textbook on leadership and

The SMS mission is to provide professionals, like you, with the necessary tools to effectively oversee day-to-day operations. supervision and I’m sure was very aware of the need to continue that educational focus once we were out of school and in the workplace. I say “we” because I was one of her students in the NC State classroom. Like you, I took information from the classroom to meet daily workplace challenges. As a park ranger, I supervised seasonal staff, but a greater responsibil66 Parks & Recreation

ity was protecting the public and park resources. I had no direct reports in my early career but certainly filled a role requiring supervisory and leadership skills.

My career path moved from park ranger to historic site manager to where I am today, as a researcher, educator and director of SMS. The idea of professional development through schools such as SMS, and its predecessors the Revenue School and Maintenance Management School, is to provide an opportunity to revisit many of those concepts we learned in the classroom. I’m sure you agree that takes on an entirely new meaning once you are in a position to put concepts into action. The workplace provides context to apply concepts and a network of co-workers to ask questions. Schools provide the opportunity to expand our knowledge by networking with professionals from around the country who may be facing similar challenges. How do they approach coaching a difficult employee? Responding to agency directives? Managing transition of organizational goals? Successfully leading a team of very different people?

SMS is a two-year program designed to provide parks, recreation and public service professionals with a curriculum in three core

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areas: personal development, workforce development and organizational understanding. The learning approach is hands-on.

Our instructors are professionals in the field with demonstrated, successful supervisory experience. They help build the course content based on current practices and with an understanding of what you need to be a successful leader in today’s workplace. The SMS mission is to provide professionals, like you, with the necessary tools to effectively oversee day-to-day operations.

We are faced daily with challenges and opportunities that steer us in new directions, expand our comfort zone and have us seeking innovative solutions. That’s why I love this profession and understand the value of professional development.

In its 25-year history, SMS has produced more than 1,200 graduates from 33 states and two countries. I invite you to join us. Register and learn more at www. nrpa.org/sms.

Charlynne T. Smith, GISP, is a Research Associate in the Center for Geospatial Analytics, College of Natural Resources, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University. Smith is also Director of Supervisors’ Management School and a 2005 SMS Graduate (ctsmith2@ncsu.edu).

KNOWLEDGE

YOU CAN IMMEDIATELY

USE TO

IMPROVE YOUR AGENCY

November 6-10, 2016 Oglebay Resort and Conference Center Wheeling, West Virginia

Regi st er Now, at w w w. n rp a. org /S M S

NRPA Update

Notable News Hot Topics If you haven’t visited NRPA Connect, you are missing out on the opportunity to share ideas, ask questions and browse the knowledge center full of useful resources. Here is a preview of the sizzling hot topics currently under discussion:

1

Exempt employees clocking in and out: Members discuss their policies and the federal law prohibiting the tracking of exempt employees. Advice ranges from different tracking systems to contacting a human resources attorney.

2

Swimsuit attire: While your community tries to beat the heat this August at the local pool, many agencies are wondering how their fellow facilities are defining appropriate swim suit attire. Visit this discussion for examples of what other professionals find acceptable and what they think shouldn’t be allowed.

3

Marketing plan for recreation centers: Looking for examples of marketing plans to use for your recreation center grand opening? Look no further, as your colleagues share some innovative ways they have successfully marketed their grand openings.

4

Security cameras at parks: Participants in this thread discuss installing security cameras in their parks to help stop vandalism.

Visit this topic to read about different options to fit your budget.

Visit www.nrpaconnect.org to join the conversation!

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n This month, Murfreesboro (Tennessee) Parks and Recreation Director Lanny Goodwin said goodbye to the department he’s helped shape for close to three decades. Goodwin, who began his park and recreation career in January 1975, was named assistant director of Murfreesboro Parks in 1988 and parks director in 2008.

During the course of his career, which has spanned the tenure of four mayors and three city managers, he has amassed an impressive number of personal and professional accolades and spearheaded a long list of events, activities and initiatives for the city of Murfreesboro. One of the most notable community features that came to fruition during his tenure is Murfreesboro’s Parks and Greenway system. Under his leadership, Murfreesboro has long been considered one of the state’s top departments, annually garnering awards from the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association. Goodwin is a graduate of the Revenue Sources Management School—North Carolina State University, a graduate of the National Aquatics School—Oklahoma State University, an NRPA Certified Parks and Recreation Professional and served as chairman of NRPA’s Resources Management School. n The city council of Mitchell, Indiana, recently passed an ordinance to create a four-member, mayor-appointed Mitchell Parks and Recreation Board, empowered to “perform all acts necessary to acquire and develop sites and facilities to conduct programs generally understood to be park and recreation functions.” Each member of the board will be selected based on his or her interest in and knowledge of parks and recreation, and one member will serve for one year, another for two years, another for three and so on. As the term for each of the initial board members expires, each new member will then serve

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a four-year term. The board is charged with preparing and submitting an annual budget and overseeing the operation and maintenance of the city parks. n The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Providence, Rhode Island, partnered with the Providence Parks and Recreation Department to help spruce up the Providence Riverwalk, saving the city about $40,000 in labor costs. Department members, residents and business owners put in new cables, sanded and painted railings. “We really need those groups to help us make those public spaces special,” said Wendy Nilsson, superintendent of parks. “It’s our public spaces that really bring our neighborhoods to life and create community and really engage and inspire one another and the parks department can’t do that alone.” The Rhode Island School of Design is also partnering with PPRD to fix up another portion of the Riverwalk. n New York City residents will continue to enjoy free Wi-Fi at 27 locations and 21 parks citywide for five more years, thanks to the extension of a partnership, first launched in 2011, between the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and AT&T. The Wi-Fi in the parks initiative, New York City’s first free public Wi-Fi program, allows smartphone and tablet users to stay connected with more than 8.6 million connections. In 2013, as a result of the loss of power and connection problems following the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, AT&T introduced AT&T Street Charge. The units in this system are solar powered and operate in all weather conditions. Now, 34 AT&T Street Charge units are now located throughout the five boroughs at 15 parks and beaches citywide.

Member Spotlight: Selandria Jackson

S

elandria Jackson wasn’t expecting to end up in the park and recreation field, but, like many of her peers, the Little Rock native succumbed to its siren call while already working on a master’s degree in social work. “In graduate school in Atlanta, while working on my master’s [degree], I was offered a job at the city of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation,” she explains. “And so, here I am, going to school thinking one way (planning to do something in social work), but I’m over here working in parks and rec thinking, ‘This is cool!’ I keep going to school, keep working, but I thought to myself, “Figure out what you want to do,” and parks and recreation won. After I graduated, I get back to Little Rock and the parks and recreation department here says, ‘Hey, come on up here!’ So, I did…and I’m still here!

Almost 20 years later!” As recreation supervisor for Little Rock Parks and Recreation (LRPR) — a title she’s held since 2010 — Jackson has made a significant impact at her agency, including working to implement health initiatives and developing grant proposals to increase her agency’s reach in the community. We asked Jackson to tell us more about her work — below are her insights.

Parks & Recreation magazine: You’ve been active in LRPR’s Commit to Health initiatives — why is programming and education that focuses on the physical and mental well-being of communities important to you and the people you serve?

Selandria Jackson: When I started looking at statistics on Arkansas and found out it’s one of the leading states in childhood obesity, that got my attention. I thought, ‘What could we do?’ [LRPR was] al-

school — as early as 10 a.m. — so when we get them at 3 p.m. they are HUNGRY! Offering a healthy meal really helped out!

P&R: You’ve also been instrumental in the implementation of a 2015 NRPA out-of-school-time feeding program grant — what impact has this had on LRPR’s ability to feed more people?

Jackson: We purchased food warmers and grills, and I was able to get our Therapeutic Recreation Center a grill. Now,

When I started looking at statistics on Arkansas and found out it’s one of the leading states in childhood obesity, that got my attention. ready doing athletics — I did research and found out about the healthy eating component we could offer through the afterschool meals. LRPR partnered with another local agency and started offering healthy meals and snacks. Our parents were so excited for healthy meals for their children, too! The kids eat lunch early at

they’re able to have their events and parties and grill! With the warmers, the foods can stay at the right temperatures.

We were also able to expand the feeding program and offer more meals to others in the community. Now, more people get to take advantage of our meal program!

P&R: Your educational background is in social work — how does that training inform and support your work as a recreation supervisor?

Jackson: I think my degree is very important to what I do because I am able to relate to people very well. I see, on a personal level, what’s really going on when staff members bring something to me. Issues that might be deeper than just “coming to work.”

P&R: What’s one of the greatest challenges in your role as LRPR recreation supervisor?

Jackson: Funding. Funding for programs limits us. Budgeting is No. 1.

P&R: What is one of your greatest professional successes?

Jackson: I think one of my accomplishments I’m proud of is getting these grants!

In the last two or three years, I was able to help secure more than $200,000 worth of grant money for our department.

— Samantha Bartram, Executive Director of Parks & Recreation magazine

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NRPA Update

Embracing Access and Inclusion to Succeed

T

he Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a complex piece of legislation.

The Department of Justice Title II regulation is not as clear as many agencies would like, and design standards still don’t exist for some park assets, such as beaches and trails.

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(which agencies must do under ADA Title II), then the cost is staff time and the modification, whether to a park or to a policy. Wait, get sued and lose in court, and the results can be compounded. For example, if a systemwide access audit costs $30,000 and making retrofits cost another $2 million, you can plan when and how to make this happen. Lose in court, though, and your options are gone.

You still must spend $30,000 for an access audit, and you’ll still have $2 million in retrofit work. But now you’ll pay for your own legal fees and the legal fees of the person who brought the complaint. There are decisions where legal fees alone have been north of $3 million.

The smart practice is for agencies to be accessible and inclusive voluntarily before they are forced to do it. Agencies that embrace access and inclusion are more likely to succeed at access and inclusion.

To help, NRPA has partnered with Recreation Accessibility Consultants, LLC to provide NRPA Premier members with the following benefits: • A 10 percent discount on all accessibility audits and services • For those projects costing an NRPA Premier member $100,000 or more, an additional 1 percent discount will be provided per $25,000, up to a maximum of 15 percent Have a question about your member benefit? Contact Hayley Herzing at hherzing@nrpa.org. Need to know more about the ADA? Reach John McGovern at john.mcgovern @rac-llc.com.

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Test Your Park and Recreation Knowledge The following question is a sample Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) examination question.

Consider the following structured interview question, “What is your work history?” This question best represents which of the following interview types: A. Situational B. Competency C. Biographical D. Behavioral Calling all beginning to mid-level professionals! The Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) is the national standard for all park and recreation professionals who want to be at the forefront of their profession. For more information on the CPRP certification program, please visit www.nrpa.org/cprp.

Answer: C

When making a reasonable modification is a close call to you and your team, ask yourself two questions: “What harm comes from saying yes, even if the person truly doesn’t need this modification?” Now ask, “What harm comes from denying this request, if the person making the request is entitled to the modification?” In the first question, you have provided great customer service. In the second question, you exposed your agency and yourself to liability for failing to comply with the ADA. Which course is better for your agency, yourself and the people you serve?

Everyone wants to quantify compliance — that is hard to do because of the variables, but, the basic formula is simple. If your agency seeks compliance voluntarily

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.

NRPA ONLINE LEARNING HAS IT ALL

SCHOOLS AND CONFERENCES

This summer NRPA will host a full schedule of webinars on topics ranging from advocacy to how augmented reality gaming — specifically, phenomenon like Pokémon Go — are influencing the use of parks and open public spaces. Webinars are not the only online professional development opportunities available — NRPA also provides a catalog of online courses and archived webinars that offer CEUs! Whether you are looking for last-minute credit opportunities for the upcoming certification renewal period or simply wish to gain insight on a topic of particular interest, take a moment to check out what we have to offer: www.nrpa.org/online-learning.

NRPA Conferences and Schools are forums where the park and recreation community comes together to exchange ideas and information. Register now for these upcoming events. All NRPA Schools are held at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, unless otherwise indicated.

11-13 12-14 12-14 19-21 25-27 26-28 31-Nov. 2

Cerritos, California Shelbyville, Kentucky Camillus, New York Grand Rapids, Michigan Phoenix, Arizona Verona, New Jersey Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

2-4 2-4 8-10 9-11 29-Dec.1

Lexington, South Carolina North Salt Lake, Utah Liberty, Missouri San Angelo, Texas Everett, Washington

www.nrpa.org/CPSI

January 15-20, 2017

January 29 - February 3, 2017

March 12-17, 2017

www.nrpa.org/education

AFO PROGRAM The Aquatic Facility Operator (AFO) certification is a state-of-the-art certification for pool operators and aquatic facility managers.

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November 6-10, 2016

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OCT

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October 5-8, 2016 - St. Louis, MO

3-4 9-10 14-16 20-21

St. Louis, Missouri New Orleans, Louisiana Cheney, Washington Lake Crystal, Minnesota

www.nrpa.org/AFO

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Operations Water Polo: A Revenue Generating Opportunity

By Felix Mercado

A

s we approach the Rio Olympics, water polo will once again be in the spotlight, giving a boost to local interest in the sport. But those who become intrigued with the sport after seeing it on television aren’t prepared for the amount of work water polo requires. As youth sports go, there are few opportunities that guarantee a tired and happy child. So, you watched the USA’s water polo team during the Olympics, and you want to start a team at your local pool.

Doing so can be great for your community and for your pool’s bottom line, but how do you begin?

Getting Started To start a new water polo club, go to www.USAwaterpolo.org to register your new team. There, you can find other local teams, see when tournaments and leagues are happening, get ideas for practice and find the gear you need to get your team started. It is also a good

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idea to look into and acquire insurance to cover practices.

If you are starting a new water polo program, your first sign-ups will likely come from kids who are already on a swim team at your facility or are participating in swimming lessons. Swimming is a part of water polo, so to ensure kids

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are safe during practice, most clubs ask that they be able to swim 75 yards and tread water for 5-10 minutes without a break. Six players and a goalie are needed for each team, but you can get started with only three or four kids. Word will spread, especially if you market the new club at local pools, on social media and through the local newspaper!

What You’ll Need You’ve registered your team and found interested players. Now, you’ll need coaches and equipment. For the former, ask your swim team coaches or the swim team parents. Many parents have their kids in swimming because they participated in aquatics when they were kids, and, chances are, some of them played water polo as well. You can also find people with water polo experience, who would be willing to help with skills and drills, on social media or through the local newspapers. Often, they will volunteer their time. Continue to encourage parents to participate, as they can help collect dues and send communications to the team. The better the team experience, the more your players will talk about the team to their friends. It’s the best way to grow your team!

In addition to the pool, water polo balls are the other important piece of equipment needed to begin a program.

They typically cost about $28 to $30, and you should only need four or five to get started (save one as your game ball).

Makeshift goals can be made on-site with two chairs or two cones, one on either side of the pool and a net. If you have

the budget to buy new goals, there is a variety to choose from — some hang on the wall, some float in the pool and some are soft and inflatable. Goals typically cost around $1,250 and the nets need to be replaced every two to three years at a cost of $250. Whatever your budget, a lack of goals should not be an obstacle to getting started. You will also need water polo caps when you begin to play games — they protect and identify the players.

As your club grows, you can buy weight belts, heavy balls, water jugs and other training equipment. Remember, the pool is your best piece of training equipment — as long as there is water you have a place to train!

Funding Dues were mentioned earlier and, in order to have a viable program, you’ll need to include them as a condition of participation. Along with the equipment, you’ll need to include the cost of lifeguards and, if you’re unable to find volunteers, coaches. Usually, one coach can safely watch 15-20 players, but use both your and the coach’s judgement. Look at what to charge on a per-lane basis as a guideline in determining dues. Also

look at what other sports teams in your area, such as lacrosse or volleyball, are charging. To help defray the cost, consider holding fundraising events (e.g., car

About USA Water Polo USA Water Polo Inc. is a nonprofit organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) as the national governing body for the sport of water polo in the United States.

USA Water Polo oversees our Olympic water polo program, including senior, junior, youth and cadet national teams, as well as 20 different championship events annually, including the Junior Olympics, the U.S. Open of Water Polo and the Masters National Championships. USA Water Polo is committed to the development and promotion of the sport throughout the United States and to providing the best possible experience for all participants. It fosters grassroots expansion of the sport, providing a national system of affiliated clubs and leagues, certified coaches and officials, educational materials and background screenings, as well as developing programmatic materials and undertaking initiatives to generate greater awareness of the sport. To learn more or to take advantage of USA Water Polo’s available resources, visit www.usawaterpolo.org.

washes and/or candy sales) or hosting water polo events, including games or tournaments, clinics or camps, or league nights and incorporating concessions to raise money.

If a pool is only part of your business model, including water polo could be a welcome addition to your member’s overall fitness routine and a way to generate more revenue. You might even consider adding diving, synchronized swimming and underwater hockey. Once someone is interested in aquatics, and they know they have a safe place where they can vary their workouts and bring their kids to do the same, you will have lifetime members.

Felix Mercado is the Head Coach, Men’s and Women’s Water Polo, at Brown University and President of the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (felix_mercado@brown.edu).

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Operations

Park and Rec’s Software Conundrum

By Jean Thilmany

S

hopping for reservation management software can be overwhelming. Asking park and recreation directors for feedback and keeping some basic tips in mind has helped one director streamline the decision-making process.

Today, residents of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, register for park and recreation programs either in-person at the local recreation center or through the mail, says Bobbi White, director of the Elizabeth City-Pasquotank County Parks and Recreation Department. They use the same in-person or by-mail method to reserve park space and buildings.

“We don’t have any type of software that can be used to take reservations over the internet,” she says. “And we don’t take credit cards.

“In fact, we’re lucky to have the internet in our area at all,” she jokes.

But, residents may not have to post an envelope or come down to the recreation center to register for much longer. If the Elizabeth City Council approves a proposed appropriation for park and recreation registration software, rollout of the new technology could begin as early as September or October of this year, White says.

Those presently on the table in White’s department are Active Net, PerfectMind, and EZFacility. At the start of her investigation, White encountered challenges when attempting to get a holistic view of each program’s pros and cons.

“Of course you’ll hear how well they work. But I need to hear the drawbacks too,” White says.

Active Net, itself a maker of parks and recreation management software, suggests directors keep a few simple things in mind when shopping for software: • Begin by making a list of required reporting functionalities and other features, such as point-of-sale capabilities.

• Ensure the software can grow with the department and includes features the department might use down the line.

• Consider the costs of implementation and its attendant hassles. Are those costs included in estimates?

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• Ask for referrals and feedback from users.

Directors should also weigh the costs and benefits of buying the software outright (customer service is usually included) or purchasing a cloud-based system. Usually cloud-based software costs recur monthly.

Keeping in mind the edict to ask for feedback, White reached out to other park and recreation directors to garner opinions and specifics. White says she found the feedback useful.

For the past four years, the Dayton, Ohio, Park and Recreation Department has used RecTrac, from Vermont Systems. The software tool was specifically created for the park and recreation industry, says Bobbi Beyer, the department’s recreation facility specialist.

Dayton relies on its system for class registration, class membership, league management and facility rentals. RecTrac allows staff members to print finance and statistical reports, as well as custom-created reports. Reports can be formatted as graphs, pie charts or in other forms so they can be easily understood, according to a company statement.

“We generate site-use reports and we use the report feature when applying for grants. We might need to find out how many nonprofit groups use our rental facilities, for example,” Beyer says.

Dayton’s former system didn’t include a point-of-sale feature, which the department needed for concession areas and

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golf-shop rentals. Bayer says the department’s current software includes touchscreen keyboards and a mouse option.

Meanwhile, Marana Parks and Rec department in Marana, Arizona, moved to Active Net 12 years ago. Six years ago, the department’s business coordinator pushed the agency to make use of all the tool’s capabilities. The department had been manually compiling reports by pulling numbers from various databases and buying ads and placing flyers. The tool’s central reporting features have saved time and money — its social media integration and communication tools cut by $8,500 the annual advertising budget and saved department staff 10 hours per week says Corey Larriva, Marana’s business coordinator.

Back in Elizabeth City, White continues to seek feedback and is keeping buyers’ tips in mind as she organizes her search and weighs implementation of new recreation management software.

Still, when registration time rolls around in the not-too-distant future, it’s likely the residents served by Elizabeth City Parks and Recreation will no longer need to stamp their envelopes or register in person, she adds.

Jean Thilmany is a St. Paul, Minnesota-based freelance writer (thilmanyj@gmail.com).

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SportsPlay Equipment, Inc., announced that it has acquired the JennSwing® and the Cubby® ADA swing seats from Deanna M. Johnson, the founder, developer and inventor of these well-respected playground products for those with physical disabilities. The Original JennSwing® swing seat and the slightly smaller, similar JennSwing® II: The Cubby are both designed to help meet ADA guidelines for playground equipment in public recreation. The seats are a partially reclined, body-embracing style, complete with an adjustable safety harness and provide a safe, highly comfortable, fun ride on the swings for children with physical disabilities. SPORTSPLAY, 800.727.8180, WWW. SPORTSPLAYINC.COM

Eaton’s Ephesus All Field Series, available in 750- and 550-watt models, provides schools, parks and municipalities with a high-quality, cost-effective, versatile and controllable outdoor LED sports lighting solution.

Engineered to satisfy clients’ specific needs, its low weight and low Effective Projected Area (EPA) make it the first LED fixture designed to easily retrofit into existing sports lighting infrastructure. Additionally, the self-contained electrical junction box and easily deployed lighting control system dramatically reduce installation costs.

The enhanced engineered optics efficiently deliver uniform light on the field to significantly reduce unwanted light spill and sky glow.

EPHESUS, 315.579.2873, WWW.EPHESUSLIGHTING. COM

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PARK AND RECREATION CROWDFUNDING PROJECTS ARE LIVE NOW Donate to your favorite project and learn more at www.nrpa.org/FundYourPark

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Check the product(s)/company(ies) that you would like information from: AQUATICS Aquatic Access................................43 800.325.LIFT www.aquaticaccess.com ATHLETIC/EXERCISE EQUIPMENT Go Ape.............................................77 415.553.0769 www.goape.com Greenfields Outdoor Fitness....... 2, 3 888.315.9037 www.greenfieldsfitness.com Scoremaster....................................78 888.726.7627 www.scoremaster.com Soccer5®USA...................................25 305.393.5230 www.soccer5usa.com TriActive America...........................23 800.587.4228 www.triactiveamerica.com BLEACHERS/ SEATING Kay Park Recreation.......................78 800.553.2476 www.kaypark.com Polly Products................................... 9 877.609.2243 www.pollyproducts.com BUILDINGS/TENTS/SHELTERS

Easi-Set Buildings...........................77 866.252.8210 www.easisetbuildings.com Shade Systems™ Inc......................... 1 800.609.6066 www.shadesystemsinc.com/sails BUSINESS SERVICES/ CONSULTANTS/CONTRACTORS Accessibility Consultation .............76 and Training Services 630.303.3677 www.actservices.us PARK PRODUCTS/SERVICES Dogipot.....................................13, 76 800.364.7681 www.dogipot.com Gyms for Dogs—Natural Dog Park Products..........................77 800.931.1562 www.gymsfordogs.com Most Dependable Fountains.........C2 800.552.6331 www.mostdependable.com National Construction Rental........78 800.352.5675 www.rentnational.com Pilot Rock®......................................21 800.762.5002 www.pilotrock.com

PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT Cemer® Playground & Fitness.......... 5 +90.232.853.87.04 www.cemer.com.tr Landscape Structures®...................C3 888.438.6574 www.playlsi.com Play & Park Structures®..................C4 800.727.1907 www.playandpark.com PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS Banners.com...................................76 320.965.9300 www.banners.com SIGNS/SCOREBOARDS Berntsen .........................................76 877.686.8565 www.berntsen.com SURFACING SofSurfaces....................................... 7 800.263.2363 www.sofsurfaces.com

Mail the completed form to Dana Storm at NRPA, 22377 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, VA 20148-4501 or email to dstorm@nrpa.org.

(ISSN 0031-2215) is published monthly by the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148, a service organization supported by membership dues and voluntary contributions. Copyright ©2016 by the National Recreation and Park Association. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of NRPA. Issued to members at the annual subscription price of $30, included in dues. Subscription: $36 a year in the U.S.; $46 elsewhere. Single copy price: $4.50. Library rate: $48 a year in the U.S.; $58 elsewhere. Periodical postage paid at Ashburn, Virginia, and at additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices at 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148. 703.858.0784. Postmaster, send address changes to Parks & Recreation, 22377 Belmont Ridge Rd., Ashburn, VA 20148.

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Parks & Recreation

79

Park Bench

Urban Agriculture To get the community more involved in agriculture and gardening, the city of St. Cloud, Florida, Parks and Recreation Department, started a program in the fall of 2010 with its first garden planted behind city hall. Soon, there were two more gardens — one in Peg Horn Nature Park and the other in Hopkins Park. These gardens have led to programs, such as the homestead picnic and a garden party, which foster community and bring together hundreds of city residents. According to Jacqueline Dombrovy, the St. Cloud Parks and Recreation naturalist who is responsible for the initiative’s great success, the Urban Agriculture Program has done a lot of good for the community: “The city was dealing with a house that had been involved in criminal activity…58 police calls in one year. The house was purchased by the city, which at the time decided to demolish the home and do something with it. A parking garage was the first thought and a community garden was the second, and the community garden won. Before construction was even finished, there was a waiting list for the community garden.”

One of the Urban Agriculture Program’s latest projects is a Tower Garden that was installed in city hall by the department. The pre-built Tower Garden is from a company called Juice Plus and was designed by a man who previously worked for Disney in its Epcot theme park, in the “Future World” pavilion called The Land. This is where Disney hosts its agriculture program. The Tower Garden is an aeroponics system that uses an air and water environment, instead of soil, to grow vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs.

The structure is a tall tube in which the plants’ roots rest in small cups located within the tube, with the plant growing on the outside.

Every 15 minutes, nutrient-rich water is released, keeping the plants well fed without the use of soil. This system allows for plants to be grown indoors, keeping them safe from insects and disease, as well as for allowing them to be grown at any time during the year.

Dombrovy added that the city plans on constructing even more Tower Gardens. “Hopefully the program continues to spread and gets the community involved,” she said. For more information about the Urban Agriculture Program, visit www.stcloud.org.

—Nicolas Amselle, Editorial Contributor to Parks & Recreation magazine

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PARKS&RECREATION AUGUST 2016 ◆ NPS 100TH ANNIVERSARY ◆ RECREATION AND THE ADA ◆ 2016 NRPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE EDUCATION