Parks & Recreation back issues from August 2006:
Perspectives: the two most boring words? Strategic planning is necessary for success.(National Recreation and Park Association)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Like most people, I used to think the words strategic planning" were among the two most boring in the English language. Then, something happened to change my mind. While serving in the environmental and health department of an association representing the paper and forest ...
Citizen stories.(The Write Stuff)(Letter to the editor)
Aug 01, 2006; ... I recently joined NRPA as a citizen member, and received my first issue of Parks & Recreation in May, and was delighted to find an articleof immediate use to us in our community: "Designing Against Crime." My community Keizer, Ore., is in the planning process for a ...
Dogpark education needed.(The Write Stuff)(Letter to the editor)
Aug 01, 2006; ... My partner went for a routine jog yesterday, and was attacked by a dog off-leash. The owner, a woman, could not control her dog. My partner is luckily fine and fortunately did not need emergency care. She was badly bruised, had minor bite marks, was extremely shaken up and came home in ...
Parks & Recreation is a resource.(The Write Stuff)(Letter to the editor)
Aug 01, 2006; ... I am a student member of NRPA and receive Parks & Recreation magazine occasionally. I am very impressed with the magazine and the articles I have read since joining. The magazine has been an excellent ...
From the editor: serving your users.(Editorial)
Aug 01, 2006; ... Although the park and recreation field shares many attributes with other community services, its outreach to citizens is unique. Parks and recreation has the capacity to touch every person, whether a small child or aging adult, whether a new or life-long community member. In ...
Leave it better: finding a link: a new 41-mile trail brings together Fairfax County, Va., connecting local parks along the way.(Fairfax County Park Authority )
Aug 01, 2006 ... Project: Cross-County Trail, Fairfax County, Va. Background: Fairfax County is a booming metropolis of more than a million residents, shadowed by the nation's capital to the north. Despite its fast-growing population with a hunger for development, the ...
Advocacy update: winning by losing: Texas Recreation and Park Account proves that success and failure are not always black and white.(Texas Recreation and Park Account )
Aug 01, 2006; ... As passionate advocates for parks and recreation, we sometimes tend to frame our issues in black and white. We describe the results of our efforts as "victories" or "defeats." This win-or-lose labeling works most of the time, but there is also an entirely different way to look at the ...
Playbook: the art of presenting: giving a presentation doesn't have to be hard--follow these steps to success.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Whether in front of coworkers or city council members, for many, the thought of giving a presentation or facilitating a meeting ranks somewhere in the neighborhood of having a root canal. Fortunately, that doesn't have to be the case. There are techniques that anyone can leverage to make a ...
TPL releases urban study results.(Trust of Public Land)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... On the heels of May's Urban Park and Recreation Summit, the Trust of Public Land, one of the cooperating groups of the event, released a study of urban park systems that found that the 56 largest cities in the United States have a combined total of 745,000 acres of parkland. In ...
Parks plan pleases conservationists.(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The new U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced a revised draft of national park management policies that has pleased environmentalists because of its consideration for natural resource conservation. The draft replaces a previous version that catered to attracting ...
South Carolina breaks new park ground.(Hard Rock Park )(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and Chad Prosser, director of the state's Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, broke ground July 13 on what will be the largest tourism investment in South Carolina. Hard Rock Park will be built ...
State Park to undergo archaeological excavation.(Donner Memorial State Park )(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The Donner Memorial State Park in California will undergo an archaeological investigation beginning in August, prior to the construction of a new museum. The excavation is meant to provide a survey of the land to ensure that cultural resources won't be harmed with the ...
New York State Park celebrates centennial.(Tip-Off: NEWS FROM THE FIELD)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Watkins Glen State Park, home to Glen Gorge, celebrated its 100th anniversary as a state park with a gathering of state and local officials in June. The park has become a major attraction in the Finger Lakes region, bringing in more than half a million visitors every year. The ...
National Trails Symposium to be held in Iowa.(Tip-Off: NEWS FROM THE FIELD)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The Iowa Quad Cities area will host the 18th National Trails Symposium on Oct. 19-22 at the RiverCenter in Davenport. The symposium, sponsored by American Trails, will address motorized and non-motorized trail issues. Gil Penalosa, president of Walk & Bike For Life, is scheduled ...
Conservation projects sponsored in Colorado.(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The Southwest Conservation Corps (SCC), a nonprofit conservation organization, has raised more than $330,000 for sponsorship of summer projects for youth throughout the Southwest. Projects include trail work in San Juan National Forest and restoring 20 acres of the ...
Community clears Virginia trail.(National Trails Day )(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Volunteer groups in Charlottesville, Va., came together on National Trails Day to clear the forested side of McIntire Park for several miles of trails. The coordinated effort involved rescuing native plants, clearing miles of trails, creating stream crossings and cleaning half a ...
Kids design memorial playground.(P.S. 217 playground)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Students at the Brooklyn, N.Y., P.S. 217 school saw the fruits of their labor on June 20 when the playground they designed was dedicated in honor of a fallen community police officer. The P.S. 217 playground was a joint effort between the students and the City Spaces program of ...
Young Americans are active outdoors.(Outdoor Recreation Participation Study)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The Outdoor Industry Foundation (OIF) recently released its Outdoor Recreation Participation Study, which indicated that 72 percent of Americans between the ages of 16 to 22 participate in some type of outdoor recreation. The OIF report also found that of 22 outdoor activities, ...
Research update: the joystick generation: video games have measurable social effects on adolescents.
Aug 01, 2006; ... The potentially negative effects of video games have received tremendous amounts of attention in recent years. Following violent acts by children supposedly influenced by violent video games, laws were enacted to prevent children from purchasing such games in Indianapolis, Ind., and St ....
Staying afloat: in changing times, a water facility management tool keeps operations from sinking.(Cover story)
Aug 01, 2006; ... The Auburn State Recreation Area in California, and its famed Middle Fork and North Fork of the American River has prime whitewater rafting areas and is also home to facilities for camping, hiking, swimming, boating and fishing. But the popularity of the area and its diverse uses has ...
Taking it to the street: is your skatepark really meeting the needs of your community's skaters? Take a look at a new street skating design.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Perhaps you've seen a situation like this in your community: skateboarders run amok in the streets, causing property owners, citizens and parents to storm city hall clamoring for a solution. Laws are passed, steep fines levied and city employees are directed to defile prominent landmarks ...
What's in a name? How your public park can secure naming rights for facilities.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Upon arriving as the new director of Recreation and Parks for the City of Bakersfield, Calif., City Manager Alan Tandy expressed his excitement to me about a new park being built that would be the largest in the city. The park included a 7,000-seat amphitheater, among many other features ....
Making perfect cents: one city tries three new approaches to overcome park development problems without breaking the bank.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Imagine a city with a need for safe parks but only limited resources. While many departments would have shied away from bringing up a park with little funding, the City of Tigard, Ore., got creative. Local park providers everywhere face a chronic lack of adequate resources for ...
A playground for the ages: playground design is becoming more targeted to appeal to specific age groups.
Aug 01, 2006; ... Long after we've outgrown them, playgrounds resonate with us. They're where we met our first buddies, bullies and rivals. And they're where, scrambling between the cold metal swings, the peeling wooden slides, the unyielding "monkey bars" and the late, lamented seesaw, we learned how to ...
Congress endorses National Youth Sports Week.
Aug 01, 2006 ... After agreeing to co-chair the Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports in May with NRPA playing a supporting role, Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) continued his efforts to support youth sports across the country. In June, McIntyre brought a National Youth Sports Week Resolution to the full House ...
USTA serves up recreation for the heart.(United States Tennis Association)
Aug 01, 2006 ... For the millions of overweight and unfit Americans who regularly start workout programs and lose interest after a few weeks, tennis can be just what the personal trainer ordered. Whether the goal is developing a fitness regimen for your child; lowering your blood pressure; or ...
Accreditation excellence: Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.(ASSOCIATION NEWS)
Aug 01, 2006; ... This is the fourth in a quarterly series spotlighting stories of achievement from accredited agencies. These spotlights will show the importance accreditation is making in many communities. For information on accreditation, contact Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro at (703) 858-2147 or ...
Recreation professor retires.(Leo McAvoy)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Dr. Leo McAvoy has officially retired from the University of Minnesota after 33 years of service. McAvoy was employed with the University of Minnesota since 1973, and was head of the division for Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies from 1989-1994 and Recreation and Sport Studies from ...
Bolingbrook dancer wins national honor.(Joe Fields)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The Bolingbrook, Ill., dance team has one more reason to have happy feet--one of their own, 14-year-old Joe Fields, was chosen as Chicago's "most well-rounded dancer of the year." As a member of Bolingbrook's team Danceforce, Fields was chosen from 1,200 ...
Agency makes USTA history.(United States Tennis Association)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... In the Florida public parks realm, the city of Boca Raton is certainly shining. During the past 17 years, three public facilities in the Boca area have been highlighted through the USTA Public Facility Awards Program. Most impressive, however, is the fact that nationally, Boca Raton is the ...
Playground pioneer recognized.(2006 Margaret Dana Award)(Brief article)
Aug 01, 2006 ... NRPA Member Fran Wallach received the 2006 Margaret Dana Award, the highest award given by ASTM International Committee F15 on Consumer Products to an individual who has made the most outstanding contributions to the advancement of voluntary standards for consumer safety products. ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
Aug 01, 2006 ... In June issue's feature story titled "ID Required," the town of ...
Mark your calendars.(Brief article)(Calendar)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Sept. 7-10 National Institute on Recreation Inclusion, Groton, Conn. Sept. 10-14 Reitz Marketing and Revenue Sources Management School, La Jolla, Calif. Oct. 10-14 NRPA Congress & Exposition Seattle, Wash. National Playground Safety Institute Course ...
Trailblazers: from whitewater to the white house: outdoorsman Hal Haskell provides insight into leadership.(PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Name: Harry "Hal" G. Haskell, Jr. Title: Chairman, Dynamy, Inc.; Director, Inertial Motors Corp.; President, University of Delaware Research Foundation Member since: 1970 Anyone who knows Hal Haskell knows that he's a jack of all trades. Much of that ...
School of rock.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Bouldering is increasing in popularity, and with Playworld Systems' Climbing Boulders, the sport can come to any park or recreation area. Designed to look and feel like real rock, Climbing Boulders give children the experience of climbing actual boulders in a safer setting. The realistic ...
Keeping cool under a canopy.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Shade Systems' versatile Shade Kites are perfect for poolside or water play settings, providing more than 91 percent UV-ray protection and keeping users cool. The Turn-N-Slide[R] easy canopy removal and re-attachment system is built right in, allowing park personnel to handle their own ...
Sliding steep.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Park Structures knows that playground surfacing can get expensive, but it is essential to make any playground safe. Park Structures' new family of slides features a steeper angle and shorter overall length eliminating the need for excess surfacing, putting more funds in your pocket for ...
Under control.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... BioParkPass is a seasonal pass system that automates the process of verifying season pass holders. Using biometrics, BioParkPass provides I00 percent verification of identity within seconds, eliminating fraud and providing an excellent return on investment. Automated ticketing and ...
Light it right.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... In response to the increasing demand for a higher-wattage area lighting, Ruud Lighting has created the AeroDome[TM], a 1000-watt area light with the performance, quality, ease of installation and pricing that make it a Ruud product. The high-impact, clear tempered glass lens secured to the ...
Escape with Xscape.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Xscape is a new type of playground equipment that is revolutionizing the way children play. Its sleek, modern design compliments any environment. Add an Xscape to your play area and watch kids discover the benefits, including configurations resulting in original play patterns, allowing ...
Durable decking.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Weyerhaeuser ChoiceDek[R] decking and railing is ideal for decks, docks, ramps and walkways. Its unique combination of natural wood fibers encased in polyethylene makes it resistant to moisture, insects and ...
Defibrillator on-call.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Code Blue Corporation introduces the CB1 freestanding communication unit with an integrated Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The CB 1SA offers all the benefits of the standard unit plus ready access to an AED contained within its climate-controlled compartment. Until now, AEDs could ...
Bring the outside in.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Engineered for sport and recreation facilities, the UES Sporthall[TM] provides the perfect structural solution for bringing an outdoor game or activity into an indoor environment. Sporthall's[TM] aesthetically pleasing design, retractable wall systems and translucent roof create a ...
The thrill of grill.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Most Dependable Fountains is proud to introduce its new line of MDF Barbeque Grills: BBQ-1, BBQ-2, BBQ-3 and BBQ Wall Mount. Designed with maximum strength and quality, a standard with Most Dependable Fountains, these grills bring new outstanding features found only on this line of grills ....
Wave hello to shade.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Sun Ports provides a unique and contemporary look with joined Cantilever Wave structures at a height of 14 feet and spanning 90 feet. The Waves, which were designed to wrap around a grass berm overlooking the splash ...
Sound ground.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... Surface America leads offers three state-of-the-art playground surfacing systems. PlayBound[TM] Poured-in-Place, PlayBound Tile and PlayBound TurfTop[TM] are designed with a resilient shock pad and rubber infill, providing optimal shock absorption. By using the best materials, Surface ...
Knock one out of the park.(Product Roundup: NEWS FROM OUR SUPPLIERS)
Aug 01, 2006 ... The video "Hitting Drills & Techniques" provides some of the most creative hitting drills and techniques for the youth baseball player, including a comprehensive breakdown of how to swing. Coach Marty Schupak has compiled some of the most productive and useful drills he has used over his ...
Picture this: fish out of water.(TAKE A CLOSER LOOK)
Aug 01, 2006 ... 1920s A swimmer stands beside a car advertising the Playgrounds ...