This-N-That
Cub Cadet Gets ‘Best Buy’ Praise
In the March issue of Consumers Digest, the Cub Cadet RZT S 42 4-Wheel Steer Zero-Turn Rider was named as a Best Buy in the zero-turn-radius riding lawn mower product category. According to the publication, the Best Buy designation is only applied to those products that deliver exceptional value--a rating reserved for fewer than three percent of the competing models in any given product category.
GCBAA Names Officers
Kurt Huseman of Landscapes Unlimited was named The Golf Course Builders Association of America’s board president at a meeting earlier this year. Additional positions filled included:
• Rick Boylan, president elect, Mid-America Golf and Landscape Inc.
• Dennis Wagner, vice president, Ewing Irrigation
• Ellen Davis, secretary, Waupaca Sand & Solutions-SportZmix Solutions
• Scott Veazey, treasurer, Southeastern Golf Inc.
App Aids Exploration of National Parks
Washington, D.C.--Planning a trip to a national park? Want to keep a “life list” of the parks you visit? Meet your new favorite app. It provides links to all 397 national park websites for quick access to trip planning. It also allows users to keep track of the parks they visit and add photos and descriptions of the trip. You can also make a wish list of parks to check out. Every park on your list gets a red push pin on the app map. It is a free download at the iTunes store and is currently available for iPhones and iPads. An Android version will be added later, as will additional features.
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Field Notes
Jacobsen, a manufacturer of turf equipment, announces Jason Moore has joined the company as Territory Sales Manager. He will be responsible for supporting dealers and customers in the south Florida region.
Haviland Pool & Spa Products is expanding its coverage of the Midwest with the addition of Regional Sales Manager John Bokor. Bokor will focus on dealer and distributor support, with emphasis on servicing retailers.
Hayward Commercial Pool Products promoted Diego Gutierrez to the position of mid-Atlantic territory sales manager for the Commercial Pool Products business.
Palintest appointed Nancy Hatley and Erin Post as its new sales managers for the western and eastern US regions.
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Word On The Web
Erie MetroParks: We are thinking about doing this! I am definitely going to check out the article! (“Family Fun To Serious Sport," PRB March 2012)
Double-Sided Argument Limits Roster
Nice article about girls not being eligible to play boys football, but I see the issue as two-directional (“Girls Deserve Better,” PRB Jan. 2012). I have yet to find a youth-volleyball league that allows boys to play whether it is “select” parks and recreation, or a school district. At my area junior high, girls are allowed to wrestle and play football, while the boys cannot play either soccer or volleyball. I know the whole Title 9 issue, but counting the numbers is not the solution. Getting our youth to participate in any sport is a good thing and one that we (as adults) should not limit access to.
Daryl Faber
Auburn, Wash.
Wake Up To Wellness
I just read your inspiring article from the January 2012 issue of PRB (“Become A Moral Compass”).
I recently experienced a “wake-up” call to a much lesser degree than yours--but a call just the same. I am trying to be more diligent about what I eat, getting more exercise and taking better care of myself. Thank you for your inspiration.
Alan Bleam
Director of Public Works
Plumstead Township, Penn.
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Who Doesn’t Need More Money?
What do cities need most? Money. Through a partnership with Dr Pepper Snapple Group, KaBOOM! has grants ranging from $750-$30,000 to help communities build, improve and open playgrounds. This is part of a $15 million, three-year commitment through the Let’s Play initiative, designed to build or fix up 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated five-million children across North America. For more information, visit www.kaboom.org .
Turface Issues ‘Field of Year’ Award
Buffalo Grove, Ill.--Turface Athletics honored Jesuit High School’s Paul Straub Field at Hyer Family Park in Tampa, Fla., as the Baseball Coaches Association “National Field of the Year.” The 500-seat stadium opened last season and includes covered batting cages, a training room, separate junior-varsity and varsity locker rooms, individual showers and a trophy hall. For more information call (800) 207-6457, or visit www.turface.com .
From Adventure Playgrounds To Zoos
Look to the Play & Playground Encyclopedia for a broad range of topics in play and playgrounds including organizations, companies, and people who have contributed to the industry as well as listings about important issues regarding play, safety, and playground construction. The encyclopedia currently has over 400 listings and is growing with at least 5 new listings added weekly. For more information, visit www.pgpedia.com .
National Park Service Launches Civil War Website
Washington--The National Park Service has launched a Civil War themed website at www.nps.gov/civilwar that provides an overview of the war, with special emphasis on the Civil War sites administered and preserved by the National Park Service. It features stories of the Civil War; biographies of notable individuals associated with the war; and places within the National Park System that interpret the Civil War. For more information, visit www.nps.gov .
RivCoParks Making Waves
Riverside, Calif.--The Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District was awarded four awards of excellence by the California Parks and Recreation Society (CPRS). Two awards were for the Cove Water Park (design, marketing), which opened to rave reviews in 2012. The 7-acre Caribbean-themed site includes four small waterslides, spray features, water canyons, lazy river, dry play structure, 3 180-foot water slides, double flow rider, 35-meter pool, and a food area.
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Calendar
July
17-18 North Dakota Recreation & Park Association Quarterly Meeting, Williston, N.D.; www.ndrpa.com
August
27-31 Florida Recreation and Park Association, Orlando, Fla.—Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek; www.web.frpa.org
September
TBA Nebraska Recreation & Park Society Annual Conference, Reno, Nev.—Best Western Airport Plaza; www.nerpa.org
9-11 South Carolina Recreation and Park Association Conference, Greenville, S.C.—Embassy Suites; www.scrpa.org
17-21 Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference, Knoxville, Tenn.—Knoxville Crown Plaza; www.trpa.net
18-21 Minnesota Parks & Recreation Association Annual Conference and Exhibit, Brainerd, Minn.—Cragun’s Resort; www.mnrpa.org
25-27 South Dakota Parks & Recreation Association Annual Conference, Huron, N.D.; www.sdpra.com
25-29 Montana & Idaho Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference, Missoula, Mont.—Holiday Inn Downtown; www.irpa-idaho.org