February 2022

Written By Guest User

Volume 20 | Issue 7

Green Issue

Sustainability is more than a buzz word—it’s a lifestyle and a frame of mind. Parks and recreation departments should be at the forefront of this movement—providing green spaces and opportunities to enjoy the natural environment. But there are other ways to contribute. Take a look at some of the creative ways departments are working to reduce their carbon footprint.  

Enjoy!

 
 
 
 
 
 

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Parks & Rec Business is written by parks and recreation directors and staff. If you’re in the industry, PRB is an amazing resource that’s full of real-world experience that you can use to solve problems, create new opportunities, and keep your community healthy and happy.

 
 

This Month’s Articles

Featured
Alternative Programming
John Engh
Alternative Programming
John Engh

This year marked the 20th anniversary of NAYS’ annual Youth Sports Congress. It was great to be able to travel again with staff members to San Antonio, Texas, and see so many dedicated recreational professionals face to face. 

John Engh
Developing A New Skill Set
Ron Ciancutti
Developing A New Skill Set
Ron Ciancutti

We went to an art exhibit the other evening. When you retire, you do things like that: go to an art exhibit with your wife. There was wine and crackers with cheeses I could not pronounce. There were little cheese placards there to endorse my ignorance.

Ron Ciancutti
Creating Budget-Friendly Sustainability Plans
Jefferey Spivey
Creating Budget-Friendly Sustainability Plans
Jefferey Spivey

Sustainability has become an urgent issue in the nation’s parks departments, as officials manage wildfire-altered landscapes, rising sea levels, and threatened species, among several other issues.

Jefferey Spivey
Fishing For Opportunities
American Muscle Docks
Fishing For Opportunities
American Muscle Docks

A few years back, we were approached by a group of people representing a large outdoor recreation retail outlet with a store located near our manufacturing facility. The group was planning on “adopting” a local fishing area and using their talents to provide enhancements to the lake.

American Muscle Docks
Ready To Act On Climate Change?
Savannah Donovan
Ready To Act On Climate Change?
Savannah Donovan

Like you, the Urbana Park District in Illinois holds that all people have the right to a healthy and viable environment. Together, working for and with local communities, we can create a more positive future for everyone by choosing clean energy, using resources efficiently, and preparing for climate risks.

Savannah Donovan
Branch Out
Alana Tucker
Branch Out
Alana Tucker

Cities are always striving for cleaner air, higher property values, greener parks, and healthier residents. To address these goals, many of the most progressive communities and public park managers turn to trees because of their endless benefits.

Alana Tucker
Solar-Charging Stations
Parviz Izadjoo
Solar-Charging Stations
Parviz Izadjoo

Solar-powered charging stations are becoming more visible in public areas—especially where there is no access to power lines. The stations are frequently used to charge mobile devices such as laptops and phones.

Parviz Izadjoo
“A” For Effort
Erin Pant
“A” For Effort
Erin Pant

Go for a walk between neighborhood subdivisions in Colesville, Md., and you’ll stumble upon a unique urban oasis. Maydale Conservation Park, managed by Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), features an idyllic stream, a meadow, trails, wetlands, and woodlands across 24 acres.

Erin Pant
A Pond-Management Safety Checklist
Trent Nelson
A Pond-Management Safety Checklist
Trent Nelson

Lakes and ponds are highly valued in communities for stormwater collection, fishing, swimming, boating, and spending quality time with family and friends. People rely on the health, functionality, and beauty of freshwater resources for long-lasting happiness.

Trent Nelson
Youth Sports Administration 101: Risk Management
Jason Schaitz
Youth Sports Administration 101: Risk Management
Jason Schaitz

Risk management is never fun, but it is essential in preventing a catastrophic incident that may cause serious harm and shut a league down for good. Risk management does not only include a hazard or physical accident, but can include financial losses or the loss of important records.

Jason Schaitz
 
 
 
 

Publisher’s Note

Deliberate Change

I typed a quick text: “Day 3 Itinerary—breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and cinnamon rolls at Rod’s, skiing at Brundage Mountain Resort followed by a quick stop at the hot springs and dinner back at the house. Can’t wait to see everybody!”

I hit “send” and was rewarded with quick replies from thumbs up emoji’s to “can’t wait.”

I smiled. This was going to be the first Christmas in years I was going to get to spend with my parents, my brother, and his kids. I had convinced them to visit us in Idaho for a classic white Christmas full of winter-wonderland activities and time away from electronics and news.

The only problem? It was the beginning of December and we hadn’t yet received any appreciable snow.

Along with the rest of the town, I was worried. Usually, our local resort was open the day after Thanksgiving and all our other favorite activities—tubing, sledding, cross-country skiing, skate skiing, ice skating and more—were up and running.

As the calendar inched closer and closer (delete this) to Christmas and the arrival of our guests, nothing seemed to be happening. Then, a week before their arrival, all heck broke loose. It started snowing and didn’t stop for two weeks—dumping 104 inches on us and nearly setting a record for the most snow in December since records began.

Needless to say, our guests arrived and had the experience we were hoping for. But, it got folks in town talking. We’d had a couple weird winters, drought conditions for the first time in a long time, more forest fires than usual and just generally unusual weather. Old timers pointed out how long it had been since snow covered all the fence posts in the valley—something that used to happen every winter. Something was different.

As a town, we started to work on a plan to combat the effects of our changing climate—working to look for opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint and protect our natural resources.

It seems to me all of us in the parks and recreation world are uniquely positioned to help on this front—and this issue is dedicated to highlighting ideas and projects other communities are working on to battle their changing climate. We even publish a blueprint from the Urbana Park District in Illinois where they developed a deliberate approach to enacting the change they want to see in the world. The story starts on page 20. I think you’ll enjoy it.

All in all, I’m proud of the work our team did on this issue. I hope you enjoy it.

If you do, or if you don’t, let us know. We love mail.

Rodney J. Auth
Publisher

 
 
 
 

This-N-That

Featured
Ecore Manufacturing Facilities Achieve Zero Waste Validation

Lancaster, Penn.—Ecore, a company that transforms reclaimed materials into performance products, has achieved environmental claim validations from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for two of its manufacturing facilities. Ecore partnered with UL to complete a 2020 Zero Waste to Landfill audit for its Pennsylvania-based facilities in Lancaster and York. As a result, UL has officially validated the following claims for these Ecore production sites:

  • The Lancaster, Penn., facility achieved a Landfill Diversion rate of 99 percent, with 22-percent waste diversion with energy recovery.

  • The York, Penn., facility achieved a Landfill Diversion rate of 100 percent, with 22-percent waste diversion with energy recovery.

Ecore has been transforming reclaimed materials into performance products since the company’s inception in 1871. To learn more, visit www.ecoreintl.com/Environmental.

Aquatic Safety Seminars Available

As a result of COVID-19 and an inability to conduct in-person training programs, Lifesaving Resources conducted a series of webinars designed specifically for lifeguard and aquatic-recreation professionals. The monthly webinars were conducted free of charge and focused on the prevention, recognition and management of drowning and aquatic injuries. The webinars were well attended and the outfit received numerous requests to conduct additional online training programs.

As a result, Lifesaving Resources is offering a series of professional aquatic safety seminars (PASS) beginning in February, and continuing, once a month, through June. These webinars advocate the need for the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to conduct a comprehensive threat assessment of their aquatic venue in order to determine the physical hazards that exist and those activities that place patrons at heightened risk. The AHJ must then take measures to mitigate those hazards by removing them, or appropriately warning patrons of them. And, they must then either safeguard the risk, or prohibit it.

Based on the Threat Assessment, the AHJ must determine the level of operational capability required of his/her personnel and must develop appropriate operational protocols (rules and regulations for the patrons and standard operating procedures for employees), and they must then plan for the incident; train for the incident; and acquire the resources required to prevent, recognize, and rapidly and effectively respond to and manage the incident.

PASS will be a fast-paced and comprehensive four-hour webinar and will include a PowerPoint, graphic video and/or audio clips of actual drowning/aquatic injury incidents, a question-and-answer period, and a course completion certificate.

For more information, visit https://www.Lifesaving.com.

Fitness Industry Looks Strong

The fitness industry is poised for incredible growth post-pandemic, with fitness trends undergoing a seismic shift away from gyms and towards outdoors, home fitness, and digital options. Although each segment in the industry is looking to provide consumers the benefits of exercise, they are in direct competition with one another to stand out as the best option.

Among the top fitness-industry statistics for 2021: 

  • The industries hit the hardest by the pandemic were the gym, health club, and boutique fitness studio industries. They declined up to 58.30% in the first year of the pandemic

  • Online/digital fitness, fitness apps, fitness equipment, and fitness tracker markets all experienced significant growth due to the pandemic

  • From 2021 to 2028, the online/digital fitness industry is projected to have the highest growth rate of 33.10% per year

  • The industry with the lowest compound annual growth rate is the gym industry, growing at a rate of 7.21% per year 

The research and data provided come from hundreds of hours spent researching and analyzing data on the different segments within the fitness industry. It was projected that the industry would rebound to its pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021, to an approximate revenue of 159.98 billion USD, and continue growing to 190.56 billion in 2022.

--Information provided by Nick Rizzo, Fitness Research Director for RunRepeat

Miracle Recreation Gifts Playground To City Of Martinsburg, W.V.

Miracle Recreation, a playground manufacturer, joined the City of Martinsburg and Berkeley County in debuting a new playground to honor the life of native and longtime Miracle distribution partner Charles Thomas “Chuck” Taylor and his family.

Miracle donated the playground in recognition of its 53-year working relationship with the Taylor family, and Chuck Taylor’s outsized impact on the community.

Taylor, who died in June 2021 at age 62, was a lifelong Martinsburg resident and a Martinsburg High School graduate who spent years announcing school football and basketball games. Prior to owning Taylor Sports and Recreation, he was an area police officer and a city councilman.

The Taylor family’s relationship with Miracle began in 1967 when John W. Taylor, Chuck’s uncle, began selling Miracle equipment. Steven Taylor, John’s son, joined his father in 1977 and Chuck became a sales associate in 1994. He eventually took ownership of the company, keeping the Miracle territory until selling it in 2020 following a lengthy illness.

The new park’s No Fault rubberized safety surface was donated by the family.

Skidaway Island State Park Renovation Complete

Savannah, Ga.—Skidaway Island State Park has completed a 6,200-square-foot visitor facility renovation, designed by architectural firm CROFT & Associates. Located near Savannah, the state park borders Skidaway narrows, a part of Georgia’s Intracoastal Waterway.

The new visitor center includes check-in stations, wide covered patios on the front and back of the building, retail gift area, bird feeding stations, butterfly garden, turtle habitat, outdoor space, tidal areas, administrative offices and a life-size replica of the Smithsonian’s Giant Ground Sloth Skeleton, displayed to show visitors the types of animals native to the Savannah area 10,000 years ago.

Initial design work began in September 2018. Construction began in April 2020 and finished in early February 2021.

ASBA Announces New Online Courses 

Forest Hill, Md.—The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders, design professionals and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities, has announced that in recognition of the growth of pickleball, and the corresponding need for court builders with pickleball facility-specific expertise, it has launched two new continuing education offerings: Fundamentals of Tennis Court Construction and Fundamentals of Pickleball Court Construction. Both courses are free to ASBA members and are available to nonmembers for $199 each. For more information, visit www.sportsbuilders.org.

Great Fall Giveaway Winners Announced

Parks & Rec Business and Camp Business magazines are proud to announce the winners of the inaugural Great Fall Giveaway!

American Ramp Company (ARC), Percussion Play, 9 Square In The Air, and Blick Arts & Crafts sponsored the giveaway with four prizes—a total of $28,555 in prizes. All Parks & Recreation Departments, Summer Camps, and School Districts in the United States had a chance to enter and win any one of the prizes.

• Nicole Burton, recreation coordinator for the city of Mesquite in Nevada, won a custom-designed Bike Playground Skills Course—a $15,000 value—from ARC

• Fionna Scott of Camp Henry in Michigan won a Soprano Quartet Ensemble from Percussion Play which includes a Cadenza, a Small Babel Drum, Soprano Pentatonic Freechimes, and a pair of medium Congas—altogether valued at $7,555.

• Lance Kraft of Camp Berry Ranger won a Playground Edition of 9 Square in the Air which combines 4-square with volleyball to create an incredibly fun and compelling game for all ages. The permanent structure is valued at $5,500.

• Robyn Hokenhull, Senior Recreation Supervisor for the city of Ontario, Calif., won a Blick Arts & Crafts Lesson Plan Kit., a $500 value

Congratulations to all of our winners and thanks to everyone who participated!

 
 
 
 

Calendar

Featured
February 2022

6-9 Ohio Parks and Recreation Association Conference, Sandusky, Ohio—Kalahari Convention Center; opra@opraonline.org

8-10 Southeast Pool & Spa Show, Nashville, Tenn.—Music City Center; (630) 308-1363 

9-12 Association of Aquatic Professionals Annual Conference & Exhibit, St. Pete Beach, Fla.—Tradewinds Island Grand Resort and Convention Center; www.aquaticpros.org

11-13 American Sports Builders Association Winter Meeting, Sonoma, Calif.—Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa; https://sportsbuilders.org/

March 2022

1-4 Missouri Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference and Expo, Springfield, Mo.—University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center; www.mopark.org

8-10 New England Regional Turfgrass Conference & Show, Providence, R.I.—Rhode Island Convention Center; (401) 848-0004, www.turfshow.com

8-10 California Park & Recreation Society Conference & Expo, Sacramento, Calif.—Sacramento Convention Center; (916) 665-2777, or http://www.cprs.org/p/cm/ld/fid=760

9-10 American Sports Builders Association Regional Meeting, Hollywood, Fl.; https://sportsbuilders.org/

21-24 Iowa Parks & Recreation Association Spring Conference, Dubuque, Iowa; www.iowaparksandrecreation.org

April 2022

5-7 Maryland Recreation and Parks Association Annual Conference, Ocean City, Md.—Princess Royal Hotel; www.mrpanet.org

May 2022

2-5 National Outdoor Recreation Conference, Knoxville, Tenn.—https://recpro.memberclicks.net/2018-national-outdoor-recreation-conference

June

23-24 SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium, Milwaukee, Wis.; www.sima.org/show

 

Field Notes

Featured

ASV Holdings Inc., a manufacturer of all-purpose and all-season compact track loaders and skid steers, grows its dealer network with four new dealers and 16 new dealer locations: Mid Country Machinery with one location in Syracuse, N.Y.; Woodco Machinery with three locations in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island; Alta Equipment Company with six locations in Michigan and three in south Florida; and Quality Equipment and Parts with one location in Lake City, Fla. Existing dealer partner ROMCO Equipment Co. also added one new location in Texas.

Arborjet | Ecologel, providers of plant health and water management, hired Nick Millen as Regulatory Affairs Specialist. Josh Bruckner will take on the new role of Content Marketing Specialist.

Johnson Fitness and Wellness, a specialty fitness retailer and the retail division of Johnson Health Tech, has acquired all Gym Source retail locations across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia and Connecticut. The Gym Source stores will be folded under the Johnson Fitness and Wellness brand.

The Adventure Parks of Outdoor Ventures has promoted Candie Fisher to President. She has been the company’s VP of Sales and Marketing since 2019. She will also serve as President for Ropes Park Equipment (producer and distributor of equipment for the adventure recreation industry).

RC Mowers, makers of remote-operated robotic mowers, added several new dealers to its network of dealers across the U.S.—Owen Equipment for Washington and Oregon, Jet Vac Environmental for Illinois, and Red Equipment for Kansas and Missouri.

Munro, a manufacturer of pumps, pump controls, and pump stations for the turf-irrigation market, has named Brad Davis as its new Regional Account Manager for the Southwest region. Davis will work with the company’s distributors as well as with irrigation specifiers, landscape architects, and landscape contractors in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.

 
 
 
 

Buyer’s Guide

 

Product Review

Product Reviews
SiteOne Landscape Supply LESCO Ride-On Spreaders
SiteOne Landscape Supply LESCO Ride-On Spreaders

The LESCO 100, 200, 300 and 600 Applicator Models feature 100-percent stainless-steel frames and coated Peerless transaxle to resist corrosive granular chemicals for added life. These ride-on spreaders feature a low center of gravity (Model 100), a dual setting spray system with 3-foot and 10-foot settings for multiple applications (Model 200), coverage widths of 2-, 4-, 6- or 8-feet (Model 300), and 12-foot spray coverage, plus a pivoting front axle with a low center of gravity for excellent performance on sloping terrain (Model 600).

https://www.siteone.com/

360GOLF Mini Golf
360GOLF Mini Golf

The high-tech miniature golf holes feature automatic scoring, a bonus point system, gamification and other interactive sensory play features powered by a ball filled with cutting-edge technology. The proprietary product was developed by Holovis with support from Adventure Golf and Sports, who is named as the exclusive vendor for the product in North America.

(231) 922-8166

www.AGSGolfandSports.com

OTR NDX Tire And Wheel System
OTR NDX Tire And Wheel System

The airless tire and wheel system for turf equipment and utility vehicles was developed to solve the recurring problem of flat tires for vehicles operating on rough terrain. Featuring a patent-pending design, NDX combines multi-layered construction, engineered structural supports and a tread belt that maintains desired curvature and safe ground clearance at all times. Heavy-duty construction offers superior operating life, lasting up to twice as long as other airless tire options, without sacrificing load capacity.

www.otrwheel.com

KaiVac 1250
KaiVac 1250

The smallest of the three Kaivac No-Touch Cleaning systems delivers the same cleaning power as the larger models. It is perfect for smaller areas, such as smaller restrooms and classrooms. Powered by a 500 PSI pump, the 1250 combines an indoor pressure washer, chemical injection, and built-in wet vacuum on a single platform. Workers use the system on floors, fixtures, and all types of surfaces to loosen and remove soils.

(513) 887-4600

www.kaivac.com

QUIKRETE Nova Wall By Keystone
QUIKRETE Nova Wall By Keystone

This ultra-contemporary, double-sided linear retaining wall with smooth and chiseled textures combines a broad scope of design and aesthetic opportunities with the simplicity of single-unit installation.

(800) 282-5828

www.quikrete.com

Vista 1140 LED Linear In-Grade Series
Vista 1140 LED Linear In-Grade Series

The 1140 Series consists of two models, the smaller, 15-3/8”-wide 1141 available in nominal one-foot lengths, and the larger, 26-3/8”-wide 1142 available in two-foot lengths. The 1141 produces up to 2,100 lumens per foot, and the 1142 produces up to 1,845 lumens per foot. Both models include sealed optic modules with flow-through, recessed housings to further protect interior components. Five distributions—wall wash, wall graze, narrow, medium flood and wide flood—offer uniform illumination with added versatility.

www.vistapro.com  

 
 
 
 

Marketspace Spotlight

 

Classifieds

 

Coming Up

March 2022

Park Maintenance

  • Leisure Pools

  • Youth Programs

  • Mini Golf & Disc Golf

  • Golf Courses

 
 

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