This-N-That
Energy Bars Generate Recyclable Revenue
Outdoor enthusiasts and park-goers can recycle wrappers from energy bars and earn money for charity, all while keeping waste out of the great outdoors. LÄRABAR and certified organic producer Cascadian Farm have partnered with TerraCycle to empower everyone to recycle more. Through TerraCycle’s Energy Bar Wrapper Brigade, individuals, families, schools, and other groups can send in their LÄRABAR and Cascadian Farm wrappers, along with other brands of energy bars, to earn points toward charity gifts or cash donations. The program is free to join and all shipping costs are prepaid. For more information, visit www.terracycle.com/brigades/energy-bar-wrapper-brigade-r.html
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Field Notes
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., a youth football, cheer and dance organization, is partnering with BSN SPORTS , a direct marketer and distributor of sporting goods to the school and league markets. BSN will serve as the official distributor of Pop Warner Alleson football uniforms—including jerseys, pants and socks.
Country Clipper Mowers , a provider of mid-mount zero-turn mowers and accessories for lawn care professionals, introduces its new branding video for the 2014 model year as well as its theme—American Hands—which portrays how the company’s place in the industry is formulated with American Hands.
Curtis Industries LLC , has added two employees as part of its ongoing strategy to strengthen business development and communication with its dealers. Randy Ploof joins Curtis as Business Development Manager for the U.S. Eastern Region, encompassing 22 states from Maine to Florida. Mark Manno joins Curtis as Marketing Manager. He will work closely with business development managers, product marketing and sales to identify opportunities to improve communications and dealer support.
Trivantage LLC , a distributor of specialty fabrics and associated products, announces Bill Foster is transitioning into the Solair Shades Solutions division, a brand of awnings and exterior shade products, as National Sales Training Manager.
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Child Athletes Run With The Pros
Lil’ tikes will feel like they’re in an NFL training camp at Freedom Park’s new Play 60 Kidzone in Charlotte, N.C. Located in the Carolina Panthers’ stadium, the new park features a 40-yard dash that starts by sensor at the start and finish and kids’ official times light up on the score board. Cre8Play and Cre8Play representative Cunningham Associates were thrilled to get in on the action for a great cause. The obstacle course also features interactive elements including never-been-done-before tackling dummies on springs, up-and-overs and a running half-pipe inspired by American Ninja Warriors. For more information, visit www.cre8play.com
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Ecologel Announces Photo Contest
Ocala, Fla.—Enter your Hydretaincomparison photos(s) in the 2014 Hydretain Photo Contest for a chance to win a Canon Rebel T3i Digital Camera Bundle. The grand prize bundle includes an image-stabilizing telephoto lens, camera case and 8GB SD card. Contest entrants will also have a chance to win 2 nd and 3 rd place prizes along with monthly drawings.
Ecologel Solutions, LLC is looking for striking images that depict Hydretain results through side-by-side or before-and-after comparison photos. Submissions will be through September 30, 2014. Photos taken prior the contest start date will be accepted. All photos entered will be placed in an online gallery with winners being chosen by popular vote in October.
For more information, visit www.hydretain.com/contest-pr .
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For Best Results In Outdoor Fitness
With the renewed interest in outdoor fitness, PlayCore’s newest best practice guidebook release is a timely tool for providing communities with guidance to create meaningful outdoor fitness spaces. The guidebook offers design best practices on creating outdoor fitness parks that align with total body fitness, proposes strategies for implementation and sustainability, suggests meaningful ways to maximize the investment in an outdoor fitness park through partnerships and programming, then presents methods for tracking and reporting outcomes for continuous improvement. For more information, visit www.playcore.com/fitness .
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Newark’s Riverfront Park Makes A Splash
Essex County Riverfront Park debuted in Newark, N.J., with a number of new amenities that make the 12-acre greenway more user-friendly and attractive. Built on a former brownfield, the new recreational areas are ideal for families, joggers, and local soccer and baseball teams.
With $9 million in grant funding to purchase the land on the Passaic River, construction began in late summer 2011. Today, the city has a popular riverwalk designed by Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture as well as new synthetic-turf fields, tennis and basketball courts, a passive meadow, two playground areas and small parking area.
Two new buildings were added to serve as a maintenance shed and to house wastewater treatment and dugout facilities. A new concession and restroom structure—marked by brick- and clapboard-look finishes and a standing-seam metal roof—is a modular precast system produced by Easi-Set Buildings and Oldcastle Precast. The maintenance shed is also an Easi-Set building.
The new park project was a neighborhood collaboration, with a project team led by the city, county, and the Trust for Public Land, and including input from the Newark Planning Office and the Ironbound Community Corporation.
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CARRYOVER FROM PRB DEC 2013
Floating Maintenance Feasibility For Aquatics
Regarding “Aquatic Maintenance Is ‘Serious’ Fun ( PRB April 2103), it is important that we remember that there is a big difference between aquatic professionals and maintenance workers. We don't expect people who are maintenance workers to be aquatic professionals, so why should we expect aquatic professionals to do maintenance work?
There are two possibilities:
1. Have floating maintenance people for aquatic facilities. Their work schedule could begin when the aquatic facility closes for the day and end before the pool opens for the day.
2. The aquatic facility hires as many maintenance people as needed for the required number of hours to get the required work done.
Aquatic professionals have special training and certifications in the specific area of aquatics where they work. They should not also be maintenance workers.
John R. Spannuth
President/CEO
United States Water Fitness Association
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Pre-Fab Turf Literature Available
A new tech bulletin entitled “Pre-fabrication of Synthetic Turf Logos, Inserts, Floor Mats and Athletic Fields” is available for free from Synthetic Surfaces Inc. It stresses how speed of assembly, packaging and shipping are essential for pre-fabrication profits, and how to achieve it. Tech Bulletin #557 is available at (908) 233-6803; fax (908), or via email info@nordot.com .
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El Paso Adds ENERGI To Veteran’s Park
Playworld Systems announced its ENERGI Total Fitness System is installed at Veteran’s Park in El Paso, Texas.
The new equipment is part of an effort by the city to make exercise more appealing for people of all ages and abilities. ENERGI includes five stations, which feature three different skill levels, offering a total of 120 exercises. Users are guided through exercises with step-by-step instructions making it easy to build a 15- to 60-minute workout routine.
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Calendar
2014
January
7-9 Northern New England Recreation & Parks Conference, Bartlett, N.H—Attitash Summit Hotel; www.northernnewenglands.com
13-16 Mid America Pool & Spa Show, Schaumburg, Ill.—Schaumburg Convention Center; www.midamericashow.com/ma
February
2-5 Ohio Parks and Recreation Association Conference, Sandusky, Ohio; opra@opraonline.org
March
5-6 66th Annual California & Pacific Southwest Recreation & Park Training Conference & Expo, Ontario, Calif.—Ontario Convention Center; contact Susan Wipf, Director of Marketing, (916) 665-2777, or susan@cprs.org
24-25 Maine Recreation & Parks Association 2014 Annual Conference, Portland, Maine—Holiday Inn by the Bay; contact Denise LeBlanc, 2013 Conference Chair, (207) 474-6901 or skowrec@skowhegan.org