Articles
Funding Fitness
Once considered a luxury, personal trainers have become commonplace in health clubs in the private sector. Yet the presence of such professionals who focus on customized, one-on-one
Park & Rec Bestsellers From The Good Sports At Bison
Shopping for sports equipment made in the USA? Get the best deals of the year on indoor and outdoor basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, and more by ordering by September 30 for immediate shipment. Call 800-247-7668 for the name of a Bison sporting goods dealer near you.
Wash Away Germs
A few years ago, a report on the MSN Living Health website noted that gyms and locker rooms were the dirtiest places in a typical school. While the focus of this report was about schools,
Partnering To Fill Tennis Courts
As budgets tighten and employees are either let go or work fewer hours, parks and recreation departments find themselves trying to provide important community services with scarce resources. One way
Going Green On The Rooftop!
Visitors to Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens in Rockford, Ill., have been seeing plenty of greenСnot on the groundСbut on the roof. The green roof at the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens in Rockfo
A Legacy Without A Footprint
A resort in Oregon offers horse-drawn sleigh rides to a yurt where waiters donning tuxedoes pair the finest wines with prime rib, salmon, and other delicacies.
The Epic Journey
What Grand Prairie, Texas, is accomplishing is a legacy in the making. This year, the city will open three new community staples that will change the way residents—and the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex—play, relax, and revitalize
Mega Complex Saves Mega Bucks
When the Rockford Park District in Rockford, Ill., opened its Indoor Sports Center on Mercyhealth Sportscore Two campus in May 2017, it became one of the largest sports facilities
Clever Conservation
In 2014, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 258-million tons of municipal solid waste was generated in the United States. So it may seem overwhelming to
Green Infrastructure
Although “green” and “sustainability” have been buzzwords for more than a decade, the concepts have recently gained significant interest for public infrastructure projects, both large and small.
Going, Going, Gone!
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) in Virginia is living by the old adage that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Through the nationwide Public Surplus.com website,
Easi-Set Precast Concrete Restrooms Benefit The National Park Service
The National Park Service spans 417 areas over 84 million square acres. Since 1916, the roughly 22,000 employees strive to keep the open land in each state and U.S. territory true to its
Making Bumps In The Road As Smooth As Ice
When I started at the Belvidere Park District in Illinois a little over four years ago, discussions were already in the works to replace a backyard, makeshift ice rink with a permanent facility
Neighborly Design
In November 2010, a fire destroyed a maintenance facility and garage belonging to the park district in Glenview, Ill. Built in 1909, the 14,000-square-foot building was operated by the park
Lessons Learned
Today’s complex construction projects undertaken by parks and recreation departments demand an experienced advocate to ensure the owner’s best interests in all aspects of the
Indoor-Outdoor Appeal
The town of Castle Rock, Colo., developed the Miller Activity Complex (MAC) to meet the needs of a growing 65,000-resident community. The MAC blends recreation and entertainment
A Dirty Little Subject
When it comes to cleaning and disinfecting, some park and rec administrators and cleaning professionals may be missing a few steps—and doing so can potentially cause serious harm to
Jumping In
In 2010, at a meeting of the Tweens Nutrition and Fitness Coalition (TNFC), a parent shared that she had visited one of the city pools with her daughters and noticed that the only healthy
A Real Balancing Act
More and more parks and recreation departments need to deal with “program cost-recovery” initiatives to make up the difference between what they are being allotted in their budgets and
Team Up for Tennis Courts
Building or renovating tennis courts can be an overwhelming task. Between the logistics and, above all, the cost, it is a project more than many facilities want to take on.