January 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 25

zation in 2018. A few areas of interest will be investments in
connecting local farmers to out-of-school time programs for increased use of local produce in meals and snacks, gardening
curriculums and the potential for use of public lands in parks
for farming and gardening.
The reauthorization of the Perkins Act provides a new opportunity for park and recreation agencies to be at the table
with educational institutions, creating career and technical
education (CTE) programs. The Perkins Act reauthorization
passed the House in July 2017 and included several provisions
that would benefit local community-based organizations (see
August's Parks & Recreation magazine article titled, " Career
and Technical Education for Youth at Park & Rec Agencies "
- http://www.nrpa.org/prm-youthteched). We will be working with members of the Senate, encouraging them to include
those provisions in their version of the reauthorization bill.
Other Administrative
Priorities in the New Year
An additional priority for the administration that has yet to be
considered by Congress is an infrastructure package. President
Trump and congressional leadership have indicated that they
intend to focus their attention on infrastructure in 2018, including a statement by Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao,
that a plan will be released in early 2018. We anticipate this plan
will be a list of priorities, and then Congress will need to take
the lead on how to move forward.
NRPA believes that local parks should be part of any infrastructure discussion and will be looking to make this point to
Congress and the administration. We know from our Economic
Impact of Local Parks report that local and regional parks generate more than $140 billion in economic activity nationwide.
We believe we have a strong message to take to Congress and
the administration to share with them the importance of supporting local parks in an infrastructure package. From accessing TIGER Grants in Pittsburgh to help provide transportation
alternatives and stimulate economic development, to managing
polluted stormwater runoff in Atlanta, and providing low-cost,
high-value flood management solutions in Houston, local parks
play a critical role in creating, maintaining and improving our
nation's infrastructure.
Many of these parks are also the perfect example of a public-private partnership, something the Trump administration
has emphasized as a priority. NRPA's public policy team
will continue to work with partner organizations, our members and national coalitions to remind policymakers about
the central role parks have and to ensure that park and rec
agencies can take advantage of any funding that may become

available through a transportation package and other opportunities that may be on the horizon in 2018.
How You - Our Members - Can Help
Help us make the case to members of Congress and to the administration. When you are unveiling your agency's next park
infrastructure improvement project or introducing a new park
or trail to your community, make sure you're making that event
a Park Champion event. NRPA members from coast to coast
are helping us make the case to elected officials by showing
them first-hand the power their projects have in transforming
communities. You can't have a great community without great
parks, and with your help, we can show members of Congress
how parks are a critical part of the fabric of our nation's infrastructure. To learn more about and to sign up to become a Park
Champion, visit www.nrpa.org/Park-champions.
Kyle Simpson is NRPA's Senior Government Affairs Manager (ksimpson@
nrpa.org). Kate Clabaugh is NRPA's Government Affairs Manager
(kclabaugh@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

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January 2018 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2018 - Parks & Recreation
