January 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 42

TRENDS
Parks as Infrastructure
The American Society of Civil
Engineers rates the state of the
nation's infrastructure in its quadrennial
report to Congress and
the
president. The 2021 report
states that parks support economic
prosperity, prevent damage from
stormwater and build healthy communities,
but that despite increased
popularity, " State parks and local
parks face a $5.6 billion and $60
billion deferred maintenance backlog,
respectively. "
A Golden Age of Park and
Recreation Infrastructure?
With the passage of the Great American
Outdoors Act in 2020 that permanently
funds the Land and Water
Conservation Act at $900 million
annually, and the recent passage of
long-sought infrastructure funding
in the INVEST in America Act,
there will be billions of dollars available
for land acquisition, park and
recreation planning, and infrastructure
maintenance, repair, and development.
Agencies that are prepared
will be able to tap into funding for
roads and bridges, climate change
resiliency, renewable energy utilization,
waste reduction and recycling,
and even " tree equity. "
Climate Change
The Role of Parks in Reducing
Urban Heat Islands
One of the more pernicious effects
of climate change is the trapping of
extreme heat in dense urban areas.
Often, these highly developed areas
contain little heat-absorbing natural
cover and have high percentages
of impervious heat-collecting surfaces,
which amplify extreme heat
in the daytime and then radiate it in
the night hours. The concentration
of waste energy, air pollution and
loss of tree canopy cover all magnify
42 Parks & Recreation |
the negative health impacts as well,
which affect vulnerable and lowincome
populations the most. Not
surprisingly, New Orleans; Newark,
New Jersey; New York City;
Houston; San Francisco; Boston;
Chicago; Miami; and Baltimore
have the highest urban heat indexes,
according to the Climate Central
report, Hot Zones, Urban Heat
Islands (tinyurl.com/2p8brafj).
Parks and green spaces are proving
to be among the most effective
tools to combat the effects of urban
heat islands, and cities and urban
counties are looking to maximize
the benefits of their park systems
to combat urban heat island effects.
Macroeconomics of
Parks and Recreation
Where Are All the Workers?
The Great Resignation has been
identified as one of the most significant
trends caused by the pandemic.
Many have speculated on why
people are quitting their jobs at a
higher rate than ever before. While
some factors are evident, such as
lack of affordable childcare, others
may include dissatisfaction with
pay, unacceptable working conditions,
and a desire for greater purpose
in the jobs they choose.
Whether it is an effect of The
Great Resignation or not, agencies
are suddenly
without
vitally
needed part-time staff who work as
lifeguards and provide after-school
programming and childcare,
to
name two examples. Barbara
Heller, who leads the park and
recreation practice for BerryDunn,
a national consulting firm based in
New England, says, " The biggest
pain point is the recruitment and
retention of part-time staff. This
trend is off the hook. I am basing
my
findings on feedback
J ANUAR Y 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
from
every agency we work with. This
year, it is clearly salary. Parks
and rec agencies are competing
against
Starbucks, Amazon and
other private-sector companies that
provide better salary and benefits.
Fifteen dollars per hour is now the
standard, and many park and rec
agencies are nowhere near that. "
Workers who have multiple opportunities
for jobs with better pay
and more flexible hours may like
the purpose-driven aspects of park
and recreation work, but they may
find better pay, better benefits and
more flexible hours in other jobs of
the gig economy.
Kevin Roth, vice president of research,
evaluation and technology at
NRPA, says, " Parks and recreation
is facing the same pressures that retailers,
service industries and other
employers are in finding qualified
workers. " The pressures pushing
up wages are not necessarily only
a result of the pandemic, he says.
These are market forces, and many
park and recreation agencies cannot
keep up. " Cities and agencies may
not be able to offer the same range
and amount of services to the public
that they have in the past, " he says.
" And, this is not going away in a few
weeks or months, either. "
Despite the great need and intentions
of some agencies to expand
out-of-school time programming,
there could paradoxically be more
agencies
getting
out
of beforeschool
and after-school programs,
day care, and summer camps due
to a lack of qualified and available
workers. " This has huge implications
for the future, " says Heller. " It
is really important to quantify the
implications and provide this information
to elected officials now. "
Technology
Drones, Bots, Mowers and More
Kirk Floyd, founder and owner of
http://www.tinyurl.com/2p8brafj
January 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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