July 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 20

Community Center

Notable News
Hot Topics
Have you posted on NRPA Connect?
NRPA Connect allows you to network and share resources, ideas and
inspirations with your peers in the
park and recreation field. Below, find
a preview of what you're missing:
Off-season uses for outdoor ice
skating: There are many ways to
use outdoor ice-skating rinks in the
off-season. Ideas range from splash
pads to sand volleyball courts and
places to host outdoor events, including markets, weddings and picnics.
Public comments at advisory
board meetings: How do you structure your advisory board meetings
to allow for public comments? Do
you allow open comments, comments on agenda items only or is
speaking time limited? Weigh in on
your rules for your meetings.
Private grills in parks: Members in
this discussion share their policies
about patrons bringing their own
charcoal or gas grills to parks. Many
agencies have policies that do not
allow charcoal because of concerns
about proper disposal. Others don't
allow grills to be brought in at all -
they have instead installed permanent grills for public use.
Budget placement: What are the
pros and cons of moving your park
and recreation budget out of the
general fund? Your colleagues discuss their experiences, including one
example of a budget managed by an
appointed citizen's commission with
full powers to approve all functions
of the department.
It's easy to stay in touch. NRPA Connect is now 100 percent responsive
on all devices! Don't get left behind,
visit www.nrpaconnect.org to join
the conversation.
- Hayley Herzing, NRPA's Membership Programs Manager

18 Parks & Recreation

n The community of Roanoke, Virginia,
mourns the loss of its Parks and Recreation Director Steven Buschor, who died
at home, June 6, surrounded by family
and friends. " This community is where
it is today in terms of quality of life and
recreation...because of Steve Buschor, "
said Roanoke Mayor-Elect Sherman Lea.
" It's a very sad day for this valley because
Steve was so instrumental in a lot of what
we did in this community. " Born in Delphos, Ohio, Buschor earned a bachelor's
degree in Community Recreation Administration from The Ohio State University
and also served as an athletic trainer for
Ohio State athletics where he earned
his 1975 Rose Bowl ring. In addition to
being an NRPA member, he was a past
member of the board of directors for the
Virginia Recreation and Park Society, and
past officer of the American Parks and
Recreation Society, Missouri Parks and
Recreation Association, and Ohio Parks
and Recreation Association. A passionate
public servant, dedicated to his community, Buschor also served as a judge for the
2015 Miss Virginia Pageant.
n The renovated 1.5-mile stretch of St.
Louis riverfront below the Gateway Arch
opened to the public June 9. To limit flooding, this stretch along the now two-lane
Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard was elevated an average of 2 feet. Old chains and
cobblestones, original to the site, are incorporated in the new look, which now also
features bike racks, benches, LED lights,
new signage, power outlets and a street-level stage to host events and programs. The
renovation, which began in December
2013 and cost about $25 million, is part
of $380 million worth of renovations and
upgrades around the Gateway Arch. The
project was paid for with a mixture of federal dollars and local sales tax that funds
the Great Rivers Greenway District.

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n The U.S. Department of the Interior
recently designated Tulsa, Oklahoma's
300-acre Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area as National Recreation
Trails. According to River Parks Authority Executive Director Matt Meyer, the designation of the 6.7 miles of
marked trails " is a great feather in our
cap. It shows that we have great recognition for the importance of the Turkey
Mountain trails. "
n North Providence, Rhode Island, became the sixth community in the state to
pass a ban on smoking in all town parks
and recreation areas, with one key exception: e-cigarettes will still be allowed
to be smoked in the parks. The town
council's ordinance committee revised
the rule to exempt e-cigarettes based on
there being no conclusive evidence about
health problems associated with e-cigarettes. The new smoking ban updates a
1997 ordinance, but the original fine of
$100 for breaking this rule remains unchanged. The measure now goes before
to the full town council, which is expected to easily approve it.
n In early June, National Water Trail
status was conferred on Indiana's
Kankakee River by the National Park
Service and the Department of Interior.
The river, once part of an almost million-acre marsh that teamed with wildlife, was dredged in Indiana a century
ago but still boasts fish, birds and wild
shores. The newly conferred status will
draw extra attention to the 133-mile
Kankakee, which flows through Indiana
and Illinois, and could result in more access to and better care for the river.
For more news from around the industry, visit www.parksandrecreation.
org/2016/July/Notable-News.

July 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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