June 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 25

Notable News
Hot Topics

he weather isn't the only thing
heating up this month! There
are lots of conversations happening on NRPA Connect. Check out
this preview of the latest, hottest
conversations:

Dog park weight limits: How do
you specify admission criteria for
small versus large dog parks? What
are the appropriate weight limits
for each? Some of your colleagues'
recommendations include signs suggesting small and frail dogs only, allowing older dogs to join that may be
larger, but slower and unsteady.

Maintenance of hill-training
paths: Professionals weigh in
on the most effective ways to stop
erosion on man-made hills and trails.
Crushed concrete is the most popular suggestion - read more to find
out why!

Texting patrons: This thread
discusses the different service
options for texting patrons to notify
them of canceled games, swim lessons, fitness classes and more.

Nonprofit discounts: Many
agencies receive requests for
reduced fees for nonprofit organizations. What guidelines do you put in
place to ensure consistent policies?
Have an answer or suggestion you
would like to share? Visit www.nrpa
connect.org to join the conversation.
- Hayley Herzing, NRPA's
Membership Programs Manager

n Olympic Day, celebrated worldwide every year on June 23, is meant
to promote fitness, well-being, culture
and education for people of all ages
and abilities, and the Olympic values
of excellence, friendship and respect.
From May 31 to June 30, the U.S.
Olympic Committee encourages communities across the United States to
celebrate Olympic Day 2016 through
educational programming and other
activities. Organizations can register
to host an event at any time during
the month of June. More information
can be found at www.teamusa.org/
About-the-USOC/In-the-Community/Olympic-Day.aspx.

n For 10 years, Steve Hawkins, lead
horticulturist for the National Trail
Parks and Recreation Department
(NTPRD) in Springfield, Ohio, has
spearheaded the seeding, growing and
planting operation of the flowers that
help to beautify the city and its parks
in two NTPRD greenhouses. This operation saves the city tens of thousands
of dollars. " What we buy for probably $700 to $800 is probably equal to
$10,000 if you had to go buy them, "
says Hawkins. To help with the planting and upkeep of the flowers, inmates
from the Clark County Jail work alongside parks employees, further helping
to keep down operational costs.

n A new law, signed May 11 by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, voids any
attempt by cities and counties to impose their own rules about where
drones can or cannot be flown. The
final measure does allow cities to ban
their use in parks - provided that at
least one park does permit drones to
be flown. That does not apply, however, if a community has only one park.

n Findings of a new study, conducted by the World Health Organization, of more than 3,000 cities
around the world, show that " the
amount of microscopic particle pollution increased 8 percent between
2008 and 2013, " and that pollution
is particularly bad in low- and middle-income regions, where some 98
percent of cities don't meet the WHO
guidelines on air quality compared
to 56 percent in wealthy parts of the
world. It's a catch-22 situation however, because some of the same toxic
particles that contribute to the deaths
of more than 3 million people worldwide each year also help to cool the
planet by reflecting sunlight back out
into space. To read the entire article,
visit www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/12/air-pollutionrising-at-an-alarming-rate-in-worldscities.

n The Corner Project, a Manhattan
nonprofit that provides health services
to intravenous drug users, unveiled the
city's first public syringe drop box in
any city park. This pilot project is a
collaboration between the nonprofit
and NYC Parks Department and is
located in the Haven Park Underpass
near 177th Street and New Haven Avenue in Fort Washington Park. The
location was chosen because it is close
to three of the most heavily concentrated syringe pickup spots. In order
to integrate the design of the drop box
into the landscape of the park, it is
shaped like a daisy, with three hollow
stems for depositing syringes.

For more news from around
the industry, visit www.parksandrecreation.org/2016/June/Notable-News.

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June 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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