March 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 41

each project's scope questionnaire, and that can change throughout
the planning process, " explains Harrison. " Unique players may include Native American tribe representatives, utility company representatives, travel and tourism professionals, scientists, engineers,
school district members, planners and maintenance professionals
who are stewards of similar public and private park facilities, chamber of commerce members, police department specialists and special committee groups, such as, in our case, the Downtown Redevelopment Commission. "
Later in the planning process, technical specialists become involved. These include land surveyors, landscape architects, civil
engineers, attorneys and, of course, contractors. All of these people have their own ideas and opinions about what is best for a project, and it can become difficult to push goals through. It would be
easy for many projects to simply die before ground is even broken;
however, it is at this critical point that " magic " often happens.
" The best practice that I always employ is to listen, " Baker
advises. " During the planning process/public input process, we
have found that listening to the residents and trying to incorporate as many of their requests, ideas, etc., is extremely important. Even the smallest of things make a difference. "
With so many different entities involved, hurdles of all kinds
are bound to exist. These can range from bureaucratic contingencies to environmental concerns. Everyone consulted for this
piece echoed Baker's philosophy that the simple act of listening
is the best way to overcome these problems.
" You need to always be willing to listen, " Richards emphasizes. " This doesn't just include [listening to] the residents. You
need to also 'listen' to the land. Spend an extended time there
across every season. "
As anyone who has ever shepherded a park planning project
from beginning to end can attest, it can be a long and often arduous process. The larger the project, the more complex and the
more time it can take.
" Projects that include grant applications can add an additional year, " says Harrison. " City budget allocation and
approval can add three months to a year. Project design,
bidding and construction document preparation can take six
months to two years. Construction itself can take between
three months to two years.
" A recently completed large park project with which we were involved, generated $2.5 million in construction costs, from the consultant selection to the final contractor payment, and spanned a period
of eight years. " On the other hand, small projects that cost around
$25,000 in construction fees can be completed in as little as one year.
Despite the time, hours and frustrations that come from these
large projects, the best part is when they finally open. In this
era, as more people are being creative in finding ways to best
use the land and resources available to them - such as converting former landfills, vacant lots and abandoned buildings into

parks - and trying to best serve the growing elderly segment of
our population and simultaneously serve the growing youth segment, unique ideas and situations present themselves every day.
Conclusion
Turning formerly unused spaces, especially in urban environments, into parks offers both challenges and unbelievably satisfying rewards. Transforming a bleak area into a place of public
beauty is something truly special.
Parks go beyond the grass, trees and recreation equipment
they comprise. They become integral parts of people's lives and
essential parts of a community. They bind people together over
their shared love of the outdoors and their desire to see beauty
in their neighborhoods.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, perhaps, said it best when he
talked about the need to preserve public land: " If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles
of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it
was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it. "
Eric Moreno is a Freelance Writer based in San Antonio, Texas (ericmoreno@
hotmail.com).

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Parks & Recreation

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March 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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