May 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 38

RESEARCH UPDATE continued from page 35

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36 Parks & Recreation

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their area by implementing several festivals to attract tourists
who would stay overnight, eat at their restaurants, and spend
money at their orchards, antique shops, and stores.
Organize public involvement and support: Once issues have been identified, elected officials must " get behind "
the development of community park and recreation areas,
programs, and services. This can be done with a couple of
public meetings to outline the issues and invite resident input.
The ahaa moment in St. Joseph, Illinois, happened during a
city council meeting. One councilperson asserted that the city
annually spent $10,000 on fireworks which lasted 20 minutes,
whereas an investment of $5-$10,000 into youth recreation and
park programs would have a more lasting impact on the positive development of the town's youth and families.
Finding assistance for planning: Rural communities
should never feel isolated regarding support for planning for
community parks and recreation. Numerous organizations offer services to help with planning. For example:
Rural Recreation Development Projects and University Cooperative Extension Services: All land grant institutions in the United States have " extension " programs. Their charge is to put
knowledge to work for community and citizen benefit. Most extension organizations have some type of community and economic development team or division whose mission is to assist
with the community and economic development of communities. They generally offer assistance with community mapping/
planning, community needs assessments/evaluations, feasibility studies, small business development, local government
development, and other related programs. As previously discussed, some land grant universities have rural recreation development projects as a component to their extension services.
Indiana State offers a full-service rural recreation development
projects as a regional state university.
Nonprofit Community Service Organizations: There are numerous community development and service organizations
and foundations at the state, regional, and local areas. For example, community foundations are becoming more prevalent
and their missions center on improving communities. Illinois
has the Illinois Coalition for Community Services and other
states have active Volunteers of America organizations that assist with community development.
Regional/State Colleges and Universities and Community Colleges: Help is often also available through community colleges
and more regional and state colleges and universities (e.g., Indiana State University).
Securing revenue for park and recreation development: This
is one of the largest obstacles communities face. While most
states have Open Space, Land Acquisition and Development
(OSLAD) grants available, most of these programs are grantin-aid programs that require communities to front the funding
necessary for park land acquisition or development. The town of
St. Joseph, Illinois, was able to overcome this barrier by passing

May 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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