November 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 43

to invent their own narrative behind
each bird's feelings and story.
While sculptures, the playfulness of
the structures encourages children
to climb on top of the birds and to
treat the birds just as they would
any other playground equipment.
Even for adults visiting the park,
the birds provide an opportunity
to embrace imagination, no matter
how old they are.
" The community
engagement
efforts really led to building something
useful for our community, "
Paz explains. During the community
events, the neighborhood
children showed interest in having
a basketball court on the site.
While funding didn't allow for the
construction of a basketball court,
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
tried to provide a similar play opportunity
by installing a Plinkoball
(sometimes referred to as " drop
shot " ) hoop. The Plinkoball hoop
has three different hoop heights,
which expands the pool of potential
users to all heights, ages and
abilities. A group of volunteers
helped paint a maze on the Plinkoball
court to complement the game
and add another element to the
play space. Additionally, Saint Paul
Parks and Recreation planted flower
gardens in the park per a request
from adult community members;
these gardens are being tended by
volunteers who live in the adjacent
apartment blocks. " Our community
members are proud of this space,
of their local backyard, " says Paz.
In addition to the bird installation,
the renovation includes a
climbing dome, benches, a sand
lot, bicycle parking and other children's
play structures.
Forging Meaningful
Partnerships
By building partnerships with othThe
play area's large, colorful and playful
birds have become the focal point
of the park.
er groups in the community, park
and recreation agencies can more
effectively meet the demand for
parks and green spaces that address
community needs. The partnership
between Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
and Public Art Saint Paul
is just one example of a successful
partnership that led to positive outcomes
for the community. As park
and recreation agencies decide how
to best allocate budget and resources,
partnership building will be a
critical component of delivering
vital community services.
Collaboration between Saint
Paul Parks and Recreation and
Public Art Saint Paul, a fusion between
the fields of parks and recreation
and the arts, won't stop with
" Birds at Play. " Per Saint Paul's
Public Art Ordinance Program
(tinyurl.com/u42kxc65), all local
capital funding is required to set
aside at least one percent of funds
for public art. According to Dysart,
the artists hope that one day,
" the local kids from the Rondo
neighborhood will come back to
the park and remember the iconic-ness
of their childhood, returning
to the birds and remembering
the
hours
spent
playing
here. "
Public Art Saint Paul organizes
and hosts youth summer programs
to bring artistic and environmental
education opportunities to the
neighborhood.
Funding for
this
project was
made possible in part by the Connecting
Communities to Outdoor
Play grant program, a collaboration
between Target and NRPA that is
designed to increase opportunities
for communities to play and spend
time in nature. While support from
Target made the sculpture installation
possible, funding has allowed
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation to
engage meaningfully with the community
and build partnerships that
will continue to support the health,
well-being and resiliency of the
community for years to come.
For more information on how to build
your own successful partnerships, check
out the article " Making the Most of Your
Partnerships " from the November 2020
issue of Parks & Recreation magazine
(tinyurl.com/rwmhucw).
Editor's note: This article has been
modified from its print version.
Teresa Morrissey is NRPA's Program Manager, Park
Access (tmorrissey@nrpa.org).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | NOVEMBER 2 0 2 1
| Parks & Recreation
43
http://www.tinyurl.com/u42kxc65 http://www.tinyurl.com/rwmhucw http://www.tinyurl.com/rwmhucw http://www.tinyurl.com/rwmhucw
November 2021 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2021 - Parks & Recreation
